The Fosters: Not Your Ordinary TV Drama | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The Fosters: Not Your Ordinary TV Drama

My thoughts on the award winning show.

85
The Fosters: Not Your Ordinary TV Drama
Freeform/ABC Family

If you haven't heard of the show already, "The Fosters" is a drama series on Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family), about a non-traditional family full of biological, adopted, and foster kids raised by an interracial lesbian couple, Steph (Terri Polo), a white police officer, and Lena (Sherri Shaum), half black, half white Principal of Anchor Beach Community Charter School. There's Brandon (played by David Lambert), who’s the biological son of Steph from a previous marriage; Jesus (Jake T Austin, now played by Noah Centineo) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez), twins adopted by Steph and Lena; Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Jude (Hayden Byerly) brother and sister who have been in and out of foster homes, placed in the Foster's house, and are later adopted by Steph and Lena.

The show talks about issues that are affecting us today such as alcoholism, gender/racial/sexual orientation prejudice, breakups, school shootings, family issues (parents arguing, divorce, not knowing biological parents), bullying, and self-acceptance. What’s great about this show is that they have a non-traditional family and a very diverse one at that! It shows that it’s ok to be a part of a family that breaks the requirements of a traditional family (Mom and Dad).

In Season 2 Mariana dyes her hair blonde in order to fit in with the dance team. Steph complains saying that she should go back to having her brown hair. Lena understands why Mariana changed her hair because she did the same thing when she was her age, straightening her curly hair, adding chemicals to it so it can be straight. But now, she admires her natural hair.

During Season 1 and 2 we see Brandon’s Dad who is an alcoholic and made it hard for Brandon to spend time with him. Jesus and Mariana’s mom was a drug addict and wasn’t in shape to take care of them. When Jesus and Mariana meet their biological mom for the first time, Jesus pays her money to help her out (get a home, groceries, etc.), but instead she spent the money on drugs. But in Season 3 she sobers up, meets Brandon’s Dad Mike and they happen to be dating.

There are quite a few different kinds of prejudice throughout the show gender, racial and sexual orientation. During Season 1 and 2, a girl named Emma decided to try out for the wrestling team at school and everyone on the team looks at her different because she’s a girl playing a guy’s sport. She would often be excluded from hanging out with the team. Jude would paint his nails with blue nail polish and would always get made fun of because of it or Callie yell at him to take it off to prevent him from being bullied. Steph’s dad refused to show up at her wedding because he doesn’t like the fact that she’s lesbian. Jude’s friend Conner, who later turns out to be his boyfriend, has trouble coming out to his dad as gay, and his dad disapproves of it. Lena’s brother Nate comes to town with Lena’s parents. But Lena isn’t pleased because she demands an apology from Nate for calling her the “n-word” years ago. Another thing that happened was that Mariana only made the dance team because she was Latino and the team needed to add some more diversity to the team.

This show is a really great show that promotes diversity, that discusses many different issues that affect society today, and has many different life lessons. If you haven't watched it already, I suggest you give it a watch!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

2533
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

301728
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments