The Fosters Season Finale Recap: Adoption Day

The dreaded day has come, friends. The Fosters season one finale has come and gone, and it was all the craziness we were hoping for and more!

We pick up where we left off in the police car, where Stef tells Brandon not to tell anyone what happened with Ana until they know what to do. Outside, Stef explains to Mike that she thought Jesus was the one who tried to pay Ana off, but she realized he knows nothing about it and never thought it could be Brandon. She doesn’t want people to think Mike put Brandon up to it, so she insists she’ll handle it entirely herself. One condition; she wants Brandon to come home. Back at his apartment, Mike rightfully rails at Dani for secretly helping Brandon and breaks up with her. But Dani hasn’t completed her secret evil plan yet!

   

When she returns home, Stef casually omits the truth behind Brandon’s bad behavior when she speaks with Lena. Lena believes that Brandon will probably be expelled for the fake IDs, and Stef sadly asks, “What happened to our son?” Ultimately, Stef meets with Ana and tells her that she’ll get her the $10,000, but she never wants to see her again.

Mariana visits Zac (and his 90s boyband hairstyle), and explains that Zac really needs to help his mother see a doctor now after the constant incidents that range from forgetful to violent. Zac finally explains that his mother has early onset Alzheimer's and the reason he was so uncomfortable about dating is because he needs to take care of her. If she gets put in a home, he’ll have to live with his dad, thus being torn apart from Mariana.

While hanging out with Connor, Jude gets a call from his classmate Maddie who wants to go on a movie with him. Connor seems as though maybe he’s jealous, but it turns out he’s been wanting to ask Maddie out for a while. Jude’s clearly prickly about this, and admits he doesn’t like Maddie, but nothing more about any potential feelings for Connor. 

Mariana, amused by this whole ‘young love’ situation (and desperately in need of something to be amused by) approaches Jesus and asks him to give Jude advice on girls. Jesus admits he’s not the best to give advice since Emma thinks he’s a total jackass after his aggressive behavior at the winter ball. However, back at school Jesus tells Emma he’s decided to start going back on his meds. Emma, whose heart is softened, admits she’s not seeing Jackass Kyle anymore. Jesus asks if they can start over, and they kiss. So glad someone’s relationship isn’t tragically crashing and burning!

Lena meets with Timothy about the donor contract, but finds that Timothy doesn’t want to sign it. He can’t get past the idea he’d have a child out in the world whose life he couldn’t be in, explaining, “I think it would just destroy me.” Wow, Timothy, you went from 0 to 60 in 3.5. It looks like Lena jumped the gun a bit and might already be pregnant. Stef, who already wasn’t into this whole ‘baby’ thing to begin with, is now super not on board. Lena tells Stef she needs to tell her if she doesn’t want to have baby, and Stef does just that. You can just about literally hear Lena’s heart break.

But there’s some good news, viewers! Brandon’s back to piano and he has a big audition for the junior symphony coming up! Callie visits and tells him she wants to be in the family more than anything, but she doesn’t want to hurt him. Brandon says she’s not hurting him, and they hug it out. It really is so nice to not hate Brandon so much anymore.

A little later on, Lena hisses at Stef, “You’ll be happy to hear that I just got my period.” Stef sits Lena down to tell her honestly how scared she is to have a baby when they’re kids are already causing so much madness. She also finally tells the truth about Brandon and Ana. Lena doesn’t believe she’ll actually pay Ana off, and Stef confesses she’s going to wear a wire and record Ana trying to extort a police officer.

Dani comes home to Brandon being a total, drunken mess on the couch while mourning the loss of Callie, his one true love. She reminds Brandon his audition is tomorrow and takes him to bed. This would be kinda of acceptable if it didn’t immediately get creepy, with her telling him to take off his pants. She tearfully tells Brandon he deserves better than Callie; someone who can appreciate the endless list of abundant qualities she somehow manages to fabricate. Then they kiss (cause we haven’t seen that coming from lightyears away). But then they’re shirtless. And they’re the sexin’! Oy Brandon, what has life become for you? 

The next day, Brandon wakes up to a drunken, pathetic message of apologies from Mike, and calls Dani to ask for help since his father has clearly fallen off the wagon. In true Brandon style, none of this is going well. However, Brandon is still able to make it to his audition, and Stef even shows up to support him.

Jude accepts his date with Maddie, but Connor takes it personally, saying he’s not going to come to Jude’s adoption celebration since he’s obviously not a good enough friend. Oh no! Also in school-land, Vico, whose parents are apparently big shots, tells Brandon he won’t get expelled for the fake IDs, but his dad’s making him quit wrestling, which means he won’t get a scholarship and escape his parents’ grasp. I still don’t feel sorry for Vico, in case that what that scene was supposed to achieve.

Lena comes home to Jude painting his nails, and he asks when she knew she was gay. He explains the whole Maddie/Connor situation and that he was jealous Connor wanted to go out with Maddie, and not because of Maddie. Lena explains that everyone gets jealous when their friend starts dating, and that it doesn’t determine a person’s sexuality. She also tells him, “We love you no matter what, because you’re you.” It’s the runner-up quote of the night, and yet another reason we totally love this show.

Back at Zac’s house, Mariana finds he now has rough-looking scratch marks on his face because his mother didn’t know who he was and attacked him. Mariana tells him it’s really not okay for this to keep happening, and he actually does call his father for help. Three cheers for Mariana really maturing throughout the season and encouraging others to make healthy, safe decisions. You win The Fosters’ 'Most Improved' award for character development and like-ability.

Stef waits to meet Ana, but she doesn’t show up. Apparently she hasn’t returned to her shelter since yesterday, and she also got in a screaming match with some guy. Sounds suspicious. But not as suspicious as Dani calling Brandon to tell him she found Mike and that he’s okay when he’s really unconscious on the bathroom floor. She tries to clean him off, but blood streams from his arms into the sink. Could Mike be the ‘some guy’ Ana was in a screaming match with? Is he even alive? This is never revisited, so put that in the back of your mind for season 2.

Lena shares the news that Brandon isn’t going to get expelled from school, but neither will Vico, which upsets her cause she believes Vico’s dangerous. She also admits that she think Stef’s right- they’ve already got so many beautiful kids and they need their moms right now. It’s just a smidge too late though, because it turns out Lena didn’t really start her period. She was really spotting because she’s pregnant! Wonderful(?)! Awesomely, Stef’s had a change of tune and gives our #1 quote of the episode, “I feel nothing but love right now, baby. Nothing but love for you and this beautiful baby we’re going to have.” Perfect timing for a change of heart!

It’s adoption time! Before the ceremony, Mariana explains that Zac is going to move in with his dad in Arizona and even though it’s better, she feels like everyone she loves ends up leaving. Then, we get a lovely arrangement of guests for the occasion. Not only does gorgeous-haired Wyatt show up, but all of Callie’s Girls United Buddies, including the Rosie O’Donnell-portrayed counselor Rita. Connor also shows up, and Jude apologizes about the Maddie sitch, but it’s Connor who feels bad and suggests all three of them should go see a movie sometime.

Were good things just about to happen? Better drop some tragedy on everyone! Stef and Lena pull Jude and Callie aside to tell them there’s a problem with Callie’s paperwork for the adoption. She only had duplicates in her file, and when they found the original paperwork there was different name listed as her father, “Robert Quinn.” Quinn is Callie’s middle name, but whoops, no one told her this was going on. Callie’s obviously thrown for a crazy loop, and devastatingly can’t get adopted that day. Jude doesn’t want to get adopted without her, but Callie insists he must. Everyone’s super weepy as Callie tries to process with this information, then she tearfully steals away for some more private angst. Luckily, Rita is there to talk down a rightfully disturbed Callie, telling her she can’t keep running away when she feels the world is against her. Callie returns to the ceremony, and the entire family supports Jude as he gets adopted. It’s sweet, but poor darling Callie doesn’t deserve this suffering.

After the adoption, Callie escapes the  party to go play guitar. She and Brandon try some semi-successful brother/sister bonding, and she finds out he got into the symphony. Brandon leaves to go pack up his stuff so he can move back home, and Wyatt joins Callie. He asks her if, in the event she can’t get adopted, will she and Brandon get back together? Callie tells him no, and they kiss. 

Finally, a nugget of bliss in Callie’s miserable day! She plays a nice little song for Wyatt on her guitar as the family laughs happily inside and then, in true Season Finale fashion, Brandon gets beaten to a pulp outside his dad’s house by Vico and Co.

Looks like our cliffhangers for Season 2 are a) will Callie get adopted? and b) is Brandon still alive? Luckily the new season premieres Monday, June 16th, so the wait isn't too soul-crushingly long!