The Fosters Season 5 Episode 20 Review: Meet the Fosters
Jasmine Blu
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If you were concerned about the time jump and whether or not the series could maintain that delicious family drama, The Fosters Season 5 Episode 20 should put you at ease.
The series opted for a time jump, but everything felt comfortable, familiar, and like we didn't miss a beat. If this reboot frenzy doesn't let up a decade from now, I fully anticipate a revival of the series in a similar vein.
Can't you tell I'm not ready to let it go yet?
Eliza, from the little we know of her, seems like a lovely girl, but she and her family don't gel with our family at all, sorry. I get it. The Adams-Foster family is a lot. They're overwhelming, and an hour spent with them may be sensory overload.
They are the quintessential big family. They're loud, boisterous, and chaotic -- there are so many different personalities, and they're fast-paced.
In addition to that, they're a non-traditional, multicultural family led by lesbians and comprised of adopted and foster children. The Fosters aren't just a family; they're an experience.
When you have a family like that, you have to make sure that whoever you intend to marry can handle it. Brandon, my love, what are you thinking?
It's possible that his feelings for Eliza are so strong that he never thought about any of this. Perhaps after years of growing up in a huge, messy, unorthodox family, a small part of him savored Eliza's more traditional upbringing. It could be why her he rarely took her near his family.
I'm not going to pretend to understand what's going on in that pretty head of my kindred character, but I do know I put a nice chunk of change into a swear jar throughout this hour, and I have Eliza's parents to thank for that.
Ideally, we should love this idea of two drastically different families coming together and learning how to accept one another. We should embrace differences and kumbaya it out. We should learn not to be self-righteous and judgmental.
I say, eff that. Eliza's parents are the absolute worst. I must've mind-melded with Stef and Callie a million times. Eliza's parents made it very difficult to like them. Teen Wolf's Susan Walters plays her mother, and yet that didn't prevent Diane from being one of the most insufferable characters on the series.
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Diane throws enough shade to classify as an eclipse. It was insane how she diminished Brandon's accomplishments, dismissed his entire field, and implied he's not good enough to financially support her accomplished daughter. Is it 1955?
Diane also referred to foster kids as "strays" without a hint of humor or fondness, and she spoke of Corey's potential adoption as if he were a pet looking for a home.
I'll bet Diane and Jim put off meeting Stef and Lena because they hoped the engagement would blow over. I didn't miss the implication that they already met and enjoyed Mike and Ana, presumably because they're a traditional couple.
Jim: I'm pretty sure they wouldn't much like our friends.
Stef: Why is that?
Diane: Oh, they're really traditional. They're not nearly as interesting as all of you.
I chuckled bitterly at the way they both probed Stef and Lena about their jobs. Despite a dig about Lena's conflict of interest being principal and on the board, Diane couldn't say anything too negative about an educator.
Jim couldn't say anything about Stef either. She gave up the badge and gun, and now she's a social worker who also runs a non-profit center for battered women.
Related: The Fosters Spinoff: Title Revealed!
Eliza's parents are snobby elitists. They can applaud themselves all they want for breaking bread with Stef and Lena, something they joked that their friends wouldn't do, but it doesn't change that.
Diane and Jim are condescending and rude, but their kids have more depth. Their children are privileged, but they struggle with their parents controlling nature and expectations.
We saw that when Eliza was repeatedly embarrassed by her parents' many ignorant comments. She also made some errant statements about them, expressed some awareness, and of course, there is this whole wedding business.
They have their hands in every single aspect of this elaborate destination wedding, and they deliberately cut Brandon's family out of things.
Diane's comment about wanting a small wedding instead of all of their friends being there suggests that she doesn't want her people associating with the Fosters.
She and her husband are also guaranteeing that the number of people on Brandon's side will be limited because most people can't afford the expenses necessary to travel to and stay in the Turks and Caicos.
Eliza's parents preventing moms from ordaining the wedding was low. And while Timeless' Abigail Spencer rocked the hell out of a vintage looking polka dot dress at the royal wedding, the antiquated dresses, dull strings of pearls, and heels Callie and Mariana had to wear were dreadful.
They're from Orange County. They probably voted for that orange man. That Twitter twit. The one whose name will not be spoken in this house.
Stef
Poor Eliza is caught in the middle. She seems sweet enough, but Callie's assertion that she's immature has some merit.
Brandon has lived in his short years. He has experienced so many things; Eliza seems like a girl who never got to live let alone find herself. Unfortunately, she's under the control of her parents and is crippled by their expectations.
Related: 17 TV Weddings that Were Nearly Derailed!
She's meek, docile, and soft in comparison to the strong-willed, opinionated women of the Foster family.
She's intimidated by Callie, and given the little we have seen from her, it makes sense that she would be. Eliza is sweet, and I want good things for her, but that doesn't include marrying Brandon.
Did anyone else find their love story odd? It was like a 120-second rom-com played out before our eyes. Was the discrepancy in who asked whom for coffee intentional, or was it an implication that the way they met and fell in love is different than what they told moms?
I cannot say I buy into their love story yet. Why are they getting married so quickly? Why did it feel like Brandon's description of Eliza is different than the Eliza we experienced?
I'm with Callie on this whole thing. Yes, she and Brandon had a romantic history, and there will likely be a fallout since Eliza overheard the truth.
On the one hand, it's interesting that Brandon never told Eliza about it, but on the other, she comes from such a conservative background that he probably felt she wouldn't understand it. It's hard to say if he should have told her or not. Now that it's out in the open, it's unfortunate that he didn't.
Callie: We all think that we're going to end up with our first love.
Mariana: You know, I just realized, your first love is getting married this week. Is that weird at all?
Callie: Well, I've loved Brandon as my brother a lot longer than I loved him as more than that. I guess, yeah, maybe a little.
I like that the show addressed the complexity of Brandon and Callie's relationship and Callie's feelings about his impending nuptials.
What's interesting is that most people (perhaps even members of their family) may immediately jump to Callie being jealous because of residual feelings, but their relationship had more depth than that.
No matter what transpired between Brandon and Callie, they have always been best friends. Eliza has picked up that Brandon confides in Callie and tells her everything. Callie knows Brandon best in ways that no one else does, so as his best friend and as his sister she knows that this wedding is a mistake.
I laughed out loud when he pleaded with her to make more of an effort, and she made that comment about Facebook. This mature, mellow Callie is the one I like best.
Callie: So what do you want me to do?
Brandon: Make her feel accepted. You of all people should know what it feels like to not belong.
Callie: I accepted her friend request on Facebook, and I'm really generous with my likes.
Once I got done rolling my eyes at how perfectly accomplished she was throughout undergrad and law school, and her fast track to landing a clerkship with esteemed judges, I found this sophisticated Callie with the sleek bob enjoyable.
Of course, she probably will end up working with that conservative judge she isn't fond about. It could do her some good though.
She may have made it through Law School at the top of her class, but she still doesn't grasp that everyone is deserving of representation, not just the people she likes or whose ideologies align with hers.
She's still bull-headed, headstrong and stuck in her ways. You can't learn if you only surround yourself with people you find agreeable. In fact, if she wants to be a great lawyer, she'll have to understand opposing positions to be the most effective.
Eliza's brother Jamie correctly called her out on that. He was being honest, not "mansplaining." Callie needs to ease up on extreme feminism because being obstinate and judgmental doesn't help the cause.
I enjoyed their banter and Callie giving him grief about being a corporate lawyer. Jamie and Callie have nice chemistry. He's not as pretentious and offputting as his parents, and he probably only got into corporate law because of them. I like Jamie and can't wait to see more of him.
Also, Aaron is right. She's due to get laid or have fun with someone since she's been off the market since Aaron left her. I like their friendship, even though I'm still curious about AJ's whereabouts.
Jamie: Why do you assume all corporate lawyers are charlatans?
Callie: Why do you feel you need to mansplain what my job is as a lawyer?
I'm all for Callie having a fling with the charming Jamie. Isn't that the point of being single at weddings?
She'll need to get down to the bottom of what's going on with Jude first though. Judi-corn is no longer a sweet, young kid. He has become a troubled young adult.
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As the last kid in college (until Corey), he's not doing well. He has been spending more time partying than he has been studying. He's on academic probation with a 2.0 G.P.A, and it doesn't sound like he has a field of interest or career prospects.
There's always that one troubled kid who ends up a bit lost, and while everyone else is relatively stable, Jude is the one having a tough time.
It's disheartening that he seems distant from the rest of his family. He doesn't make it back home too often to see any of them, but he also expressed some frustrations with being out of the loop.
My heart dropped when I saw Jude's prescription for those who may have gotten exposed to HIV. I don't know how to feel about the storyline for the only gay kid out of the bunch but will wait to see how it plays out.
Based on the moves he was making on Eliza's other brother Carter, he has become quite the playboy. We know less about the second brother than we do Jamie and Eliza. We know that even though he attends Princeton, he feels inadequate compared to Jamie.
That's something Jude can identify with because Callie has become such a success. Jude also appears to have mixed feelings about Corey.
He seemed fond of Corey when the young boy played a trick on Jesus, but he was taken aback by Corey joining the other brothers as Brandon's groomsman. He also appeared to resent and be envious of Corey's relationship with Jesu.
Jude and Jesus shared a room, and they had a tense relationship over the years. Jesus wasn't as welcoming when Jude first arrived, so Jude is surprised at how playful Jesus is with Corey.
I wonder how much of Jesus' fondness for Corey is tied into their shared connection of having drug-addicted mothers? Ana is clean, happy, and expecting another kid, but she had a long journey. It's possible Jesus relates to Corey more because of that.
Jesus is also more mature than he was before. He became one of the most compelling characters this season and a fave. Noah Centineo brought so much heart to his performance and put forth the best performance after Teri Polo this season. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.
He appeared happier, healthier, and more settled than ever. How could you not beam with pride over him getting his contractor license? His partnership with Wyatt could be interesting, although I would hope they would expand beyond treehouses.
His relationship with Emma, however, has been doomed for a while. It's incredible that they survived Emma being away at college. Their issues with wanting different things out of life have never gone away.
Go to India, Emma. It's obvious you're not ready for this, but I can't wait for you anymore.
Jesus
Emma has been hyper-focused on her career and her studies since she was introduced, and her drive is admirable. She should have let Jesus go a long time ago. Sometimes love isn't enough.
This mature, older, wiser Jesus finally made the best decision for both of them. Emma would have resented him if she missed out on her dream job, and that would be unfair to both of them.
It's also unfair that Mat was so rude and callous to Mariana. She has excelled in school. She graduated at the top of her class. However, she still struggles with being alone. That was evident by her backpacking through Europe plans.
It's not uncommon for twins to feel that way. She has had someone with her for her entire life. She never had to be alone, and the family knows this, so they don't believe she'll pull off that feat.
Mariana had less going on than the others, but perhaps we'll see more of her on The Fosters Season 5 Episode 21.
OK, Foster Fanatics, what are your thoughts on Eliza, her family, and everything that happened during this installment? Hit the comments below!
Don't forget, you can watch The Fosters online here via TV Fanatic!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
