Switched at Birth (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Why does every decent family drama have to have the storyline where the teen protagonist goes after a very age-inappropriate person. Ephram going after Madison on "Everwood" was the beginning of the end for that show. Lux having a relationship with Mr. Daniels on "Life Unexpected" was one of the many nails in the coffin during that show's second season. Even the "Pretty Little Liars" chick and her teacher on that other ABC Family drama. It's a real turn off for me, because I can't look at the older party as anything other than a predator. The ending with Chef doing the walk of shame down Emmett's front porch seemed to hint that this show wasn't going that way, but some of the promos have me worried. I really hope it stays just a crush.
On the other hand, I love that they're finally diving into the Bay/John relationship. It's gotten some of the least play on the show so far, and it's probably the most fractured relationship between parent and child. He loves Bay, he's a good father to Bay, but he doesn't understand her. It looks like events are heading down a path where he can't coast with her any more. He's got to put both feet in, and that can only be a good thing for the show. Certainly it's the storyline I'm most excited about.

 

[mattCR]

I agree. I think the Bay/John relationship is potential goldmine. I loved the scene where John had to step up and say: "we turned our life upside down so you could bring this person into your life, and you just used him.." Bay is struggling with a lot of issues, but a part of it is that she did grow up priveleged and she's feeling a mix of guilt and a struggle to figure out who she is in this new configuration. There are times where she's the spoiled brat girl who never quite makes good, and others where you see the person she wants to be. It's a very interesting character to play, in that it would be so easy to take it in a very shallow, surface look and they have avoided that all along.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I loved the scene where John had to step up and say: "we turned our life upside down so you could bring this person into your life, and you just used him.."

I completely agree. That was a fantastic scene. By not making it about him, John drove his point home far more effectively.

Bay is struggling with a lot of issues, but a part of it is that she did grow up priveleged and she's feeling a mix of guilt and a struggle to figure out who she is in this new configuration.   There are times where she's the spoiled brat girl who never quite makes good, and others where you see the person she wants to be.  It's a very interesting character to play, in that it would be so easy to take it in a very shallow, surface look and they have avoided that all along.

I think Vanessa Marano is a better actress than Katie Leclerc, but she's also got the advantage of the much more interesting characters. I'm far more invested in Bay because of all her flaws.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

So much great stuff tonight. Every single storyline was firing on all cylinders, and every storyline worked. We got a lot of pairings that we don't usually get to see. All the stuff with Angelo/Daphne and John/Bay was especially fraught. One gets a pretty big breakthrough, the other finally falls apart. Angelo signing for the first time had to be my favorite moment, though.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I enjoyed this episode right up until the final scene. Ugh. They just had to go there.
Really enjoying all of the stuff between John and his Deaf employee.

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt /t/312024/switched-at-birth/60#post_3982557
I enjoyed this episode right up until the final scene. Ugh. They just had to go there.
Really enjoying all of the stuff between John and his Deaf employee.

I may have to rewatch the end then, maybe I missed where it went here..

But I thought the moments between John & his employee were fantastic stuff.. realizing through another kid what it's like to really be shut out.. the moment where he offered to take the kid to a batting cage, knowing the did didn't want to go home... I found that fantastic stuff. I really enjoyed this weeks episode.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Stealing from your parents is one of those red lines that, once crossed, can't be taken back. Bay was at her most unlikable tonight. Even though her intentions we're noble, the way she uses people to achieve her ends with little thought of the consequences was at its least disguised.
The chef basically disgusts me at this point. She's a minor. He's her boss. And in Missouri, if things go much further, he's looking at a Class C felony.
On the plus side, I loved that Toby found it in himself to forgive Emmett. We've gotten a lot of great Toby moments in this stretch of episodes.

 

[mattCR]

Longer commentary later, but I haven't done this in a bit.. the show is titled after works of art, and I really enjoy the choice tonight

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I love that they do that with the titles. I think having a unique naming scheme always helps set shows apart, and the one here is one of the most unique.
I thought they handled Bay's storyline perfectly. She was contrite, she got the money back in the safe -- and it still came down like a ton of bricks on her. It was important to show the contrition so that we as audience members can still like Bay. It's important that she still got caught because transgressions like that have to have consequences. John basically disowned Bay tonight. He didn't mean it that way, if Bay was his biological daughter she wouldn't have taken it that way. But she isn't and she did. The switch doesn't excuse her atrocious behavior, but it does mean that her parents have to be careful with how they respond to it. John wasn't, and there's going to be consequences. I feel like that relationship needed to get to this place. Bay at her most appalling is when the commitment they've made as a family really comes to the test. Subconsciously, I wouldn't be surprised if that's a big reason why Bay's gone in the direction she has; she's not secure that the love the parents that raised her have for her is unconditional, and she needs to test it. I have faith that John and Kathryn will pass that test.
The Daphne/chef storyline really icks me out, even though she's not putting herself in the kind of danger Bay's putting herself into. I thought Melody's speech to Daphne in the guidance office was absolutely spot on. She said all of the right things in all of the right ways. She wasn't judging Daphne, she wasn't jealous of Daphne, but she was warning her that these things don't end well and she should be wary. It's a shame it didn't take.
I'm enjoying the Toby/Emmett/Jesus girl band storyline. The Jesus girl had a high potential of becoming a Mary Sue, like Hannah was on "Everwood." I was glad to see at the end that they didn't go there; that she decided she wanted this thing and she was going to do it anyway makes her a bit more human.
My favorite scene of the episode is a draw between Kathryn's conversation with the other mother, and Bay and Daphne's signed argument in the courtroom. Kathryn thinks she's lacking something because she didn't know something was wrong. She couldn't be more wrong; her capacity to love was so great that she loved the child she brought home without reservation, whatever doubts she had were outweighed for the love she had for the baby she had. There is nothing to be ashamed of there; and if only Bay could understand that a lot of her insecurities would be undermined. I loved the courtroom argument because it was an evolution of the filming style of the show; there is so little filmed entertainment that's bilingual between spoken English and ASL that the show is basically having to invent the cinematic vocabulary for capturing the divide as it goes. They normally do a very specific audio mix for the signed scenes that approximates the bubble of being hard at hearing. All of the jarring noises are dropped out of the mix, leaving only the unobtrusive ambient noises like birds chirping or the trees swaying in the wind. The courtroom scene was telling two stories simultaneously, with important stuff for the court case being conveyed through the audio while a completely different conversation was occurring in subtitles through ASL. For the scene to work, the audience had to take in both and process them. It was a risky move for the show to attempt, and they pulled it off beautifully. You'd think the use of ASL would limit what they could do, but in reality it opens up whole new options not available to most shows, and I love that. Vanessa Marano's signing is also improving; for most of the season she just signed the key words with no grammar around them. She still doesn't sign as well as most of the other characters, but there's some sentence structure there now that makes it more believable that Bay's being understood.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Loved the finale from beginning to end. Everything that needed to happen happened. I don't think an hour of television that has left me so emotional has ever had a final beat that made me laugh so hard. Angelo knocked up some other woman? Of course he did. The way the girls played the scene was just perfect. They both saw her, knew exactly what she was there for and what she represented, and basically just shrugged. They're just past being surprised at this point.
Speaking of that final scene, I loved that it was Bay and Daphne alone in the court room. They're the eye of the storm, and they have a unique bond that nobody else alive on the planet shares. I love the scenes they share together.
In this case, they've both hit rock bottom, reached out to family when they need family most, and found what they needed. All of the stuff with John was absolutely great. The way he handled the confrontation with Bay was just perfect. What yelling and punishment could not achieve, humor and love could. In my post for last week, I said that Bay was lashing out because "she's not secure that the love the parents that raised her have for her is unconditional". And that was right. And Emmett, who did the same thing, was able to explain it to John. And John was able to understand it because of his relationship with his Deaf employee. This mini-season really built toward that moment, and it really felt earned.
Kathryn was also put on the spot; she was forced to say, on the record, whether she would undo the switch if she could; in other words, she had to say whether she'd have chosen Daphne over Bay. And in the end, she couldn't, even though Bay was at her most appalling. That's just beautiful. And then, at the end, even after Daphne had to witness Kathryn choose Bay over her in open court, she comes to Kathryn when she needs a shoulder to cry on. And there's nobody's better at that role.
Even Angelo, in his destructive impulsive and ill-thought out way, finally took ownership for his role in Daphne's life.
After several episodes where the family bond really started to fray, it was nice to see them really circle the wagons for each other. I love these characters, and most of them -- the jury's still out on Angelo -- really are decent, good people.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Reminder: The second season premiere is tonight at 8/7c on ABC Family, repeated again at 10 o'clock.

 

[DaveF]

TiVo had this on tonight, and I caught a few minutes in the background. I was impressed. It had the feel of a really good show. And I was surprised by the various Deaf and hearing impaired characters, with sign language and subtitles. May have to add it to a season pass and catch up this summer.

 

[DaveF]

Got S1 for Christmas, and watched the first two episodes tonight. This is really great! If sometimes in an awkward way. I think I'm impressed the parents are written so believably imperfectly that any viewer can get some emotional traction. The Kennishes are great loving parents; they're also arrogant and awful, knowing they're right and so their due is to tell others how to live their lives. And, what's yours is theirs, and what theirs is theirs.I love the simple characterizations and casting choices, that it's easy to understand how basketball-playing Daphne is the daughter of a once pro athlete. And Bay is the daughter of a tortured Puerto Rican artist. It's broad strokes story-telling, but it makes sense. And doesnt go so far as to be silly.I'm surprised it's tackling Deafness and Deaf culture. I went to school in Rochester, and I had friend who was an educational translator (and was trained at RIT'S NTID). I learned a little about Deaf culture, the training received to drive a car as a deaf person experiences, and the real sub-culture that feels that cochlear implants takeaway from the Deaf Culture.And I'm seeing all that in a couple hours of abc family TV. Someone has experience with this life, or they did their homework.And after dumping the brutality of Black List, Switched at Birth starts so much more human. I hope the season continues strong.

 

[mattCR]

It is one of the more human shows on TV. There are a few 'soapy' moments, but nothing outlandish or completely wild. The show makes great characters and you find yourself realizing they are very human, they have faults, work to improve, and grow. A real rarity on TV right now

 

[DaveF]

I look forward to catching up on the show, and reading the existing thread on it

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

EDIT: Sorry about that, I thought I was posting in the Season 3 thread. I've moved my post accordingly. I hope I didn't spoil anything for you inadvertently.

 

[DaveF]

You are somewhere else than I am

Watched the Silent Auction and then Ty meets the folks.

It's confirmed that Emmet has a deep crush on Daphne. I feel sorry for the guy; I've been there. Deaf or not, that's the epitome of being a young guy. His emotional walls and prejudices are a limitation, but they give him strength to resist being a complete tool for the brother's gambling addiction.

 

[DaveF]

I'm halfway through S1.From a viewing standpoint, I'm disappointed this isn't available on disc. The only way to watch is iTunes or Netflix. So I'm trying Netflix, forcing me to watch a competently shot HD show in Netflix's lousy SD macro-blocked video. I also don't understand the season construction: 30 episode season 1? Anyhow...15 episodes in, and it's good. Really good. Maybe not great. But completely, fully interesting. And satisfying. Each episode leaves me feeling like I've watching something thoughtful, intelligent, complex. The easy complexities of teenage love: Bay dating Emmet. Daphne realizing she's blown it with Emmet: too little too late. But trying to steal him away from Bay. The almost incomprehensible cultural issues causing Emmet's mom to dislike and distrust Bay.And the stunning revelation that Regina knew about the switch around age 3!I hope this can sustain its strengths for another 15 episodes.

 

[mattCR]

I have to tell you, they tackle tough issues head on. It may at times get a bit soapy, but when it nails it, it really works. And there are very few shows that take things on as seriously as this one does.
Tonight's episode was a real winner for me.

 

[DaveF]

EDIT: Sorry about that, I thought I was posting in the Season 3 thread. I've moved my post accordingly. I hope I didn't spoil anything for you inadvertently.

I began suspecting you hit the wrong thread. I've got a bit of a spoiler, but didn't see the character's name before my Peril Sensitive Sunglasses went black so no worries.