Tuesday, August 30, 2016

My Review of The Fosters 4.10- Collateral Damage

All sorts of birds come home to roost as the family faces the consequences of their decisions from this season...

You know, I'd feel a lot worse for Brandon if this whole thing weren't his fault.  He made the decision to take the SAT for someone because he wanted to help Cortney out and now he's lost out on Juilliard because of that.  I really am sorry that he has lost out on his dream, but he has been making so many bad decisions this season that I am not surprised that he got bit on the ass or one of them.  I can only hope that no one finds out that Lena knew about it, because that could do some serious damage to her and to her career.

And Callie is also reaping the rewards for what has been going on.  In her case, the ongoing problem has not so much been her fault, but it is something she should have seen coming,  AJ has long shown signs of being jealous of the amount of time she spends with Aaron, so it's not terribly surprising that he exploded at Aaron today.  And it didn't help that Aaron was being more than a little mouthy.  I was definitely mad at her for outing Aaron as trans to AJ.  I know, it's not shameful or anything, but that really is something that should only be revealed by the person whose identity is involved.  Besides, I think AJs threatening him was (in some ways) a good thing because it really does show that AJ sees Aaron as a guy who he can threaten as he would any other guy.  I am glad that Callie is trying to protect Aaron, but I am not sure he needed it.  I will say that it is entirely possible Callie has Aaron's permission to tell people that he is trans, but without knowing for sure, I am going to stay annoyed at her.

As for AJs jealousy, I can't say I blame him.  Aaron has shown signs of being interested in Callie and I'm not sure that calling Callie hot in front of AJ was the smartest idea.  Granted, AJ did overreact to that particular statement, but after everything that has been going on, it is hard for me to blame him for being upset.  I also think his anger has something to do with what he overheard Mike say last week.  That couldn't have been fun for Mike, but he did handle it well, so props there.

Jude is definitely pushing boundaries.  Running off with Noah, particularly after Noah is the one who was involved in his grounding in the first place, is not smart.  It  is the smallest worry given everything else that has happened, but it is something that needs to be watched.

Stef is potentially in some trouble.  After getting a letter of recommendation from Detective Gray; yes, the same guy who covered up what happened with Kyle; she decided to give Mike the evidence about what Gray did and he confronted her and threatened her job.  My only question is whether he actually knows about the lie Stef told for sure or if he is making a guess.  Given that only Stef, Lena, and Mike know for sure about what happened, I can't imagine how he knows for sure.  Anything is possible, but I am really curious at this point.

Speaking of bad situations, Callie has herself in a seriously bad one.  While getting in the car with the woman's grandson wasn't the dumbest move ever, it was still dumb.  And now it'd potentially very dangerous too.  If he figures out that she knows something, she could be in some deep trouble.  Callie is very smart and can think well on her feet, so we can only hope that she'll be able to figure out how to talk her way out of this situation.

And then there is Jesus.  The situation he is in is one that was completely avoidable, but could not be foreseen.  If Mariana hadn't taken Jesus' pills, if Jesus hadn't gone to threaten Nick, if Mariana hadn't strung Nick along in the first place, if Nick hadn't found Mariana, if Jesus hadn't attacked Nick, he wouldn't be on the ground in potentially serious trouble at the moment.  There's no real villain here, just a series of really, REALLY, REALLY bad decisions that led to a tragic outcome.  Nick was just punching Jesus, he really had no way of knowing the trauma Jesus had suffered a few weeks ago.  I am seriously concerned for Jesus at this point and I do hope Nick doesn't get in too much trouble, because it was mostly Jesus' fault because he attacked Nick without stopping to see that Nick wasn't hurting or threatening Mariana in any way.

Until January!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

My Review of The Fosters 4.09- New York

Stef and Lena make a desperate attempt to keep the house, Callie grows desperate when she hears news about Kyle, Brandon makes a decision about him and Cortney, and secrets pop out all over the place...

When Stef announced that she and Lena were filing for divorce within the first couple of minutes, I knew something was up.  I assumed that it was somehow related to the investigation into what happened with Kyle, What I didn't expect was for the two of them to try and use the "divorce" to tie up their assets in order to prevent the sale of the house.  Turns out Lena's mom used her pension to take care of everything so that the family wouldn't have to sell the house.  The only issue is that the house was already in escrow, and the couple wouldn't cancel everything, so Stef and Lena are hoping that the "divorce" will tie up the house long enough that the couple will back off.  Not a bad idea and I really hope it works because I so don't want to lose the house.

As for their issues this episode, I have to side with Stef.  They had a *VERY* short period of time to take care of everything and Lena wasn't moving as fast as was needed, so Stef had to step in and push things along.  Was it the best thing?  No and can get why Lena was upset.  That being said, I do think it was the right thing to do.  If they have to move out, they will need a place to live, so Stef did what had to be done.

And then there was the issue of the journal.  First off, I so want to smack Mariana and Jesus for even reading the journal.  Maybe Lena was wary about adopting the twins at first, but after everything she has done since then, Mariana's reaction made zero sense.  I know she has her issues about abandonment and she's had a lot happen recently, but she should have known that whatever happened that long ago, it doesn't change anything that happened since.  Sorry, but I have zero sympathy for Mariana in this situation.

I do have sympathy for Callie however.  While I get why Mike may be wary of her, she has never played with Brandon.  Their feelings for each other were mutual and they ended up messing with each other.  If the two of them weren't foster siblings (now actual siblings), they would have been together a long time ago.  The reason they resisted everything has to do with the rules of the foster system and not any sort of perfidy on Callie's part.  That's not to say that Callie is necessarily great for AJ.  While I am not saying that they are awful for each other, Callie does have a tendency to attract trouble of all sorts, which may not be great for AJ.

And this week, that trouble comes in the form of a murderer, or a potential one at any rate.  Sneaking into his house in order to get a DNA sample was such a stupid move.  But this is vintage Callie.  She sees someone in trouble (in this case Kyle) and she has to help them if she can.  I do think she'll make a great social worker someday.  She just has to learn to think first and then act later.  Now the probable murderer knows where her and her family live, which is not a good thing.  I just have to wonder what the connection is between the murder and the detective.  There has to be a reason the detective railroaded Kyle and I suspect we'll find out about it soon enough.  As for his not-so-veiled threat to Stef?  So not a nice guy.

Jude's secret about smoking pot is so out.  Getting caught red-handed by Lena and Stef is going to land him in a whole mess of trouble.  And I wouldn't be surprised if this spells the end of him and Noah.  The two of them are cute together, but being around Noah is causing Jude to act in a way that is not good for him.  I just really hope that this gets sorted out relatively quickly.

And it appears that Brandon is ready to dump Cortney.  At any rate, he mailed a letter off to her before his audition, presumably breaking up with her.  And I can't say that I am displeased with that.  I've been saying for a while that this particular relationship is not a good one, so I am glad to see Brandon finally put himself first.

The previews for the last week or so have teased that someone will be gone, and I have to wonder who it is.  Assuming it is not some secondary character (Cortney or Noah) leaving, I suspect that it will be one of three people: Brandon, Jude, or Mariana.  Brandon is the most obvious,  If he gets into Juilliard, then he will be on the other side of the country from the family.  As for Jude, it is entirely possible that after the way he has been acting (and some of the behind-the-scenes drama revolving around Hayden and his mother), I wouldn't be surprised if they are preparing to write Jude out, at least temporarily.  The reason I suggest Mariana is because of Nick being released next week.  I hope nothing permanent happens to her, but it is possible.

Next week is the summer finale, so until then!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

My Review of The Fosters 4.08- Girl Code

Mariana and Jesus compete at the robotics tournament, Callie continues her investigation, Brandon and Stef patch things up, and a surprising offer is made....

So the couple that came through the house before it was officially up for sale decided to buy it.  That was definitely fast.  I'm glad they weren't too freaked out by Callie and AJ getting dressed.  I knew something was going to happen when the realtor arrived with the couple, I just wasn't sure what it was going to be.  And while I understand what the realtor was saying about needing the house to be ready for other people, I can't say I liked her.  She was basically trying to remove the soul of the house so that people could imagine themselves in it instead.  The really bad part about the sale of the house is that the couple wants it really fast, which gives the family just a little bit of time to find a new place and move everything out.  That sucks.

It was nice to see Mariana back with us after a few weeks of bitchy Mariana.  I get why she had the attitude.  If people treated me the way they treated her, I'd be bitchy too.  But it was nice to see her use her brain and use her anger to make the robot work really, really well.  Going to that all girls school to form an uber girls team was a smart move.  And hopefully it will shut those jerks at her school up.  It probably won't, but hope does spring eternal.  I do wonder how she'll deal with everything now that she doesn't have the robotics competition to distract her from everything that was going on with Nick.

Is anyone surprised that Callie kept on investigating even after Stef asked her not to?  The good news is that between her and Stef, we have a better idea about what is going on.  That guy Callie confronted last week molested a 14 year old boy, but the police officer changed his age to 18 and forced the boy to change his story or else see his parents deported.  This is one seriously crooked cop.  I'm just trying to figure out what Callie saw at the house with Aaron that seemed to get her to backoff.  I can't say that I recognized the guy who went into the house, but he did seem naggingly familiar.  Can they get justice for Kyle?

It was definitely nice to see Brandon and Stef patch things up.  He finally admitted that he took on too much and she apologized for pressing too hard.  I knew that they would eventually work things out.  I really hope that he keeps his promise and doesn't tank Juilliard for Cortney or for his family.  If he can get a good scholarship, he can go to Juilliard and that will be good for everyone.

Until next week!

Monday, August 8, 2016

My Review of The Fosters 4.07- Highs and Lows

The truth comes out in a lot of places and the consequences are messy.  The kids find out about the recent financial difficulties, Mike finds out about Brandon and Callie, Callie finds out about Jude, Jesus tries to cover for Gabe, and Mariana descends just a little deeper.

Where to begin?  Let's start with Brandon and Cortney.  First off, Brandon is right, Cortney is pretty much letting her son run wild.  I get that she is a single mother trying to take care of her kid, but I do have to wonder if she has bitten off a little too much.  From what I can tell, Brandon is pretty much supporting her right now and she keeps on piling more and more on him.  I keep waiting for him to realize that he is trying to take on too much.  He was lucky that nothing happened while his back was turned.  This whole thing is headed to be a train wreck of epic proportions, particularly after the little fight Brandon and Cortney had.

As for what Cortney said to Mike, I have mixed feelings.  Should Stef and Lena have told him about Callie and Brandon?  Probably.  But they are trying to limit the damage and it'[s not like Mike has been around as much as he used to be.  And Cortney also used it as the perfect excuse to deflect from her responsibility for what is going on.  Like I said, the whole thing is a big mess and it needs to be figured out ASAP.  Maybe the family can move into the house with Brandon and Cortney.  that would give them more room and lighten the load for both Brandon and Cortney.  After all, having a support system in place to help her take care of her son will be helpful in the custody fight.

Then there is Callie and Jude.  Her maternal side where he is concerned was on full display tonight.  Medical marijuana is like any other prescription in that it is meant for a particular person for a particular reason and shouldn't be shared.  And in this case, Jude's using it led him to try smoking some. If he really feels anxiety and stress, he really needs to talk with Stef and Lena about it.  I am fairly certain that they would work with him to try medications, whether it is pills or medical marijuana.  But going and buying some to smoke is not exactly the smartest option.  Where I think Callie overstepped was in confronting Noah in front of his mom.  While I totally get why she did it, it would have been better for her to have just told Stef and Lena and let them deal with it.  I have no doubt that she and Jude will sort this out, however he is definitely feeling smothered like he was on the camping trip a couple of seasons ago.

Then there is Callie and Kyle.  I admire what she is trying to do for him, but confronting the witness at his job and publicly outing him as a molester was not the brightest idea.  I have the horrible suspicion that this whole thing is going to blow up and hurt Stef, particularly now that she is trying to become a detective.  Whoever that cop was who got the witness to change his statement seems to be upset about what callie is doing and he will be able to find out who Stef is.  All in all, not good.

I so want to give Mariana a good, swift thwack upside her head.  I totally get that she is stressed out after everything that has been going on, but taking Jesus' ADHD meds is so not smart.  Just like Jude and the medical marijuana, that prescription is meant to help Jesus with his particular issues, not to be used the way she is using it.  Between this and everything that is going on with Nick, I am seriously worried about her.

Jesus trying to cover for Gabe was really sweet and totally Jesus.  He wanted to make sure that Gabe didn't get in trouble, unfortunately he ended up really injuring himself in the process.  It was really good to see Gabe talk with Stef about what is going on.  He definitely needs someone to talk to and someone to help him with what is going on.  After all, he has been through some serious emotional and psychological trauma because he was unjustly put on the sex offenders registry.  It didn't help that he was thinking that getting off of it would be some sort of instant cure-all.

Next week, Mariana spirals even more and lashes out.  Until then!

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

My Review of The Fosters 4.06- Justify

Lena and Stef worry about the news from Lena's dad, Mariana starts to show some strain, Brandon gets an earful from Lena, Callie makes a breakthrough, Jesus and Emma have a talk, and Jude tries something unexpected....

So, Lena's dad has not paid income taxes in 4 years, has tried a variety of get-rich-quick schemes that all failed, has his house mortgaged out to wazoo and back, and had generally screwed everyone over.  I am so glad that Lena finally let him know, in no uncertain terms, just how badly he has screwed up.  I lost my job several years ago and have had some serious debt issues (although not $300,000 serious), so I get that trying to come back from that is hard.  But there is help out there and he needs to get some immediately.  Things are so bad that Stef and Lena are getting ready to sell their house in order to help him and her mom.  I really hope that doesn't happen because I am not sure where the Adams-Fosters are going to get a new house that will be big enough for all of them.

Speaking of Lena letting loose at people, was anyone else cheering when she gave Brandon that earful?  That boy has made so many horrible, horrible choices since we've met him.  And this is the second one which has made life difficult for Lena.  First there was the fake IDs and now he took the SATs for the guy.  While his wanting to "fix" the issue is laudable, this is not a situation that can be fixed.  He screwed up big time and placed Lena in a horribly awkward situation.  Either she ruins his life by reporting what he has done or she ignores her professional and ethical responsibilities and lets him go.  Getting the other guy to retake the SAT doesn't absolve Brandon of the bad decision.  Between this and giving his money meant for Juilliard to Cortney, he has demonstrated a total lack of maturity and should not be on his own.  I know he probably doesn't see it that way, but it is still true.

Then there was Lena letting Callie have it.  In fairness to Callie, her first project was cancelled thanks to her decision to let AJ stay at the foster teen center overnight and the second was because Justina took Fost and Found away from her, so it's not like Callie just gave up on the two of them.  That said, Lena was right when she insisted that Callie had to stick with this final project.  Time is running out and I don't see how she can start and finish a fourth one.  I get why she flipped out about the bad memories and all.  I was so glad to see Aaron come in and talk about his path.  And can I just say how awesome it is that this show actually finds transgender actors to portray transgender characters?  The nice thing about this new project is that it gave her the clue she needed to hopefully prove that her former foster brother is innocent.  The forensic report said that the killer was right handed, but her former foster brother is left-handed.  Hopefully that will be enough to overturn the conviction.  That sort of exculpatory evidence should have been turned over.  And the fact that the lawyer never looked for it in the first place would potentially make a good case for ineffective assistance of counsel.

Mariana is seriously distracted by everything going on with Nick right now.  I so want someone to point out to her that by continuing to let Nick think that he has a chance with her, she is seriously hampering his recovery.  If she is all he is holding onto in order to remain level, that is not someone who should be out on his own.  He needs to be somewhere where he can get real help.  Right now, his "recovery" is based on a lie, and that is not good.  And by worrying about what is going on with Nick, she is being hampered in STEM.  And there, let's be honest, she is also facing some serious sexism from the rest of the team.  That one guy is doing everything he can to sabotage her as the leader.  Hopefully, with everyone gone, she, Emma, Jesus, and whoever else is left can focus on getting the robot working and show these guys that they are being completely sexist.

Hopefully Jesus and Emma's talk tonight will help them start to work towards some sort of resolution.  She's upset that he immediately hooked up with Hayley and he's upset because she was implying that he is not smart and needs her help.  Both of them are right.  Jesus was wrong to immediately hook up with Hayley, which he has admitted.  Hopefully Emma can understand why Jesus is upset at her.  Last week she offered unsolicited tutoring help and seemed to imply that he wasn't as smart as her.  I get that she might not have meant it as insulting, but it was insulting nonetheless.  Tonight was a good first step for them and I look forward to many more.

I'm not su sure that Noah is a great fit for Jude.  I'm just worried that he is going to get Jude using the pot candy (I think it was candy anyway) too much.  I get that he has the marijuana for medical reasons, but I'm not so sure sharing it is the best option.  At least Jude  doesn't get all paranoid the way Brandon did.  Instead, he just gets seriously mellow.  I will reserve judgment, but I am not entirely sure I am liking what I am seeing.  While they are adorable together, I'm not sure that this is a keeper.  Then again, it might not be a bad rebound guy for Jude.

Until next week!