The Fosters - Recap: The Mamas and the Papas

Recap and review of The Fosters - Episode 19 - Don't Let Go:

This was kind of a strange episode for The Fosters. There was one strong story at the center, and then a solar system of lesser stories in orbit around it, which is almost never the case since The Fosters is often so good at making several of the plot threads hold genuine narrative interest. But "Don't Let Go" anchors its investment in the story of how Callie (Maia Mitchell) deals with the possibility of reuniting with her father (Jamie McShane) permanently. It's an emotionally harrowing storyline that is as poignant as anything the show has ever done, and while I wish the rest of the episode could meet that high standard, I understand it's an unrealistic expectation to have. Ultimately, The Fosters still manages to take stories that seem to have limited shelf-life, and imbue them with the significance and narrative weight necessary to carry them through multiple episodes. Such is the case here, as we get an episode that deals with mothers (in the Mariana storyline and with the Lena/Stef stuff) and with fathers (as in Callie and Jude's storyline, as well as Brandon's). The show is better for that strong writing, and for the solid performances that accompany it.

Credit: ABC Family

Callie meets with her father and basically gets the 411 from him: he didn't contact them once he got out of prison because, frankly, he was ashamed of what he had done. Callie's father essentially considers himself a murderer for causing the death of her mother, and even now, he's dealing with residual guilt over the drunk driving that ripped their family apart. Yet he explains that he did intend to come back for the kids once he got his life back together, which is noble in a certain way, but it's also not at all what Callie wants to hear, as she decides she isn't going to let Jude (Hayden Byerly) hear any of this. However, despite her best efforts to pretend as though she's unfazed by all of this, her doubts start to seep in once she has a conversation with Daphne (Daffany Clark) that reveals just how badly she and Jude might need that blood connection that only her birth father could provide. Callie wrestles with her decision but isn't sure how she wants to handle things, especially after she encounters Brandon (David Lambert), who doesn't understand why she's even considering giving her father a second chance. I kind of love that this show, much like Switched at Birth, can find drama in family, in the moments that have little to do with the usual mistakes of misguided youth, like crime or heartache. This is a decision that is bigger than Callie knows how to manage, and yet she tackles that responsibility because she's been accelerated towards adulthood by the circumstances of her life.

It all culminates in a devastatingly beautiful scene in which Callie and Jude's father finally stops by the Foster residence to visit them. It's here in which he confesses his lifetime of misdeeds and misgivings, tearfully saying that he's always loved his kids and has always wanted to do right by them, but has just never been able to get it together. He goes on to add that their mother was the one who did most of the parenting, and that while he truly does love his kids, he just didn't know how to be a father. It's a scene that seems to imply that not everyone is cut out for parenthood, which is a bit of a bold, yet unflinchingly honest, statement to make. When we think of people who aren't prepared for parenthood, it's likely that most people think of young teenagers, the kids who made a decision and wound up bringing another life into the world in the trade-off. Yet adults can be ill-prepared for the demands of raising a child as well. It's kind of a cop-out to use that as an excuse to shirk responsibility, sure, but it's true. And sometimes it's best for the children in question to get away from that parent, even if that parent does, in fact, love his kids.

Credit: ABC Family

And so it is here, as the Fosters are clearly the family Callie and Jude need, which their father recognizes. He says farewell and promises that if they ever need him, he'll be there for them (which seems somewhat empty given that he's essentially signing away his rights; but hey, it's for the greater good, so it's hard to really get on his case about that). I was much more deeply affected by this than I was expecting to be, and I suppose a lot of it is thanks to the genuinely penitent performance of Jamie McShane, who makes Callie and Jude's father out to be a well-meaning sap who just wants his kids to be able to have the life he feels they deserve, even if that means he loses the right to have any say in that life. But Mitchell and Byerly are effective as well, particularly when Callie says goodbye to her father and Jude asks if he can have a hug, all little moments that are exceedingly powerful.

In fact, the storyline is strong enough to overshadow just about everything else in the episode, even though there's at least one other storyline worth focusing on: Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) gets a random invitation to dinner by Zac's mother (Romy Rosemont), setting off a storyline that is meant to play as deeply uncomfortable, and succeeds. Zac (Julian De La Celle) didn't know about the invite and is surprised to find Mariana at his door. He's doubly surprised to find his mother so welcoming to Mariana, as she invites her in like an old friend, and serves the happy couple a home-cooked dinner. Of course, as the night rolls on, we see cracks of dementia start to surface: she doesn't remember having cooked the dinner, she forgets that it's been ten years since her husband left (not two, as she claims), and she even insists on Mariana drinking wine, as if failing to recognize her age. Zac is embarrassed, but Mariana doesn't care, and it's with this sense of relief that Zac decides to pursue a relationship with her. But things quickly get dark when she receives a phone call from Zac's mother later that night in which she's not only called a "whore," but also threatened with ruin if Mariana so much as comes near her son again. It's an absolutely chilling scene that takes the discomfort of the storyline and amplifies it to where there's genuine menace now, and no clear way for Mariana to understand why any of this is happening. All that's left is to hope that she doesn't let her consideration for Zac's feelings get in the way of telling someone of authority about this. Either way, it's an immediately compelling storyline that adds to the episode where other subplots fail to make a mark.

Credit: ABC Family

Case in point, the continued scheming by Dani (Marla Sokoloff), who tries to turn Mike (Danny Nucci) against Stef (Teri Polo) while also trying to convince Brandon to move in with them permanently. It's mostly because I find the Dani character obnoxious, but also because there doesn't seem to be any point to her character other than to make trouble. Like, why is she doing any of this? Is there a deep-seated emotional issue that is prompting her to act this way? Is it her addiction from which she's recovering? I don't really like "wild card" characters, because it throws good storytelling out the window. There needs to be a reason for her to be so manipulative. Maybe it could just be that she loves Mike so much that she wants him to have everything he wants?

If that's the reason, I hope they do more to actually tell that story, because while we can probably infer what her motives are, there is such a thing as too much subtlety. Also failing to leave a mark is Jesus (Jake T. Austin) and his continued struggle to make it in school without his ADHD medication. This is another story where I'm not sure what the goal is, but I do have to give Austin credit for delivering such an effective portrayal of a kid with ADHD. And it does give the episode some funny moments, such as when he nearly walks in on Timothy (Jay Ali) producing his sperm sample in the bathroom of their house. In fact, he also offers up an interesting take on the ADHD portrayal, as he pretty much hijacks Lena (Sherri Saum) and Stef's announcement that they're going to have a baby, spilling the beans to the rest of the family before either of his parents can get the story out. This baby stuff wavers from week-to-week on whether it's interesting or not, and this is just one of those weeks where it takes a back seat. But that in no way means I'm down on the storyline, since I think there's loads of potential here to make compelling TV. Here's to the future, as we inch closer to the season finale.

Credit: ABC Family

"Don't Let Go" is a solid episode with one really strong storyline, a compelling secondary arc, and a collection of hit-or-miss subplots that could come back around to being interesting in a week's time. I suppose we'll see. But seeing as how this is The Fosters, I'm willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt.