The ABC Family drama THE FOSTERS comes back for its winter premiere tonight. The episode takes place right where the mid-season finale left off. To prepare, here is a quick recap of the mid-season finale.
In the finale, it was revealed that Callie's adoption papers were signed by her biological father Robert, but they never reached their destination because Sophia, Callie's half-sister, took and destroyed them. When Callie asked Robert to sign them again, he regretfully told her that he couldn't bear to abandon her again. Upset, she ran off to cry. Brandon found and comforted her and they shared yet another forbidden kiss (after Brandon and the lead singer of his band, Lou, became an item) . Meanwhile, Lena just let Stef know that she quit her job-without discussing it with her first, which built quite a bit of tension between the two. Jesus and Mariana had just seen their biological ex-addict mother for the first time in a while and are dealing with having her potentially coming back into their lives. Meanwhile, Jude struggled with keeping his friendship with Connor alive, because Connor's father does not approve of the time they spend together.
In the premiere, it is revealed that after Robert realized he upset Callie, he had a panic attack and emergency aid arrived to the home. Meanwhile, Sophia tried to drown herself in the bathtub, although it is unknown to the people in the house because they're focused on Robert's health. Back at the Fosters' home, Callie tried to avoid Brandon after their kiss, but he found her and let her know that he wasn't rejecting her, he just doesn't want her to give up. Lena also comforts Jude after he told her about Connor spending a night in the tent with him. The next day, Stef visited Robert and his wife to get him to sign Callie's papers, but ended up angering him, and he told her that he is going to fight for custody. I understand where Robert is coming from, but trying to force Callie into his family won't make her love him the way he wants her to.
Jesus and Brandon are lifting weights and Jesus asks Brandon what Alcoholics Anonymous is like, probably trying to find a way to connect with his biological mother, although he denies that's the reason why he is asking. Mariana is still struggling with her dance team moves, but Tia, her friend and coach, reassures her that she will be ready to go by the competition day. Later that day, Lou and Brandon share their new song with Mariana's boyfriend/their bandmate Matt and the chemistry is unavoidable, but Matt is skeptical of their relationship and how it will affect the band. Lena and Stef argue about Stef's going over and angering Robert and Lena quitting her job. The two of them have always been such a smooth sailing couple, so seeing bumby seas aheasd will be interesting to watch unfold.
Jesus's girlfriend Haley tries to apologize for acting clingy then distant all weekend, and I cannot help but roll my eyes because I cannot stand this girl. To make things worse, she gets all excited when she finds out his whole family will be at the dance competition, but then her mood changes the second he says his sister's name. What kind of girlfriend gets upset because you're supporting your own flesh and blood? Not a good one, I'll tell you that. A teacher approached Brandon about a possible spot in a prestigious summer music program, and although it is a full scholarship, Brandon is hesitant because of his hand injury. Connor and Jude see each other for the first time since their fight, but things seem to be fine between them, even if it may seem a teeny bit awkward, which is to be expected. The dance competition is the next day and the team captain moved the solos around, which made Mariana even more nervous than she already was. Callie walked in on Brandon playing the piano and he told her about the summer program, although it is still unclear whether or not he'll be going. Lena revealed that she was able to get her job back, but unfortunately has to have a meeting with Connor and his father about what happened that night of the camping trip. I am not loooking forward to the aftermath of that conversation at all, because you know it is going to affect Jude's friendship with Connor and I really like them. Mariana and Callie have a sisterly talk before they go to bed where Mariana lets slip that Brandon and Lou are an item, which seemed to surprise and upset Callie.
It's the day of the competition, and the team is one member short (did I miss something or did they just not explain why Tia isn't performing?) Everyone is panicking, but Mariana saves the day using Geometry (See that? Math can help in real life!) and the team rocked their performance. However, she was upset when she noticed her brother wasn't in the audience. Where was he? At Ana's AA meeting watching her talk about her dark past and trying to make things better for her kid...but she was talking about her unborn one.
Mariana, high off of her win, found Tia and explained why she didn't stick up for her earlier (I definitely missed something). She revealed that she wanted to start a rival dance team at their school because she was sick of her captain's tyrant, by-the-book ways. While at her job, Callie had an unwanted visitor. Sophia said that if she did not forgive her, she'd kill herself. Callie shrugged it off until Sophia walked into traffic, causing an accident. She was luckily not injured, and when her parents arrived, Callie told them what happened, and they plan on getting Sofia help after she told them that she can't do this anymore. At dinner, Mariana let her brother know that she missed him at the performance, and Brandon asked his moms if he could tour with his band during the summer. Callie confronted him about giving up the scholarship, but the conversation turned out to be more of a break-up, which I think is totally needed for their situation. I'm upset that their romance arc seems to have ended, but I'm glad Brandon is finally letting go of her.
What are you looking forward to during this half of the season? Which family do you think Callie should be a part of? Sound off in the comments below, and don't forget to catch THE FOSTERS Monday night at 8/7c on ABC Family. Be sure to visit this page during the show where I'll be updating every moment live!
Photo Credit: ABC Family
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