Switched at Birth - Season 2 Episode 11 - Recap - Mother and Child Divided
Switched at Birth - Season 2 Episode 11 - Recap - Mother and Child Divided
After the spring finale's myriad twists, Switched at Birth fans have been waiting for the show to come back for... well, only for two or three months. But STILL. With John becoming a senator, Toby getting engaged, Regina heading to rehab, and the birth of Angelo's new daughter, there's a lot of threads to pick up.
The episode opens on a scene at the local pool, where all the main characters have conveniently gathered. Kathryn and John are feigning joy over Toby's engagements to a few friends. Bay and Daphne are butting heads again, ever so slightly. We cut away to Regina, who is at rehab packing her bags. "What?" you ask, "But Daphne and Bay said in the last scene that Regina wouldn't be home for weeks!" WELL, Regina has decided (probably foolishly) to leave early so she can be with her daughter(s). This... does not go over well with the family... erm... families.
Daphne and Bay, after whatever time has passed since the spring finale, have started working in John's office. Bay is struggling, as per usual, but Daphne seems to have taken to it quite well. Maybe too well. Her and Bay get into a bit of a shout, while a new employee (and likely a new love interest for Daphne, based on his deep tan and sultry UK accent) looks on. The new guy is a real go-getter, saying he'll learn ASL this month as if it's a casual decision like which book to read.
Toby and Travis, while working at the car wash, are seen signing by some curious girls in a convertible. Toby overhears them referring to him and Travis as "hot deaf guys", and spoils their fun, slightly. He introduces Travis, who offers some ASL lessons at Emmett's house (where Travis lives now) while Melody is out of town. The girls come over, and some smooching is had, but Melody (of course) gets back early and interrupts. There's not really any punishment for them, as Melody is mostly just satisfied that whatever lesson is to be had was already learned. When she leaves, Travis implies that he's never had sex, prompting Emmett to vow assistance.
On her way home from the argument with Daphne (really on her way to pick up some pastries for the office), Bay's car breaks down. Conveniently, it breaks down next to a carnival, where she has a chance encounter with he old flame Ty (!). Ty is back from Afghanistan (!!), and has been for a few weeks (!!!). they reconnect, and when Bay receives an urgent text from him later in the evening, she rushes off. Unfortunately, it seems the text came from one of Ty's drinking buddies, who teases Bay and gets roughed up a little by Ty.
Toby and Nikki, the recently engaged, have been planning their wedding, including a rehearsal dinner. Nikki wants something plain, but Kathryn wants to go all out. Why either of them cares so much about a rehearsal without so much as a breath uttered about the ceremony or reception is anyone's guess, but it all comes out over dinner. Compounding this fight, John get pretty pig-headed and ignorant about Regina's alcoholism, which sends her off to pack her bags and basically just ruins dinner. Though a Kennish dinner ruined by John being a jerk isn't much of a surprise to fans of the show at this point.
Regina packs her things, much to Daphne's chagrin, and tells Daphne of her plan to stay with Angelo for a while. At the episode's close, Bay joins her, after (yet another) a clash with Daphne and frustrated by all the fighting in her home.
The episode is a weird step back from the plot lines earlier in the season, with no screen time given to Angelo, Lana, or the Carlton School for the Deaf, all of which had been heavily featured in the spring finale. Angelo's presence in the episode is certainly felt, though, as Bay connects with her birth mother in his house and as Daphne is driven closer to the elder Kennishes. As the person arguably most harmed by the switch, and who has had the most growth since, it will be interesting to see how his inevitable reappearance again rocks the lives of Daphne, Bay, and the rest of the Kennish/Vasquez mega-family.