The Fosters 3×20 – Kingdom Come – Recap

As the last episode of season 3, The Fosters 3×20 was bound to be filled with drama – and, boy, did it deliver. Read on for our recap of The Fosters 3×20, “Kingdom Come.”

Honoring Jack

In the aftermath of the real-life Shakespearian tragedy that occurred at the end of last week’s musical episode, the Fosters and a few special guests assemble on the beach to pay tribute to Jack – a gathering that involves Jude quoting both metal lyrics and the Bible. Callie wants to cancel the upcoming Fost & Found app launch party, but Justina disagrees. After all, it’s more of a political event than a party, and the bill Justina and Callie are supporting will be center stage. “The best way to honor Jack is … doing something before another kid gets hurt or killed in foster care,” Justina asserts. Let’s put a pin in that statement so we can return to it later for maximum ironic effect.

Meanwhile, Jude is alone on the beach with Taylor. Remember the pre-Jonnor days when Connor was dating Taylor’s BFF? Anyway, Jude tells Taylor that Jack kissed him, then admits he isn’t sure he’s into guys. “What about Connor?” Taylor asks (along with a million Jonnor shippers screaming at their screens, no doubt). “I think it was just the person, you know?” Jude responds. Taylor asks if that means he’s into girls, and he says he’s not sure because he’s never kissed a girl. Taylor glances at him shyly, and I think we all know where this is going.

In which Brandon is ridiculous

As part of preparing to turn the big 1-8, Brandon tells Stef and Lena that his girlfriend Cortney has a kid, but it’s “not open for discussion.” Wow, someone’s taking way too many liberties with his impending adulthood. Stef proceeds to swing by Mike’s apartment to urge him to talk to Brandon, pointing out that “father and son [are] vulnerable to needy women like Dani and Ana” – which is pretty funny because she doesn’t even know about the romance between Mike and Ana yet. When Mike eventually spills the beans, his defensiveness is hilariously similar to their son’s: “I know what I’m doing, and besides, it’s none of your business.” But, hey, maybe Stef’s just being overprotective. After all, it’s not like Cortney’s ex has thrown her out of their apartment and cleaned out her bank account, which inspires Brandon to BUY CORTNEY A HOUSE with the money his moms wanted him to save for Juilliard.

Oh, wait, that’s exactly what it’s like.

Continuing with the ridiculousness theme, Brandon somehow finds a way to make Mariana and Mat’s declarations of love for each other about him. Essentially, he won’t be able to extend the play’s run if Mat and Mariana get back together, because Mat’s currently dating R + J cast member Zoey while Mariana’s seeing the son of the guy who owns the warehouse that’s hosting the play. “You think because you love someone that it’s OK to hurt other people?” Brandon asks Mariana. Um… hey, B, remember that time you slept with your foster sister? Apparently not.

Good intentions gone awry

Meanwhile, Jesus is fretting about Gabe getting arrested at the end of The Fosters 3×18. He doesn’t want his birth father to go to jail, and in an effort to help, he makes things worse by explaining to Gabe’s parole officer that Gabe was building sets for a school play – kind of a major issue given that Gabe isn’t even supposed to be near minors, let alone get involved in school activities.

Gabe isn’t the only character facing legal issues in The Fosters 3×20, as Sally’s allegations against Monte are being heard by the Department of Education. With her mom in the room, Sally admits she initiated the kiss, but says she did so because Monte promised to write her a college recommendation letter in exchange. When Lena points out inconsistencies in Sally’s story, Sally’s mom lashes out, claiming Lena’s trying to protect Monte because the two of them are an item. Ultimately, the department rules in favor of Monte – but it doesn’t sound like they’re about to let Lena off so easily for allowing a registered sex offender to build sets for R + J…

Justina unmasked

As Callie is about to head to the Fost & Found app launch, Stef drops a bombshll: The nonprofit organization that was handling Jack’s case gave his foster placement to the for-profit company Arbiter, which placed Jack with the foster father who ultimately killed him. Callie’s horror deepens when Daphne shows her a check that proves Justina’s nonprofit is on Arbiter’s payroll. (Incidentally, Daphne really steps up in The Fosters 3×20 by telling Callie the truth about Justina even though that likely means losing her job at Justina’s company, as well as the steady pay check she needs to earn back custody of her daughter.) At the launch event, Callie takes the stage and blows the whistle on Justina in front of family, friends, and many local lawmakers, while simultaneously making a powerful case against the bill Justina’s campaigning to pass.

OK, back to the whole Taylor issue. When Callie asks Jude if he has feelings for Taylor, he says he might, then asks “What if God doesn’t want me to be gay? He took away the only two guys I’ve ever kissed in my life.” Oh, Judicorn. I want to put 5,000 sad faces at the end of this paragraph, but Pop City Life owner Noelle probably wouldn’t appreciate that. Anyway, Callie tries to console her brother by sharing that Jack told her he wasn’t gay and only kissed Jude to comfort him after losing Connor, but Jude doesn’t believe her.

Callie: “Jude, why would I lie?”
Jude: “Because you lie about a lot of things, Callie.”

I mean, he’s not wrong.

Up in flames

So remember how Nick said his father was cool with R + J being held at the warehouse? Turns out he lied about that – and about his father being cool, period. In fact, his dad tells him he isn’t smart and proceeds to laugh at his entrepreneurial aspirations. Nick manages to shake it off, but it all comes crashing down when he catches sight of Mariana kissing Mat at Brandon’s birthday party. He flees to the warehouse, where he sets fire to the love letter Mat wrote to Mariana and watches the R + J set burn.

Speaking of going up in flames, that’s basically what happens to Stef and Lena’s kids’ lives at school the next day: Jude resolutely kisses Taylor, Mariana realizes that Nick saw her with Mat, and Callie gets accosted by reporters who somehow know she slept with Brandon. Under the assumption that Justina made up the accusation to get back at Callie, Stef threatens to sue Justina for libel, and it’s then that the Brallie truth comes out.

Callie: “We can’t sue her.”
Stef: “Oh, yes, we can. We absolutely can.”
Callie: “We can’t, because it’s true.”

This show is notorious for its double-cliffhangers, and The Fosters 3×20 doesn’t disappoint. As Callie’s admission hangs in the air, a tear-stained Nick drives into the Anchor Beach parking lot and opens the glove compartment of his car, revealing a gun…