The Fosters 4×17 – Diamond in the Rough – Recap

Credit: Freeform/Eric McCandless

This very late recap of The Fosters 4×17 is brought to you by the letter B for bronchitis, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and viewers like you. (OK, not those last two, but why not throw in a shout-out to the CPB during these trying times?) Read on for our recap of The Fosters 4×17, “Diamond in the Rough.”

Last week on The Fosters, Emma realized Jesus couldn’t read and told Lena, who confronts Jesus at the beginning of The Fosters 4×17. One fetching pair of corrective glasses later, and… Well, he still can’t read, but he is sketching treehouse designs. Eager to aid in her brother’s recovery, Mariana suggests he build a treehouse for his senior project. They pitch the idea to Drew, who’s serving as interim principal of Anchor Beach (more on that later), but Drew shuts it down. Ultimately, he thinks Jesus’ TBI may mean he’ll need to go to a special school instead of returning to ABCC. Unwilling to disappoint Jesus, Mariana tells him they got approval, but only if they work on the project together. When she tries reaching out to their biological father Gabe – a construction worker by trade – his number is disconnected…

Speaking of Anchor Beach, Monte’s insistence that all the kids participating in Lena’s off-campus LGBT sex ed class get parent-signed permission slips comes back to haunt her when the school board finds out about the class, apparently following a parent complaint. Monte is summarily fired, and Drew steps in to take her place, which all seems very convenient. Sure enough, turns out Drew made the complaint himself.

Elsewhere, Stef’s learning the ropes as a detective in the SDPD’s human trafficking division. She calls in a favor with Rita and gets 15-year-old sex worker Diamond placed at Girls United for a new start. When Diamond’s resolve to start fresh wavers, she steals Callie’s phone to call her pimp, and agrees to bring him one of the GU girls as penance. (Who else was reminded of Callie stealing Brandon’s phone in the pilot episode?)

Meanwhile, AJ is angsting about turning down Mike’s adoption offer in order to live with his brother Ty. Eventually, Mike comes up with a compromise: Ty and AJ can move into Mike’s apartment building.

Lastly, remember how Yvonne from Pretty Little Liars attends Anchor Beach now? Well, as The Fosters 4×17 winds down, Dawn proves to be the tipping point in Callie and AJ’s already strained relationship. After Callie sees them kiss, AJ admits he likes Dawn and explains that while he loves Callie, “everything is so damn hard – it shouldn’t be so hard.”