BEWARE, SPOILERS: Don’t read if you haven’t watched Kiss Me and Smile for Me, the March 16 episode of Good Trouble.
The Foster family is changing again – Maia Mitchell has left Freeform’s Good Trouble. The actress has played Callie Foster since The Fosters premiered in 2013 and then reprized the role in a spin-off series, with her final episode airing Wednesday night.
During the episode, Kelly revealed that Kathleen (Constance Zimmer) helped her get her dream job at the ACLU, but that meant she had to move to Washington, DC. She invited her moms (guest stars Teri Polo and Sherry Saum) and brother. Jude (Hayden Byerley) is in town to soften the news for Mariana (Sierra Ramirez), who is shocked to learn that her sister is moving across the country in two days.
Throughout the episode, Callie said goodbye to everyone – and many real tears were shed in the process.
The episode ended with Callie sitting on the plane and seeing her boyfriend Jamie (Bo Mirchoff) board the same flight. He informs her that he also has a job opportunity in Washington, before asking if the seat next to her is occupied (although plane seats are usually assigned). She happily informs him that it’s free.
Callie and Jamie in “Good Trouble”. Free form
Backstage, the cast was in disarray, even though they had known for a long time that Mitchell was leaving. At the end of Season 3, she discussed with co-creator Joanna Johnson about wanting to return home to Australia as she hasn’t seen her family for two years due to COVID-19.
“I knew Maya was thinking about leaving,” Johnson said. “She did this role for nine years. She grew up in this role between The Fosters and Good Trouble. She was 19 when she started. I went to her trailer and said, “So I want to talk about season four and I want to ask you to stay.” She said how much she loves his family and this show, but she needs to go home.”
Johnson and the rest of the cast and crew understood this need, but still “tried many different ways to try to talk her out of it” before ultimately agreeing with her decision. After they did, the executive producer asked if Mitchell would return for Season 4 and film a few episodes at the top to give her a proper sign.
“The final episode of Season 3 had so many stories we are trying to tell and I wanted to dedicate an entire episode to her. She was adorable and sweet and said she would be back from Australia to do them,” she told Variety. “She will always be part of the family and I don’t think this will be our last time with Callie. Callie’s journey is off-screen, but we’ll catch up.”
Mariana and Callie in Good Trouble. Free form
Filming the finale was “very emotional for everyone”, but especially for Mitchell and Ramirez. The pair met on the set of The Fosters and have been heading the spin-off together since its debut in 2019.
While the episode included many separate goodbyes for Callie and a pretty toast to The Coterie, it also included a reunion between her and Jamie. Since he is also moving to D.C., Variety confirms that Mirchoff is also leaving the show as a series regular.
“I definitely look forward to seeing Bo again,” Johnson said. “I love this character and I love him. He’s such a nice guy.”
As for whether Callie and Jamie are together now, Johnson hopes to do an episode about it in the future: “It’s a mystery, but we’ll find out.”
Mitchell shared her farewell message via Instagram after the finale. “10 years ago I auditioned for a little pilot called The Fosters. I was 19 and I had no idea how lucky I was. Years later, I was able to continue my journey as Callie as we formed the Good Trouble family. Two shows, 156 episodes and a chosen family for life. I’m lucky,” she wrote. “While I am incredibly lucky to have this career and a job that I love without one iota of regret, for some time I have been repressing an undeniable pull to return home to Australia to be closer to my nearest and dearest. “.
The actress continued, “The last two years have been a difficult time for everyone. I am fully aware of the privilege of working and doing our show during a global pandemic, but it also meant being separated from my loved ones when we needed each other the most. So there was a need to create a space to share their time between both countries.”
She ended her long post with a message to fans, “Words cannot express how grateful I am beyond measure for your continued and unwavering loyalty. Fact: We have the best fandom on TV. You will always hold a special place in my heart and I know our paths will cross again in the future.”
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