On the newest episode of ABC Family's Switched at Birth, Angelo invites Bay to join him at a pivotal meeting concerning the custody of his infant daughter; Daphne and Jace uncover a potential scandal regarding Senator Coto; Nikki discovers that Toby and Simone have been in touch; and Emmett and Travis try to set Melody up on a blind date.
Bay and Ty are in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. They are just floating on cloud nine right now. What they're feeling right now won't last because it never does. But right now, their playful banter is quite amusing and fun. It's fluff but it's fluff that I enjoy watching and feels necessary to the evolution of their relationship especially after their just consummated their relationship. This was a small plot in an episode jammed-back with almost too much going on. Bay and Ty were attached to Angelo's attempt to get back his infant daughter which was the prominent plot that worked much better than some other stuff in the hour. Angelo is the least developed character on this series and because of that I have never been too attached to all his baby drama stuff. After being around for seventeen episodes, it finally feels like a story that could work if it had some more weight with it. It rose some very profound questions about the adoption process. The best aspect of the story is the parallels it has been able to draw in the Bay and Angelo relationship. Thusly, how the show deals with it in the future should remain informative on this dynamic.Daphne and Jace's relationship continues to concern me mostly because of how Daphne acts whenever she is around him. The only redeeming facet from this story in this episode was when she shared the story about her relationship with Chef Jeff. When that storyline was actually airing on the show, it was completely unbearable. How she spoke about it tonight shows how far she has grown since then which is remarkable development. She is now able to see just how toxic that relationship was. However, her relationship with Jace is just as toxic for her because she is letting herself be turned by him and doing whatever it is that is important to him. Sure, she will stick to her values of protecting Parker and changing the Education bill but her actions are being influenced by him. If it weren't for him, would she have blackmailed Senator Coto? I don't think so. Hopefully soon, she too will realize this and cut Jace loose and find time to work on herself.
Toby and Nikki's stories tonight both revisited past events that were pivotal in the characters' past. Simone had been a great recurring character that I loved-to-hate. Her re-introduction here was a pleasure because even though it's been awhile since we've last seen her, she has changed immensely. That growth is something necessary for characters as they continue on. Her attempts to apology to Toby felt earned given their history. Unfortunately, the hour spent a lot of time stringing along whether or not Toby would reconnect with her romantically. The show keeps teasing on whether or not his relationship and marriage with Nikki is meant to last. With Nikki's fears about Toby and Simone creeping in just enough to give some reasonable doubt. I feel like they could work in the long time because the show has invested so much time in this relationship.
Some more thoughts:
- This episode marked the directorial debut of star Lea Thompson. Like most directors who are also stars on the series, she only had one brief appearance. But overall, she did a decent job. Nothing really felt off or odd.
- On Twitter, series creator Lizzy Weiss has said how the cochlear implant story with Emmett's father is one the show has been wanting to tackle for some time now. It only had a small appearance in this hour but that scene between Melody and Cameron was amazing as it touched on what it means to be a deaf identity. The one aspect this show always nails no matter what. Definitely the episode's highlight.
- Emmett and Travis attempts to help Melody dating were very charming and natural. They just have such a sibling-like dynamic that just works. Unfortunately, sulky Emmett just doesn't work well. Please get him back interacting with Bay and Daphne!
- Admittedly, I forget about the murder of Nikki's father until the Previously On reminded me.
- "Don't hate on Ke$ha." I simply cannot condone this.
