The Fosters Recap: Callie Has it Rough, and We Can't Stop Shipping Jonnor

This week's episode of The Fosters had so much to cover that a child getting shot during last week's cliffhanger was actually the least of their problems. It's immediately revealed (because our nerves don't need more anguish) that it was Connor who got shot, but only through his foot and while baseball is out of the picture for a bit, he'll recover just fine. Hallelujah! What's less hallelujah-worthy, however, is Connor's father's reaction to Connor telling him it wasn't Daria he snuck out of the house to see, but rather Jude. When Connor's dad pulls Lena aside, he tells her that Connor's ultimate reveal was that the entire disastrous evening was Jude's idea, and because of this he doesn't want the two hanging out. Jude's already in shock over the obviously terrifying incident, and is now crushed that a) Connor blamed him for everything and b) he can't see him at all. Side note, Hayden Byerly who plays Jude is now nearly as tall as Stef. How do people grow up this fast?!

Over a charming family breakfast, the group discusses the dangers of not being responsible with guns in the home, and also get it out of the way that Taylor's father probably won't get in trouble since he turned himself in right away and California as a 'stand your ground' law. Because of all the commotion, Stef and Lena have decided to postpone telling the kids they plan to adopt Ana's baby. But more importantly, we learn the history of the twins' ability to drive. They both have permits, but Mariana failed her driving exam the first time and needs a little extra help. This plot exists for a reason, of course, and so when Brandon takes Mariana to practice she asks if they can go visit Ana's parents on the way home. They do, and Mariana introduces herself to her grandfather. But when his wife enters and asks what's going on, he introduces Mariana and Brandon as 'kids looking for a job.' Ouch. 

Stef and Lena continue with the plan to try to get Callie emancipated, but there's a pretty substantial snag. To get emancipated Callie needs to get off probation, and while she has a hearing coming up next week that looks positive, she'll never get off probation with the massive amount of credit card debt she's acquired. Say what?! Callie doesn't have $24,000 worth of credit card debt! On the bright side, everyone believes her when she says it isn't hers, but she has to prove someone stole her identity to get off probation. Luckily, Stef is a cop and this is her job. But if they can't find the perps, Callie might never be emancipated. Just when you think things are going well for Callie, things are literally never going well for Callie. 

How dare we get three paragraphs into this recap without ever once mentioning Mariana's dance team?? For shame. It's actually going really well, too! The dance looks great, the girls are killing it - only problem is (because there must be a problem!) that Emma's having a hard time dealing with the sexuality these routines involve. She's embarrassed when the wrestling boys walk in on practice, and even more embarrassed when the girls get assigned to be in charge of 'Marketing and Social Media' for a class assignment, because she for some reason, believes that is "the girl thing." Which makes makes no real sense, but you do you, Emma. When Emma confronts the team about this, Mariana asks why the girls can't be "both smart and sexy" but Emma responds "that's just the way it is." No, it's not Emma! You can totally dance and be smart at the same time! When Emma comes over to tutor Jesus, Mariana grabs her for a little chat and tells her that she knows Emma loves dancing, and shouldn't let a bunch of boys determine what kind of girl she's going to be. We don't get to find out this episode, but we're on the edge of our seats now! Come on Emma, show the world that women can both dance and wrestle!

Callie chats with her supervisor at the foster center where she volunteers about how often identity theft happens to foster kids. He tells her that at least she's lucky it happened while she was still under 18, because had it happened after her entire life could have been ruined. Oh - important detail nugget - Callie has also learned that the person who is stealing her identity is using her card to purchase and resell purses. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Sarah, who you may remember as the foster child who was currently living with Liam (Callie's rapist) and his family. Sarah is still uncomfortable with Callie after everything surrounding Callie's trial and Sarah's refusal to testify, but Callie tries to make nice. Sarah still seems a little cold to her, but maybe things are on an upswing. Though this facial express does not exactly imply 'upswing'...

But that's not the last we'll see of Sarah! Her bag mysteriously goes missing, but it turns out Callie was doing some snooping and discovered that it's indeed Sarah who has a credit card with Callie's name. Dun dun duuun. Even worse, it's Liam who's actually going out and selling the bags. Stef gets wind of this info and goes undercover to buy a bag from Liam, who doesn't recognize her. When she reveals herself, he tries to dash but Mike's got him cornered and Liam ends up arrested. Liam denies everything and Sarah covers for him, telling the police that Liam had nothing to do with it. Callie's upset Sarah hasn't clued in to the fact that he's using her, but when they discover that Liam also stole Sarah's identity and was actively wracking up credit card debt out of that, the tables turn and Sarah reveals the horrible truth of Liam's financial and physical manipulation. After two seaons of being completely evil, Liam is now going to end up in jail. 

Mariana returns to the bakery her grandparents work at and demands to speak to them. It turns out they know exactly who she is and they all finally sit down for a chat. They regret not getting to know Jesus and Mariana, which was a result of Ana fearing they'd take the kids and hiding them away. They never forgave Ana for keeping their grandchildren from them, but Mariana insists that it's possible for them to have a second chance with Ana now that she's sober. She assures them that she's happy with the Adams Fosters but also leaves Ana's letter for them to read. Her plot to get them to adopt Ana's baby is now in motion! If only Connor hadn't gotten shot and Stef and Lena had told the family sooner that they planned to adopt Ana's baby. Que sera. At least Mariana doesn't feel so bad now about why her grandparents neglected her in the first place!

Jude has spent this episode continuing to be bummed about Connor blaming him for everything, so when Taylor tells Jude she's visiting Connor at the hospital, he asks her to talk to Connor about why he did that. Instead, Taylor gives Connor her phone, and he and Jude talk directly. It turns out Connor never said Jude was responsible for the evening, but instead came out as gay to his father. Jude doesn't quite know how to respond yet, but our Jonnor loving hearts swelled with love and glee and hopefulness for a bright future.

Ahh, but what will tonight's cliffhanger be? Well, earlier in the episode Ana started officially moving out of Mike's house and ended up in a seedy motel. Stef goes to drop something off, but can't shake the unfortunate-ness of her new living situation and moments later....Ana is moving in with the Adams Fosters. There are a million reasons why Stef definitely should have called Lena and also talked to her kids about this decision long before she boxed up Ana's stuff and brought it over to their house in one brief, integral moment, but we'll just go along with it. Even though, wow Stef, way to not really think this through atall. Well, anyway, looks like Ana's here to stay. Until next week, Fosters fans!