It's a glorious day, Fosters' fans! Jesus is finally getting his awful 'Hayley' tattoo painfully removed, and maybe she will be removed from the subplot right along with it. Now you know how we all felt, Jesus.
Potential bad decisions continue to abound when Stef announces that Brandon will be allowed to tour with the band, but on a few conditions. If Brandon is going to go on tour, Stef and Lena will need to meet the band member's respective families, the group will need a planned agenda, and lastly, they need to stay in a motel instead of crashing at random people's houses. That's not exactly the worst list of rules considering this is a band comprised of a bunch of teenagers, but the group isn't having this over-protection and tells Brandon that if things are going to be this strict, they'll just go on tour without him.
Before bed, Stef vents to Lena about how Anna is staying at Mike's apartment. Lena shuts down the conversation immediately, saying she's sick of talking about Mike. Lena's in her own tight place trying to raise her school's cred, but when Stef remembers Lena has problems to and tries to console her, Lena turns the light out and cold-shoulders her wife. The next day, Callie returns to the shop where long ago she purchased her Christmas gifts (remember that random cashier girl I said was a Christmas Angel?). The cashier remembers her, but her parting stare as Callie leaves is so lengthy and ominous we know that something sketchy is about to go down. Et tu, Cashier Girl?
Mmkay ya'll, get ready for Jude's subplot. Just prepare yourself. Back at school, Connor asks Jude if they can stop being lab partners so Connor can pair up with this random girl Daria. Jude is officially 'sexiled,' which a far-too-small child explains is when your friend leaves you for a 'new boo.' Apparently, Connor and said 'new boo' Daria are OTP (One True Pair, for those of you who are not quite in with the lingo these days). Later that day Jude, Connor, and the two girls make plans to catch a movie, and it's looking like the rendezvous may be more than just friendly, especially when Connor declares Daria his new girlfriend. Every conversation these children have is utterly grating, but at least Jude's as disturbed as we are.
Let's take a detour to Twinville, shall we? Speaking of young love lost, Jesus and Emma are starting to become friends again, and Emma even agrees to help him study so he can pass his classes and stay on the wrestling team. Their tutoring session takes a turn when Jesus tries to kiss Emma, but he quickly recovers by showing her his tattoo, leading her to admit she'll never be attracted to him again. Now that all sexual tension has been killed by that horrible Hayley tattoo, they may be able to stay pals. Let the studying commence! In other twin news, Mariana suddenly breaks up with Mat, claiming she just doesn't have time for a relationship, especially when they're going to have a whole apart while Mat is on tour. Later, Mariana admits she was a little rash and decides that not only does she want to stay with Mat, she wants to go on tour with him! He just told her he loves her, so this is all going to totally work out, right?! Mat's expression, however, is not that of a dude who wants his girlfriend tagging along on tour...
Stef's been doing some personal investigating into Mike and Anna's situation and finds out that Mike's sponsor doesn't have a clue who Anna is. When Mike finds out about her snooping, he completely blows up at her for butting into his life. Stef feels justified in her investigation since Anna, the women who neglected the twins as children, is a part of their lives too. And in a bigger way than Stef meant, even, because in that very moment Mariana has come to visit Anna to tearfully explain to her that she doesn't think Anna can take care of her baby girl. She's afraid the child will grow up with the same hurt and fear of abandonment that Mariana had. In a season where Mariana's moments have mostly involved hip hop and mathematics, this is a welcome emotional detour. We love all your subplots, Mariana!
Callie goes off to dinner with Robert, and although she seems to not be having the most rockin' time ever, the two bond over their love of photography and hatred of cilantro. However, when the conversation rolls around to Callie's living arrangements, Robert is still insistent that he believes he should be the one parenting her, even though it's against Callie's wishes and would, in many ways, separate her and Jude. No amount of loving photography and hating cilantro will solve this issue, although when the police come to question Callie over the toy she bought Daphne to give to her daughter Tasha that is now being used as evidence in a kidnapping case (Daphne isn't supposed to see Tasha, and has only recently earned visitation rights), it's Robert she calls as her parent...
It's date night! Connor's date directs the bunch to the very last row of the theater, where Jude was preveiously warned by Jesus that hanky panky tends to go down. Jude's date apologizes for the awkwardness that might be Connor and Daria making out right next to them, but when the lights go down, it's Jude's hand Connor goes for. Since Connor and Jude are totally OTP, this is a truly glorious day indeed.
Brandon continues to deal with the stress of his touring decision, and when raising 2k himself so that his crew can all stay in motels starts to look too tough, he actually seems to be considering returning to the Idyllwild idea (Idyllwild is a prestigious classical music camp, for those of you who don't avidly keep up with every plot line on this show). He keeps this from the band, but when his girlfriend tries to tell him it's looking like they'll probably go without him - even though they don't want to - he disses how the band sounded without him and tells her he wants to be alone. The moment she leaves, he starts slamming out some good, ol' fashioned classical tunes. Follow your heart, Brandon. Preferably to Idyllwild, where you might build the strong foundation for a sturdy future.
Sadly, we can't avoid the Stef/Lena fighting subplot forever. Lena is putting in some extra weekend hours at work and runs into the principal, who is suddenly very open about her personal life, which includes a recent divorce. If this conversation was planted to at all put the thought of Stef and Lena considering divorce in our heads, we absolutely refuse, so there. That thought's put on hold, however, when Anna visits Stef and Lena to inform them of Mariana's visit and message about Anna being a bad parent to the baby. She tells the two she believes that it would be better for the baby to grow up around her siblings and parents she can depend on. In short; she wants Stef and Lena to adopt the baby when it's born. Because this family doesn't already have enough going on, amiright?
