'The Fosters' Season 4 Spoilers: EP Talks Premiere Episode, Mariana's Fate, Orlando Shooting

(Photo : Freeform) "The Fosters" season 4 premieres on June 20 on Freeform.

"The Fosters'" season 4 premiere episode deals with subjects that have become tragically commonplace these days: gun violence and school shootings.

In "The Fosters" season 4, episode 1, Nick catches his girlfriend Mariana in the act of kissing Mat and in retaliation, he brings a gun to school and terrorizes the students and staff of the Anchor Beach campus.

Bradley Bredeweg, executive producer of the Freeform series, opened up about the premiere episode, the characters and the exhaustive research that went into the preparation for the intense episode.

During an interview with TV Line, Bredeweg opened up about Nick bringing a gun to school and how the other characters will deal with having their school under lockdown.

"It’s a very scary situation for everyone, as well as our family. When we last left off, we saw Nick in the car right in front of the school, and he does walk onto campus. So it’s all hands on deck. It’s something no one wants to see, especially on a school campus. But, unfortunately, it is a reality in this day and age," he told the publication.

Although the plot of "The Fosters" season 4 premiere had been written a while ago, the EP revealed that the recent Orlando nightclub shooting added significance to the episode for him.

"Orlando, obviously, is one of the most tragic things that has ever happened in this country. So this episode is very timely. Unfortunately, I feel like this episode is timely no matter what point we’re at in this country. That’s why it’s so important for us to explore the subject matter on the show," he explained.

SEE ALSO: 'The Fosters' Season 4 Spoilers: Sherri Saum Dishes On Premiere: 'It Gives Me Chills!' [WATCH]

When asked what was the most shocking thing he discovered while doing research and preparing for the episode, Bredeweg said, "Just the statistics of how often this happens and how it’s become a normal part of every teacher’s training process. It’s almost unimaginable. But it is now a big part of what teachers have to go through in order to teach a class. That breaks my heart."

The exec also added that while the events of the first episode will definitely affect all the characters in one form or another, Mariana will be left with the most scars as she is directly involved in it.

"All of them are very affected by it, but at the center of this is Mariana," he told TV Line. "She’s faced with Nick and the struggles that they’ve been going through. She’s the one that is left out of the classroom. She’s the one that has been locked out, and that’s part of the protocol. Once you lock the door to your classroom, you are not to open it for anyone until a SWAT team or a member of the police force arrive. So it is a very scary situation for Mariana, because she has no one. She is truly locked out during the lockdown."

He also talked about Callie's big revelation in "The Fosters" season 3 about her and Brandon and if this will be further explored in season 4.

He said, "It is a big storyline. It is super important. When we first come into the premiere episode, we are dealing with that. Callie is sitting in Lena’s office and confronting the moms and coming forward with truths and telling them what really happened. It’s a pretty heartbreaking moment."

Find out what happens to our characters next when "The Fosters" season 4 airs every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.