The Fosters Review: Trust (Season 4 Episode 3)
This week’s episode of The Fosters observes the aftermath of the Nick ordeal, and while everyone tries to get back to some semblance of normalcy, change is in the air.
Unlike the past two episodes, “Trust” follows our characters in disparate storylines. Let’s catch up with them individually.
Callie: Callie goes through the motions this episode and finds herself reverting to old patterns. Full disclosure: I enjoy troubled Callie. That might be an unpopular opinion, I don’t know, but I think part of her appeal is the fact that she messes up as much as she does good.
Out of all the kids, Callie has grown the most and has experienced the most change throughout the show. But, as the famous saying goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I love mature, sensible, understanding Callie. The one who is passionate about Fost and Found, loyal to her friends, and determined and driven to help kids just like her. But I also love the Callie that makes mistakes and acts on impulse and does things teenagers are expected to do in their young, volatile states.
That sort of back-and-forth between being your best and worst self feels true to real life.
She’s confused! She ditches school! She jumps in the back of a motorcycle with a complete stranger! Whatever, let’s just enjoy the journey.
Brandon: Speaking of enjoyment, here is where there is none — Brandon’s plot with Courtney. The whole relationship feels forced and founded on the fact that Brandon can’t have Callie, making it hard to care about.
After some push and pull with Stef, Brandon comes home where they share a sweet scene, and then he leaves again, which is probably for the best. There’s no way Brandon and Callie can live under the same roof and function like normal siblings would.
Keeping that facade was hard enough with Moms not knowing about their secret tryst, but now that the secret is out, there’s no going back. It’s in everyone’s best interest to move on, and not try to force this fractured family into being whole again. This is one change that — although painful — needs to be accepted.
Jude: Ah, Jude. Sweet, confused Jude. Although verging on redundancy, Jude’s struggles have some refreshing moments. He joins a youth group and is curious about God. Perhaps he can find a middle ground between his sexuality and possible faith?
This could be interesting development if played right. One can be a believer and gay at the same time. If the show chooses to tackle that, it would be an interesting commentary on how non-monolithic religion can sometimes be.
Mariana: I probably could have started this review with Mariana, as her part is most directly related to the Nick plot that dominated the last two episodes. But, I left her for last because I’m not even sure what to make of it yet. The harassment and bullying she experiences due to her relationship with Matt an Nick places her in tough situation.
She is shamed and blamed and it’s unfair.
But again, I feel like the show is focusing on the wrong aspects of this story-line. Maybe it would have been better served if Mariana was more troubled about loving a person who was suffering from mental issues. Maybe if the episode wasn’t about Mariana being stigmatized, but rather, about her having to deal with someone she cares about being stigmatized for being “mental” and depressed, and suicidal, then it’d feel like the show is being perceptive and innovative.
The show could have digged a little deeper, but instead it did something more predictable and typical, which doesn’t inherently make this a bad story, but just one I’m not invested it.
As the end of the episode indicates, Mariana will be visiting Nick at the facility next episode, and hopefully we can gain some insight into what was going on with Nick when he spiraled and how Mariana feels about him after everything that’s happened. Hopefully, it will be an emotional scene sprung open with empathy.
What did you think of this episode of The Fosters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The Fosters airs Mondays at 8/7c on Freeform.
Shabnaj Chowdhury
Shabnaj is a pop-culture enthusiast who spends much of her time enabling her coffee addiction and thinking about Jon Snow's hair. Some of her favorite shows include Friday Night Lights, The Leftovers, and Game of Thrones. Shabnaj also loves to write creative non-fiction.