Reunions, breakthroughs, triumphs and tragedies… The Fosters 2×21, a.k.a. the season 2 finale, really did have it all. Read on for our recap.
Family matters
The Fosters 2×21 begins in the wake of the decision Stef made to allow Ana to stay at the Fosters’ until she has her baby. Reality is setting in for the family; Brandon had to give up his room and Ana shares stories of Mariana as a kid, which is weird for Stef and Lena. Mariana doesn’t notice, though – she’s too preoccupied with the upcoming dance-off between the dance team she left and the one she co-captains. Side note: She found a really cool way to blend her interests in dancing and STEM by programming the lights on everyone’s costumes to change with the rhythm of the music. Callie‘s thoughts are elsewhere too, as she’s preparing for her weekend visitation with birth father Robert. Stef reminds her not to say anything to the Quinns about trying to get emancipated, which in turn causes tension with Lena, who hates how ugly the custody battle has become.
Remember when Stef and Lena weren’t going to adopt Ana’s baby, Mariana tried to persuade her biological grandparents (and Ana’s parents) to take the child, and then Stef and Lena changed their minds? There’s no word yet on what the Rodriguezes want, but Brandon wants Mariana to tell their moms that she spoke with them just in case. Mariana’s confident that she’s “got this,” so this being The Fosters and all, I’m guessing she really, really hasn’t. She meets with her grandparents again to update them about the baby’s fate, and she brings Jesus along this time. They seem to take it in stride, but are they really OK with the idea of Stef and Lena raising another of their grandchildren?
Over at Anchor Beach, the school’s financial woes are continuing, and it’s up to Monte and Lena to balance the budget and pray that they get the grant they applied for. Monte comments that Lena looks stressed – or “as stressed as someone as beautiful as [Lena] can look” – and Lena opens up about how Stef decided to bring Ana home without consulting her. Monte relates Stef’s tendency to cut Lena out of decisions to her ex-husband’s controlling nature, which… isn’t the best comparison to make, given that they’re divorced.
Back at the Fosters’, Mariana tries to explain writing code to Ana, and they end up talking about how Ana never finished high school because she got into drugs.
“It’s really hard being a girl in this world. I’m really glad you’ve been raised by two strong, independent women. I hope you know that you could do anything if you set your mind to it.”
Not long after her heart-to-heart with Mariana, Ana has one with Jesus about his plans to go off to boarding school in the fall. She points out that he has a great family and says she wishes she hadn’t left home at 15. Whether Jesus decides to pursue an education out of state or not, Jake T. Austin recently announced he’s leaving the show, but the exact circumstances are unclear.
“He’s my boyfriend”
The Jonnor pairing has turned into what’s arguably the most delightful burgeoning romance of the series so far, and definitely of the season. Last season, Jude‘s decision to experiment with nail polish brought him and Connor closer together when Connor painted his nails in solidarity. In a very sweet tie-back to that, The Fosters 2×21 sees Jude borrow the same nail polish before heading over to visit Connor in the hospital, where he’s still recovering from being shot in the foot. However, Jude’s plans are scuppered when he runs into Connor’s father, who had previously warned him to stay away. Jude stands up for himself, saying he wants to see his friend, but Mr. Stevens fights fire with fire and calls Lena to the hospital.
Lena: I know how hard this must be for you, honey, I do. Losing a friend is one of the most painful things to go through, but Mr. Stevens made it very clear that –
Jude: He’s not my friend.
Lena: Connor’s not your friend?
Jude: There were no girls in the tent on the camping trip. It was just us. We kissed. And now we’re, like…
Lena: More than friends?
(Who else totally called it that the story about making out with the girls in the tent was BS? Just saying.) When Mr. Stevens returns from getting coffee, Lena and Jude are sitting on the floor and Jude is crying. I hope he feels super bad about raining on the Jonnor parade and does a complete 180.
Instead, he tells Lena he’s pulling Connor from Anchor Beach, and Lena tries to get him to see the bigger picture.
“You can keep Jude outside the door as long as you want, as long as you’re willing to stand watch, but what then? Are you going to keep all the boys outside the door? You can try, but trust me, if you do, you’ll be the one who ends up getting shut out.”
Mr. Stevens isn’t thrilled, but he relents enough to let Jude into Connor’s room after all. Connor notices Jude’s nail polish, which Jude charmingly describes as “war paint,” and then moves over to let Jude sit next to him on the bed. AWWWW. Later, when Callie asks how he’s doing, Jude says “He’s my boyfriend.” DOUBLE AWWWW.
Stray skateboards & family friction
An impending dance-off wouldn’t be complete without an 11th-hour injury, and sure enough, Mariana trips over Jesus’ skateboard and hurts her ankle. Emma points out that if the team doesn’t have six dancers, they’re going to have to forfeit, a notion Mariana is vehemently against. “What are we gonna do, pull a dancer out of thin air?” Emma retorts. Right on schedule, the doorbell rings – but unless either of Ana’s parents can dance, they’re not the solution to the dance-off quandary. In fact, they present more of a problem than a solution. They don’t want to adopt Ana’s baby, but they do want her to keep the child and they’re willing to help out. Ana declines the offer, but later, Jesus tells Mariana he thinks the only reason she did is to keep Mariana’s feelings from getting hurt. He urges his sister to tell Ana it’s OK to keep the baby – but will Mariana be selfless enough?
At the Quinns’, Sophia is back from treatment after having been diagnosed with a personality disorder, and she seems to be doing better. Moreover, Robert’s parents are in town, so Callie’s visitation is turning into a family affair – and let’s just say his father, Robert Sr. (played by the legendary Patrick Duffy), isn’t exactly thrilled about Callie’s presence. In fact, he accuses Robert of being obsessed and claims the fight to get custody of Callie is making Sophia feel like she isn’t enough. Robert shoots back with “I wouldn’t be in this position if you hadn’t forced me to choose between her mother and this family,” at which point, ironically enough, Robert Sr. establishes himself as an unlikely ally of Callie’s by telling his son that she’s happy living with Stef and Lena so Robert shouldn’t uproot her. Later, Callie tells Robert not to blame himself because he didn’t know she existed until years after she was born. “It’s not that I don’t love you – I do,” she tells him. “It’s just, the Fosters, they’re home. They feel like home. No matter what, just know that I want you to be a part of my life.” Mid-embrace, Robert gets interrupted by a call from his lawyer. Suddenly, the secret emancipation plan isn’t so secret anymore, which places even more strain on Stef and Lena’s relationship.
Temptation presents itself
Meanwhile, Brandon’s Idyllwild vs. tour dilemma continues. He’s all but decided on Idyllwild and is psyching himself up for the audition when Lou drops by with some news: A talent scout from a record company heard Someone’s Little Sister’s demo and is interested in seeing them play. “You could go to this program for a summer and have fun or whatever, or you could come on tour,” Lou tells him. “Who knows what could happen?” While he’s making out with Lou, the woman who’ll be overseeing his Idyllwild audition is waiting for him to show up. She’s about to leave when Brandon arrives, breathless, but is he too late? Nope – and he plays beautifully, with one hiccup.
Monte drops by Lena’s office with champagne and good news: Anchor Beach got the grant! But once she’s had some champagne, Lena confesses that the grant is about the only good thing in her life at present. “Nothing’s fine right now,” she tells Monte before confessing that she isn’t excited about taking on Ana’s baby – she just feels “overwhelmed and worried about everything, including [her] marriage.” Monte hugs her and, much like spooning leads to forking, hugging leads to kissing.
A dance & a death
At the dance-off, Mariana discovers her nemesis stole her dystopian robot theme, but she has something even cooler: a digital dancer to take her place. As the audience applauds, Stef leave the auditorium to take a call: The judge handling Callie’s case got wind of the emancipation plan and wants to see her, Lena and Callie ASAP. “All right,” Robert finally concedes. “I don’t want you to get emancipated, and I don’t want to be my father, but I believe what you said – that I’m your dad no matter what. I am officially withdrawing my suit for custody.”
With Stef and Lena over at the courthouse, Ana has to drive the twins home, which means Mariana gets the opportunity to broach the idea of keeping the baby. Before they can discuss it, Ana experiences a sharp pain and tells the twins she thinks she might be going into labor. The hospital is a couple of blocks away and she agrees to try to drive there. Back at the Fosters’, Lena tells Callie “Nothing’s going to stop us now” – but the vehicle that smashes into the side of the car Ana’s driving seems to suggest otherwise. Stef is called to the scene, unaware of the identities of those involved, and the dispatcher tells her there’s one fatality. Fade to black…
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