In the Season 2 Premiere of ‘The Fosters’, everyone tries to tackle the changes going on in their lives. And the fight for Callie’s adoption is still present.
We start this episode where we left off: Brandon post-fight, covered in blood. As he tries to get help by honking the horn, we find it’s all a dream. Brandon is safely in bed, months later, splint on hand. In the kitchen, the whole gang is getting ready for school. Now months-pregnant Lena is eating a bizarre food combination and Jude receives his birth certificate in the mail. It’s official, he’s adopted! Callie walks in and gives her little bro a hug. Stef reassures her that she will get adopted as well one day.
At school, Dani shows up to talk to Brandon. Turns out, she’s moving in with Mike. After Mike’s previous relapse, he thinks Dani is his all healing savior. Brandon tries to disagree but she shoves guilt his way and how all those secrets could affect Mike’s sobriety.
Later, Stef and Lena are present in court in hopes Callie can still get adopted. But even with Callie’s “father”, Donald Jacob, speaking on his behalf as the only father ever in Callie’s life, the judge still wants Robert Quinn (Callie’s bio dad) to give consent.
After seeing a flashback of Stef and Lena finding Brandon in a hospital after the attack, we focus back in one of Brandon’s doctor appointments. Brandon is now splint-free and should be fine. As for playing piano, that’s up to him.
Later at school, Mariana is practicing a dance routine while Jesus and his wrestling buddies watch. (More like gawk at the other girls). However when Emma enters the picture, the boys stop. Jesus tries to kiss her, but Emma doesn’t feel up to it at practice. The dancing squad have to share the same gym as the wrestling team due to budget cuts. The coach isn’t too happy about it, but with Lena as acting principal, it’s her way or no way.
Stef runs into Mike at the station. He asks about Brandon’s appointment and she explains B’s options. Mike also mentions he hasn’t heard from him in awhile. While their chitchat, a detective comes out and tells them Ana hasn’t been seen for months. Once the detective’s out of earshot, Mike advises that she doesn’t go looking for Ana; she’s nothing but trouble.
At the Adams-Foster home, Callie hears Brandon trying to play the piano. They both share their disheartening news (Callie with her lack of adoption and Brandon with his piano-less future).
We find out that Callie works at “Not a Burger Stand” along with Daphne. There, she spills her guts to both Wyatt and Daphne on her adoption debacle. Daphne sympathizes, she understands. Wyatt too shows support, more in the sweet romantic gesture way.
It’s soon dinnertime at the household and Mariana is cooped up in the bathroom. After Stef demands “Miss Thing” open the door, we find she’s dying her once brunette locks blonde once more. Stef tries to persuade her to go to a salon to get her beautiful hair back, but Mariana won’t listen. “I like it blonde,” she states, matter-of-factly. Stef leaves to consult about it with her wife. Lena tells the story of when she was younger and tried every chemical/product to make her have straight hair. She understands what Mariana is going through.
During dinner, everyone announces that they’re all going to hear Jude read his award-winning essay at school. Jude tries to not make a big deal out of it.
Moments later, there’s a knock at the door. It’s a social worker coming to collect Callie. Lena and Stef’s license to foster has expired, and seeing how Callie isn’t officially adopted, she has to live elsewhere for the time being. Luggage in hand, Callie heads out the door.
At her new foster house, Callie explains her history to her new caretaker. When she mentions she’s been in six foster homes in seven years, the old lady shutters; that’s too many. Because Callie is a “flight risk”, the woman locks her in her room at night, afraid she’ll escape.
Back at the house, Stef walks into Brandon’s room to witness him at his piano…playing! But as he turns around, she finds he’s just listening to a recording and hasn’t gotten the nerve to play. Stef says he’ll get there, not to worry. She tries to remind him to call his father. This causes him to mention the news of Dani moving in and of Mike’s drunken night. Light bulbs go off in Stef’s head. That’s the same night as Ana’s disappearance.
The next day at school, Mariana is complimented on her now perfect blonde hair to a fellow blonde. This pulls her into a flashback on the day she was accepted into the dance squad (pre-blonde hair). As she eavesdrops on the other girls, she learns that there’s some diversity quota the squad had to met, which most likely had to be the reason she was on the squad.
Stef has been at the courthouse all day trying to speak to the judge so Callie can return home. She finds out that the judge has left for the day without seeing her. Callie will have to stay in foster care through the weekend. But when she sees said judge about to walk out the door, she makes her move and confronts him.
Just as Callie is about to start her chore duty at her new foster home, Stef and Lena are at the door, wanting her back home.
Once home, she receives hugs and “I Missed You” from everyone. And because she missed it earlier, Jude reads her the essay she wrote. Because of this, Callie tells Stef and Lena that they have to find Robert Quinn.
Later that night, Brandon visits his Dad. When we think he’s going to confess to sleeping with his girlfriend (and all the harm Dani’s done in general), he ends up telling the truth about his hand. He can’t feel all of his fingers. After he finally tries to play the piano, a simple piece he’s played over and over, sounds like garbage. Not being able to take anymore, he weeps in his father’s arms, with his father comforting him all the way.
The next day, while in her cop car, Stef is told that they have found Robert Quinn and that he has been served the abandonment papers. Now they wait. Stef exit’s the car and appears to be at the homeless shelter Ana resided in. She asks one of the residents whom he saw with Ana the night she was last seen. While he has an idea of who he saw, it’s confirmed when Stef shows him a picture of Mike. Uh-oh.
At Callie and Daphne’s work, Callie tells Daphne about their ongoing search for Robert Quinn. It’s then a customer appears and gives Callie quite a big tip. He exits, milkshakes in hand and heads to his car. There, he hands a girl a milkshake and she responds with, “Thanks, Daddy.” Before leaving, he never takes his eyes off Callie as she’s washing tables outside.
I think we’ve found our Robert Quinn.