The Fosters 3×05 – Going South – Recap

The Fosters 3×05 begins WAY too early in the morning when Callie awakens Brandon and tells him to grab his car keys because she needs his help. Talk about an ominous beginning to an episode. Read on for our full recap.

Down Mexico way

Not too long after Callie and Brandon slip away under cover of darkness, a contractor shows up to finally fix the bathroom. Good news, right? The only problem is that Stef hired him without telling Lena. Stef’s in the doghouse, so guess who has to clean up the aftermath of raccoons getting into the trash? She ends up with more than she bargained for when she discovers a pregnancy test – but whose is it?

Meanwhile, Callie and Brandon are approaching the Mexican border. Astute as ever, Brandon points out that if they keep going, they’re going to be in Mexico. Turns out that’s actually Callie’s plan because she needs to do something that she’s “not really allowed to do” in California – at least not without parental consent. Well, this sounds like a great idea.

Back at the Fosters’, Lena announces that she wants to go to couples counseling. It seems like a bad time for Stef to bring up that pregnancy test, but she does so anyway. After an awkward misunderstanding involving the definition of “hooking up,” Lena ascertains that Mariana and Mat didn’t have sex, so as far as she’s concerned, Mariana’s off the… well, hook… which leaves Callie.

Speaking of Callie, her super-secret mission is, in fact, hang-gliding. Brandon is horrified, but she gives a pretty convincing speech about getting her license, being off probation and finally feeling free. “I just want to do something completely nuts!” she tells Brandon. “Well, this qualifies,” Brandon retorts. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from The Fosters 3×05, it’s that he definitely inherited some of Stef’s sass. Callie finally persuades him by saying it’ll be a good story and she wants to do something crazy with her best friend.

A text or a twit

Stateside, Stef and Lena are trying to get in touch with Callie, but her phone’s off.

Stef: They don’t turn off their phones, Lena. They might miss a text or twit – tweet.
Lena: I think they Snapchat these days, but then again, I thought that “hooking up” meant “sex.”
Stef: It doesn’t?

…They’re adorable.

Meanwhile, AJ visits the grandmother who raised him until she got dementia and had to move into a nursing home. It’s hard for him to see her like that, but at least he has Mike for support. On the way out, Mike looks at the sign-in book and finds the name of AJ’s long-lost brother, Ty, who visited just a few days earlier. Mike leaves his card at the nursing home and a nearby flower shop in case the boy drops by again, and then gets called to a burglary in the local area with AJ as his ride-along. He tells AJ to stay in the car, an order AJ totally ignores – and almost gets arrested as a result.

Back in Mexico, Brandon rationalizes that “the idea of plummeting to my death off a 1,000-foot cliff is only slightly less appealing than telling moms I got kicked out of Idyllwild.” That’s the spirit. However, mentioning that he’s over the drama associated with the various girls in his life may not have been the best move, especially considering his present company. He and Callie push through some 11th-hour nerves and make the jump, only to be met by police cars on the beach below. In exchange for letting them go, the cops want “a show of respect,” and when Callie’s money isn’t enough, Brandon offers his keyboard.

Stef and Lena may not know about Idyllwild, but they quickly find out about Mexico after Stef uses some of her police interrogation mojo on Mariana. They leap to a series of conclusions and conclude that Callie’s getting an abortion and Brandon is the father. With that, The Fosters 3×05 gets one step closer to soap opera territory. Before they can go completely off the deep end, Mariana fesses up.

Stef and Lena’s different responses deepen the rift between them – all while the contractor looks on. Later, Stef apologizes to Mariana for unintentionally shaming her and explains that she and Lena just want Mariana to love herself as much as they love her. Aww.

‘Have passports ready’

As they wait in the two-hour line to cross the border back into the U.S., Callie sees a “Have passports ready” sign. The problem? She thought they only needed their licenses. With that, Grumpy Brandon is back in full force. “Maybe you should have done some research before you kidnapped me and dragged me into another country for some stupid illegal adventure,” he snaps. While this isn’t untrue, he could have put it a little more tactfully – and admitting that things were a lot easier before Callie showed up isn’t a great decision on his part either. You can hardly blame Callie for storming out of the car, or for lecturing him about his attitude when he hurries after her.

Walking around thinking you’re some victim, acting like the world is out to get you… You don’t see the drama that you create. You were the one who turned up to Girls United and got yourself a restraining order. You were the one who started selling fake IDs that got your hand crushed. You were the one who plagiarized Bach and got kicked out of Idyllwild. If you’re really worried about the drama in your life, Brandon, look at the common denominator, OK? It’s you.

After Callie says her piece, a deflated Brandon suggests they go back to the car. There’s just one problem: They’re not sure where they left it.

Not-so-great expectations

Back at Mike’s apartment, AJ is in about as great of a mood as Brandon and Callie after being tackled by a police officer.

AJ: You’ve got no idea what it’s like to be living down to the low expectations society has for you. “Foster kid? Black kid? Oh, you must be headed for gangs, drugs, jail.” I’ve been hearing it for so long, I’m starting to wonder if they’re right.
Mike: They’re not right, AJ, and you should stop listening to those people right now.
AJ: Except there’s a lot more of them and only one of me.
Mike: Not anymore. Now there’s two. … All you need is someone who believes in you, someone you can count on, and I’m gonna be that person.

Mike is going to be a great foster father.

At the edge of the cliff

Safely back in the car, Brandon takes responsibility for messing up his own life and admits it’s easier to blame Callie and Kat. He says being at Idyllwild was as terrifying as being at the edge of that cliff earlier in the day, and Callie points out that when he was on the cliff, he was able to jump.

When they walk through the front door, Stef greets them with a pointed “¡Hola!” Bus-ted.

Lena: How did you get back in the country with no passports?
Callie: We played dumb.
Stef: Well, that couldn’t have been hard.

And the laughs keep coming.

After promising there will be “consequences,” Stef dismisses them both and tells Brandon he has a visitor. Turns out it’s Tony from Idyllwild, a.k.a. the friend Brandon accused of conspiring with Kat to make him look bad. Long story short, there are no hard feelings – in fact, the pianist working with Tony is willing to partner with Brandon as well. Confronted with a chance to return to Idyllwild, will Brandon jump off the cliff or stay on land?

Couples, present & future

Following a comment by the contractor she hired to fix the bathroom, Stef starts to think that couples counseling may not be such a bad idea and tells Lena she’s up for it, much to the other woman’s surprise.

Although Callie and Brandon may have omitted a few key details when recounting their Mexican adventure to their moms (namely the hang-gliding and police parts), Callie’s honest with AJ, who’s both impressed and incredulous. Despite telling Brandon earlier in the day that there was nothing going on between herself and AJ, Callie agrees to revisit the issue after AJ moves in with Mike and is no longer her foster brother. I guess at least she learned something from the Brallie debacle.

And with that, The Fosters 3×05 draws to a close… but not before AJ’s MIA brother finally gives him a call. Better late than never? We’ll find out next week at 8/7c on ABC Family.