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Switched at Birth

post #1 of 53
6/6/11 at 9:28pm
Thread Starter 
Did anybody watch this? Usually I can't stand ABC Family shows, but I thought this one was better than average. The premise is typically preposterous, but the family member casting is good and I have a family drama gap in my TV viewing schedule since "Parenthood" wrapped for the season. The setup would really allow them to explore cultural lines, race lines, and especially socioeconomic lines. I thought Vanessa Marano was particularly strong, as the hearing daughter who should have grown up as a lower middle class -- possibly Deaf -- Puerto Rican girl. The pilot spent a lot of time exploring how Daphne related to the Kennishes, but I was more fascinated with how Bay related to Regina. Because Daphne defines herself by her relationship to the Deaf World, being switched at birth isn't really the root of her Otherness. By contrast, Bay didn't have anything so obvious to pin her Otherness on. It's almost like being adopted, but without the certainty of knowing you were adopted.
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post #2 of 53
6/8/11 at 12:30pm
It's sappy but my oldest son loves it.. and I admit, it is better then I thought. Very basic concept, but well played.

One thing: there are quite a few shows now with KC as a setting. It's nice. But I really dislike it when they make up fictional areas and when it's obviously not here. I mean, something like United States of Tara at least manages to slip in lingo, restaurants, locations, which helps make it familiar. Having her father play for the Royals is a nice touch, but positioning him at 3rd base in the 80s made me laugh out loud.. But it's that the settings just don't make sense. I think you could change some of the basic elements around like any city, but I've never understood why they won't use real suburb and area names. Shows set in NY, LA, even Vegas, Miami have no problems mentioning areas.. a show in Miami will throw off "they went to Kendall" "Hialeah" or a show in NY "The Bronx" etc...


But KC we get totally fictional areas. Would it be so hard to say "Raymore" "Raytown" "Olathe" "Mission" "Prairie Village" ? I mean, USOT did it.

It's just a gripe of someone who lives here, I suppose.. others won't care at all smiley_wink.gif
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post #3 of 53
6/8/11 at 10:34pm
Thread Starter 
To be honest, I didn't even notice that it was supposed to be set in Kansas City. I caught the Royals reference, but thought the family moved to Anywhere USA after he retired.

Of the shows I watch not set in NY or LA, I think "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Shameless" (US version) do the best job of representing the cities they're set in. Both plug in plenty of local references, and both build time into their shooting schedule to film exteriors in the cities where they're set.

I'm just happy there aren't California palm trees everywhere.
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post #4 of 53
6/13/11 at 10:12pm
Thread Starter 
I like that this show is as much about the parents as it is about the kids. There are few things as personal as raising a child, and now both families have a mirror held up to their faces in a most harsh and unforgiving fashion. The Kennishes aren't bad people, but they're used to having the means and the leverage to get their way. Regina cannot be bought off. They all resent each other, but they all would die before hurting those girls. What an impossible situation.

I like how each episode is built around the separate storylines, but there's a two-ships-passing-in-the-night scene between Daphne and Bay where they can have a "This isn't just me, right?" moment.

I loved the breakfast scene, taking in this family from Daphne's point of view. The story's told in expressions. When I took ASL, expressions saved my life. I'm left handed and the rest of the class (and the teacher) was right handed. That meant I had to flip everything around in my head, and I really struggled with it. But even when I wasn't quite there with the signs, I could usually decipher the gist from the speaker's facial expressions. Facial expressions and body language are so much more important when you're Deaf.

My favorite scene, though, was in the kitchen when Kathryn unloads about Regina to Bay, and Bay jerks back like she's been slapped. The whole show is a laboratory in the nature/nurture argument, and what that scene drove home to Kathryn is that it's not just nurture. Bay sees things in Regina that she identifies with, just as Daphne does with John and Kathryn. From the moment they met one another, the idea of neatly defined sides went out the window. Both girls have a foot in each camp, and they have more invested in a positive outcome than anybody.
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post #5 of 53
7/11/11 at 10:39am

I am on the border of completely despising Bay.   The show is supposed to be about two girls struggling, but wow..

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post #6 of 53
7/11/11 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 
I agree that Bay's done some pretty unlikable things, but she's also gotten the shittier end of the stick so far. Her parents are all over Daphne, while her birth mother has shown virtually no interest in her. Everybody loves Daphne, and the scene in episode four where she's watching the photographer snap the family photos without her in them heartbreakingly encapsulated that. I thought she turned a corner in episode 5, definitely in her treatment of Daphne. It also helped that Kathryn stopped being so focused on micromanaging Daphne's future that she had time to see that her daughter just had her heart completely broken by a young man who used the company of others to hide in.

Part of what I like about this show so far is that, while all of the characters are flawed, I can understand and sympathize with what's driving those flaws. The cast is a lot better than shows like this normally get, too. Vanessa Marano is terrific in a difficult role.
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post #7 of 53
7/18/11 at 10:03pm

I have really come to enjoy this show.   Some good shots of the KC downtown tonight, which at least helped.. so they are at least trying to mix in some local stock footage.


All of the storylines really worked tonight.   The last two episodes have been very good, and the reveal at the end of the episode was something I figured was coming, but not at all like that. 

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post #8 of 53
7/18/11 at 10:30pm
Thread Starter 
I love Bay and Emmett. It's natural and sincere and even innocent in a way that none of the other pairings with either girl have been so far. I love watching them bridge the language divide, and I love Emmett seeing something in her that he swore he'd never find in a hearing girl. And I love that Bay is open to him in a way she isn't to anybody else. The kiss at the end was lovely.
Warning: Discussion about the shocking reveal at the end of the 7/18 episode! (Click to show)
I too figured Regina knew something about their situation that she wasn't letting on, but I wasn't quite prepared for what was revealed in that guitar case. It's one of those moments where you hope that the writers have a really good game plan for the follow through, because I honestly don't know how you get to a place where everybody, characters and audience alike, doesn't hate Regina's guts. They've painted themselves into quite a corner, and I hope their way out isn't cheap.

At the same time, if they had to go down that road, I was glad to see all those private investigator photos and documentation about Bay in there. She's been so distant toward Bay since the beginning of the series, I was beginning to think she didn't have any emotional investment toward the child she carried in her womb for nine months. Now I know the distance wasn't a matter of disinterest, it was shame.

And truth be told, I can easily see how a newly sober low-income alcoholic single mother with a criminal driving record, spotty recent employment history and recent run-in with social services would take one look at the Kennishes and think a) Bay's probably better off with them than she'd be in my mess of a life, and b) they have more money than God. If I go public with this, they're going to get to keep Bay and take Daphne away from me. I've spent three years raising this girl as my daughter and I'm not going to be deprived of everything.

Still, it takes cojones the size of watermelons to move onto the estate of people you're keeping that big of a secret from.
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post #9 of 53
7/19/11 at 10:54am

My gut feeling is that

 

(about the reveal spoiler above, I will unspoil after the second airing this week)

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

When she had meningitis as a young girl, she discovered that it could not be her biological daughter.. or more to that fact, she figured out to brown headed parents had almost zero chance of a blonde haired green eyed kid.  She hired someone to find her daughter.. and then couldn't go through with it.

I think depending on how deftly it's handled, she could say "I knew the problem, but by the time I knew it, who was I to tear two families apart?"  
 

 

I'm very interested in how they craft the story from here.  And you're right on the Bay/Emmet relationship - very well done. 

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post #10 of 53
7/25/11 at 7:21pm

I loved this weeks.   I thought it went a lot more bold then I expected, I figured they would have a real come-to-jesus type moment, but they played it pretty straight.   Lots of balls up in the air, I'm interested in how it all settles down

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post #11 of 53
7/27/11 at 1:25pm
Thread Starter 
What I loved about Monday's episode is that while Regina is obviously in the wrong here, you could understand where every single character was coming from. The hospital's mistake had put Regina pretty much in an impossible situation. She didn't find out about the switch until after Daphne was Deaf, a crucially important fact, and I think she was right to fear that John and Kathryn would try to get custody of both girls. Certainly John wants to do that now. And given what he knows and the vantage point he's seeing things from, I can't really blame him. His family is under threat, and he's circling the wagons. Of the three parents, only Kathryn seems to have enough perspective to pull the impact of the girls first.

Daphne has gotten the technicolor view of the Kennishes so far without the bumps and truths that come from 12 1/2 years of actually being a family together. She blames Regina for robbing her of this fairy tale existence. I don't think life with the Kennishes would have been as good as she imagines, especially with all of the toxic fallout from this mess that would have occured starting at age three, but I think her feelings as still justified.

But I felt the sorriest for Bay. The woman who carried her inside her womb for nine months and gave birth to her had a choice to make and she didn't choose her. Bay's fancy art studio and all the rest pales in the face of the simple fact that at the end of the day, Regina didn't want her enough.

That being said, the scene where Regina went to chuck the guitar case in the dumpster was the first time it really rang true to me that Regina does love Bay to the core of her bones. Heartbreakingly, Bay to her is mostly that collection of photos and documents. And she knew that depending on the fallout, the stuff in that guitar case might be all she gets to have of Bay.

My heart broke a little for Bay when Daphne texted Emmett for a ride as she was trying to tell him about axe girl.

I loved that when Bay confronted Daphne, she was signing the whole time, somewhat subconsciously, and Daphne definitely picked up on it. Even though both Bay and Emmett have studiously denied that there's anything going on between them, she has to know otherwise. She uses Emmett basically as a doormat, so she's going to have to ask herself if she's going to ruin something really good for him out of jealosy.

Even though it would mean losing a party of Bay that had been hers, Kathryn so wanted Bay to find what she was looking for with Regina, and I loved her for it.

After the whole family chased Regina out, I was expecting a stereotypical relapse to the bottle. The scene we got instead with Toby was so much better. Even though they barely know each other, just having one person in her corner is so crucial. Loved Toby for the gesture, loved Regina for the gratitude.
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post #12 of 53
7/27/11 at 1:49pm

Yeah, I thought the scene with her and Toby was very good.  She accepted Toby for his problem before, and helped him confront it.   He knew it  and was willing to go through with it.  Here he was saying "we're both flawed, but we're trying".  I thought that was a great moment.


I think looking forward to the future

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

It's obvious from the previews for the next few weeks that Regina is really hurt and she can't lose her kid.. and both kids.. so she'll fight for them.   I think that's an expected response.  She's wounded now.

 

Regina's problem and situation was a real one.  Her husband/boyfriend left her furiously thinking she cheated.  Her child, the only one she knew, was struggling in the hospital.   She was 100% emotionally invested in Daphne.  Daphne was her, it was all she knew, and she knew the situation was messed up.  The Kennishes had money and power - she was a recovering alcoholic.  Her revealing the truth probably would have meant losing her kid - and it was something she wasn't prepared for.  Her other fear, that they beat around was: what life is ahead for Bay if I reveal it now?   Bay may think: my mother didn't care enough to fight for me.   Regina may have said: Bay is in a good home.  If this is revealed now, her world will change for the worse.  She will either be rejected by the family she's with, and then I will have to fight to get her, or she will come to me and.. I just don't know her, and she will resent me for taking her away from a life of money and resources... Annie in reverse.

 

I also agree on the Emmit/Bay relationship.  It has been really, really well played.  And the two have a great natural chemistry that is really hard in young kids to get on the screen without it seeming forced.   The way that has come together on the show has been very good. 

 

I am really impressed with how this whole thing has come together actually.

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post #13 of 53
7/28/11 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
Agreed on all points, especially your view on where Regina was coming from.
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post #14 of 53
8/1/11 at 11:57am
Thread Starter 
ABC Family orders 22 additional episodes of Switched at Birth, to give series a 32 episode full season order.

Frankly, this is unprecedented, even by network standards. The second half of season one will pick up early in 2012, and presumably will run right through the summer. It'll be interesting to see if they market it as one giant season, or if they'll bank the back ten episodes for season 2.
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post #15 of 53
8/1/11 at 1:09pm

Yeah, it's great too, because this show is really under-appreciated for how good it is.   Good news.

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post #16 of 53
8/2/11 at 12:21am
I honestly expected this show to get worse as it went along, but it's become better with every episode.
It seems more real than most shows out there. Reality is hard to achieve with a scripted series, especially about the subjects that this show deals with and it does wonderfully.
I really thought it was going to get ridiculous after the reveal of what truly happened, but they handled it as well as I could expect.
Glad they are keeping it going. It's not a show I see lasting a long time, but a few seasons will be good enough.
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post #17 of 53
8/2/11 at 7:16am

I thought the moment where Emmit showed her her "real gift" was one of the more "romantic" moments I've seen.. I thought that was great.   What was obvious was how jealous she was of Daphne's gift and what it said about their friendship in comparison to her "scarf"

 

The dinner table speech was also very, very good.

 

I have really enjoyed the writing on this series so far.

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post #18 of 53
8/2/11 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 
I really liked the billboard moment too, but I think the moment that got me the most was when Regina showed up and said, "I've never missed a single one of Daphne's birthdays, and I'm never going to miss another one of Bay's." And then John's about to kick her to the curb, and Bay quietly says, "I want her to stay." And John backs down immediately, and just says, "Okay." What a complex interplay there. Regina's making a promise to Bay, saying she wasn't there when Bay needed her to be, but she'll always be there in the future. And Bay, despite hating Regina for what she's done, needs Regina in a deep and vulnerable place. She'll risk more emotional pain in the short run to get a relationship with her birth mom in the long run. That happens a lot with adopted kids who reconnect, and I've always found it so, so brave. And John can't stand the sight of Regina, can't stand what she did to him and views her continued presence on his property as a constant insult. But when a few words from Bay make it clear that Bay needs her to be there, he's able to set that all aside and swallow his pride and his rage. It's rare, especially on teen dramas, to see parents really parent and be selfless and put their children first. All three of these parents would walk through fire for these girls.

It was interesting to see that Emmett's mom Melody is prejudiced against the hearing. So many shows use Marlee Matlin as a deaf prop, it's really great to see her play a more fully developed character. I liked that Bay got the gist of Emmett and Melody's argument, even though she completely missed all of the particulars.

The ending was brutal. Both Daphne and Bay have basically been reduced to having Emmett as the one person they can rely on. After forcing Daphne to dump Liam, I don't think she'll have the heart to steal Daphne's oldest and best friend. At the same time, it's ultimately Emmett's decision. I would guess the show is leaning toward Emmett staying with Bay, only because Wilke is waiting in the wings as a love interest for Daphne and there's nobody waiting in the wings for Bay. And there's so much more dramatic territory for a Bay and Emmett relationship. They didn't need the will they/won't they because just being together when one person is hearing and one person is Deaf is hard enough.
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post #19 of 53
8/9/11 at 6:33pm

This show just keeps topping itself.   Yes, the deal with the absent father is a trainwreck,but it makes sense and is decent drama.


But the relationship between Bay and Emmet is maybe one of the best on TV.   It is authentic, real, and it does something that a lot of teen dramas don't: it really presents the heartsick concerns and fears of teen boys and girls without turning it into over-the-top sex heavy fests or making it go nowhere.  Their relationship is complex because the CHARACTERS are complex.   They have real fully realized scripts that give them enough of a backstory that we understand their decisions are difficult.

 

That writing paid off in spades in a scene where Emmet was torn between what he heard and what he felt; and in the moment where he told Bay that it was hard for him but there was something about her that he loved.. "I Just Want You"


Home Run.   One of the best emotional payoffs of any show this year.

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post #20 of 53
8/9/11 at 7:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattCR View Post

This show just keeps topping itself. 


Agreed 100 percent. It's going to be tough to make it to January.
Quote:

  Yes, the deal with the absent father is a trainwreck,but it makes sense and is decent drama.


I thought they played Angelo perfectly, so that we're not sure who this guy is. Is he just trying to leach his portion of the settlement, or is he coming from the same place of anger as John? Regardless of whether he's genuine, is the affidavit from the shift nurse forged or coerced? Will Regina get sucked back into his vortex, or will she honor her promise to Daphne and protect her from him? Does he genuinely want to get to know Bay, or is she merely a means to a end?

They certainly dropped plenty of hints that this guy is one shady S.O.B., but each revealing piece had possible non-shady explanations. The writers left themselves plenty of room for the shady overtones to be a misdirect or straight to the bullseye. After the episode we didn't really know any more about him than we did at the beginning of the episode. And unlike Regina -- who seemed pretty straight forward -- you know this guy is a ticking time bomb just waiting to rain emotional debris down on this entire family. He's already broken Daphne's heart. Will he break Bay's heart too?
Quote:

But the relationship between Bay and Emmet is maybe one of the best on TV.   It is authentic, real, and it does something that a lot of teen dramas don't: it really presents the heartsick concerns and fears of teen boys and girls without turning it into over-the-top sex heavy fests or making it go nowhere.  Their relationship is complex because the CHARACTERS are complex. 


They haven't explored the sexual angle yet because they haven't had to; the characters are interesting enough in and of themselves. And the genius of the pairing is it comes with built-in, realistic obstacles that allow them to avoid the typical soap opera tropes.

The most powerful scene to me of what they're up against came when Wilke ran through the car wash and he and Toby are talking at the same time and Bay's trying and failing to keep up the translation. Emmett's getting, as he said, probably 30 percent of the content -- and in a very "I guess you had to be there" sort of way. Whenever they're in the hearing or Deaf worlds, one of them has to spend the entire time interpreting rather than participating. There's that shot from Emmett's point of view and Bay, Wilke and Toby are just a wall of silent indecipherable commotion.

And so he stalks off and Bay picks up on it immediately. And he launches into this frustrated rapid-fire torrent of signing full of justifications that Bay couldn't possibly keep up with. And all the points are true and legit, but Bay lets him finish and then cuts to the heart of it: "Daphne told you she likes you, didn't she?"

That's what makes them great, to me. Despite the language divide, they have similar interests and passions, and they're built the same way. They each might not know what the other is saying, but they always know what the other is meaning.
Quote:

  They have real fully realized scripts that give them enough of a backstory that we understand their decisions are difficult.

 

That writing paid off in spades in a scene where Emmet was torn between what he heard and what he felt; and in the moment where he told Bay that it was hard for him but there was something about her that he loved.. "I Just Want You"


Home Run.   One of the best emotional payoffs of any show this year.


Also agreed 100 percent. The show could only pull that trigger once, and that was exactly the right time to do it. I also liked the larger point that he was making: we don't pick the people we love because they're easy or convenient. We take on the whole package, in spite of (and sometimes because of) the challenges that come along with that.

I liked the scene at the end, too, where Daphne basically declared war on Bay's life. The two girls have basically flip-flopped from the pilot, with Bay as the gracious one and Daphne as the selfish one. Bay has faced adversity and grown from it. Daphne's seen her whole world go to shit. And Bay understands that. She can't like seeing Daphne basically say she's going after her boyfriend, but she understands where it's coming from. And thanks to Emmett's gesture, she's confident he won't betray her.

I also don't think Bay was wrong earlier in the episode when she said, "You decided you liked him off a T-shirt! And the only reason you really realized it is because your life's falling apart and you're looking for someone to cling to." Bay knows what that's like, because she was in that place for most of the season. She also knows that even if Daphne succeeds in breaking her and Emmett up, it won't pave the way for Daphne and Emmett -- and Daphne will feel a whole lot worse than she does now. The problem with either girl going scorched earth is that they're going to be in each other's lives for the rest of their lives. They can't run from the consequences.

Was the scene between John and Kathryn designed to set Kathryn up to go into business with Regina when the show picks back up? We know Kathryn has been a homemaker her entire marriage, but did she go to college before that? If she has an accounting degree or something practical like that, I could see her handling the business side of the salon and ensuring they're not putting themselves on the hook without any assurances. It'd also give the show a new permutation on how these characters relate to each other.
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post #21 of 53
12/27/11 at 11:25am

Season 1 returns after it's break starting January 3 at 8PM.

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post #22 of 53
1/3/12 at 7:50pm

It would be so easy for this show to go cheap and really just play up the fake drama.   But this show avoids the claptrap and is surprisingly smartly written.   There were several moments tonight where they staggered in the drama and whether you think the concept is over the top or not, they played it dead on straight and didn't shortcut any of the complications.   


Bay is desperate to connect with the father she has never known.   Daphne feels rejected by him; as though her disability caused him to leave, and for that, she can never forgive him.   That storyline - as well as the follow up to the complexity of the relationship of the two girls really made an impact this week.  The writers on this show have turned this into first run programming for me, and this week, the winter return definitely has me admiring how great of a kick off this show is.

 

Best moment of the show for me:   Emmit, asking Bay to respect him for who he is; and then, as they nestle up on the ground, looking at the stars, he asks her to enjoy the peace.  And she points out to him it's hard to when drunks are across the way cackling like Hyenas.   It's a subtle moment played very well, that in a few minutes both of them get to understand that nothing is ever easy for anyone; and the actors really live up to it.


ABC Fam's best program (IMHO), and one of my top10 of the year.

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post #23 of 53
1/3/12 at 9:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattCR View Post

It would be so easy for this show to go cheap and really just play up the fake drama.   But this show avoids the claptrap and is surprisingly smartly written.   There were several moments tonight where they staggered in the drama and whether you think the concept is over the top or not, they played it dead on straight and didn't shortcut any of the complications.
So much of that comes from the well-executed premise. There's so much inherent drama in throwing all of these people together, the show doesn't need to manufacture drama. Everything that happened in tonight's premiere felt inevitable in the best sort of way; not predictable, but inevitable.

Everything that happens with anyone ripples with everyone else, and the show is incredibly well attuned to capturing the ripples. Of course Daphne would be heartbroken that Emmett can't be there for her right when she needs him most. Of course things would be toxic between Regina and Angelo, and Bay's fantasy of what their life would have been gets corrupted. Of course Angelo would drag Regina back to that place of dependency that she's successfully avoided for all of these years. Of course the two sets of parents can't help but feel wounded when one of the girls reaches out in the other direction. By this point, there's so much scar tissue inherent in the situation, that everything everybody does rubs someone else the wrong way. That would bore me if it were cruel people being intentionally vindictive. In fact, they're very good people trying to cause the least damage possible while seeking out that which makes them a little bit more whole.
Quote:
Bay is desperate to connect with the father she has never known.   Daphne feels rejected by him; as though her disability caused him to leave, and for that, she can never forgive him.
I actually think it was more elemental than that; I think Daphne feels rejected by him because he did reject her, and for that she can't forgive him. Being Deaf, being ginger and blue eyed, all of that stuff is just details. Any child in her position would feel the same.
Quote:
That storyline - as well as the follow up to the complexity of the relationship of the two girls really made an impact this week.  The writers on this show have turned this into first run programming for me, and this week, the winter return definitely has me admiring how great of a kick off this show is.
Yes, me too. It didn't have the same intensity as the last couple episodes of season 1.0. Nor should it. The best shows don't try to go at 11 all of the time, they ramp up and gear down. This is the beginning of the ramping up, and it captured where everybody is right now. Like you, I love the complexity of how the two girls relate to each other. Daphne interprets for them, even though she resents Bay moving in on her best friend, because she cares about Emmett. Bay resents Daphne having to be there in the middle, but puts up with it because she cares about Emmett. And Emmett asks for it from time to time because the consequences of misunderstanding are greater than the thorns it causes these two young women he cares about.

At the same time, Daphne interpreting for them gives her a window into what's transpiring between Bay and Emmett. She had a simplistic vision of Bay and Emmett's relationship, which was based on her understanding of Bay as a selfish person who only takes. And there by the tents, she saw a brave girl trying desperately to bridge the gap with an alien world, something she can understand better than anyone. And unlike her, Bay doesn't have to make the effort. It's not forced upon her. She's doing it for Emmett. None of that means she's suddenly on the Bay/Emmett ship or hates them being together any less. But it does make her have to respect Bay a little bit more.

And then, even as it drives a wedge between Bay and Daphne, it's immersing Bay in Daphne's language and world and bringing them closer in that way. Of the Kennishes, she's far and away the best signer. That scene with Bay telling Daphne about her "family reunion" with Regina and Angelo at the jazz club wouldn't have been possible before Bay started learning to sign for Emmett. Sure, Daphne could have read Bay's lips and gotten the gist of it. But she would have gotten the nuance, the emotion, the feeling of it. This whole thing is tearing Daphne up inside, and Bay was able to muddle through signing and speaking fluently enough that Daphne knew that the whole thing is tearing Bay up inside too.
Quote:
Best moment of the show for me:   Emmit, asking Bay to respect him for who he is; and then, as they nestle up on the ground, looking at the stars, he asks her to enjoy the peace.  And she points out to him it's hard to when drunks are across the way cackling like Hyenas.   It's a subtle moment played very well, that in a few minutes both of them get to understand that nothing is ever easy for anyone; and the actors really live up to it.
I loved that scene, because it wasn't about Bay putting herself in Emmett's shoes, it was Emmett putting himself in Bay's shoes, and in the process revealing just how different his interaction with the world is and marveling at how she has to grapple with it.

I also like that Bay stood her ground during the fight, instead of getting all awkward and guilty like most hearing people do around the Deaf. That was her once upon a time, but she has enough invested now that pity doesn't factor in and she can say, basically, "How the hell was I supposed to know?" And then when she tells him she doesn't know what the rules are and doesn't know how to learn, he signs "Stick around, I guess." It's the antithesis of most teen dramas, the very mature acknowledgment that there are going to be plenty more fights and blow ups like that down the road. But they'll learn from each one, and in so doing, each one will bring them closer.
Quote:
ABC Fam's best program (IMHO), and one of my top10 of the year.
Mine too. I can count on one finger the number of shows operating on this caliber right now. That it's on ABC Family makes it all the more remarkable. I'm amazed none of the suits made them dummy it down before season 1.0 was such an unqualified success. And I'm happy their uncharacteristic faith in the intelligence of their audience was rewarded.

ETA: I'm also loving Regina finally stepping up with Bay, and reciprocating whatever Bay throws her way. The moment where she told Daphne "I'm her mother too" was huge, the first time she's really admitted that out loud. And I liked that John trusted her to chaperone. That's a huge moment for him.
Edited by Adam Lenhardt - 1/3/12 at 9:54pm
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post #24 of 53
1/5/12 at 11:59am

Great news for Switched at Birth:

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/05/switched-at-birth-is-tuesdays-1-scripted-cable-show-in-key-demo-launch-of-jane-by-design-is-solid/115539/

 

 

Quote:
In its time period, “Switched At Birth” was TV’s #1 telecast in Females 12-34 and Female Teens, cable’s #1 telecast in Women 18-34 and Women 18-49, and ranked a solid #3 in Total Viewers (2.7 million), Adults 18-34 (756,000/1.1 rating) and Adults 18-49 (1.3 million/1.0 rating).

 

  • “Switched At Birth” posted impressive triple-digit time period percent increases year to year across all demos, including by 230% in Total Viewers (2.7 million vs. 818,000), by 259% in Women 18-34 (611,000 vs. 170,000), by 367% in Women 18-49 (1.0 million vs. 214,000) and by 363% in Females 12-34 (1.2 million vs. 259,000).

 

The CW is Jealous of those figures

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post #25 of 53
1/5/12 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
Excellent news!thumbsup.gif This show deserves the success more than any other on basic cable.
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post #26 of 53
1/10/12 at 8:35pm

Another episode with some really great moments.    But I have to touch on the Bay/Emmit relationship, and it's impact on the families. 

 

I'll write more tomorrow, but that scene with the mother/son fight over what he was doing with his future.. that was SO well done.

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post #27 of 53
1/10/12 at 9:17pm
Thread Starter 
If the show has a jump the shark moment, it will be the beat at the end of this episode where Emmett is arrested and hauled away. The scene itself was exquisitely well done, capturing how he couldn't understand the cops, and how they didn't bother to understand what was going on with him. But the show better have a hell of an explanation. You don't get that kind of treatment for jaywalking. I doubt you'd really get that kind of treatment for vandalism on the level of Axe Girl. My biggest issue is that it validates Melody's hostility toward Bay right when she was being forced to reluctantly bury the hatchet. Of course she's going to blame Bay for Emmett's arrest. It's just a little to convenient, a little too artificial in a way this show usually isn't.

Loved the rest of the episode. Everything about the Regina-Bay-Emmett-Melody tangle rang achingly true. Like usual, the position of everyone involved was completely understandable from their perspective. At the same time, there is tension inherent in the situation that supercharges things to a nearly unbearable level. Lots of mothers disapprove of the people their children date. But usually that's the only thing that needs to be grappled with. The bonds between everyone around that Monopoly table are incredibly fragile right now. Bay and Regina's relationship is far and away the most fragile on the show, for obvious reasons. Bay and Emmett are crazy about each other, but they're both wading into language and culture that's very new to them; Bay's never dated a Deaf guy, and Emmett's never dated a hearing girl. Melody's protective instincts toward Emmett and the negative direction he's been on scholastically get tangled up with her prejudices toward the hearing world. Regina's in a tough spot between the best friend that's been there for her when no one else was and the daughter she should have been there for but wasn't. If Regina and Bay were a normal mother and daughter, and if there wasn't this huge language divide in the way, everyone could sit down and just talk it out. At the very least, Regina could referee without feeling like she's betraying anyone, and Bay could confront Melody and say, essentially, "what's your problem?" and defend herself.

I loved the scene at the beginning where we come in midstream amongst Emmett's planking photo project. With all of the drama swirling around, it was nice to get a scene that showcases why these kids are with each other in spite of everything. They're like two peas in a pod, and they have a lot of fun together. Mostly innocent fun, too, which is refreshing on a teen-centered drama. Their relationship has substance; it's not purely sexual. Incidentally, the photo campaign is why I thought Melody's dismissal of Bay's art as "big" was so particularly cruel. She has a kid who's an artist. She wouldn't dismiss his creative pursuits in such a way, and I bet she wouldn't like others doing so either. If she didn't have her blinders on, she could have taken a look at the painting and maybe gotten an idea of what Emmett sees in Bay.

There are times to appease your parents and there are times where you have to strike out on your own. With Daphne that's a particularly perilous balance to strike, because she doesn't have the sense of entitlement that comes from 16 years of being raised by the man. She doesn't take his love for granted, even though she should and would undoubtedly be safe in doing so. I could completely understand where John was coming from; she made a commitment to the other girls on her team, and she needs to stick to it. But I thought she laid out a solid argument for why she's jumping ship: Her home life's inherently shaky due to the switched at birth situation, which is in turn exacerbated by Angelo's sudden presence. Her best friend who she's discovered feelings for is dating Bay and is giving her pretty much the cold shoulder. There's so many unhappy factors in her life right now that she can't change. Basketball is the one area of her life she can. That was actually a real growth moment for her character, saying no to John and risking his disapproval.

While I agree that Melody/Emmett fight was well done and pitch perfect from both a writing and acting standpoint, my favorite scene was the car ride back from Emmett and Melody's. Regina had just stood up for Bay in a big way, but Bay wasn't there to see it. All she sees is Regina justifying Melody's behavior. All kids feel defensive when a parent sides against them in an argument, but it's especially acute with Bay and Daphne because they're either dealing with a biological parent who didn't raise them or a non-biological parent who raised them under false pretenses. When Regina defends Bay, Bay doesn't see mom being unfair. She sees Regina siding with the person she has a stronger relationship with. And that person isn't her. God, how that must hurt, especially knowing that Regina knew you were out there for years and years and didn't come for her. Their relationship is one of my very favorites on the show, because it's a scab that's never going to entirely heal. Everything they say to each other is like a land mine. Just about everything they do makes it hurt worse, but they keep at it because the alternative is intolerable.
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post #28 of 53
1/11/12 at 2:41am

I thought the reason the cops were there was pretty well played out.. it's going to be the Fake IDs.  He just got hung out to dry by Daphne's new "friend" who stiffed the bar earlier (when she said she'd go back and pay) who was also the one who said her fake ID was "terrible"

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post #29 of 53
1/11/12 at 6:51am
Thread Starter 
How does that link up to Emmett, though? He wasn't involved in the making of the fake IDs, he wasn't at the bar. You'd think if it was the IDs, they'd be knocking down Toby's door.
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post #30 of 53
1/11/12 at 6:56am

She met Emmett earlier, at the concert last week.  And, she knows who really makes the IDs.   But hers was terrible, and she ran out on a bill.   So, if pressed to give someone up, give up that kid rather then someone you really know. 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt View Post

How does that link up to Emmett, though? He wasn't involved in the making of the fake IDs, he wasn't at the bar. You'd think if it was the IDs, they'd be knocking down Toby's door.


 

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