The Fosters - Recap: Kid N Play

In fact, "Play" was a bit of a departure from what we might have come to expect from the past two episodes. Other than a brief mention at the start of the episode, we don't really follow up on Callie's (Maia Mitchell) issues with Robert Quinn or her half-sister Sophia, we don't follow up on Mike's possible involvement in Ana's disappearance, and we hardly even follow up on Emma dumping Jesus (Jake T. Austin). But the episode is better off by offering a breather of a story that allows our characters to just be teenagers for once, with a story that thrives under that more lighthearted narrative. Seriously, the story can basically be boiled down to "The kids throw a house party while Stef and Lena are out of town." In theory, it should be a completely forgettable hour, yet the party addresses many of the individual problems the Fosters are facing without being needlessly overdramatic. It's a much more effective story than I would have expected from such a relatively thin premise, but the episode completely works by taking itself less seriously than the other two episodes of this season thus far, and much less so than last week's show (which was excellent in its own right, to be fair). But the best thing about this episode is that while it's lighthearted in place, it can't be said that there's nothing to it. Again, there's substance here, and it makes for an interesting hour.

Credit: ABC Family

So Stef (Teri Polo) and Lena (Sherri Saum) are going on a "babymoon," their last chance at having a night off before the baby comes. Brandon (David Lambert) and Callie are left in charge, but signals quickly get mixed when Brandon invites friends over to listen to the band he joined last week. Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) assumes this means they can have people over, and decides to invite the entire dance team. The dance team, in turn, invites everyone they know, and before anyone can stop it, the Fosters are suddenly hosting the season's biggest party. And that's basically the setup, but two storylines of the five or so we get this week deserve to be singled out as highlights, albeit for very different reasons. In the first, Callie decides she wants no part of the raucous party, having had her share of rebelliousness for one lifetime, and looking to avoid doing anything that will bring the law into the equation. But when she's overruled on the party, she has no choice but to participate. So she does her part by being the adult in the situation, essentially taking it upon herself to stand guard and protect the house from the drunken, rowdy shenanigans of the partygoers by holding Brandon to the letter of Stef and Lena's rules -- no one can come in the house, meaning this is suddenly an outdoor party. And Callie suddenly has a ton of responsibilities on her plate.

Credit: ABC Family

What works about this story is how it serves as a representation of just how badly Callie wants to be a part of this family, and how much Robert Quinn's absence is weighing on her mind. In dedicating herself to being responsible, Callie illustrates that she's not like either of the men who call themselves her father. Maybe Robert Quinn wouldn't have left had he known about Callie, but he still left, and she still views that as a form of abandonment not unlike Donald Jacob's. So she proves she has the dedication to responsibility that they didn't, by being militant about keeping people out of the house, and preventing the party from getting out of hand. Granted, she fails, but it's the trying that matters here, as it tells us a lot about how far Callie has come as a character. No more running away from problems. She's part of a family now, and it shows: even Wyatt (Alex Saxon) makes note of how Callie and Brandon are actually bickering like a real brother and sister now, which shows how integrated Callie has become in the Foster household. It's a terrific little story that never really takes center stage, but instead is interwoven throughout the disparate subplots of the episode. And it works beautifully.

The other highlight of the episode was Jude (Hayden Byerly) confronting his uncertain sexuality when Connor and two female friends come over, leading to a game of Spin the Bottle. It's not exactly a riveting plot or anything, but it continues the general themes of acceptance that have been running throughout the series. Connor, for instance, is eager to prove to Jude that he doesn't care if he's gay or not. Jude, meanwhile, is just looking to be accepted without the need for labels. Both kids are trying to find a sense of normalcy in their friendship, which is hard enough without Connor's dad trying to keep them from hanging out (although it does lead to a funny moment in which Connor's dad comes storming into Jude's room to pick up his son, only to find Jude hanging out with his arms around two girls). Sure, the almost kiss between Jude and Connor is a bit contrived, but not all that unbelievable, given the game they were playing. And Connor's eagerness to just do it, despite Jude's reticence, is his way of showing that he doesn't care about Jude's sexuality, he just wants his friend back. It's actually fairly sweet, even with its relatively short runtime, as compared to some of the other stories in the episode.

Credit: ABC Family

For example, Callie steps in on Brandon's behalf to explain to Lou (Ashley Argota), the lead singer of Brandon's new band, that this is something he needs, since performing has been taken away from him by Vico's attack. This culminates in Brandon's first public performance since his attack, a fully-backed rendition of "Outlaws," his song for Callie from last season. For this moment, Callie can finally look at Brandon not as an ex or an old flame, but as a brother (although she does seem to get misty eyed when Wyatt notes what a great pair Brandon and Lou make). It's far more successful, as its own separate story, than anything involving Jesus or Mariana. Which is not to say that their storylines were boring. Quite the opposite, as I thought Mariana babysitting the drunk dance team captain was entertaining, and Jesus having a one night stand with one of the dance team girls was a fairly big surprise. But it just didn't feel all that relevant or important in the grander scheme of the episode. That said, I'm interested in where both storylines are going, particularly with regards to Mariana's continued struggle with race.

Credit: ABC Family

At the very least, it's as interesting as Stef and Lena's romantic problems, which finally come to the fore. Lena feels that Stef never really listens to her, as evidenced by Stef's interest in the life story of their masseuse for the couples' message, while Stef feels Lena never really talks to her. Again, Lena rationalizes that this is because Stef never listens, which leaves Stef feeling put-upon. Yet, as mature couples in a loving relationship manage to do, Stef and Lena work their differences, with Lena acknowledging that not every night can be as filled with love and feelings of invincibility as their wedding night, yet they wouldn't exactly be wrong for trying. It's rare to see a mature, loving relationship like this on TV, much less between two characters of the same sex. If nothing else, the story is a fitting representation of just how far TV has come. But even then, as its own isolated storyline, this worked wonders (primarily thanks to Polo and Saum, who really brought the marital discord to life here).

Credit: ABC Family

"Play" is an episode that's much lighter on the intense drama than the past two episodes, but that's what makes it memorable. In many ways, it's a breather after what came before, and prior to what's ahead. The Fosters occasionally indulges in melodrama, but when it takes the time to scale back its sprawling stories, it can still be every bit as compelling, as evidenced here.