New Season, New Format

We're changing up our episode recaps and remarks for the new television season, mainly to shift our focus to covering new series and specials before they air rather than after. We believe this will help you make more fitting choices as to what to watch, and it will also help out our subscribers not to receive as many articles about shows they potentially have no interest in, as our current lineup is very broad.

But, we're not dropping recaps with remarks completely. We will still cover pilots we deem promising, and we'll be writing about holiday episodes of those and of our returning favorites. Plus, we are continuing to cover some series in their entirety, particularly cable shows that are tougher for you to catch up on elsewhere. What does this mean for your favorite show? For all of the series we were currently recapping, here are their fates:

                                                      16 & Pregnant: regular posting
                                                      19 Kids & Counting: regular posting
                                                      2 Broke Girls: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Bob's Burgers: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Buddy's Bakery Rescue: discontinued
                                                      Cake Boss: regular posting
                                                      Cake Boss: Next Great Baker: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      Falling Skies: discontinued
                                                      Girl Meets World: regular posting
                                                      Hot in Cleveland: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Instant Mom: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Last Man Standing: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Little People, Big World: regular posting
                                                      Melissa & Joey: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Mistresses: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      South Park: regular posting
                                                      Switched at Birth: regular posting
                                                      Teen Mom 2: regular posting
                                                      The Big Bang Theory: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      The Exes: regular posting
                                                      The Goldbergs: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      The Middle: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Under the Dome: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      White Collar: holidays and special episodes only

what do you think of the posting schedule? sad to be losing regular updates? excited for more new program coverage? 

Switched at Birth: The Biggest Twist Ever

Hello, plot twist! I don't know that anyone could have seen the end of the season coming! That final moment when Bay decides that she cares more about her sister's future than her own was astonishing. Stupid and astonishing, really. So much is going to change in the next season, and I can't even begin to imagine what a broad arena of themes will be explored. I'm not looking forward to seeing Bay's situation in the coming episodes, nor John/Kathryn/Regina's reactions to what the young woman did. On the flip side, I'm chomping at the bit to see the next moves of Toby, Emmett, and Travis! What do you think about what's inevitably ahead?

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Switched at Birth "And Life Begins Right Away" (S03E21): Daphne has been voted to give the commencement speech at graduation, and she tells the story of how she came to deaf education, thanks to Emmett. [why do some of the kids wear leis?] Travis's mother is late, but attends the graduation, and even signs to Travis that she's proud of him. [good for her learning a sign a day via an app!] The future of Carlton is over, as budget cuts will be closing the school for good. Strangely, Melody doesn't seem to care, as she's focused on her UMKC project.

Bay announces to John & Kathryn that she'd like to move to Los Angeles with Emmett. When John insists she have an understanding on how to accomplish that, she puts together a realistic plan, thanks to $5,000 in start-up money that's part of what Angelo left to her. [John instigating signs!] She'll work at the LA County Museum of Art and take classes at CalArts. [decent plan, Bay!] John and Kathryn open up to the idea, until they learn that Bay hid the fact that she got an MRI to learn about her predisposition to an aneurysm. [I don't think that was a sign of immaturity.]

Wes returns from Hawaii, and decides to keep it to himself that Daphne was involved in the East Riverside Project vandalism. [he also decides to pull out of the project completely, making the entire plotline a device to showcase Daphne's disturbed mind.] But, she's still arrested, as there is physical evidence. Daphne could face three years in prison if convicted, as it's a second strike, and even a plea deal and financial restitution would get her 90 days to six months, effectively ruining her shot at becoming a doctor. [I was unaware of that rule.] There's a warrant out for Nacho, but he has seemingly vanished. [hmmm...] Regina believes that Wes turned in Daphne because he made a pass at Regina that she pushed away, but it turns out to be fingerprints on the tractor. She decides to just turn herself in rather than party, but Bay decides to take the fall, and claims Daphne's fingerprints were only there because she tried to stop Bay. [and Daphne lets Bay do so, even though she knows Emmett won't go to LA without his girlfriend.]

Oh, and Nikki wants an annulment, which seems to surprise Toby more than I would've guessed.

Switched at Birth: Is There a Future?

Oh my goodness, the next episode has the girls graduating from high school! Time flies! The worst part about looking at next week, though, is the fact that it's a season finale for a drama that has not yet been renewed. A holiday episode has been promised, but there's a chance that will have to function as a wrap-up for the series, which would make me sad. Seventy episodes isn't a bad life, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was hoping we were only half-way through the series' lifespan. The numbers are down this season, ABC Family has a lot of other hits (Pretty Little Liars is getting two more seasons) and potential hits at the moment (though not Chasing Life!), and fans have been railing the show for its depictions of Daphne this season. Do you want to keep following the characters or have you had it with this program?

Switched at Birth "The Girl on the Cliff" (S03E20): Bay tells Regina, Kathryn, and John about Daphne's behavior lately, getting her sister grounded through Prom. [I keep forgetting that not everyone knew about Regina and the gun!] She's only allowed to go to school and the clinic, but while at work, she is given the keys to retrieve some locked-up drugs during an emergency, and takes the opportunity to pilfer a bottle of oxycodone. [I'm really disappointed in Daphne right now!] She decides to pour it down the sink just as she's about to take it, but she's caught when the inventory is off at work, getting her fired. To make matters worse, local ATM footage shows Nacho was at the work site the night it was vandalized, and Regina learns that Daphne was as well. Regina tells Wes the truth, even if it means trouble for her daughter. [gutsy move!] Daphne takes off without her phone, so when Regina calls the clinic and learns Daphne was fired, she panics. She, John, and Kathryn head off to search for Daphne, and Kathryn finds her near Angelo's condo, beside a small shrine to the man. She admits that she never applied to Northwestern, and everything in her life sucks. [I wonder if the writers never intended for her to actually apply, or if they just abused the fact that she hadn't received an acceptance/rejection yet to throw that in.]

The night Daphne goes missing is Prom night, to which Bay wears a tux. Well, let's back up a little. Emmett still feels so bad about what happened last Prom, he campaigns for he and Bay to be named King and Queen. [...and they win?? the counselor's son is that popular??] Then, he books a limo for them, Travis & MaryBeth, and Natalie & Hilary. [aside from the recent Ditch Day, we haven't seen Natalie in FOREVER! why would she be in on the limo with them??] But, when Carlton institutes a dressed-for-girls-and-suits/tuxes-for-guys rule, things start to fall apart, as Hilary doesn't want to wear a dress. When Bay tells Regina that she feels privileged to not have to fight for who she is, Regina suggests she help out her friend with her "royal power." So, Bay decides to dress in pants and a shirt and jacket, as do Marybeth, Hilary, and Natalie. [power in numbers is such a hit-or-miss thing, though...] 

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When they're not let in and question why, a teacher says that they're dressed as freaks, so they walk away. [omg.] Emmett still wants Bay to go home, change, and have a great night, but she wants to stick to her principles, so they create their own alternative Prom outside. [and this is where I have a ton of questions... why doesn't Toby DJ for them if his fraternity gig shut down early? where'd they get all the decorations at the last minute? did anyone else think the quick inclusion of Sharee and Matthew was overly forced??]

Switched at Birth: Losing the Realism

I can't speak enough about how important it is to have someone looking out for you. Not every kid has advocates for parents, so when other adults (like Melody for Travis) get involved and fight for a level playing field, it makes me happy. It's a very fine line, however, especially on this show with all of the privilege the Kennishes abuse. Similarly, Angelo received $5M and blew through it, while Regina just got $1M and doesn't even seem to be using it for Daphne's college (and potentially medical school) fund! But, as usual, the drama isn't focused on how money isn't an issue - this episode featured the kids skipping school while Kathryn enjoys the life of a professional writer in New York. Can we try to bring it back around to the realistic side of the show, please?

Switched at Birth "You Will Not Escape" (S03E19): Daphne and Natalie lead the seniors in a ditch day at Hawkeye Ranch, which recently opened for the season. She asks Nacho to bring beer, and he arrives with it as well as a posse, complete with a girl he's seeing. [I don't know why I was surprised.] Daphne gets drunk and kisses Travis, who isn't interested, and Sharee later drives her home. [Daphne needs an intervention, you guys!] 

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Other schools are ditching the same day, though, so when Bay sees Jennifer (Matthew's cousin), she sends Emmett on an errand to try to keep them from meeting. But, Jennifer comes up to Bay and then Emmett, upsetting Bay, as Jennifer was so astonished by the love Emmett showed so much for an imaginary person. [still kinda creepy, though.]

Regina gets the full pay-out of $1,000,000 from Angelo's life insurance, and John offers his financial adviser to help her with investments. Daphne considers it blood money, but Regina decides to use it to help Melody get the deaf college program off the ground. Daphne is happy about that, but maintains her anger with Regina, going as far as saying that she has never been her mother. [yikes.] Melody lets Travis (who withdrew from school to start the job at the loading dock) know about the program now that it's funded, and convinces him that he belongs in college. [yay, Melody!] Oh, and speaking of college, Emmett is accepted into the USC film school, and Bay thinks that he should not only go, but that she should go with him. [with no plans of her own whatsoever...] Oh, and while we're on Bay? She gets an MRI and has no aneurysms to worry about.

Kathryn has the opportunity to spend a day in New York to promote her book, and chooses Regina as her +1. [I still don't get why.] A guy she slept with years ago reads part of the book and sees himself in a character, and to ditch him, Kathryn pretends to be *with* Regina. [I'm not sure I like where this series is going...] Kathryn's favorite author wants to include Batter Up in a syllabus for a class about Jane Austen contemporaries, thrilling Kathryn. [also, you'd think SENATOR John would be more upset about Kathryn's "open marriage" being broadcast on Twitter!] 

Switched at Birth: Moving Forward

I had no idea that current high schoolers could learn about their college acceptances online at a specific date and time. That would have changed so much for me when I was that age! I remember hearing about someone's acceptance every day to some different school, as the mail was so variable, and schools sent out letters steadily. Of course, then I wouldn't have had the thrill of being accepted to my #1 choice only ten days or so after applying, but that's besides the point. I'm really curious as to how the future of this show could potentially shape up... keeping certain characters involved with local schools makes it easy, and two sets wouldn't be that difficult to pull off, but it really makes everything a little less realistic if Daphne just heads to Gallaudet with Emmett rather than go to Northwestern or another university with a strong pre-med program... I guess it's still too early to tell too much. Oh, and one other thing... why does Gilles Marini get credited before D. W. Moffett and Lea Thompson if his character is now dead?

Switched at Birth "Girl With Death Mask (She Plays Alone)" (S03E17): It's been two weeks since Angelo's death, so when Angelo's mother writes, asking Bay to notify a Chicagoan relative of Angelo's death, John embraces the opportunity to get the girls out of the house. It's a bonus trip for Daphne, as they tour Northwestern, too.

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But, she's still upset at Regina, so she decides to get high. The med student she's hanging out with has a neighbor who smokes weed, but he sells them cocaine instead. [talk about upping the ante!] He's been living abroad for three years without his parents, but Daphne is sick of being good like that, and after she pushes a couch off the roof, she almost slams his laptop to the ground. [wow, that was awful!] She even tells Regina that she got high, in an act of rebellion, after learning that the lemon cake got thrown away.

When Bay meets her relative, Sebastian, she's disappointed that he doesn't have much to say about Angelo. She accidentally breaks a hand-blown vase, worth $700, and asks John for the money. Sebastian claims it was one-of-a-kind, but John notices three similar ones on a shelf. [so we're just painting the man in a negative light?] Bay does learn that Angelo had an older sister, Francesca, who died at 18 of an aneurysm. [ouch.]

Leo and Abby show up to visit Regina, but she forgot and isn't up for it, so Kathryn entertains them. [what a large shift!] Leo and Victor are no longer together, so Leo has been solo parenting for months, and Kathryn tries to set him up with Renzo, but they don't have much in common. [so odd to see Renzo flustered!]

Toby has his first DJing gig, but as he's practicing, he disturbs his new upstairs neighbor, Lily, who just started teaching at Carlton. [you know, because everything in this show must be inextricably linked.] Tank, Emmett, and MaryBeth go to the gig, and Emmett pretends to be Travis so as not to be awkward. Of course, after Travis gets off work, he shows up, and then Lily gives away Emmett's identity, leading Tank to figure out the truth, and throw a punch. [saw that coming!] Emmett ducks, Tank gets drunk, and Toby takes him back to his place. Because Tank's roommate in the residence hall doesn't like him, Tank decides to stay on Toby's couch permanently. [to stay EVEN MORE tightly linked.] 

Switched at Birth "It Isn't What You Think" (S03E18): Emmett and Daphne get accepted to Gallaudet, but Travis doesn't. [awww. but this is clearly going to become a learning opportunity...] Emmett wants to celebrate, Daphne is ambivalent, and Travis decides it's time to find another path to success... which apparently means dropping out of school right away to get a job with benefits. [hmmm...] Meanwhile, this gives Melody the idea to help create a satellite campus in the midwest, for more deaf kids to get the opportunity for a supportive college education. Funding will be a concern, though. [... and this is theoretically how the series will keep Emmett around, too.]

Bay learns that Tank is Toby's roommate, and that he hasn't told his dad about de-pledging yet. She goes along for moral support, and then shares that she's become obsessed with the fact that she may have a hereditary aneurysm. He convinces her to make an appointment to get screened. [which she's apparently not going to tell John and Kathryn about?]

Wes brings muffins to Regina, inviting her to the groundbreaking of the East Riverside project the following day. [what happened to Regina going to meetings? and did Daphne not get punishment for getting high?] Daphne goes to tell Nacho about it, and he decides to vandalize the area. Daphne goes with him, and they end up making out. [I'm really sick of her playing "the bad girl." That's Bay's job.] The damage is extreme, and leave Wes and Regina with no choice but to turn to Coto's contracting company, as all of the others won't touch the project now. [see? being bad only makes things worse.]

Toby hears that Sharee hasn't turned in all of her college scholarship forms, then learns that she's failing English. [first physics, now English? surely there will be another issue before the girl graduates...] Because the teacher is his new neighbor, he tries to get Lily to let Sharee have a re-take. Lily won't, as per her classroom policy, so he goes to Melody, which angers Lily. Lily and Toby sleep together, and Sharee gets the re-take. [whatever.]

Switched at Birth: Togetherness

"When my kids are in trouble, I want them to come to me." Kathryn says this to Regina as a metaphor that it's okay to pray even when you're coming to God for a favor. To date, the Kennishes have not been seen as very religious, though they used to frequent a church, where Toby belonged to the youth group. Still, there's nothing like a "life or death" situation to cause someone to fall to their knees before the Lord. Sadly, that's not always enough, and not every prayer is answered. However, it was still nice to see Kathryn reminding Regina that they are parents above all else, much like Lena showed Brandon on a recent The Fosters. The programming on ABC Family may sometimes fall short of the channel's title, but when family is put at the center of the series (like I'm predicting will be the case with the upcoming episodes of Switched at Birth), it reminds viewers why they tune in.

Switched at Birth "And We Bring the Light" (S03E15): Daphne can't find her SAT study book, and with the test the next day, Angelo takes her to the clinic in case she left it there, but when they can't locate it, Angelo takes her to his new restaurant, where they bake lemon cakes together to christen the place. [there's no way I would've been able to relax like that the night before the SAT!] They have a lovely time and plan to take a trip to France the following summer. Daphne even manages to recreate the delicacy, but they don't have a record of which recipe it is. [haha, Friends' Nestle Tollhouse flashback.]

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Then, Daphne finds a foreclosure notice in the trash when Angelo is on the phone, and he admits that his partner was in over her head and everything fell apart. [awww! boo.] After that, they head to the shoppe, as Daphne realizes that's where her book is...

Wes teaches Regina how to shoot, and she has decided to keep a permitted gun at the office, just in case. He invites her along for a business dinner, but when Chip Coto is there, she isn't comfortable with the kickback construction company scheme he suggests. At first, Wes wants to move ahead anyway, but he decides to stick with his usual company, even if it means it will be a slower process, because he didn't want to lose Regina's respect. [that seems like an awfully big step for Wes!] When he drops her off at her car at the office, she notices graffiti on the building, loads her gun, and goes inside to get stuff to clean it. [what the hell??!?? alone? she can't call Wes? or wait til morning??] This is when Daphne arrives, looking for her book, and is nearly shot by Regina, thinking she's an intruder! [dang! hopefully this changes some things, right??] Regina and Angelo fight, and he storms off. 

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Kansas City, Toby is home from Iceland, and has great pictures to share. He asks John to fire him so he can go on unemployment and try his hand at being a club DJ. [please tell me I'm not the only one completely dumbfounded by this idea?!?] He's immediately immersed in Kennish drama, however, when he tries to life Bay's spirits when she learns she didn't get accepted by Pratt. [darn. remember that the whole reason she joined the field hockey team was to diversify her art school application?] They plot some street art, and Kathryn joins in. [whoa. who saw that coming??!?] However, they blow their power source and get caught by security, though Kathryn convinces the guard that she's an agent for deaf Icelandic twins installing a piece. She also calls John to ask him to bring a generator so they can light it up after all, and Bay admits that she feels like a failure. John then lets the kids take his Porsche to get ice cream sundaes. [dang. the privilege they have truly shows in this moment... Bay didn't apply to tons of colleges, so her future is in severe jeopardy, but her parents just clean up her mess and let her have dessert.]

The final moment: Kathryn gets a call in the middle of the night - Angelo has been in an accident.

Switched at Birth "The Image Disappears" (S03E16): Angelo has a serious brain injury from a car accident where he ran off the road and struck a tree. [they're told they can visit "two at a time" but Bay, Regina, and Daphne all go in immediately? rolling my eyes over here!] Regina convinces Daphne to take her SAT, but when Angelo's brain bleed gets worse, Toby texts Daphne and she takes off for the hospital. [I don't understand why the proctor allowed the phone to vibrate and bother other students during the test??]

In an attempt to make a difference, Bay donates blood, and during the process dreams of giving birth to twins, with nobody around but Angelo to coach her through delivery. [what a random dream! also, striking that she calls him "Dad" instead of "Angelo."] Unfortunately, it makes no difference, as the family soon learns that Angelo is brain-dead. [it was interesting to see Daphne learn of his status first because she could lip-read.] Quite a few of Angelo's organs are eligible for donation, but the family wants to exhaust all other options. [which seems fair.]

John tries to get other opinions, feeling guilty that maybe Angelo committed suicide over the restaurant going under after he wouldn't loan the guy money. Bay and Emmett go to Angelo's apartment to try finding a number to reach his French mother, but come across Angelo's will in the process, and learn that he doesn't want to be kept alive with machines if he won't recover. [it was odd that nobody expected him to have a will. should I take it none of the other adults on this show do?] This is tough for everyone to accept, but they move forward with pulling the plug and donating the organs after Bay calls her grandmother and lets her say her goodbyes. [waiting until that point to learn that it was all triggered by a ruptured brain aneurysm made me angry.] Daphne, particularly upset that she won't have Angelo to walk her down the aisle when she gets married, blames Regina, as she may have been the one to anger Angelo so much that his blood pressure rose enough to rupture the pre-existing condition.

Switched at Birth: Surprises

I'm really glad that we're seeing Daphne's adventures in figuring out what to major in, where to apply, and how to pay for it. We've had a little of that with Emmett, Travis, and Bay, but this show hasn't really done a good job of depicting the many stresses that high school seniors face. But, that's not really the big focus now, either, as Emmett is getting a baby brother whom will undoubtedly be mistaken for his son at some point, and Kathryn seems to be trading a BFF her husband couldn't stand for a BFF who has a mixed history with John. Throw in the fact that Travis is still family-less, and there remain some very peculiar dynamics on this program, though it still has many directions it can take!

Switched at Birth "Oh, Future" (S03E14): Daphne does some research on schools with pre-med programs, and starts feeling silly when she sees the cost. [ha! and she's only looking at undergrad!] She looks into scholarships, but Bay suggests she just ask John and Kathryn, who would be more than happy to help. Daphne wouldn't feel right, though, so Bay takes it upon herself to bring it up to her parents, who then talk to Regina about it. However, Regina is worried that Daphne will gain a feeling of entitlement, and turns them down. [ouch.] Daphne keeps at it, studying for the SAT with Sharee and doing an interview for a Latina scholarship. Her chances are compromised, however, when she can't think of an instance where she's been discriminated against because of her Puerto Rican heritage. [and she can't make up something? anything East Riverside-y would have probably worked!] Regina, however, decides to let John and Kathryn support Daphne through school after all, so the major worries are alleviated.

Cameron and Debbie have a housewarming party, and Bay talks Emmett into going, and Gabe brings Melody. Bay and Emmett tell everyone they're back together, but that's the least of the news at this party. Turns out, Debbie and Cameron get married on the spot, making both Emmett and Melody uncomfortable. Shortly thereafter, Debbie's pregnancy is announced - she's expecting a boy! [why have a scene where Bay learns ten minutes before the rest of the crowd?] Emmett finds out with the crowd, and he gets upset, though he later makes his peace with the addition to the family. Oh, and there was a looming possibility that Melody was moving to Madison, WI, but that died out quickly.

MaryBeth and Travis head to a BBQ restaurant in hopes of running into a deaf pro football player he idolizes, and are thrilled beyond belief when they get to chat for two seconds.  

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Kathryn meets with Sara and is successful in both trying to stop the lawsuit and in standing up for herself against her editor. In other news, Sara's version of the Kennish-Vasquez story is being made into a TV movie. [are these two going to be friends now?]

RETURNING: Switched at Birth: There's Always a Twist

I had forgotten that the season would likely start off with Toby still in Iceland, and am curious as to how long he'll be missing from the plots. The Matthew situation ended up a little differently than I would have guessed, and Angelo learning sign language has been an interesting addition, especially with Regina having abandoned it. Dropping Campbell is interesting, as he brought something different to the table, plus Daphne choosing him over Jorge was such a bit thing previously. Similarly, removing Tank from the picture really condenses the main cast, similar to how the series looked when it began, and I don't know if that's the best choice at this point. However, it looks like there is a lot of adventure coming up, so who knows!

Switched at Birth "Love Among the Ruins" (S03E12): Emmett tells Melody he had a motorcycle accident, but after Matthew plasters the school with copies of text exchanges, Melody asks her son for the truth. [ouch.] Melody wants to turn it into a cyberbullying lesson for others, but Matthew has more blackmail, so Emmett keeps quiet and pretends that nothing happened. [typical.] However, Melody is so upset that she gets physical with Matthew when telling him to stay away from her son, earning her a suspension from work. [wow. that's probably going to just get worse.]

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Bay and Emmett were intimate and didn't use protection, so she asks Daphne to accompany her to get the Morning-After Pill. [did you know those things are like fifty bucks??] Bay goes to break up with Tank, but learns he de-pledged, so she feels she can't because he has no friends. [aww.]

Regina tells Daphne not to tell John and Kathryn that someone busted one of the store windows, but the teen does snoop around to find out who it was. When she learns Nacho put out the call, she and Bay hightail it to an East Riverside pool hall, where they flirt with the culprit and his brother. [this stinks of trouble!!] It turns out that Bay is good, and they hustle the brothers into leaving Regina alone. When Nacho calls Regina a sell-out, Daphne says that she doesn't work for Wes any longer... though at that very moment she and Wes are re-negotiating. [this is going to come back to bite Daphne...] Oh, and Angelo moves in to help keep his family safe.

Switched at Birth "Like a Snowball Down a Mountain" (S03E13): Bay goes to see Tank, and launches right into a break-up speech. Tank comes looking for Bay and gets a lecture from John, who accidentally learned that Bay needed the Morning-After pill. Tank doesn't deny it, and learns from Bay that it was Emmett. [wow. I don't think I could have stood there and taken that!] Kathryn tells Bay that she and John know about the Plan-B pill, and encourage her to use condoms, which prompts Bay to come clean to John. 

Emmett tells Bay that Matthew has a revealing picture of him, so the two break into Matthew's locker to erase stuff from his laptop and phones, but learn that Matthew might actually be interested in Emmett. [why not check the other phone anyway, for copies of stuff??] It throws them off and they're late getting everything back, and Matthew catches Bay, then threatens to get her and Emmett expelled. Bay thinks about it and tells Emmett that they should leave it alone, as turning in Matthew when he's not "out" could really hurt him. [I feel like this could have been fleshed out a little more.]

At work, Daphne becomes Campbell's supervisor, and takes all of the work very seriously. However, when Campbell doesn't do one of his tasks dutifully, Daphne takes the blame, but Campbell wonders why he didn't get the job in the first place. He talks to Dr. J. and winds up with a job across town, effectively ending his relationship with Daphne. [interesting... so who will be Daphne's new love interest this half of the season?]

Regina sees someone in the parking lot at work, and calls the police, but decides she's being paranoid. Then, she gets a call at home where the caller doesn't say anything. [hmmmm...] Meanwhile, Angelo installs a home security system.

Kathryn is going to be on the cover of Parade to promote her new book, but her excitement is drained when she learns that Sara Lazar is trying to stop the book from being published, afraid that people will connect her to Tara Mazar in the book. [well, yeah.] Kathryn confronts Sara, but the woman doesn't give her the time of day. Kathryn thinks about re-writing the character, but her editor suggests they leave it alone.

Switched at Birth: Is the Drama Getting Out of Hand?

It's been tough on me to write about this show lately. I am still absolutely addicted to the characters and their relationships, but I can't say that I've been loving the directions each is taking right now. From Kathryn and John's blow-up to Emmett being strung along by an evil bully to Daphne choosing between Jorge and Campbell, I've just not been agreeing with a lot of the decisions that are happening on the show. I actually feel like the level of drama is getting up there in the Beverly Hills, 90210 range, and that's really saying something, as a teen series where almost every character deals with some sort of addiction, and serious subjects like drive-by shootings, date rape, and stalkers. While I also loved that show, I kinda hope that Switched at Birth remains slightly more wholesome!

Switched at Birth "Memory is Your Image of Perfection" (S03E07): It's the day after Kathryn and John's big fight, and Bay tells Emmett, who shares that the beginning of his parents' divorce came from his dad kissing a coworker. This pushes Bay to bring her parents back together, so she conspires with Toby to get the four of them together for a family night. Bay pushes things too far, though, and John and Kathryn start picking at old faults. [that's always rough.] However, when Bay stops being able to move her fingers (her hand-wrap was recently removed), the Kennishes come together to explore the situation, which means surgery to repair the tendons. [yikes!] Recovery will take a while, but Kathryn still doesn't want John at the house, and Daphne learns about the situation as well.

Emmett and Travis interview for Gallaudet, but Travis doesn't take it seriously, despite Melody's repeated efforts. Marybeth theorizes that Travis doesn't want to leave the first real "home" he has ever had. [ouch, that's rough!]

Gabe shows up at Carlton for career week, promoting audiological sciences. [I would have liked to see more about the career week at Carlton!] Turns out, he had texted Melody for a date, but she didn't respond. She makes up some excuses, but later decides to give a date a try.

Sharee missed school because CPS visited, and more "surprise visits" are in her future. She yells at Daphne for interfering, even after Daphne shares that Regina is an alcoholic. Sharee's mom then shows up at school when the athlete doesn't make her bed, and Sharee must leave school against her wishes. [oh, crazy moms!]

Wes shows his designs for the East Riverside project, and Adriana surprises the crowd by speaking up about rents raising and inching out the folks who have been there for generations. [good point, though!] Wes tells Regina to get her mother under control, but she's torn, as Adriana thinks Regina is more focused on business than friends and family.  [haha, "you got everything, or you need some help carrying in your soapbox?"] Regina thinks that making East Riverside a better place is good, but Adriana points out that Wes may be using Regina for the color of her skin, prompting Regina to quit, even if it'll be a breach of contract. [interesting use of "entiendes" without the translation!]

Daphne is told to stop flirting at work, but her bigger issue is talking to her boss about Sharee's mother's issues. He offers to get a psychologist to come to the clinic after-hours to diagnose the woman, and Sharee pretends she needs a flu shot to get her there. However, the guy is late and Sharee's mom catches on, stabbing the doctor with a pair of scissors. [omg!] Daphne texts 911, then tries to help the doctor. [I didn't realize you could text 911!] But, she struggles to bring herself to insert a needle into his lung to keep him breathing. She manages, and he is alive and breathing when the paramedics arrive. Sharee's mother is arrested, leaving a lot of unknowns.

Switched at Birth "Dance Me to the End of Love" (S03E08): John buys Kathryn a 14kt gold diamond bracelet, but he's actually given her that exact gift before, plus she wants space to figure out what she needs to be happy. She wants adventure, not repetition, but John blames Renzo for Kathryn's changes. [eh, something has to be the spark!] He then sees ballroom dancing on television and decides to have a family meal, but has everyone doing percussion at the table and go into a dance with signing and memories. [this is Huxtable stuff right here!]

Daphne and Regina talk to Melody about Daphne's future, and she's considering applying to pre-med programs, in which Gallaudet does not specialize. Daphne decides to see if there is more she can learn at the clinic, and Jorge offers her regular work. [Daphne has more makeup on than usual. you can hardly see her freckles!] But, her interest is shaken when she doesn't hear a patient go into a seizure, and the kid's mother freaks out. Dr. J reassures her, though, as when he started medical school, there were nine black students in a class of 140, and only two finished.

Travis wants to beat up the guy who tried to humiliate MaryBeth, but she stops him. They then decide to go to the campus formal together, so Travis turns to Toby for help dancing, as he's beginning to panic that Marybeth will leave him for someone with whom she can do more things. [awww!] Toby gets Angelo to teach the waltz, and with Melody doing it too, Travis believes he can learn to do it. But, he's not good, and confesses to MaryBeth. [random storyline with Tank also trying to learn dancing, albeit line-dance for a pledge task.]

Bay doesn't do well on an art assignment, and the teacher tells her to think more outside the box, so Emmett takes her to see a miniature Vegas Strip that a guy built for his wife with dementia. [that was crazy cool!] She decides to create a zoeatrope to show that powerful memories aren't linear, but she feels bad over how much Emmett helped.

Switched at Birth "The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed)" (S03E09): Dr. J. encourages Daphne to pursue a summer pre-pre-med program, but at a clinic fundraiser where Daphne could network about the opportunity, she's stuck helping Angelo, who decided to use the crowd to test potential menus for his restaurant. [I can't believe he brought Abby! also, Jorge and Campbell vying for Daphne is kinda strange. they're not 15 years old!]

Marybeth is upset that Bay is still seeing Tank, so Bay tries to get them to relax around each other more. [Bay needs to work on her fake-outs.] Angry, MaryBeth tells Bay that Ty lied about cheating on her so she wouldn't be upset if something happened to him overseas. Bay goes to Emmett with the situation, then tells Tank, who doesn't buy it. [Bay turns to those two guys way too often, IMO.] Then, in front of a fraternity brother, Bay lets it slip that she knows about the dog party. This will force him to go before the board and might be black-balled.[haha, again, thank you, Beverly Hills, 90210 for explaining that to me!]

There's only one more game left in the field hockey season, and Sharee needs a 90% on a physics test to stay eligible to play, so Toby tutors her up to an 84%, but with a seven-point curve, it works out! [as much as everyone is rooting for a Sharee-Toby relationship, I kinda don't want that.] Toby also Skypes with Nikki, who wishes he was there ministering with her. [kinda random.]

John makes dinner for Kathryn, and she asks him for more book ideas. [really? that's not awkward?] There's one team player still in town, so she wants to have him over for dinner. Unfortunately, he's gone new-age with yoga and is sober, though he has also become a swinger. [haha! surprise!] John and Kathryn work hard to kill the mood, but wind up coming clean about not being interested in such things. Then, it's revealed that John "pulled a triple" in Cleveland during his first year, but all Kathryn cares about it getting the story for her book. [oh! that's awkward!] He doesn't want to hear about her past encounters, though. [loved Kathryn's dress.]

Switched at Birth "The Ambush" (S03E10): Carlton gets vandalized over the field hockey rivalry, and Toby promises the school won't retaliate, while also learning that there are scholarships in field hockey. [he didn't think all sports get those?] Toby bluffs left and right to get a scout to come see Sharee play, which might brighten her future after all. [Sharee is doing a little signing!] Bay and Tank proceed to really mess up a statue over at Buckner, though, and Bay has to leave behind some paints when they're nearly caught. [but the issue doesn't come up again?] Tank makes a move on her, but she stops him without giving a reason, though later she tells Regina that she wants to wait until she learns what it means to her. Tank tells Bay she can call the shots on "moving to the next level."

Meanwhile, Jorge invites Daphne rock-climbing, but Kathryn helps her realize that she prefers Campbell. However, when she's out with him, she sees the obstacles that wheelchair-bound people face. [ugly outfit on Daphne with the yellow flowery belt!]

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Nikki visits Toby, but she has the angle of inviting him to go to Africa with her on another project. [what is with this girl?!?] She tells him that she wants to be out helping people, but he says that he can't see himself going with her. They question if they should stay married, crushing Toby. [:(] 

Matthew's suspension is over, and he tells Emmett that there are no hard feelings. Emmet, however, is more focused on a birthday present for Mandy, and Bay winds up helping get a photograph printed and framed. But, it turns out that the picture is copyrighted - it's not the girl's.

Wes gives Regina a new car, and then sends her on errands to try getting businesses to sell their properties for the project. While he's happy that she was able to do so, he also blows up at her for not having some mock-ups done yet and keeps her from going to the field hockey game. [he's pretty unstable, huh?] Regina then asks John about the buy-outs and learns that Wes has been lying about the appraised value to the shop owners. [eep!]

Switched at Birth "Love Seduces Innocence, Pleasure Entraps, and Remorse Follows" (S03E10): Bay is concerned that Mandy may be lying about more than just her photo, so she and Tank do a reverse-image search on her profile photo, and find a girl who goes to a nearby high school. She stalks the cheerleader and learns that she is a cousin of Matthew, so Bay worries that Emmett is being pranked. [shoot!] She tries to call him, but Melody took away his phone and keys for repeatedly skipping classes, and he had hot-wired his bike to go meet "Mandy" at a park. Fortunately, he told Travis of the plans, so Bay is able to find Emmett, but not before Matthew beats him up on camera and humiliates him through the "catfish" scheme. [awww. poor Emmet. :(]  Meanwhile, Tank doesn't get black-balled from his fraternity, but he does de-pledge. [Bay is about to be in a love triangle!] 

Toby is too depressed to go to work and intends to go after Nikki in Peru. John asks Toby to move home, as they "will get [him] out of this lease," but Kathryn tells her son that he shouldn't go after Nikki for the rest of his life because he might wind up resenting her. [money talks - average people can't just go around breaking leases left and right...] Though Toby already booked his trip on a non-refundable fare, he is able to change the location, and promptly takes off solo for Iceland. [that'll be interesting!]

Kathryn's first draft of her book has been leaked, and she worries that it was Renzo who did it. It turns out, Lydia leaked it for publicity. [kinda weird that she didn't tell Kathryn, no?]

Regina's window gets smashed with a brick featuring the message "stay out of East Riverside." [wow!] She begins to stand up for herself and goes back to design work, but also casually tells people (like a manicurist) in East Riverside to get second opinions on the appraised values of their businesses and properties. [interesting to play that card.] This makes Wes decide to fire and sue her. [uh oh!]

The guy who robbed Daphne's food truck goes to the clinic for care, and she freaks out, especially after Jorge tells her that they have to treat everyone and cannot refuse to help him. Her probation officer insists that she finish out her hours, but she decides that the medical profession might not be for her after all, and she asks Angelo for a job when his restaurant opens. [I can see that as being a viable reason not to choose that occupation.] When the creep returns to the clinic, withdrawing from heroin, she winds up helping him.

Switched at Birth: Why These Characters?

John and Kathryn having a rough time doesn't particularly interest me, but because of the multitude of characters on this series, I understand that my favorites cannot be at the forefront at all times. Still, there were some notable absences in the latest episodes, especially at a celebration party. Why wouldn't Kathryn have invited Angelo or any other friends? Daphne hanging with ANOTHER new crowd was strange as well... why can't she find a group and create a posse? Bay and Toby aren't able to do that well, either, which is a very odd dynamic for teenagers. Obviously, Bay's hand will be an ongoing story, as will Daphne juggling Jorge and Campbell, but we've got to get back to some of the bigger issues, like the drama at Carlton, John's political career, and Regina working for Wes.

Switched at Birth "Have You Really the Courage" (S03E05): Toby is moving the same weekend that Kathryn is scheduled to be in New York and John in Nashville, but John decides to stay and help his son move. Nikki's mom, Jennice, also helps, and lets John know that Nicki is probably going to stay in Peru another six months, which Toby doesn't know. [she tells her mother things that she doesn't tell her husband? that's not gonna work!] John tells his son, who immediately starts trying to reach Nikki. Toby then tells Bay, so it's soon no secret. Later, John admits to Jennice that he's losing favor in the political world, and she winds up kissing him, which Regina sees. [so... Jennice is lonely? slutty? what?]

Tank brings some paintbrushes over to Bay and meets Daphne, who thinks the jocks crushing on the artist. Bay tries to come up with something unique about herself for her college application, and realizes that field hockey would make her stand out... so she wants to re-join the team. Toby tells her no, but decides to let her try being the goalie. [when you have no other options...] She turns to Tank for some extra help, then agrees to get BBQ with him afterward. [haha, Toby pays some defensive players with car detail coupons!] Bay gets out of a dinner date by suggesting everyone go to Toby's new place for a pizza party to celebrate a great practice. [Tank having a few of his friends come cheer on Bay at practice was adorable! who throws a pizza party for a good practice, though?] She admits that she doesn't "like" him that way, but when she tries to go after him as he leaves, she trips, breaking her beer bottle and cutting her hand badly. [omg!] The paramedics arrive, and Toby calls John to meet them at the hospital.

When Daphne goes to pick up Sharee, she begins learning of her homelife problems. Sharee soon asks to borrow Daphne's car to look for her mom, who didn't show up for work and isn't answering her phone. [her mother's place of employment called Sharee?] Daphne reluctantly lets her, but when she's gone for hours, Daphne and Regina go to look for her, and soon learn that Sharee's mother has a mental illness. [she's possibly manic-depressive?] The woman invites them in for gumbo, but things get awkward when there's a mess inside, and Sharee begs Daphne not to tell anyone, though the teen knows this cannot remain a secret. [I kinda dread seeing where this storyline goes...]

In New York, Kathryn learns that Renzo's friend hates being pushed on book ideas, and the idea of trying new sports in your forties is a concept that the publisher has already bought. [if Renzo knew his pal hates this, why is he doing it??] Kathryn is afraid that she'll have nothing to do when the kids grow up if she's not a writer, but after some drinking, she opens up about the wild lives of baseball players and their wives, which could be a best-selling book. [omg! she shouldn't reveal that sort of stuff!]

Switched at Birth "The Scream" (S03E06): Tank comes over to see Bay, and meets John, who takes a liking to him. [of course the professional baseball player likes an athlete, haha!] Kathryn and Renzo plan to throw a party in celebration of the new book, but Kathryn hasn't told John about the topic of the novel yet. [oh boy!] It's a murder-mystery party, with Adriana being "poisoned." [I loved that she still wanted to take part, though!] John stumbles upon a sample chapter when looking for a will, and asks Kathryn about it. Meanwhile, Bay takes Tank to her room and they start kissing, deciding to have a relationship after all.

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Bay fishes for an invite to a frat luau she learned about from Marybeth, and he admits that the party has a theme of bringing the ugliest girls. [eye roll.] Bay breaks up with him for belonging to a fraternity that does such things (even if he tries to get the party shut down), and leaves the party to tell Marybeth. [well, that was fast!]

Daphne isn't at the party because she throws a 21st birthday party for Campbell. [a shame it couldn't stay a surprise, though.] Gretchen is there, but the bigger problem is that his friends chip in and get him an adaptive snowboard, which could be dangerous to the still-recovering Campbell. Jorge and Daphne talk him out of going, and she winds up between the two of them, as she has feelings for both. [her love life is the least interesting thing about this show! enough already!] 

Back at the party, Regina tells Jennice to back off, so Jennice tells John that Regina knows about the kiss. Well, Kathryn overhears, ending the party because of the news and throwing out John, who turns to Toby when he can't check-in to a hotel alone. [ha! the problems in politics!]

Switched at Birth: Back in East Riverside

First, Daphne waxes poetic about what the Vasquez family life was like in East Riverside, then Regina works works on a project that brings her back to the old neighborhood. With Bay back to her art and Angelo returning to his shady ways as well, it seems like everyone is getting back into their old habits, before the switch. But, that's the end of the nostalgia, actually. Kathryn and John are growing further apart with each passing day, finding their own niches and not connecting like before. Toby moves out, though he still doesn't have much going on, and Emmett moves on, dating someone else and planning to go to Gallaudet after he graduates. Regina exclusively working for Wes will probably keep East Riverside in the picture, and I have a sneaking suspicion that her cousin will pop up again, too. 

Switched at Birth "Fountain" (S03E03): Emmett talks to the classmate who is slashing tires and learns the guy just wants to get the hearing kids out of the school, so making them look like delinquents will help. [ha!] Next, a car window is smashed by a rock, so Emmett tells Travis about Matthew. With all of the vandalism going on, there's a locker search, and a boxcutter is found in Sharee's things, getting her expelled. Daphne is her alibi during the rock incident, and the boxcutter was for Sharee's job at the grocery store, so the girls talk to the principal and get the expulsion reversed. However, Sharee still gets a month of Saturday detention (around field hockey games) because she had a weapon at school. [around the sport? what does that teach you?] Still, Sharee gets upset, and when she and Daphne get into a scuffle in the hallway, they wind up in detention and Carlton has to forfeit a game.

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When John is upset that Daphne got into even more trouble, she lashes back, saying that she'll never be good enough for him, and he should just turn his back on her and Regina. [aww.] Later, John apologizes, and Daphne then learns about the secrets Emmett has been keeping, encouraging him to tell on Matthew. 

Bay asks her art professor to write her a letter of recommendation for college, but to get it, she and Tank must get a bronze sculpture to Minneapolis, a six-hour drive away. [what? she just met this instructor!] Teresa's work isn't like the other pieces being shown, and it's not being purchased. The bigger problem is that Bay skips the field hockey game to do all of this, so Toby boots her from the team. [sounds like Bay.] Not like Toby has nothing else to worry about, either, as he is ready to move out on his own. [awww! but, at the same time, how has this not come up before?] In fact, he doesn't let Renzo's rental agent friend sell him on a nice place beyond his budget, either, as he wants to be able to handle the rent without his parents' help. The apartment is 30 minutes away, and Kathryn is upset, though John supports the decision. [such a weird thing for Kathryn to be bothered by, no?]

Regina talks to Wes about doing some designs for his company, and even flies out to look at some space. [wow!] However, when the job will require her to live in Denver for 4-6 months, Regina declines, as she doesn't want to miss that much time with Daphne and Bay. [the guy was kinda rude about Regina's motherhood instincts.] The next day, Wes apologizes, saying he has local work for Regina, though she still thinks he's a jerk.

Switched at Birth "It Hurts to Wait with Love if Love is Somewhere Else" (S03E04): Emmett will help Bay with her portfolio if she helps him with an astronomy project. However, when she learns that he is dating a Mandy from Seattle whom he met in a photography chatroom, she freaks and vents to Tank. [why him?] He tells her that "pixels on a screen" are nothing to worry about, so Bay kisses Emmett, though that just causes an argument and a broken camera. [do Tank and Bay not know how many relationships start online these days?] Bay trades some hot chocolate for pictures for Emmett, and then deletes an unread email from Ty, effectively removing them both from her life. [I don't think I could ever delete something like that without reading it!]

John invites Kathryn on a business trip to Nashville, but it's during the same time she's planning to be in New York with Renzo to pitch a new book idea to an editor friend of his. [Kathryn uses paper bags for groceries? also, Renzo has a friend in every market, apparently.] John decides to do things on his own, too, so he buys a motorcycle, knowing Kathryn isn't happy. He wrecks it on his first big day out with it, and has Travis pick him up. He also decides not to run for re-election, illustrating that he, too, is unhappy with his life right now. [that's heavy.]

Regina works on the East Riverside project, and there's an old auditorium there that Regina pitches to Wes to restore. Angelo's check for the restaurant bounces, and he admits to Regina that he's running out of money, so either he can't keep working on the restaurant, or Regina can't buy the design firm. [ouch!] So, she does the only thing she can: she turns to Wes for a $50,000 advance, but he demands she work for him exclusively, which upsets Angelo. [but his reasoning isn't the greatest.]

Daphne's boss, Jorge, invites her to his sister's engagement party, as the groom-to-be is a vegan, Daphne makes vegan desserts. [weird invite.] However, the bride-to-be knows that Daphne blackmailed Coto, and is upset that she took down a Latino politician. Daphne leaves the party to play wheelchair basketball with Campbell, who admits that he likes her, but she won't let him cheat on Gretchen. [everyone is so smitten with her all the time... I mean, I know that happens, but it still gets thrown out there a lot on this show.] Back at work, Jorge kisses her... just before Campbell announces that he's single again. [the blog is still up??!? that didn't have to be removed?]

Switched at Birth: Doing Your Own Thing

I really appreciated the honesty in this episode, as each character really got a chance to face the fact that they might do things a little differently than was is expected. Kathryn tells John that she's been taking dance lessons, and they make her happy. Daphne gets a chance to play basketball while getting an opportunity to show some signs to a hearing person who has no interest in ASL. Bay gets a chance to try out a new drawing technique, which is great for her creative side. Toby finally has a channel into which he can put forth some energy and effort. Regina tries to cater to the rich, only to remember that her true passion is in creating unique and recycled pieces. Now, if only John could get back to his roots, the whole family would be working on their personal happiness levels...

Switched at Birth "Your Body is a Battleground" (S03E02): John feels left out when the kids talk about their field hockey plans, but Bay's not happy either, as it looks like she'll actually play when they only barely have enough girls to make a team. Bay gets checked at practice and quits, but after talking to Tank, she decides that teamwork is important. Toby cold-calls students for recruiting, and tells Daphne that Sharee is an awesome athlete. [of course she is. that's just too coincidental.] Daphne challenges her to a basketball game - Daphne wins, Sharee joins field hockey; Sharee wins, Daphne has to drive her to school every day. [I rode the bus for 45 minutes to go to school for seven years - it's a pain and I definitely would have welcomed a ride!] It's close, but Sharee gets the final point. [loved the passive teaching of numbers in sign!] Still, she shows up for practice. [I was hoping she would!]

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Bay doesn't expose the real Tank in her drawing, so she has to re-do the project and decides to do it in Xs and Os, like a football playbook. [neat!] Tank is booted from the class for not even trying, but Bay gets him reinstated by telling the teacher about how Tank helped her not make a stupid mistake. [not my milieu, but I couldn't imagine telling a professor about bad decisions I made!] 

Renzo answers Kathryn's phone during class, so she comes clean to John about her tap classes, and invites her friend to dinner. There, her secret about skipping dinner for the drum circle is revealed, so she goes ahead and shares that she's seeing a psychiatrist. [why didn't Kathryn remind Renzo not to mention that??]

Adriana runs into Felicia (Regina's second cousin), who is 8 months pregnant and needs help with her nursery. Regina, just wants to buy a new car to look the part of a high-end designer, but agrees to assist. [I think we can all relate to not wanting to use our talents for no pay, even if it is for family.] Felicia will be turning her bedroom into the nursery, and the living room will become the master bedroom, so there is some major re-thinking to be done. Regina can't imagine living in such a small place again, but Daphne reminds her of the positives, like knowing your neighbors. [truth. when I was a kid in a trashy neighborhood, we knew every person on the block.] Regina decides to go dumpster-diving to get some pieces to start with, and meets Wes, a construction foreman, along the way.

At the clinic, a kid with no permanent address leaves without being signed out, and Daphne feels bad because he has high glucose levels. They track him down at a skate park, and he admits that he has diabetes, but he doesn't really take care of himself. [a few years ago, there was a volunteer I knew who was homeless and had health problems. it was a sad situation, and I have no idea what happened to him, though I hope he finished high school.] Campbell gets him to agree to return to the clinic, and also makes Daphne question if she'd want her hearing restored if she remembered what it was like to hear. [haha, Campbell acts like he wants Daphne, but then he has a girlfriend, so what's the deal?]

Another car at school gets its tires slashed, and then another after that, with that one being filmed by Emmett. [he seriously starts working on the video yearbook the first week of school?] There's no clear shot of the face, but Emmett shares the clip with Travis, only to later realize the villain is a deaf student. [Emmett was a little too frozen, though.]

RETURNING: Switched at Birth: New Friends

I knew I missed this show, but I didn't realize how much until it came back! There are so many storylines being exposed that I am beyond thrilled to see what this season will have in store! Kathryn wanting more out of life, Bay being lost once again, Daphne starting yet another job where she'll inevitably have some obstacles to climb, Regina becoming her own boss, and Angelo starting to blow through the settlement money... and there's still Toby, Emmett, John, and Travis to dig into! Who are you most interested in following at the moment? For me, I think it's Kathryn!

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Switched at Birth "Drowning Girl" (S03E01): Daphne dreams that she's in jail and John wants her there, so she feels terrible asking for his help later when her car's tire is slashed at school. But we're getting ahead of ourselves... see, three high schools closed, so there's a re-distribution to Carlton, and most of the new students aren't just hearing, they're also delinquents. Security has been heightened, teachers struggle to maintain order, and fights break out over the littlest things. [so, it's not surprise that John wants the girls to return to Buckner.] Daphne tries to make peace with a troublesome girl, but the girl just gets upset that it's the fault of those who protested that she's there.

The reason Daphne calls John in a rush is because it's the first day of her new community service mandated project - 100 hours at a clinic. She's 20 minutes late anyway, and off to a bad start with the director. Fortunately, a wheelchair-bound volunteer takes pity on her, getting her out of a lecture, then later giving her a ride home. [snowboarding accidents? ouch!] Daphne cries to Toby, afraid that John hates her. [ouch.] She decides to try starting up a basketball program again, as that was something about her that John really liked, but Buckner won't let them share the space. The private school does, however, donate a bunch of old field hockey sticks, and Toby then volunteers to coach, as he has nothing else to do while Nikki is away. [I forgot about how weird Nikki and Toby's relationship is!]

The art program has been condensed, so Bay will be taking "Theories of Modern Art" a community college as her elective instead. She winds up sitting next to a fraternity pledge, and she'll have to visit the frat house in order to sketch a portrait of him for homework. [seriously, in this day and age they didn't just text one another selfies to work from?] There's a kegger going on when she gets there, so she works on sketching the picture of him on the pledge wall. [haha.] Marybeth stops by, and when she doesn't say that Ty asked about Bay, Bay decides to get drunk and hook up with somebody. [a bit extreme for her, no?] The pledge rushes to her rescue as she heads up the stairs, and in her drunken stupor, she confesses what she's feeling to the pledge. Bay calls Toby and Daphne for a ride home, and they announce Bay will be helping them form the field hockey team. [still skeptical over here!]

Kathryn goes to a psychologist to talk about everything going on and how she's not excited about anything, and he gives her a prescription for six weeks of pills. [and doesn't want to see her again until then? also, I'm fairly certain that only psychiatrists can prescribe...] She then pops into a dance studio and winds up joining a tap class. She makes a friend, Renzo, with whom she lunches the following day. [fwiw, he's half Chinese, half Filipino.] He invites her to a drum circle on Thursday, but she is supposed to accompany John to a charity dinner. She decides to lie to John to go to the drum circle instead. [oooh...]

Barbara's daughter is taking over the restaurant partnership with Angelo, and she wants to make some expensive upgrades to the plans, frustrating him. Regina's job will be ending because her boss is selling the shop and moving to London, but Bay suggests Regina buy it and keep it going. She considers it and decides to bring it up to Angelo, but he says that she requires too much from him - rehab, giving up Abby, etc., though he later apologizes for blowing up. [it was all the timing.]

Switched at Birth: Summer Fun Is Over

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Though John and Kathryn did not raise Daphne, they both tend to hold her to a higher standard than they do Toby and Bay. Yes, they have had many more years to see Toby and Bay make mistakes and they are well aware of their faults, but it only becomes more and more obvious that they tend to see Daphne as the golden child. Granted, her actions in this instance would be horrific for anyone to have done, but her choice to go to court alone over it is probably a decision that the other Kennish kids would not have made. Surely Bay would have let John write the check to cover her mistake, and Toby probably would have just given in to his father's judgment. Hopefully, Daphne is only sentenced to some community service, and maybe she will find a whole new potential career path because of it. Enough about her, though, as the other teens have their own problems... Toby being secretly married was probably the best solution for his issues, and hopefully everything will work out. Ty lying to Bay, on the other hand, was pretty unforgivable, and hopefully that is the last instance of him on the series. In January, it's back to school! Hopefully Toby will have some good news, though it seems doubtful... 

Switched at Birth "Departure of Summer" (S02E21): Coto suspects John is behind the texts because two of his interns broke into his office. John confronts Daphne, who believes that she just stood up for justice. [except, no.] Kathryn is worried because of Daphne's previous Carlton record. Daphne tries to get Coto to forget about it all, but he demands a $50,000 endorsement for his re-election campaign. [of course.] Regina thanks Kathryn for trying to help Daphne, but Daphne can't take her mind off of what that amount of money could do for someone, so rather than buying her way out and being as bad as Coto, she posts the truth on Jace's website. [the part on the screen only talks about how she started working for John to make a positive change but doesn't get to the good stuff.] Coto is inundated with reporters while John talks to a lawyer. Jace is arrested, and when it's time for the trial, Daphne doesn't want John, Kathryn, and Regina going in with her. [yep, this will be the big moment when the series returns!] 

At Toby and Nikki's rehearsal dinner, Emmett gives a speech (with Bay translating), and Toby overhears John saying at the rehearsal dinner that he'll be paying for the divorce in two years. [I wonder which is worse... having this happen or being offered a significant sum not to get married to a specific person...] Toby asks his parents to "fake it" better the next day, and that's when the conversation happens. Bay jumps in to try fighting for love, but the adults tell Toby and Nikki to keep a relationship but not make it legally binding. Jennice even tells them to just have sex and move on. [it was awkward, but it was important to say.] That night, they are intimate for the first time. [by the way, Toby got a letter saying that he is chlamydia-free, even though he was not supposed to find out until after the wedding.] In the morning, they call off the big shindig and elope at City Hall. [good for them.]

Ty leaves in three days, and Bay decides that she wants to take a demanding semester to graduate early and then start art school in Germany in January. [loved Kathryn's reaction: "she's not committing a felony or getting married. right now, for us, that's a win."] Ty finds out that he may see the front line, so he doesn't want Bay heading to Germany when he may not make it that far. So, when it looks like Ty might have been unfaithful, Bay gives up. [why put the #TyCheated in the corner of the screen if the audience is smart enough to know the panties and condom wrapper belonged to his buddy's encounter?] She asks Emmett why he cheated on her, but learns nothing new. Bay tells Mary Beth, who confronts Ty, but knows the truth and promises to keep is a secret, as all the kid wanted was for Bay to move on with her life in case something happens. [did this kid's family move? why no sight of them during Ty's leave?] 

Meanwhile, NOT involved in the wedding, Angelo struggles to care for Abby, even with plenty of help from Adriana. He winds up asking Leo to re-take primary custody but allow Angelo to see his daughter for birthdays, weekends here and there, vacations, etc. [so Angelo worked so hard to get this child but didn't think about how much work it would be to raise her? this is why there is so much neglect today. at least Abby won't suffer, though.]

Switched at Birth: Before Toby's Wedding...

For "The Merrymakers" being the penultimate episode of the season, it sure opened up a few cans of worms! Quite a few more stress factors on Toby and Nikki's relationship, Regina and Angelo's relationship must change, and tension between Bay and Ty is coming, for starters. The whole Simone issue really dredged up the sore feelings between Toby and Emmett, but apparently they are mature enough now to get past the fact that they both slept with the same trouble-making girl. Now that John and Kathryn know that Jennice is on their side regarding Toby and Nikki's marriage, a storm is definitely on the horizon. And, can we all agree that Daphne and Nikki were being naive teenagers when they assumed that there would be no security cameras at the Senator's office? Of course, I don't know what Daphne was thinking, telling ANOTHER secret! Sharing Parker's secret with Jace is what got her into this mess at the beginning!

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I could keep going, but let's save some comments for in-line, with the short stories first this time...

Switched at Birth "The Merrymakers" (S02E20): The judge rules that Angelo gets to raise Abby, so Bay moves out to  make more space. [what was with Regina calls PJs "PGs" ??] After Angelo and Regina discover that the same parenting tricks they used on Daphne still work, they get intimate, only for Regina to later admit that it is not right for her to help raise his baby. [awkward!]

Back at home, Bay asks John if he'll make a call to stop Ty from being deployed, unaware that he actually wants to remain loyal to his platoon. John initially claims that he will not help because Ty signed up for this, but he later reconsiders and talks to Ty, only to learn that he just doesn't want to disappoint Bay. [I think Mary Beth explaining the ethics of it all to Bay fell a bit on deaf ears.] John tells Bay that he made some calls and wasn't able to do anything. [lies. the best solutions. of course.]

Coto insinuates to Daphne that he will retaliate, and that he is trying to find out who else was involved. She decides to ask John if she can end her internship early, not explaining that it is to avoid Coto. He caves once Kathryn agrees, but that's not the end of it. [claiming it was too hard to work around Jace after a breakup was a bad reason, though.] 

[Now, on to Toby and Nikki...] Nikki's mother, Jennice, comes to the Kennish home to discuss wedding details, as the big day is only a week away. [and they haven't set the menu yet??] Nikki and Toby want a simple chicken dinner, but Jennice is considering a pricey seafood buffet of sorts. [wine bottles for party favors when the bride and groom aren't of drinking age?] Jennice is also trying to make a huge shindig out of this, claiming Nikki wanted something elaborate when she was a little girl, but after Regina tells Kathryn about Jennice's husband's past, Kathryn understands that Jennice is just overcompensating. [John's reaction was pretty funny.] The next day, Kathryn and Jennice talk about how neither wants Toby and Nikki to get married yet.

Wilke doesn't think Toby should get married either, so he decides to not even come into town for the bachelor party that he was supposed to plan. Luckily, Emmett stepped up and put together a party for the groom. Toby offers Emmett the position of "best man," but he admits that he thinks Toby is rushing into the marriage. [this all reminds me of my own wedding, where I had to let a bridesmaid go because she didn't support my marriage. but that's a long story for another time.] However, Toby almost immediately regrets asking Emmett, as a call from Simone results in the guys heading to a clinic instead of the bar because they both could have been exposed to Simone's chlamydia. [did NOT see that coming! also, how late is that clinic open??] The results take 7-10 business days, which means Toby must tell Nikki about the situation. [wow. that's terrible! I did like that Toby learned money doesn't solve everything, though!] After Emmett sees how maturely Toby and Nikki discuss the issue, he takes back his negativity and offers to stand up for Toby.

This whole situation meant that Travis was left alone at a bar with a stripper, whom he tries to stall through dancing. That's all well and good, except for the fact that his insecure girlfriend sees him. See, three blocks away, Daphne, Bay, Mary Beth, and Nikki were having a bachelorette party of their own, and after a few drinks, they each have to complete a dare. [they were able to procure drinks FAR too easily!] Mary Beth's dare is to kiss a guy... but after three dates with Travis, all she wants to do is kiss him. [and all he wants to do is kiss her, for that matter.] So, Bay tries to make it happen, but when Travis is caught dancing with a woman who could be a lingerie model, plus-size Mary Beth assumes that she isn't attractive, hence the lack of a physical relationship. [because, stereotypically, the only reason a guy would hesitate to kiss a girl would be because she's heavy. way to perpetuate body image issues, ABC Family!] Travis feels bad, so he goes in search of Mary Beth's brother's lost dogtags, and is able to find them at the mini-golf place. [awww!] Once she has those, Mary Beth's confidence returns and she plants a big wet one on Travis. [I still feel like this relationship is prone to issues with Mary Beth's very limited signing...]

However, back to the bachelorette party, while Bay and Mary Beth were off seeing Travis, Daphne tells Nikki about the blackmailing, and the bride-to-be drunkenly calls Coto's office and leaves a message. [I guess these kids don't know that rule #1 of a bachelor(ette) party is to take away the honoree's phone!] So, the girls must head to his office, and when they can't pick the lock, they ask a janitor to let them in, claiming that hands-free didn't hang up before Daphne said something bad after a message. They're able to erase the evidence, but security footage remains. [I'm surprised that the security guard didn't immediately tell John as well, unless he didn't recognize the girls...]