The Fosters -- After The Ball
One thing you can say about this show is it doesn't shy away from some of the more controversial issues. This week they tackled the morning after pill and the possibility that young Jude could be a transsexual. And I don't find them preachy about it, either. They just seem to lay it out there for the viewer to decide how they feel about it. They treat it like people being of different nationalities. It's just the way it is.
I'd completely forgotten Callie's story of Jude getting beaten up by their foster father because he was caught dressing up in his foster mother's clothes. It didn't seem like any big deal. Just a kid playing dress up. We all did it when we were young. But it was brought up again when Jude wanted Mariana to paint his fingernails when he saw her painting hers. Callie sees the nail polish and tells Jude to wash it off before going to school, however Mariana encourages to wear it to school if he wants. He does and the predictable thing happens. A boy starts bullying him because of it, but Jude actually stands up to him. However, when he does come home, he decides Callie was right and washes it off. Lena finds him and tells him about her own experiences with being with Stef out in public. It seems to help put things in perspective.
Mariana develops an interest in a boy she used to knew who also has two Moms and seems to also be a foster child. She tries to get into poetry because he is and even has her nose pierced, which the Moms aren't thrilled about.
Lexi and Jesus are still seeing each other much to Mariana's displeasure. It actually turns into the Moms displeasure as well when Lexi and Jesus get into a heavy petting session that goes too far and leads to them having sex. Jesus was using a condom and Lexi is terrified she could be pregnant. When Stef is picking up Jesus' prescription at the pharmacy she sees a woman passing him a bag of something. She confiscates it and learns it's the Morning After Pill Jesus got a woman to get from him and the whole thing comes out.
The Moms get into a debate over whether they have the right to give Lexi the pill or not. Lena thinks they need to go to Lexi's mother, since Lexi is her child. Lena isn't pleased that Jesus convinces Stef to give Lexi the pill without telling her mother.
Lena and Stef also think about their own relationship when they learn a fellow same-sex couple are splitting up after being together a long time raising a child together. It makes them wonder if their own relationship will stand the test of time. However, they get romantic, as the fire is still burning bright between them.
Callie begins a relationship with Wyatt to fight her attraction to Brandon and Brandon isn't pleased about it. Callie isn't thrilled when she learns that Talya got there before Callie and that Wyatt and Talya slept together. Wyatt says they broke up because Talya changed after they slept together.
Things don't go well on Callie and Wyatt's first date. He says he's taking her to his parents' place, but it turns out it's a stranger's house. When the owners turn on the lights as they're about to kiss on the patio, they have to run for it. Callie is not amused because she's on probation and if the police had caught them she could go back to juvie. She actually calls Brandon to come and pick them up.
She also confides to Brandon that she and Jude had a good foster home until Callie got involved with the people's son, Liam. When they found out Liam said she was the one who seduced him and there went her and Jude's foster home. She tells Brandon she's not going to let that happen again.
Mike was absent this week since the same-sex couple breaking up provided the needed angst for Stef and Lena's relationship this week. I was surprised that Lexi and Jesus had sex so fast. I found I actually liked Wyatt and Callie better than Brandon and Callie. They just seemed to have more chemistry and the actor is actually more appealing than the actor that plays Brandon.
It seems the whole Liam thing will be coming to a head, as Callie runs into him and from the previews he seems like a real creep. Whether or not Jude is a transvestite, he still has some learning problem, and that is still to be discovered and dealt with. I wonder if the show would go with there being a medical reason Jude wants to dress like a girl and wear nail polish. I remember seeing a story on Grey's Anatomy where the boy was really supposed to be a girl and had to have an operation to correct things. It also looked like Marian's bio-mom Ana is back. Has she come for more money and what will Mariana do to get it for her? Will she try selling Jesus' pills again and will she get caught red-handed this time?
I wasn't sure about this show when it first debuted, but it really seems to get better and better. And I like the way it tackles hot button issues without getting all preachy and moralistic. Here's hoping it gets renewed. It's so much better than Bunheads.
