Switched at Birth - Season 2 Episode 19 - Recap - What Goes Up Must Come Down
Switched at Birth - Season 2 Episode 19 - Recap - What Goes Up Must Come Down
Hello! Here's a recap for the latest installment of ABC Family's hit original series, Switched at Birth! We've got lies and intrigue and kissing and fighting! There's medical procedures and wedding planning and basic car maintenance! This starts the lead up to season two's finale, just two weeks away!
Ty's imminent redeployment weighs heavily on him and on Bay (who is trying to find him a way out of it, possibly through her Senator daddy). Ty accepts his leaving as a consequence of his voluntary commitment to the military, so he's accepted it. He insists they enjoy their remaining time together, so he proposes a camping trip. He's tricked her, though, and the trip leads to an intimidating obstacle course. She's hesitant at first, but obliges him despite having no desire to partake. She gets to the top of it, with Ty at the support rope, and then it gets worse; he tells her she must jump to get down. She hates it, but eventually does because duh, how else would she get down? Her shock at the fall makes her flail, which makes Ty unable to hold the balance rope tightly enough, and the landing is a bit rough. The two get in a fight about it and Bay storms off. She returns hours later, and Ty has to take her to the hospital for a twisted ankle. Feeling bad, Ty says he's willing to look into some way to stay close by, though the expression he's wearing over Bay's shoulder when the two embrace says that he does not like this. That look! It says so much about why I like this show. It's just one of these many subtle little moments in a series that, at first glance, seems to trade only in overblown melodrama. It's so much more, though. There's a truth to these characters, even hidden under the facade of their theatrical displays of emotion.
Daphne is still avoiding Jace, with the repercussions of their texts with Senator Chip Coto coming back to Daphne through various channels, starting with Coto's young partner in scandal, Parker. Parker says Coto has been acting paranoid, thinking someone must know about their tryst. Daphne lies, assuring Parker that the secret is safe. Later in the day, Daphne is told she is to meet with Chip the next morning about some "Intern of the Year" award. Reasonably suspicious, Daphne fakes a sick day and heads to the spa with Kathryn instead. There, uh oh, Chip's wife shows up! Daphne quickly excuses herself, and Kathryn learns that Mrs. Coto suspects Chip of having an affair with an intern. Kathryn finds Daphne after Mrs. Coto leaves, and asks her if something about Senator Coto is making her uncomfortable, thinking maybe Daphne's shacking up with an older dude again (remember Chef Jeff?), but of course this isn't the case. Daphne goes into the office to meet with Coto like she was supposed to, and he all but says that he knows what Jace and Daphne have been up to. Daphne (smartly) plays dumb, and when she leaves the office, Jace catches up to her. They fight about Jace's crusade of blackmail against Chip, and Daphne dumps him on the spot. I love these two characters, but they're stuck in this weirdly typical plot, the sort that could just be solved by telling the truth plainly. That brand of network sitcom shenanigans has been avoided on this show, generally, so it's a bit disappointing to see characters I enjoy participating in such a frustrating story.
Toby and Nikki meet with Nikki's mom (guest star Joey Lauren Adams) about wedding plans, and Nikki interrupts the banal proceedings to ask mom about last episode's revelation of dad being a drug dealer. Mom's non-answer speaks volumes and Nikki storms off. Later, Toby is tooling around in his garage-based music studio when Nikki storms in and starts tearing his clothes off! You'll remember, she's devoutly religious and does not want to have sex until after marriage. They stop, and get in an argument. Kathryn hears a part of the fight through the garage door on her way to the spa with Daphne, so she's surprised later when Toby asks her if they can host the wedding at the Kennish house. Surely she'd expected to hear that the marriage was off, as we all would have liked to hear, but no! Now it's at her house. Poor Kathryn!
Emmett's dad is getting his cochlear implant turned on, finally! His hearing (but ASL-fluent) girlfriend is there for the first test, as well as Emmett and Emmett's mom. The test goes well, and in one of the most heart-warming scenes of the show, Emmett's dad hears for the first time in his life. The shock and joy and strangeness of this is perfectly capture by a line from him to Emmett in a later scene: "Did you know air conditioners make noise?" Emmett plays drums for his father, and the man's joy at hearing his son's talent I think is what finally warms Emmett to the idea, which he'd been firmly against until now.
The most minor plot in the episode revolves around Regina and John. Senator Kennish is being far nicer to Regina than anyone would expect, which sets Regina ill at ease. John goes to Regina's workplace to set up another redecoration job, this time at his senatorial office, but he accidentally lets slip that Angelo and Regina are married. Regina's boss didn't know this (she had asked Regina about Angelo's marital status earlier in this back half of the season, hoping to flirt), and confronts Regina a bit angrily. Regina apologizes, saying she was just desperate for the job. Later, Regina goes to visit John, telling him that they are karmicly even. She also thanks him for his business, saying she's gotten hired full-time at the new job. This little plot is strange, as it doesn't seem to have much consequence aside from follow-up on the whole heart attack thing where Regina saved John's life.
This was another good episode! I was left slightly disappointed, though, at the inclusion of the Nikki/Toby plot, also the stuff with Regina and John. This episode had zero Travis! And no Angelo! Those guys are great! I'm hoping the recently-announced third season has more. Especially Travis! With two episodes left in the season, I'm not counting on too much to happen besides a lot of wrapping up of plots. We've got the wedding, Ty's redeployment, Coto's affair, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting about. Anyway, check back here for another recap next week, and watch the preview below!