The first season of The Fosters received generally favorable reviews from critics and also garnered particular acclaim for its portrayal of LGBT themes. It also earned two GLAAD Media Awards and one Teen Choice Award.
Contents
Plot
The series follows the lives of police officer Stef Adams Foster and her wife Lena Adams Foster, a school vice principal, and their multi-ethnic, blended family. Stef and Lena are the parents of Brandon Foster, who is Stef's biological son, and the twins Jesus and Mariana who were adopted as small children. At the outset of the series, the couple take in two foster children, Callie and Jude, whom they later adopt. Also part of their lives is Mike Foster, Stef's patrol partner, ex-husband, and Brandon's father.Most of the show takes place in their quiet San Diego suburb and at Anchor Beach Community Charter School, where Lena works and the Foster children go to school.
Cast and characters
Main cast and characters
- Stefanie "Stef" Marie Adams Foster (Teri Polo)[1][2] is Lena's spouse, Brandon's biological mother, and the adoptive mother to twins, Jesus and Mariana. In the pilot episode, she and Lena take in two foster children, Callie and Jude, before adopting them. Stef is a police officer for the San Diego Police Department, where she works as a patrol partner with her ex-husband, Mike. She is known for having a strong personality with bold opinions, but can also be loving and motherly. When Jesus goes missing one night, Mariana informs her parents how she fears Jesus is at their biological mother Ana's house since they recently got in contact and have been lending her money. Stef and Mike go to rescue Jesus only to discover that he is not there, and Ana's boyfriend, an abusive drug addict, ends up shooting Stef, who, as a result, is severely wounded before making a full recovery following her subsequent hospitalization. Later, she officially marries Lena, and after having a mammogram, Stef receives a diagnosis of intraductal carcinoma. Because it is likely that the cells will become cancerous, she undergoes surgery.
- Lena Elizabeth Adams Foster (Sherri Saum)[2][3] is Stef's wife, step-mother to Brandon, and adoptive mother to Jesus and Mariana. In the pilot episode, the pair take in two foster children, Callie and Jude, whom they later adopt. Lena is the vice principal of Anchor Beach Community Charter School, the high school her children attend. She tends to be more open and reasonable, oftentimes when it comes to the children's wrongdoings, but can be stern and forthcoming as well. She and Stef legally marry and the discussion of Lena carrying her first child arises. Lena interviews for a promotion at work, and reveals she is pregnant, leading the panel to question her ability to balance work and home. She later develops preeclampsia which leads to a miscarriage.
- Jesus Adams Foster (Jake T. Austin in seasons 1–2, Noah Centineo in season 3 onwards)[2][4][5] is Stef and Lena's son, twin brother to Mariana, and sibling to Brandon, Callie, and Jude. He has ADHD and later joins the wrestling team in an effort to offset the negative effects of his medication through the advice of Mike. Although displaying a typical sibling relationship, Jesus loves his twin sister, Mariana, and the pair share resentment toward their biological mother. He is also shown as a womanizer at first, having a short string of romantic relationships, and sometimes charming his mothers, including when he covers up for Mariana's wrongdoings. But is now more respectful after getting back together with Emma. He feels as though he has no involvement in Mariana's quinceanera preparations, but later opts to be her escort in an effort to be at their birthday celebration. In the third season, Jesus temporarily resides at a boarding school for his high school wrestling team but returns after Callie's adoption, claiming it to be a surprise. After admitting to his parents that he was taking steroids while away at boarding school, Stef and Lena no longer allow Jesus to play on the wrestling team back at Anchor Beach.
- Jude Adams Foster (Hayden Byerly)[4] is the youngest Adams Foster child, maternal half-brother to Callie, and is also Brandon, Jesus and Mariana's sibling. Callie rescues Jude from their abusive foster father's house. As Jude settles into his new home, Mariana paints his nails blue and Callie tells him to wash it off, but learns to accept Jude's choices. At school, he quickly becomes friends with a kind-hearted boy, Connor, and as their friendship grows, Jude begins questioning his sexual orientation.[6][7] When Connor's father suspects Jude's feelings, he forbids the boys from seeing each other outside of school. Jude slips into a phase of selective mutism, a social anxiety disorder where he does not speak entirely for a certain extent of time in fear of embarrassment, only to finally open up to Callie about his feelings. Jude and Connor kiss and begin dating, but Jude refuses to label himself as gay. After seeing how badly this affects Connor at an LGBTQ dance in season 3, he comes out as gay. At the end of the first season, Stef and Lena end up legally adopting Jude, officially becoming part of the Adams Foster family. Following Callie's own adoption, Jude admits he is in love with Connor who returns the sentiment. After Connor's move and because their long-distance relationship does not work out very well, they break up, and he later dates a new friend, Noah.
- Brandon Foster (David Lambert)[2][4] is the eldest Foster child, biological son of Stef and Mike, and older adoptive brother to Jesus and Mariana as well as to Jude and Callie. Brandon has an infatuation for Callie but after his biological mother and father place a restraining order against him, and despite he and Callie having sex the night before her adoption, they later resist further temptations to proceed with their relationship. Brandon also has a talent for music, excelling in piano, and is on the verge of entering a highly distinguished music program. After raising money to obtain fake IDs to get into a bar (as he is legally underage), Brandon finds himself getting beat up by his dealer. Following his subsequent hospitalization, Brandon loses sensation in his hand causing him to miss his spot in the music program. Still able to play the piano, he joins a band. In the third season, Brandon goes to the Idylwild band camp and competes to play at Disney Hall, where he ultimately wins the competition. During his senior year of high school, he receives an acceptance letter into The Juilliard School, his top choice in colleges and among the most prestigious in music and the arts. Later on, however, Brandon is academically dismissed from ever attending college as a student discloses successfully bribing Brandon to take his scholastic assessment test.
- Callie Adams Foster (Maia Mitchell)[2][4] is Stef and Lena's eldest daughter, maternal half-sister to Jude, a younger adoptive sister to Brandon, and older adoptive sister to Jesus and Mariana. In the pilot episode, the court places Callie in the Adams Foster home after serving time in juvenile detention for damaging her abusive foster father's property. Later, with Brandon's help, she goes to get Jude, who is still in the abusive foster home. Callie quickly develops a crush on Brandon before Jude becomes furious at her after seeing them kiss at Stef and Lena's wedding. Fearing the court will place her back into foster care, Callie attempts to run away, where she ends up eating food at a gas station without paying. This leads her into a temporary group home to counsel her actions and keep her away from Brandon. As time passes, Callie and Brandon hold back their feelings for each other. Callie's adoption is initially put on hold after discovering that she and Jude do not share the same birth father. Later on, Robert Quinn, who reveals himself to be Callie's birth father, approaches Callie. Robert introduces her to his family, and she seems to quickly bond with his daughter, Sophia. After Robert feels ready to turn over his paternal rights, Sophia tears up the paperwork hoping Callie feels the same way about their newfound sibling bond, which appears to be the exact opposite. Stef and Lena officially adopt her following a prolonged battle with the justice system and a passionate speech to the judge.
- Mike Foster (Danny Nucci)[2][4] is Stef's patrol partner and ex-husband as well as Brandon's father. He makes a number of appearances in the Adams Foster home, especially when it involves seeing Brandon. When searching for Jesus in the twins' birth mother's home, Mike witnesses Ana's boyfriend shooting Stef and, in turn, Mike fires at the shooter. The shooter is not technically armed when Mike shoots him which causes conflict at his job as Stef keeps secret about it. He later learns that the money he gives his son for piano lessons is used to bribe Ana to lie in court so Mike does not lose his job. This only complicates the issue as the court abruptly determines that Mike is not guilty before Ana even has the chance to testify. Mike is also a recovering alcoholic, attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and retains a live-in girlfriend, Dani, who helps maintain his sobriety. The pair break up when she is sent to prison for statutory rape with an already sober Brandon. Mike and Ana soon begin a romantic relationship and get engaged in season 5. Mike is also the foster father to AJ Hensdale.
- Mariana Adams Foster (Cierra Ramirez)[2] is Stef and Lena's daughter, Jesus' twin sibling, younger sister to Brandon and Callie, and Jude's older sister. Mariana is an intelligent teenage girl who likes to involve herself in whatever she finds enjoyable, particularly when she is social with her friends and gossips at school. She is also very proficient at coding and mathematics. Like many teenage girls, Mariana struggles with her self-confidence, heritage, and appearance; as seen when she dyes her hair blond to fit in. She dances, acts, and sings, even forming her own dance team before becoming the lead actress in Brandon's senior project musical. Mariana initially supports her birth mother financially by selling Jesus' ADHD medication at school. Jesus confronts their birth mom to no longer contact Mariana, only to also rope in Brandon, which causes him financial and physical harm, for which she is heavily apologetic. Later on, Mariana hopes to change her image, joins the dance team, and takes a liking toward one of Brandon's bandmates. She is very close to Jesus but they often tease each other.
Special guest stars
- Rita Hendricks (Rosie O'Donnell) is the leader of Girls United — a group home for troubled girls — who befriends Callie.
- Sharon Elkin (Annie Potts) is Stef's mother, and the Foster children's grandmother.
- Robert Quinn Sr. (Patrick Duffy) is Robert's father and Callie's biological grandfather.
- Will (Rob Morrow) is Sharon's partner who she met on the road. They become engaged and almost marry in season four.
No comments:
Post a Comment