CORY MICHAEL SMITH and GILLIAN JACOBS in interviews for Transatlantic (2023) | Stream Wars, the Steve Varley Show, and Starry Constellation Magazine

I try not to have high expectations and I’m still let down and left unsatisfied. You’d think that the series finale would be more about the family but I guess not. I know we knew it wouldn’t be but I didn’t expect this much bullshit. I just want to see Stef and Lena! But the writers stopped caring about them a long time ago which is really sad because they are what got people to watch in the first place. At least they got me to first watch the show. Sorry rant/vent over.

* the fosters spoilers * I’m answering this from mobile so I can’t add tags or a read more. Don’t keep reading if you don’t want spoilers for the first episode of the series finale.

I totally understand! I watched the edits by @hyadamsfoster and was so severely underwhelmed. Aside from Stef and Lena’s connection that comes from the actresses and a couple small endearing moments between them, it just didn’t even feel like the same show. But that’s because they’ve already moved on. They weren’t writing The Fosters ending. They were writing the G00d Trouble beginning. So Stef and Lena and the family as a whole really weren’t what mattered. It’s been going that way for a long time but this was the first time where it was really obvious that they didn’t care about them.

The whole intro/catch up on everyone felt so so contrived I almost couldn’t keep watching even though it was all Stef and Lena. It was obnoxious, terrible writing. And they really made me love the boys by making the girls so insufferable. I’m sure a little bit of it is my own feelings about the actresses coming through but I really can’t stand Mariana or Callie at this point. They are boring and unbelievable as these adults they’re supposed to be.

And once again they can’t write anything genuine or from the heart. The over-the-top conservatism of the in-laws is just annoying. There is literally nothing enjoyable about it. It’s not good drama. I was miserable watching Stef and Lena suffer through that dinner. They were caricatures created just to be antagonists with no depth or nuance. It was awful and so not how I want to spend my last three episodes with this family I love. Here’s what I did like: I did actually love that Brandon wanted his moms to marry him. That might have been the best part honestly. I love that he wanted to share that and I really enjoyed seeing each of them get their stories about how they fell in love. It was really sweet and felt like the show I used to love. I also liked Lena checking in with Stef after Brandon told them they weren’t going to officiate. I liked her comment about them getting to be momzillas. That moment between them and the scene in the bed felt the most familiar. I like Corey. I think he’s sweet and the actor is good. Unfortunately there’s not going to be enough time for me to get invested in him and I had a hard time caring a lot about him. I liked the sibling moment between him and Jesús. That endeared me to him the most, actually. I hope the rest of the episodes help me care more about him. I also loved that Lena’s maternal intuition is still as strong as ever and she picked up on something being up with Jude. It’s so classic Lena. She’s been doing that since 1a - just kind of knowing something is up with one of the kids. So I did like that a lot.

That’s it. Those were the things that made it semi enjoyable but this isn’t The Fosters we are watching. It’s their new show already. So I suggest you don’t let it get to you, as much as you can, and just enjoy the 5 seasons we got. Honestly they should have ended it after their graduations. We didn’t need the rest of this. That’s why it feels so off. It’s a finale but it’s not closure. It’s an opening to something else - something we don’t care about. They really messed up with this and I feel really bad for everyone who thought this was going to be this great finale to a show they loved.

ETA: I am GRIEVING the loss of their red comforter. I was not prepared for that to be gone!