The Fosters season 5 episode 4 spoilers: Cole, Callie talk

It’s been a while since Cole turned up on The Fosters, and that’s made clear in the sneak peek below from Tuesday’s episode. After all, when Cole arrives on the scene, he is still of the belief that Callie and AJ are still in a relationship! Given that his last appearance on the show was all the way back in 2015, that makes a certain degree of sense as to why that would be on his mind.

Think of this new preview (via Entertainment Weekly) as a way for Tom Phelan’s character to catch up on what is going on in Callie’s life, including that she is dating someone new in Aaron. Aaron and Cole know each other, and he is surprised to hear about Callie’s new relationship. As for the reason why, it stems back to his own fears that she didn’t want to be with him because of his trans identity. She insists to him that this was not the case, just as she did a rather long time ago when the subject first come out.

However, it is only now where Cole actually hears what he is being told on the subject. Previously, he just made the decision to hear what he wanted to, since thinking it was about his gender identity may have been a way for him to mask some of the hurt that he felt about the breakup. No matter who you are, this is relatable: It is often in life that we try to look for some sort of reason behind a specific action, and that reason is what we use to feel better about ourselves. For Cole, maybe this conversation pulls off a Band-Aid, but eventually the wound is going to heal so much better than it first did.

While the conversation between the two characters may be someone awkward in the sense of Cole learning truth about his past, it doesn’t actually feel as though he has anything to be all that upset about! He suggests that he is actually seeing someone on some level now and is happy. Hopefully, this appearance Tuesday serves as a nice foundation for more coming up this season. This may also allow Callie to get a different perspective on trans people, which is valuable given that for many people out there, they may only know one (at most) and generalize things in such a way where they assume that this person is somehow representative of every other transgender person out there. In the end, it’s just one facet of your idea, and you can’t generalize any group based on a single perspective. Different thoughts and opinions are invaluable to all of us being the best humans that we can be.

Are you happy to see Cole on The Fosters again, and what is your take on this preview? Be sure to sound off in the comments.

Also, head over here for some further insight when it comes to Tuesday’s episode. (Photo: Freeform.)