The Fosters - Recap: Jesus of Suburbia

Even Stef (Teri Polo) and Lena (Sherri Saum) are facing issues of family: sure, they have kids of their own and a full life together, but is their family invalidated by the fact that they aren't married? The answer, of course, is no. Their family unit is more valid than some families bound by blood, but it's the doubt that their unmarried state throws into their minds that drives the drama -- at least until they're shocked back into the reality of their family unit by a revelation from Mariana. This leads to a cliffhanger that I couldn't possibly have predicted, and a stunning development that throws the relatively small-stakes nature of the show into chaos. "Clean" isn't as strong as last week's episode, but it's arguably a more substantive hour, exploring questions of how families are defined, and the ways in which those bonds are tested.

Credit: ABC Family

Much of the episode follows Mariana and Jesus, and their troubled dealings with their birth mother, Ana (Alexandra Barreto). When Jesus accompanies Mariana on a visit, he's immediately roped into Ana's self-destructive world. Despite Mariana's warnings about their birth mother's emotionally manipulative tactics, Jesus can't help but feel bad for Ana after seeing the squalid conditions of the low-rent crackhouse in which she lives, or the gruff, uncaring nature of her junkie boyfriend. He wants to help her out, but Mariana doesn't trust that Ana will actually use whatever money they give her to follow through on her promise to buy a ticket out of the hellhole in which she lives. She makes Jesus promise that he won't go back to visit Ana, but Jesus is a sentimental sort. He has a compulsive need to protect everyone, a trait that is brought out by Lexi, though inadvertently. Lexi is worried about the cops showing up on her doorstep and whisking them all away for deportation, prompting Jesus to tell her that he won't let anything bad happen to her. While Lexi appreciates the sentiment, she tells Jesus that this isn't a promise he can actually keep (at which point, I thought, "You do realize if the cops try to deport you, this boy is going to marry you to make you a citizen right?"). Feeling powerless to help anyone, Jesus tries to help Ana, breaking his promise to Mariana by visiting her that afternoon -- at which point, Jesus disappears for the rest of the episode, setting up the stunning cliffhanger. But more on that in a bit.

Credit: ABC Family

Callie (Maia Mitchell) drifts into the background for much of the episode, going back-and-forth with Wyatt (Alex Saxon), who isn't entirely ready to forgive her for yelling at him simply for trying to protect her from Liam (Brandon Jones). It's kind of a sweet storyline, as Callie tries to win Wyatt's friendship back, at which point he meets up with her at a silent movie under the condition that it's officially a date. The pair is adorably corny as they act out what they think the characters in the movie are saying to one another, eventually coming together and sharing a kiss (an incredibly awkward-looking kiss, but a kiss nonetheless). And that's not all on the romance front, as Brandon hangs out with Talya (Madisen Beaty) for the first time since their breakup, going to a concert together. Talya is going through some issues of her own after having a video of her drunken antics at Wyatt's party played in front of the entire class. Brandon is sympathetic and, in return, Talya is as down-to-Earth as she's ever been, encouraging him to stick it out with his tough piano teacher. It's not a terribly riveting storyline or anything, but I enjoyed it, honestly. Brandon and Talya are still negotiating whatever it is that still exists between them, and that's interesting in itself, even if it's not as substantive as what's going on with Brandon's father.

Credit: ABC Family

If it hadn't been apparent over the last several episodes, Mike (Danny Nucci) is back on the bottle, and Brandon confirms it to Stef when she goes to him with her suspicions. This happens after a bust in which Mike is assaulted by a suspect, only for Stef to swoop in and subdue the would-be felon. When her superior questions her about Mike's fitness for duty, she indirectly voices her suspicions that Mike is drinking again. Mike gets busted back down to desk duty until further notice, while Stef is left to deal with the situation brewing at home: Lena's ex-girlfriend, Gretchen (Necar Zadegan), is in town, and she's stirring up trouble by being passive-aggressive. Gretchen eventually reveals that Lena has always wanted to get married, and even gets Lena to admit it to Stef, who's hearing this for the first time, as she had assumed getting married didn't matter to her. An argument breaks out, and once again, the problems that occasionally pop up between Stef and Lena are the most organic conflicts depicted on the show. And it's no different here, as both women are approaching the matter from a wounded position.

Credit: ABC Family

But they hardly have time to process their emotions before Mariana comes down the stairs, in tears at having been unable to reach Jesus. She and Jesus have been speaking with their birth mother, and that he's likely with her as they speak. Stef immediately gets her badge and gun and heads out the door. When she makes it to Ana's house, Mike is there to meet her, having been called by Lena (and he doesn't exactly look sober either). And this is where things get real: Mike and Stef draw their guns and investigate the house as she calls out to Jesus. We pull away from the house in silence as the credits start to roll -- and shots ring out. And more than just one. Or two. Or even three. Something went down in that house, and it's a very real possibility that not everyone is going to make it out alive.

Credit: ABC Family

I still liked last week's episode better, but "Clean" contributes to the overall fabric of solid storytelling on display in these first eight episodes of The Fosters. With the summer finale fast approaching, it's only natural that the tension is going to get ratcheted up considerably from here on out. Things are likely to get worse for our characters before they get better, but that kind of drama is undoubtedly good for viewers -- provided it doesn't go overboard. Given the deft approach to the narrative of this series, I doubt that's going to be a problem.