The Fosters Recap: Heartbreaks and Vanilla Shakes

The kids are a'growin' up, and this week is all about whether 16-year-old Brandon should be allowed to make the decision to get a surgery that could either save or destroy his slowly recovering hand forever. Brandon's put the piano away, he can't sleep, and Stef's not feeling any better about her poor son's situation. The episode kicks off with some reminiscing about how times were easier when the kids were younger, and Brandon tells his mom he's afraid he'll never be able to play again. She tells him to never give up on his dream, and they fall asleep side by side. At least something adorable can come out of something incredibly frusterating!

It wouldn't be an episode of The Fosters without a big family breakfast! The cheery atmosphere, in which they plan yet another family meal, is crushed when Brandon declares he's decided to get the incredibly iffy hand surgery to repair nerve damage. This isn't exactly what Stef meant by 'never give up,' since there's a chance his hand could get permanently worse if the surgery went wrong. Stef visits Mike to discuss the hand surgery, but also confronts Dani about something that happened the night Brandon was attacked. Dani clearly thinks Stef's about to delve into the inevitable, 'You slept with my son' thing, but Stef's only interested in finding out more about Mike's drinking again and the possibly murderous confrontation that left him bloody in the bathroom. Dani shakes her off, saying she'll need to talk to Mike about all this. You're off the hook for now, Dani. But this is ABC Family, you won't be forever!

Jude, Connor, and Connor's dad have some bonding time at the batting cages, but the fun only lasts so long after Connor's dad becomes controling and belittling over Connor's form. Connor's bummed about the whole situation since this is what he's 'supposed' to be good at, and Jude reaches out a friendly arm to comfort him. Connor's dad watches the gesture, however, and seems less than pleased.

Callie is visited once again at her restaurant by the mysterious silver fox we all know is her father. They bond over vanilla milkshakes, and when he asks if she works every day after school, she answers that she only works three days because her moms don't want her to work any more than that. He's surprised by this 'moms' development, and as he leaves says he'll see Callie again soon. Creepy restuarant etiquette for a casual customer, but he did leave a $100 tip so, there's a silver (fox) lining.

But it's not all $100 news. Upon returning home, Callie learns that Robert Quinn won't sign parental rights away until there's a DNA test. At family dinner, we receive some more casual, potentially long-term news, including a girl named Haley on the dance team seems to be into Jesus. Ah, but Jesus is with Emma! More on that later. Brandon swoops in again with his demands for hand surgery, and Stef breaks the news that she and Mike have decided it's not safe for him to get the surgery. Brandon storms off without eating and Lena's once again not thrilled an entire decision about Brandon's life has only been made between Stef and Mike.

Callie visits Brandon to attempt to make him see that, even if he can't play classical as perfectly as he once did, there's still a future for him in music. The surgery could take all that away if it goes wrong. But it's not all about Brandon tonight. Callie divulges that she has to see her father at the DNA test since they both have to be there to make sure everything goes correctly. Callie doesn't have a choice in this, but Brandon has a choice in how his own life turns out. Perspective, Brandon! However, though Callie shows up for the DNA test, Robert Quinn doesn't. The procedure is allowed to continue, meaning Callie may never see her father. Though this is what she thought she wanted, Callie faces that she really did want to see who her father is, and is even more hurt now that she believes he didn't even want to see her. Luckily, she's got a supportive and understanding sis in Mariana!

Back at school, Lena discovers that their sperm donor Timothy is on the committee to find a new principal, a position she's up for. There's certainly a conflict of interest here, considering Timothy is a) the sperm donor and b) went back on his word to sign the donor contract. Timothy says she'll have to trust him, but history has certainly proved differently.

Later, Stef and Lena discuss the Timothy debacle and whether or not Lena, while pregnant, should really be pursuing the position in the first place. Lena stands by her decision, but the conversation is interupted when Mike comes over to berate Stef for interrogating Dani about his personal life. Stef asks once and for all if Mike attacked Ana, and he insists he didn't. But the second Mike steps out of the house and takes a guilty sigh of relief we know this isn't anywhere near over.

That night, Mariana talks Brandon into driving her, Callie, Jesus, and Mariana to an all-ages show of a band their friends are in. They take a group field trip, and, while Brandon is skeptical at first, he seems to quickly fall for the lead singer Lucy. Turns out there has been a secret agenda to taking Brandon to the show, but it's not romance related. Mariana and Callie believe that Brandon may have a future with the band and end up setting Brandon and the guitarist, an old friend of his, up for a jam session. They believe Brandon's classical sensibilities may rein in the band's freewheeling form, but Lucy's less than thrilled with the idea and immediately writes Brandon off. But what love story doesn't start off with a little turbulence?

Speaking of turbulence, Emma and Jesus sneak off to sleep together for the first time in the car. Jesus isn't thrilled with the setting, but Emma's ready to go, and ready to tell him exactly what to do. Turned off but her bossiness, Jesus suddenly remembers his curfew and demands they leave. Later, he tries to make good with her by saying he's set up a romantic dinner/beach date where they can have their first time under less stressed out circumstances. Emma laughs off the beach idea, saying sex in the sand isn't exactly a joyride, but Jesus finally loses it and tells her just how controling she's being. Well, Jesus won't have anything to worry about now, because Emma breaks up with him. Don't despair, Jesus! That random Haley girl that was briefly mentioned before wasn't brought up for nothing!

As soon as he gets home, Brandon gets to work adding some rockin' piano to the single the band had played at their show. He's interrupted by Lena, who's thrilled he's playing music again. She tells him that she actually doesn't agree with Stef and Mike, and believes he should get the surgery if he wants to. Unfortuntely, Stef was right outside the entire time and isn't happy Lena went behind her back. They talk it out, and finally end up telling Brandon that they're torn over the decision because if they let him make the choice and it ruins his life, he may grow up to blame them for it, and if they don't let him have it they're getting in the way of his dream. If he really wants the surgery, they'll do a lot more research and take the best option from there. Oh, but Brandon apparently had a personal revelation at the concert and, for the moment, is happy to work with a hand that can handle rock rather than classical. For now, the surgery is off and the band is on! 

Poor Jude has a pretty big struggle on his hands for a pretty young dude. Connor has to cancel plans to spend the night because his father thinks Jude is gay. Connor says he knows it's not true, but he has to do what his dad says. Since Jude is an incredibly mature kid, he stops and asks Connor in near-disbelief if he wouldn't want to sleep over if Jude actually was gay. We never get an answer, but at least Mariana will play his new video game with him that night. The Most Supportive Sister Award of the week definitely goes to Mariana, who has managed to be nice to everyone while having no particular storyline of her own.

After doing some Googling, Callie finally realizes Vanilla Shake Guy is her birth father Robert Quinn. She confronts and blows up at him, but he tries to tell her he really had no idea she was born and would have never left her mother had he known. Before she leaves, he hands her an envelope and asks her to read it. When she's finally alone, she takes the letter out and reads the adorabley innocent words of the half-sister she's never met, but who is incredibly excited to have her in her life. She's even included a picture because of how alike she's been told she and Callie look. This is definitely going to change some things in Callie's endlessly complicated life. Bring on next Monday!