Switched at Birth reminded me this week why I like it. Not because of the Bay situation with Tank, who seems on his way out, but more so the situation between Daphne and Angelo. For while other shows drown us in teen romance drama, then you have the Monday night lineup of ABC Family which actually allows the teen characters some complexity. I mean, yes, Switched at Birth hasn't really allowed anyone but Regina and Melody to be single for more than a few episodes, but at least they focus on other things like issues between parent and child, deaf culture, dealing with having a family member with a mental illness, and a slew of other topics which helps this show stand out. With that said though, let's talk about the episode.
Topic 1: With Something to Prove (Toby & Daphne)
As we know, while Toby is barely above Angelo when it comes to relevance on the show, he is at the same time an established character. And with that comes someone who has their flaws and insecurities. One of which is proving himself, which thus far seemingly was aimed at proving himself to John by running the business well, being a good coach, and now he is trying to prove to Nikki, through the lacrosse team, that he does have stuff going on in KC and that she isn't the only one in their relationship doing amazing things. So, when star player Sheree needs academic help, he spends long hours with her to make sure she passes, all the while the show avoids the fact her mom stabbed someone and Sheree makes 0 note of it. But, that aside, and though his reasoning sounds as selfish as when Daphne approached Sheree in the first place, Toby still manages to push his star player into believing in herself and sadly, this all feels like The Blind Side 2 with Toby playing Sandra Bullock's character. All that is missing is Sheree living at the Kennish house.
As for Daphne, setting aside Jorge and Campbell fighting for her attention, she now has the opportunity for a summer pre-med program thanks to Dr. Jackson. Issue is, Angelo is back and is intruding on her life. Examples include: Him taking over the open house fund-raise for the clinic, which Daphne did give him the idea for, and then him bringing Abby who distracts Dr. Jackson long enough to make meeting Dr. Peterson, someone who could help Daphne get in the pre-med program, not possible that evening. But, even with her missing an opportunity because of him, she defends him against Christine, who he is competing with to seem more likable, by saying he is like Jay Gatsby, "You may not like him the person, but he is great to be around."
However, the key point in the story between Angelo and Daphne is Daphne revealing how being around him affects her. She admits jealousy over Abby who gets so much love and affection, something Daphne didn't get since Angelo abandoned her, and after them not speaking for ages, they finally get some daughter and daddy time. But I doubt Daphne's abandonment issues are anywhere near solved, if anything they are still a fresh wound, maybe now starting to turn into a scar.
Topic 2: A Big Reveal (John & Kathryn/ Bay)
Running through John and Kathryn's story, basically Kathryn needs a few more stories for her book and is running out of ones she remembers, through gossip or taking part. So, she turns to John who is tight lipped until he tries to use an old buddy Donny to spill some beans. Thing is, this backfires for Donny is now sober, and though a swinger, he seems to overall be in a better place, and has a good woman by his side. But, after awkwardly offering to swing with John and Kathryn, Donny accidentally slips about a triple hitter, which John defines as having sex with three different women, in individual sessions, in one night. Mind you, this triple hitter happened before John met Kathryn, and due to her book subject matter, instead of being disgusted, she seems intrigued. I'm not sure if it is because of John being a ho back in the day, and what it could do for her book, or just because she simply didn't know this story after decades of marriage. Either way, between him starting to cook, and him helping Kathryn with her book, though he notes the past marital issues, it seems we may not see a lot of it anymore.
As for Bay, oddly enough, her best friend Mary-Beth seemingly didn't know Tank and her were still a thing. So, with Bay trying to force Tank into getting on Mary Beth's good side, two reveals end up happening. The first being that Ty didn't cheat, which sends shock-waves through Bay's mind since the question becomes: Can Tank maybe just be a rebound? And then she goes to Emmett about it, and all Emmett can say is Tank is trying and Tank is here, but when Bay decides to talk to Tank, things get messy. Never mind how Tank isn't fond of him not being one of the first to be talked to about their relationship, but then when a frat buddy walks in and Bay mentions the "Dog Fight" this puts Tank in a bad situation. You see, the whole dog fight is what lead Mary Beth to hating Tank and saying Ty is more of a man, and making Bay remember how she had to almost force Tank to put that situation to an end, and now with Tank possibly getting black-balled it seems their relationship is at an end. But, with Emmett supposedly being in a relationship, maybe Bay may actually be single for a while. Just hopefully she doesn't get a new Zarra in her life, though Zarra was so interesting.
Topic 1: With Something to Prove (Toby & Daphne)
As we know, while Toby is barely above Angelo when it comes to relevance on the show, he is at the same time an established character. And with that comes someone who has their flaws and insecurities. One of which is proving himself, which thus far seemingly was aimed at proving himself to John by running the business well, being a good coach, and now he is trying to prove to Nikki, through the lacrosse team, that he does have stuff going on in KC and that she isn't the only one in their relationship doing amazing things. So, when star player Sheree needs academic help, he spends long hours with her to make sure she passes, all the while the show avoids the fact her mom stabbed someone and Sheree makes 0 note of it. But, that aside, and though his reasoning sounds as selfish as when Daphne approached Sheree in the first place, Toby still manages to push his star player into believing in herself and sadly, this all feels like The Blind Side 2 with Toby playing Sandra Bullock's character. All that is missing is Sheree living at the Kennish house.
As for Daphne, setting aside Jorge and Campbell fighting for her attention, she now has the opportunity for a summer pre-med program thanks to Dr. Jackson. Issue is, Angelo is back and is intruding on her life. Examples include: Him taking over the open house fund-raise for the clinic, which Daphne did give him the idea for, and then him bringing Abby who distracts Dr. Jackson long enough to make meeting Dr. Peterson, someone who could help Daphne get in the pre-med program, not possible that evening. But, even with her missing an opportunity because of him, she defends him against Christine, who he is competing with to seem more likable, by saying he is like Jay Gatsby, "You may not like him the person, but he is great to be around."
However, the key point in the story between Angelo and Daphne is Daphne revealing how being around him affects her. She admits jealousy over Abby who gets so much love and affection, something Daphne didn't get since Angelo abandoned her, and after them not speaking for ages, they finally get some daughter and daddy time. But I doubt Daphne's abandonment issues are anywhere near solved, if anything they are still a fresh wound, maybe now starting to turn into a scar.
Topic 2: A Big Reveal (John & Kathryn/ Bay)
Running through John and Kathryn's story, basically Kathryn needs a few more stories for her book and is running out of ones she remembers, through gossip or taking part. So, she turns to John who is tight lipped until he tries to use an old buddy Donny to spill some beans. Thing is, this backfires for Donny is now sober, and though a swinger, he seems to overall be in a better place, and has a good woman by his side. But, after awkwardly offering to swing with John and Kathryn, Donny accidentally slips about a triple hitter, which John defines as having sex with three different women, in individual sessions, in one night. Mind you, this triple hitter happened before John met Kathryn, and due to her book subject matter, instead of being disgusted, she seems intrigued. I'm not sure if it is because of John being a ho back in the day, and what it could do for her book, or just because she simply didn't know this story after decades of marriage. Either way, between him starting to cook, and him helping Kathryn with her book, though he notes the past marital issues, it seems we may not see a lot of it anymore.
As for Bay, oddly enough, her best friend Mary-Beth seemingly didn't know Tank and her were still a thing. So, with Bay trying to force Tank into getting on Mary Beth's good side, two reveals end up happening. The first being that Ty didn't cheat, which sends shock-waves through Bay's mind since the question becomes: Can Tank maybe just be a rebound? And then she goes to Emmett about it, and all Emmett can say is Tank is trying and Tank is here, but when Bay decides to talk to Tank, things get messy. Never mind how Tank isn't fond of him not being one of the first to be talked to about their relationship, but then when a frat buddy walks in and Bay mentions the "Dog Fight" this puts Tank in a bad situation. You see, the whole dog fight is what lead Mary Beth to hating Tank and saying Ty is more of a man, and making Bay remember how she had to almost force Tank to put that situation to an end, and now with Tank possibly getting black-balled it seems their relationship is at an end. But, with Emmett supposedly being in a relationship, maybe Bay may actually be single for a while. Just hopefully she doesn't get a new Zarra in her life, though Zarra was so interesting.
