Lena is African American, Steph is Caucasian, Jesus and Mariana are Hispanic, Brandon, Callie, and Jude are Caucasian. This is all of the ethnicity's of a family on the new hit TV series "The Fosters" on ABC Family. Lena and Steph are two woman that are married. Brandon is Steph's son from her previous marriage. Jesus, Mariana, Jude, and Callie were adopted by Lena and Steph. Lena is a vice principle at her school in which all the kids attend. Steph is a cop.
Now that the background story is established we can take the time to give this series a big around of applause. The producer, Jeniffer Lopez, has done a phenomenal job in spicing up what a typical family looks like. Usually you see a mother, father, and children, all of the same race. The mere fact that such a variety of races are mentioned in this family is remarkable.
Continuing on Lena and Steph being married; this not often seen on TV since gay marriage is not accepted everywhere yet. On this TV show, there is such a flow that it seems as if it is just an average family. There is no difference. They have drama like any other family and they love each other like any other couple.
When it comes to the female roles in this show, Lena is the girly girl. She carries herself well. She wears feminine clothes and does her makeup, just an average woman. Steph, on the other hand, rolls with the big boys. Since she is a cop she has to be tough and strong. That's also different from what the usual is portrayed of a woman.
Being Hispanic, Jesus and Mariana speaks Spanish to each other but Steph has taken the time to learn how to speak it as well so she can communicate with them. However, Jesus and Mariana speaks English most of the time through out the show. Majority of shows only have English as the spoken language but this show incorporates more than just english.
One negative aspect of the show is how they portray the Fostering system in general. This is mostly reflecting Callie and Jude's life story. They've been tossed around so much that they don't know what it is like to live in a real home permanently. Also at one of the temporary homes, Callie was raped but because she was in the Fostering system, the guy who raped her did not get any jail time because it was her word against his. Watching this show makes the public look at adoption and fostering in a different light and maybe even not a positive one.
"The Fosters" has no boundaries what so ever. It is a very good television show and very well rounded. It's really rare because its not everyday that you can turn on the TV and see such a heart felt family and it makes you wish the whole world was this way, well except for the fostering system. When watching this show you have to transform your brain to a new born baby so no influences will already be there to affect the way you look at it. Trust me it is an amazing show.
Briana, this is a great start! I really like first of all that you chose to write about this particular show. Secondly, I really liked what you chose to write about it. I found the details you gave really interesting, about the race differences, the same sex marrige, and the fostering system. It would have been a little better if you explained each mini "theme"more, just because the more info, the better it is to understand the general idea you are trying to convey. I would have also loved to see you weigh these values portrayed on the show to the real life values of America a little more, and to examine what the show is trying to say about our culture through these various themes. Other than that, great job!
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