The Fosters

Welcome back, Foster fam! Episode 2 of ABC Family’s summer season of  The Fosters , “Take Me Out,” felt a bit like the tail end of the June 16 premiere. That is to say: There’s still a lot to discuss about birth fathers, piano-playing hands and the whereabouts of Ana. When we last left Callie, she was on the hunt for her birth father, Robert “Jack McPhee” Quinn. In this latest installment, unbeknownst to her, Callie is hobnobbing with RQ himself at work. She’s giving him advice on the best milkshakes in town, and in return, he’s leaving her mysterious $100 tips. Read More... //community.ew.com/2014/06/24/the-fosters-season-2-episode-2-recap/

Accepting yourself for who you are is one of life’s greatest challenges. The road to reaching acceptance is rocky for many people, particularly teens. “Take Me Out” showed us characters whose security threatens others (Jude and Emma) and characters trying to define themselves in light of new revelations (Brandon and Callie). In between, Stef, Lena and Mike proved even adults stumble as they scrambled to decide whether or not Brandon should have a risky surgery in hopes of getting full use of his hand back. It is reassuring to see even in adulthood, the answers about what is right do not come easy. Lena was once again left feeling like the odd parent out where Brandon was concerned as Stef and Mike made the decision not to allow Brandon to have the surgery on their own. It was hard to be angry at Stef after the opening moments of the episode found her curled on the couch with Brandon in an attempt to comfort her son. For Stef, the thought of Brandon losing anything else is too hard to face, so she shuts Brandon down even as he is grappling with his own identity. However, a well-timed concert outing with his sisters helped put things into perspective for Brandon (as well as put him in the orbit of a potential new love interest, Lou). Being a classical pianist was Brandon’s dream, but he can still play other music, and by the end of the episode he was engrossed in a project to punch up the band’s songs. Flexibility in the face of adversity is a valuable trait, and seeing Brandon’s willingness to adapt gives me hope he might not spiral further down after all. Read More... //www.tvequals.com/2014/06/24/fosters-season-2-review-take/

In last week's episode, Callie decided to seek out her biological father so she can be adopted, and said biological father turned out to have another daughter who is the spitting image of Callie. Brandon realized that he could no longer play the piano after his attack, and Stef realized that Mike may have done something to Ana the night she disappeared. In tonight's episode, "Take Me Out," Stef and Lena disagree about how to handle Brandon's medical decisions, and Callie learns more about her biological father. Read on to find out if tonight's episode of The Fosters delivers the heart and heartache we have come to expect.  Read More... //www.buddytv.com/articles/the-fosters/the-fosters-recap-callie-meets-53893.aspx

The Fosters  returned last Monday with a quiet, but vital catch up episode. We skipped a few months forward in time to the day Jude received his birth certificate to find every member of the family facing new challenges. After the beating Brandon received his future as a pianist was left up in the air. The subtle transformation of Brandon from the responsible, eldest member of the family into a kid spiraling out of control appears to be just beginning. Brandon can longer feel the keys with his damaged hand and his relationship with Mike is strained by the secret he and Dani are keeping about the night they spent together. With his entire life plan suddenly falling apart, how is Brandon supposed to deal with the possibility that he may never play the piano as proficiently as he once did?  The Fosters  has created an opportunity to tell a terrific and painful story with Brandon this season. Seeing how far he falls before he can get back up again will not be easy, but it will be rewarding. Read More... //www.tvequals.com/2014/06/23/fosters-season-2-review-things-unknown/