Switched at Birth - Season 2 Episode 15 - Recap - Ecce Mono
Switched at Birth - Season 2 Episode 15 - Recap - Ecce Mono
This week's episode of ABC Family's Switched at Birth is a really cool alternate timeline story, where the girls aren't switched into their teen years, but instead, the switch is discovered when the Bay and Daphne are just three years old. When the Kennishes find out about Regina's alcoholism, they fight for and win custody of both girls.
Cutting forward to the present, the butterfly effect is revealed. Kathryn is an author, John isn't a senator, Bay is a studious nerd, Daphne is head mean girl with a cochlear implant, and the Kennishes shower Daphne with guilty money/affection. Kathryn is cheating on John with Senator (!) Chip Coto. John peeps her email and finds out. He confronts her, discovering the affair has been going on for seven months. Kathryn has been unhappy in the marriage ever since the discovery of the switch and the ensuing custody battle, but John is a bad listener.
Daphne's status lands her an invite to a college party with her alterna-bestie Simone. They cut school to buy outfits, much to John and Kathryn's dismay. Daphne gets away with it, naturally, but as punishment, Daphne is made to bring Bay to the party. At the party, Daphne flirts with some handsome basketball man. Bay is having a bad time at the party and wants to leave, but Daphne really wants to put her tongue down this guy's mouth hole, so instead the faux-sisters get in a fight and Bay storms off. Upset at Bay's harsh words, Daphne drowns her sorrow in handsome college athlete sexy times.
On Bay's way home from the party, a motorcycle crosses her path, and of course, brooding deaf bad boy Emmett is the rider. He gives her a ride home, where she spends the night learning some sign language. The next day, Emmett comes by to see Bay. They look at her art, which includes a painting of what Bay thinks her birth mother (who we know is Regina) looks like. This sparks an idea; Emmett helps Bay to search for Regina. They find her, and confront Daphne with the information.
Daphne and Bay go to meet Regina, but instead they meet Regina's mother, Adriana. She's delighted to see them, but when they ask where Regina is, smash cut to the girls looking at a gravestone. In the alternaverse, Regina is dead for some reason! The girls head back home to ask John and Kathryn why they'd never let them meet Regina, and an argument ensues. After, we get a repeat of last week's cliffhanger, with John passing out in the kitchen. The only difference is that this reality's Regina is dead. The scene transitions out to the jump sideways and into the real world, with John waking up in the hospital to Kathryn and Regina. He praises Regina's presence in his life, and this is the end of the episode.
Bay is a shy nerd, Daphne is a vapid jerk, Kathryn is cheating, Toby still gambles. Everyone's lives are worse, but the show is so much better for it. This is among the show's best episodes, showing us what makes these characters tick by giving us these alternate history versions of them. I'm almost disappointed that the show has to go back to regular continuity, but oh well. I'm looking forward to next week! Check back here for my next recap, and look below for a preview of this week's episode!