The Fosters - Recap: Living Arrangements

This isn't to say that Callie (Maia Mitchell) isn't still around to continue her journey towards acceptance within the Foster clan, but she's far less the ostensible lead of the series than in previous weeks. But even without Callie there to present viewers with a newbie's point-of-view into this family, "Hostile Acts" has no trouble telling an engaging series of intersecting stories that further flesh out the characters of this show. This is starting to feel like a genuine ensemble, with each player being utilized with considerable restraint: no one dominates the screentime, nor is anyone really marginalized to the point of nonexistence. It's an even-handed use of the cast that I hope continues as the series moves forward. As it stands now, "Hostile Acts" maintains the relatively high level of quality that the series has established over the last two weeks.

Credit: ABC Family

Central to the story of "Hostile Acts" is the dilemma of Brandon, who must decide whether he wants to move in with his father, Mike (Danny Nucci), or remain in the house where he grew up. Right off the bat, Stef makes the boneheaded decision to not give Brandon a say in the matter, as she feels ambushed by Mike's decision to offer their son a change of living arrangement without consulting her first. Brandon naturally rebels against his mother's refusal to allow him an opportunity to speak for himself, and lashes out against the lack of choice he's been faced with his entire life: he had no say in whether they took in a bunch of stray kids, nor did he have any say in whether or not he wanted to have two moms in the first place.

The blow-up leads to Brandon storming off, and it kicks off an episode-long arc in which Brandon comes to recognize how badly he's needed by his two moms, while Stef realizes that her insecurities spring from a fear of losing Brandon to Mike. It's among the more recognizably relatable storylines of the series so far, as I imagine this is a situation that many viewers have faced, being caught between the affections of two divorced parents. It creates a question of loyalty that can really wreak havoc on a young kid's mind, which is what happens here with Brandon. He tries to reconcile his ambivalent feelings about his father with his similarly conflicted feelings about his mother, and that conflict feels both earned and real. When he eventually reneges on his decision to move in with Mike, resulting in a truly heartfelt scene between father and son, it helps make everyone involved in the story feel more three-dimensional as characters, even Talya (Madisen Beaty), who continues to be jealous of Callie and suspicious of her intentions with Brandon.

Meanwhile, Jesus is still dealing with the fallout of his taking the fall for Mariana (Cierra Ramirez), which has essentially torpedoed his social life due to having been grounded and faced with in-school suspension. This compromises his blossoming relationship with Lexi (Bianca A. Santos), and forces Jesus to reevaluate the sacrifices he's made for his sister, particularly once he learns that Mariana had been giving money to their birth mother, and plans to meet with her again at some point. His conflicted feelings about his sister are further brought to the fore when Brandon tells Jesus that he needs to eventually let Mariana sink or swim on her own. In essence, he can't be there for her all the time. At some point, he needs to start taking better care of himself, as opposed to allowing himself to constantly catch hell over something Mariana did.

Of course, Mariana has problems of her own. She still feels guilty about selling her pills and allowing Jesus to take the fall, and she tries to give a timid thanks to her brother for being the best brother a girl could ask for. While the apology doesn't ring hollow, it still feels forced, as if tinged by her guilt and an overwhelming sense of obligation to compensate him somehow for his sacrifice. But she has her own troubles to face once Callie's journal goes missing and the two girls get into an argument about it. Callie nearly gives away Mariana's secret, telling Lena that she doesn't know her daughter as well as she thinks she does. But Callie backs off before going any further. Left to her guilt, Mariana is somewhat on an island alone. Naturally, the same can't be said for Jesus, as he manages to meet with Lexi after school and begin their relationship in earnest, sealing things with a kiss.

Credit: ABC Family

Callie, for her part, recedes to the background for much of the episode, only popping up to work on a writing assignment for her English class. She writes about a personal event from her past related to a person named Liam, though the situation remains purposefully vague. Whoever Liam is, Jude (Hayden Byerly) knows about him too. And while he understands why his sister would freak out about her journal going missing when it contains such a sensitive story, he doesn't exactly appreciate her getting into a fight with Miranda about it, as he doesn't want her to screw up the good thing they've got going. But Jude is also under a bit of pressure himself. Because Lena is the vice principal, she was able to advance Jude past the waiting list for the charter school and gain him immediate acceptance, but the seventh grader runs into problems when he fails to perform up to the standards of the state assessments.

The administration gives Lena one chance to school Jude for the test to come, but if he can't manage at least a 65 on the next standardized test, they'll have to find him a different school, and the separation from Callie could devastate the young child's psyche. And so Lena helps Jude study, and we poignantly learn that Jude has been to seven different schools over a four year period. This sense of pity for Jude compels Lena (who is allowed to grade Jude's test in one of the biggest administrative oversights I've seen in the fictional education system!) to change one of the answers on Jude's exam to give him a passing grade, changing a 6 to an 8 on one of the math problems. Jude gets his 65 and passes, but will Lena compromising her academic integrity have repercussions? I have a hard time believing it will, if only because I can't think of a way anyone would find out unless Lena confessed -- although I suppose there could be security cameras in her office. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But I did like that Jude is now more than just someone for Callie to protect. He's a character unto himself, and not a bad one, at that.

Credit: ABC Family

The Fosters has maintained its status quo with another solid entry. Although the previews imply that next week's episode will be a bit more of a soap-ish episode, I'm convinced that, if the show were to go in that direction, there's enough of a foundation here to carry it off. This is an immensely talented cast, and the writing offers stories that are well-paced and intricately told in their own right. "Hostile Acts" holds fast to the credo that if you give talented people good material, half the work is already done.