The Fosters 1x10 Season 1 summer finale review

Everyone loves a wedding, right? There’s flowers and cake, fancy dresses, rings, annoying mothers, high stress, tempers flaring, self-reflection, and overall a good time had by…a few.

Thus begins the saga of Stef Foster & Lena Adams on their journey to wedded bliss after being together for 10 years as domestic partners.

And I haven’t even mentioned the kids – and their overblown drama.

Or the aftermath of Stef recovering from the shooting, or the fallout that will be coming for Mike because of the shooting.

What’s a season finale without having 25 different storylines continuing at once, bringing mayhem to all corners of the ring? I mean, when there’s a wedding, there’s gotta be somebody that’s got their own unhappy relationship drama on the side, right?

And of course, they couldn’t leave us on a happy note with everyone dancing & having a good time. I guess I expect nothing less these days.

So, let’s do a little recap, shall we?

1. Stef & Lena’s upcoming nuptials are the main focus, but it seems that the two haven’t really talked about what the other wants for the big day.

2. Stef’s recovering from the shooting, but Lena still hasn’t come to terms with, not only the shooting, but Stef going back to work – and even Stef’s occupation in general.

3. Both ladies are overwhelmed by their respective interfering mothers.

4. Stef’s tries to sort out the voices in her head that seem to be overruling her heart and gives her father an ultimatum.

5. Stef’s divorced parents still have much animosity between them, which seems to have no chance of being resolved.

6. Stef & Lena help Callie through the court hearing against Liam.

7. Stef & Lena ask Callie & Jude to officially become part of their family.

8. Brandon & Callie’s kiss is interrupted by Jude, who’s furious with his sister for getting into yet another situation where his vision of a ‘happy family life’ can be destroyed.

9. Wyatt is leaving for Indiana, leaving both he & Brandon as ‘unattainable’ for Callie.

10. Lexi & her parents will be leaving for Honduras, and (unbeknownst to Lexi) not coming back.

11. Talya is still trying everything in her power to keep Brandon under her thumb.

12. Jude being torn between having the family he always wanted and his sister’s screw-ups.

I know there’s more, buy my head is already spinning just from those main highlights.

* am I the only one who was extremely excited to see the reunion of Annie Potts and Lorraine Toussaint? Oh, how it made me miss Any Day Now even that much more. I’m guessing most of the fandom of The Fosters is too young to have a clue as to the history of these two great ladies.  They also probably don’t know Annie from Designing Women either. God, but I feel OLD! On a side note – is there really no dvd set available for ADN? What is it with Lifetime shows? There’s also no dvd set for The Division either.

* I had to chuckle at Mariana’s comment to Callie - “I don’t know what you’re going through, but I do know a lot about lying.” Ha! That’s the most truthful comment that Mariana’s ever made.

* I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how hot Teri Polo looked in the pink tank and old jeans. The scene with Stef at her father’s, telling him not to come to her wedding was one of the greatest scenes from the entire series so far.

* one of my favorite parts of the show is seeing how Stef & Lena have been able to see past Callie’s tough exterior and find the vulnerable kid underneath. The reactions they had after Callie told the truth in the courtroom - and didn’t resort to lying for the sake of justice – were so great, especially Stef, who gave a little smirk of approval at doing the right thing, even knowing what the consequence would be because of it.

* in a way, I really hate that they had Callie run off with Wyatt at the end. However, it gives me hope that because she went with him, they’re not going to have Wyatt just disappear from the show. His character has really grown on me throughout the season.

* and then there’s Jude. He’s the one who can make a person melt without even saying a word. I just know the tears are going to fall for everyone when they imagine Jude waking up in the morning to find his sister gone.

* last, but not least – “Mother? Oh, the hand. Got the hand. Okay.” ROFL These scenes with Stef & Sharon brought an extra spark of amusement to offset all of the angst. The first thing that came to mind is – why in the world didn’t we get to see Stef’s mom all throughout the season? She certainly brought a great livelihood to the household.

Overall for the first summer session of season 1:

1. I still can’t stand Talya or Mariana, and am not really a fan of Jesus. They’re all just so whiny. And I really hope they get rid of Lexi for good - although I'm starting to like her parents a bit more than when we originally met them. It may have to do with the fact that they had to come with their tails between their legs when Lexi disappeared.  I do like the storyline with Jesus and his ADHD symptoms, where he was jumpy when not taking his pills. I hope they keep that bit of continuity in future episodes. I have a relative like that.

2. I really came to love the progression of Callie’s character – until the end where she walked away. All I can do is picture the concern & disappointment on Stef & Lena’s faces. I really hope she left a note of some kind before she left the house. Up to that point, I loved how she was the one who seemed wise beyond her years.

3. at first, I was hesitant about Mike’s role and how he fit in as the ‘third parent’. I didn’t’ really like when they showed the slight animosity between Mike & Lena. I did like when they mentioned that Mike called Lena after the blowup over Brandon’s discipline, and they talked, but Lena wouldn’t tell Stef what they talked about. However, I like how his storyline has progressed – especially now when his job is on the line. Will Stef change her original statement in order to protect him? Right now, I believe she sees him as taking the blame for it all. I just know she’s going to say something at some point.

4. I’d like to see the new episodes involve more of Stef & Lena’s friends, and not just the teenagers and their friends. And I think Mike needs to get into the dating game at some point.  As for Ana, since she’s turned her own kids off her already, I’m hoping that Stef & Lena get involved in helping to get her life turned around and we see her continue to be in the picture. I’m guessing she’ll still be around to make life hell for both Mike & Stef because of the shooting.