‘The Fosters’ Review [5×06]: “Welcome to the Jungler”

Callie and Aaron debate freedom of speech while Brandon juggles Grace and Courtney and Jude battles online homophobia.

The Fosters hits the relevant issues hard this week by tackling the difference between free speech and hate speech. Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Aaron disagree on whether they should protest a far right speaker planning a presentation at the school. Callie believes it’s important to protest hate speech while Aaron believes the speaker is protected by Freedom of Speech, despite disagreeing with her. Meanwhile, Jude (Hayden Byerly) makes his return and spends the episode playing “Jungler,” an online game. He, Taylor, and Noah debate ways to tackle the sexism and homophobia present in the online gaming community.

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The rest of the family is also busy - Brandon (David Lambert) continues to balance Grace and Cortney by bringing them both to an open mic night, Mariana tries to convince Stef and Lena to let her join roller derby, and Jesus (Noah Centineo) contemplates the future of his relationship with Emma while attempting to reconcile Gabe and the newly-engaged Ana. Stef and Lena take a backseat again this week, primarily serving as supporting characters in the kids and other adult’s storylines. Let’s see if we can dive a little deeper into the lives of the Fosters this week.

Callie and Aaron disagree on free speech in an unnervingly timed episode.

When Callie introduces Aaron to Shawn, the leader of the on-campus protest, Aaron reveals that he disagrees with the plan. Aaron considers the hateful speaker to be protected by Freedom of Speech, and believes all speakers should be given a platform. Instead of protesting her, he believes they should publicly debate her.

This brings up a couple of interesting discussion points. Firstly, one of the protesters is critical of Aaron, saying he has nothing to lose (after all, he is a white male.) She has no way of knowing that he is transgender. Callie wants to explain this, but Aaron stops her. While Callie thinks disclosing his history will make his argument more valid, Aaron reminds her that he shouldn’t have to. He thinks it’s important to explain his opinion to the other side, but Callie argues that they won’t listen. The only way to stop the hate is to protest it.

“We need to stand up against these people and stand with the people who are less protected and fortunate than we are.” -Callie

We can’t get over how perfectly timed this episode was. The Fosters never shies away from current issues but they had no way of knowing how relevant this conversation would be the week the episode aired. In the current political climate, the difference between free speech and hate speech is more debated than ever. The Fosters beautifully navigates these murky waters. What is so great about Aaron and Callie’s argument, is that they both present great points. It’s not made clear who is right and who is wrong, that is for us to decide. For some, debate is the most peaceful option, for others, the only way to be heard is by resistance.

Callie’s storyline ends with her learning that the plan is to be arrested, and she seems uncertain. It’s so realistic. It can be scary and dangerous to stand up for what you believe in. Next week, we will see what Callie chooses to do. The great thing about Callie is that regardless of the path she takes, she believes in her cause and is going to do whatever she can to prevent the spread of (and profit from) hateful rhetoric on her campus.

Girl and Gay Guy save the world (or, maybe just the internet.)

When Jude introduces Noah to his online gaming community, Noah is shocked by the language used. Jude frequents a youtube channel where a player livestreams his game play. While he plays, he frequently uses homophobic slurs and makes sexist remarks to other players, intending to demean them. Jude and Taylor have just accepted this. This is the reality of online game play and you just have to deal with it if you want to join in.

After they show the channel to Noah, they see it in a new light. They realize that if there isn’t a space for them in the gaming community, they should create one. So they do - the two of them live stream game play, making jabs at other streamers such as “wow, who knew a girl could do that?” and “who knew a homo could do that?”.

“That’s how you kick ass in Vainglory without being a misogynistic, homophobic douchebag.” -Jude

The Fosters always handles things realistically, and this storyline is no exception. Jude and Taylor don’t become instant internet celebrities after their inclusive stream. Instead, they receive comment after hateful comment, calling them all kinds of names. The show does a really nice job of highlighting the anxiety Jude feels while reading these attacks. We see the comments from his perspective - the camera jumps around from comment to comment, jerky and unsteady, quickly zooming in on any particularly upsetting remarks. It’s impossible not to feel Jude’s panic in this moment. It’s an incredible use of editing.

In the end, Jude and Taylor decide to continue streaming, calling themselves “Girl and Gay Guy”. We have to give The Fosters props for the way Jude’s storyline parallels his sister’s. They both have to make a choice about how to handle hate. When given the option to back down, both Callie and Jude ultimately choose to stand up and keep fighting, and not to let fear and hate drag them down.

With Cortney still staying at the Foster’s, things get a little messy.

We really should’ve seen that twist coming.

Brandon’s ex continues to stay at the Foster’s, but there are hints throughout the episode about where her affections truly lie. From the beginning of the episode, Gabe is interacting with Cortney and Mason and is clearly comfortable with the two of them. And, really, Cortney’s smile when Gabe hands Mason a donut says it all. How did we miss this?

It seems we weren’t the only ones out of the loop. Grace spends open mic night worrying about Brandon and Cortney’s relationship, and ends up getting just a bit too drunk. We can’t blame her - who wouldn’t order another round while their boyfriend harmonized on stage with his beautiful ex (who is currently living in his house?) Really, though, she’s got nothing to worry about, because the final moments of the episode find Cortney kissing Gabe out in the garage.

“You guys sounded so good together.” -Grace

Okay, honestly, this is a little gross. While technically legal, Cortney and Gabe have us totally irked out. The age difference, the fact that he’s Jesus and Mariana’s birth father, it’s just all too much. And if we can’t handle it, who knows how poor Brandon is going to react! We do have to wonder, though, where Gabe’s affections lie. His discussion with Jesus sure made it sound like he still had feelings for Ana.

If we look at this from a glass-half-full standpoint, at least this halts the possibility of a Grace/Brandon/Cortney love triangle for the time being. It also keeps Gabe away from Ana, which we are certainly grateful for after Jesus spent the hour attempting to reconcile them at the expensive of Ana’s engagement to Mike.

Still, Mason could technically become Mariana and Jesus’s step brother. Gross. With this development, along with Mike and Ana’s engagement, it’s getting really difficult to keep track of the ever-entangling Fosters family tree.

FINAL VERDICT: The Fosters 5×06 may be packed a little too full of action, but we found it entertaining and inspiring nonetheless.

Callie, Jude, and Brandon’s storylines were fantastic. The timing of Callie’s free speech debate could not have been more perfect, and The Fosters handled it exceptionally by showing two opposing but valid opinions. Jude’s storyline called attention to the very real world of online homophobia and sexism, and used some killer editing techniques to convey the feeling of being bullied online. His final scene with Taylor was inspiring and wonderful to see, and we couldn’t be more proud of him for standing up for minority gamers. Brandon’s storyline provided some much needed entertainment - it was funny and awkward, and ended in a heck of a twist. Although it didn’t make any sort of statement, it was good, entertaining television. If The Fosters had left it at these three plotlines, we’d be looking at an A+ episode.

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One thing we really hope to see is a simplifying of these episodes. The Fosters is a fantastic show when it takes the time to properly develop its characters and plots. Recently, the show has been attempting to pack too much into each episode. This week alone, we had Callie dealing with Aaron and hate speech, but also with Kyle’s release from prison. Brandon is dealing with Grace and Cortney, but also Mike’s engagement. Jesus is debating whether to drop out of school while also attempting to get Gabe and Ana back together and proposing to Emma. Stef and Lena each take part in multiple storylines as well. The only two Fosters that seemed to have a semi-singular focus this week were Jude and Mariana (who’s storyline has been more-or-less the same all season long.)

Obviously, these characters do not exist in a vaccuum and will always intersect each other’s storylines, and that’s a good thing. We love that this family is so involved with each other. We just lose sight of what’s going on when each character is given too much to do. Despite having very little screen-time, this week’s scene stealer was Cierra Ramirez. She completely sold us on what makes roller derby so important to Mariana. If The Fosters can keep up its fantastic storyline and important plots, while chiseling away some of the extra noise, it has the potential to be one of the best shows on TV.

The Fosters is an incredibly important show for young people, and this week’s episode is no exception. As one of the most inclusive and progressive shows on television, it excels each week simply by existing.

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

• What decision is Callie going to make next week? Will she continue to protest and risk getting arrested?
• Jesus is way too young to be discussing marriage, but at this point anything that gets him back to school is a positive thing.
• It’s great that Mariana has roller derby, but she’s been pretty one dimensional as of late. All of her storylines revolve around roller derby!
• How long have Cortney and Gabe been a thing? Did they hook up shortly after Cortney arrived or did we witness one of their first kisses? Honestly this whole thing brings up so many questions.
• Is Gabe truly over Ana?