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Evan nearly lost his life after being shot while helping Mariana, Joaquin and Jenna escape from Silas’ farm in the good problem Season 5 premiere. At the end of the episode, Evan was still in a coma. A distraught Mariana felt immense guilt for what happened, and Callie returned to support her sister during this difficult time.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with good problem chief Joanna Johnson on what’s next for Mariana, especially after she’s been named Evan’s attorney at Speckulate. She also teased an update on Callie and Evan, how Gael will handle Isabella’s takeoff with the baby, and Dennis and Davia’s future. Read our Q&A below:
Evan’s life is still in danger. How long will it be before we find an answer to his fate?
Joanna Johnson: There will definitely be a few episodes. Mariana will intervene at Speckulate and be his agent in the company for him. We’re really excited to explore this idea of him being back there and having this huge responsibility, and also being completely wracked with guilt for what happened and feeling responsible. She wants to try to do whatever she can for Evan. She’ll obviously have enemies there and pushbacks to deal with, so we want to be able to give this story enough time.
I shoot for Evan. I hope he will come out of it. Was there ever a discussion in the writers room about killing it immediately? Was that ever on the table?
Joanna Johnson: No, it sounds so sad. It would kind of take away from us the ability to tell an interesting story. If he just left, he’s dead, and then she’s in mourning and it seemed a little too heavy. We didn’t know at first who was going to get shot, but it became pretty obvious that the most interesting dynamic would be whether it was Evan and Marianna feeling this incredible guilt about it and how it would or wouldn’t bring them together.
Mariana feels very guilty about what happened. She blames herself. How does this whole situation impact her relationship with Joaquin since she was there to try to find her sister?
Joanna Johnson: I think that really complicates the triangle they made with them. I think part of her, at first, is upset. Why did you bring him there? But then, of course, immediately takes it all upon herself that if she hadn’t gone there in the first place without telling anyone, then none of this would have happened. With Joaquin, they live together, and they see each other often. They also form a connection in some ways about that trauma about what happened. No one can really understand what they went through because they weren’t there. I think in a way it strengthens their bond.
What does Joaquin’s dynamic look like with his sister now?
Joanna Johnson: I think they’ve been apart for a while since she left home. They both share their childhood trauma of being in a very oppressive home and an oppressive church situation. I’m not saying all church situations are like this, but this particular situation was, so they both have a lot of healing to do. I think when you’re with your siblings, you talk a lot about your childhood or think about it more than you do when you’re not with them. It’s an interesting healing process. Also, when you’ve been in a cult situation, you don’t just walk away and you’re fine. It’s really hard to come out of those situations where you’ve really been brainwashed.
Callie returns at the end of the episode to be there for Mariana. How long has Callie been back in the cards?
Joanna Johnson: When Maia left to spend time at home with her family and return to Australia, we said the door was always open because we love Maia and the character of Callie is such an iconic and important character on this show. The Fosters For good problem. She will always be part of the show. We’re just happy to have her back whenever her schedule allows. She said she was free to come back and, of course, it was the perfect time for the story. We jumped on it.
How long will she stay at La Coterie?
Joanna Johnson: You know, we’re definitely seeing her this season. I don’t want to give the impression that she’s moving in to stay, but we’ll see her in Season A and Season B as much as possible.
You know I’m the biggest Callie and Jamie stan out there. Will we get updates on what’s going on with them?
Joanna Johnson: In the next episode, we answer these questions. We keep it exciting.
There’s a lot going on at La Coterie right now. At the end of the episode, Gael realizes that Isabella has left with their baby. What’s the next step for him?
Joanna Johnson: It’s really frustrating. One thing he will learn is that in the state of California, if you are not married, the father has no parental rights. You must petition for them. It’s pretty scary when you find out. Sure, he freaks out because Isabella can be very impulsive, but he also believes in her on some level because he sees the broken part of her and understands why she’s like that. He has a lot of compassion for her, but he’s also completely freaked out. Imagine if someone just took your baby and you have no power to do anything about it.
Dennis and Davia are great together. They try to keep their relationship a secret, but they don’t do a very good job. How long will this honeymoon phase last?
Joanna Johnson: It is not intended to tear them. We love telling stories about relationships and the ups and downs of a relationship, especially with someone where it’s new to be in the romantic relationship but not new to being friends. They’ve known each other for a long time, so we’re definitely exploring that. Both are also going to have great career opportunities this season. They’re also going to find a balance between starting a new relationship and putting in the time it needs and also spending time building their careers.
What does Alice’s journey look like this season?
Joanna Johnson: Well, I think Sumi and Alice are getting back together after being in a relationship before and then having a really hard time in that relationship. I think both, it’s interesting to rebuild trust. And then Alice also has a really fun career story this season. She’s going to work on writing for a comedy show. It really brings a lot of fun comedy to the show, so we’re looking forward to that.
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