Freeform’s The Fosters has spent much of this fifth season focusing on whether or not Anchor Beach will become a private school or remain a public school, and that storyline finally comes to a head this episode! We also see things between Jude and Noah get tense, Mariana juggling boys, Jesus still feels like he’s not getting the support he needs, Callie helps Ximena in a major way, and Stef has a birthday. ‘#IWasMadeInAmerica’ was written by Anne Meredith and directed by Lee Rose.
Declude | Jude (Hayden Byerly) finds Taylor (Izabela Vidovic) and lets her know that he and Declan (Tyler Alvarez) got her signed by their gaming company too so she could join them. She’s hesitant at first, but after Jude promises she won’t be the third wheel she joins. When they go to Jude’s to play, Declan meets Noah (Kalama Epstein) and it’s obvious he’s jealous, which bleeds over into their livestream. The next day Noah tells Jude to dish what Declan says back to him, but that only leads to Jude and Declan flirting incessantly for the entire livestream. Noah is furious, he didn’t mean for Jude to flirt. Now fans are shipping the pair as ‘Declude’.
Party Time | Stef (Teri Polo) has been dealing with a lot lately, and she’s definitely not ready for one of Jenna’s (Suzanne Cryer) big birthday parties, but agrees to one anyway. She begrudgingly invites Tess (Kristen Ariza) and Dean (Reggie Austin) to the party, and having them there only makes it even more stressful for Stef. She eventually snaps at Jenna once the party is over and everyone else has left, telling her that not everyone is interested in her. Stef has been fighting off anxiety attacks, and this confrontation leads to another.
The next day Brandon (David Lambert) . Gives his mom her birthday present, an hour of his piano playing, and he offers to redeem it now because it looks like she needs it. That night she has another panic attack in the middle of the night, but instead of dealing with it on her on as she had been, she finally wakes up Lena (Sherri Saum) and let’s her help her.
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Dating Drama | Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) has found herself being chased by several guys, and instead of picking one to date she decides to date them all, without telling them about it. This leads to an interesting situation at Stef’s party when all 3 gentlemen show up. She explains the situation to them all and Wyatt (Alex Saxon) and Logan (Christopher Meyer) are totally down to date her at the same time, but Mat (Jordan Rodrigues) is not, he already knows he loves her.
New Aide | Stef and Lena have a family meeting with the kids to get them all on the same page about Jesus (Noah Centieno). Lena also tells Jesus he will no longer have a para-professional helping him, but someone will need to. He asks if she can, and she agrees to, but Jesus soon comes to regret this decision. Lena sits next to him in class, mothers him, and oversteps boundaries when his teachers aren’t doing what she asked for her son.
The Truth | Lena turns up at Nick’s (Louis Hunter) house wanting the answers he’s promised Mariana. Lena gets the information he has to help Anchor Beach and takes it to the board. She reveals that Nick’s father was planning on buying the property and instead of building a school he will build beachside condos. With the truth out, the board voted against the plan to go private, even Drew () supported the decision to remain a public school. Later, Drew apologizes to Lena for supporting Nick’s father, but reminds her that he is principal and he has the final say in everything.
Later, the teachers all sign a petition in support of Drew getting fired and Lena becoming the new principal. With more than 3/4 of the staff’s support, there’s no way the board can turn this down.
Fighting For What’s Right | Callie (Maia Mitchell) is still feeling creatively blocked when it comes to her portfolio, so she turns her attention back to finding ways to help Ximena (Lisseth Chavez). With the help of Shawn (Nick Fink), Aaron (Elliot Fletcher), and a few others, they go to a rally for someone against immigration and DACA. At the rally, Callie gets up to plead Ximena’s case, and she only has one question for the speaker, “What does an American look like?” Callie’s plan works, the press is covering what they are doing and taking an interest in Ximena’s story.
Later, Callie is with Ximena at the church when she sees it, Huffington Post has published an article about what they did at the rally and how Ximena is living in a church. Both girls are excited over the news, Ximena is so excited she kisses Callie before calling her sister.
Finally, Anchor Beach is remaining a public school with Lena at its head! Hopefully she doesn’t continue to overstep when it comes to Jesus and his classes. Does Ximena have actual feelings for Callie or was the kiss just because she was so excited? Keep watching to find out!
The Fosters airs Tuesdays at 8pm on Freeform!