Review: The Fosters 5B Promo

563 words

4 minute read

Lena (to Jesus):  Honey, you're not broken.  And I promise you that we're gonna stop making you feel that way.

It's four seconds.  But it's a powerful four seconds that I need more than 280 characters to talk about.





The Fosters 5B promo was released yesterday, and I held my breath for any mention of Jesus.  Any inkling that his moms might recognize the harm they have been doing him, ever since he got his brain injury in 4B.  And these four seconds are like balm to so many in the disabled community who have been harmed by ableism.  Who could only ever dream of hearing these words.

We watch these four seconds and sob.  We watch these four seconds on repeat because we have never heard these words spoken on TV about us before.  We have heard the opposite.  Plenty of times, from plenty of people.  But these.  These words feel like holiday joy levels of elation.  Like maybe our entire year has been made.  It's hard to realize the power that just a few words have until you realize that these few words are powerful enough to save lives.

I know I have never seen a parent apologize for harmful disability beliefs on screen before.  And believe it or not, this is how change happens.  Seeing something on TV that you have never seen before.  Seeing people recognize the harm in their actions and apologize to someone who so desperately needs to hear it?  To feel valued and safe and loved?  That is how society will learn to do the same.  Media is an important tool.

The Fosters has gone from showing Jesus from the back when he's feeling vulnerable to showing us the levels of his distress.  To showing us the realization on his mothers' faces, of the depth of what has been done to their son.  Not by his injury.  But by their harmful attitudes toward disability.  It's beyond important that Jesus be shown in this moment.  That the devastating impact of ableism not be shied away from.  Showing Jesus's face here and staying focused on him humanizes him for the audience, who may have bought into the narrative that he is "gone," unpredictable," "dangerous," and "aggressive."  Who have been told for months that Jesus's reactions are unreasonable.

The audience gets a chance to see here (months in advance of 5B airing) that Jesus is a person.  The brain injury did not take away his humanness.  They get to hear Moms use warm and gentle tones and words with Jesus without pitying him.

I'm hoping we see some follow-through from Moms with regard to this conversation.  It's a good start.  And, as I said, it feels huge for this community as a whole, to be represented in a way that's real, where a character with a disability is treated with dignity and respect.  Because it suggests that maybe, finally, we are being seen.  Not as tragic burdens who make family life hard but as we really are, and from our point of view:

(We are people, living our lives the same as you - but very often - without  the basic access, respect, understanding or accommodations that many nondisabled people take for granted.)

It's why these four seconds are a rare and wonderful thing.

For more: Disability on The Fosters

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