The Fosters - Holiday Special 2014 - Recap: A Very Brallie Christmas
Recap and review of The Fosters - Holiday Special 2014 - Christmas Past:
The Fosters excels at exploring just what constitutes a family. In essence, the thesis of the show seems to be that any structure can be a family, so long as the people at its center love each other. Maybe that's a trite sentiment, but the show still manages to offer an insightful depiction of how these people are acclimating to this new family context. Sure, "Christmas Past" basically amounts to little more than a series of Christmas-themed vignettes, but the episode remains compelling, if only for how it depicts the development of this family as a unit.
Credit: ABC Family
In short, Daphne kidnaps her daughter once she learns that her visitation rights are being denied because her daughter's foster family wants to adopt her. Callie and Brandon spring into action to try to prevent the situation from getting any more out of hand, although Brandon is naturally concerned for Callie since she's on probation, which means this could end up being a disastrous Christmas if the authorities get involved. It ends up being a fairly moving storyline, particularly in how it illustrates the complications of the child services system. Daphne is working to improve herself, so she can reclaim her daughter, but all that work doesn't really matter if a more affluent family decides they can give her a better home. Maybe the courts will side with Daphne and decide that a child needs her biological mother. Or maybe they'll see Daphne's age and criminal record and decide it's best that the child is adopted. Either way, Daphne is in a difficult position of having to give up her own personal happiness for the sake of her daughter. The parting between Daphne and her little girl is heartbreaking, as she drops her off at the foster home, uncertain of when or if she'll get to see her child again. It's the rare sour ending for a Christmas tale, although it's not without hope that maybe things will change for her in the future. Granted, this all gets a bit overshadowed by the ending, in which Callie and Brandon see an ambulance heading over to the Quinn residence. Because while this might be a Christmas special, it still has to serve the overarching storylines of the season, in some form or fashion. And it's a good thing, since not much else about this episode does that. However, it's a Christmas special, so I sort of understand the decision to have so much of this episode exist outside of the normal continuity.
Credit: ABC Family
Speaking of the rest of the episode, it mostly follows classic Christmas tropes. Jesus (Jake T. Austin) has a storyline straight out of the Home Alone book of "Bonding With the Misunderstood Neighbor Whose Kids Never Visit Anymore on Christmas." It's a lovely little arc, as Jesus gets really invested in the neighborhood Christmas decorating competition against Mr. Nesbitt. However, when Nesbitt's display is vandalized, he accuses Jesus. Eventually, Jesus is cleared of wrongdoing when his own display gets vandalized, and Nesbitt comes to the rescue with a baseball bat. They bond and Mr. Nesbitt reveals why he pours so much of himself into this yearly competition, noting that his kids no longer visit him, due to having families of their own. Granted, this is probably something he could solve by visiting them himself, but he seems really dedicated to being home for the holidays. If nothing else, it's a cute story that brings Jesus and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) together with memories of Christmas past. The bond between Jesus and Mariana is one of the strongest on the show. Sure, they fight a lot, but it's a sibling connection that feels honest and genuine. Sort of like the connection between Callie and Jude. Jude's earnestness is one of his defining character traits, and his love for Callie and his desire to help make her feel included in the holiday celebration makes his decision to shoplift a bracelet for her somewhat understandable. It's out of character, and a stupid risk for him to take, but it makes a certain kind of sense that his desperation would lead him to this, since he feels this bracelet is the one thing that will take her mind off of not being adopted. Luckily, Jude coming clean and returning the bracelet to the store earns him a discount from the sympathetic clerk, so he ends up managing to afford the bracelet anyway. You know, because Christmas.
Credit: ABC Family
As for the heads of the household, there's drama between Lena and her half-brother, Nathan, over his use of racial slurs towards her mother. Meanwhile, Stef has a throwdown with her mother over the misuse of her late father's money. Stef believes it's unfair that her mother gets to have the money since 1) the only reason she has it is because her father didn't get to change the will before he died, and 2) she has to put five kids through college, so it's kind of ridiculous that the money is being spent on expensive Christmas gifts for the kids. However, Stef ends up feeling like an ass when it's revealed that while Stef's mother has used some of the money for gifts, the majority of it has gone into a college fund for all five kids. I had a feeling the show was pushing a bit too hard on depicting Stef's mom as irresponsible, so the reveal that she actually was responsible wasn't all that big a surprise. But it didn't have to be a surprise. It just had to result in some heartwarming scenes, which it did. I got choked up a bit when Stef apologizes to her mom and all is forgiven. Something about Christmas, man. And families. It just gets me.
"Christmas Past" is a poignant holiday special that features more of what The Fosters does best: illustrating the complexity of familial relationships. A family is what you make it, and The Fosters have made this family one of the most compelling on TV.