"Switched at Birth" Premiere Recap

After about five months of patience, one of my favorite TV shows (there aren't many) finally returned to ABC Family with brand new shows. The fall premiere of "Switched at Birth" was an hour long long episode that I enjoyed with a small bowl of Kettle Corn.

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't watched Monday night's episode of "Switched at Birth," then there is no need to read any further just yet...

Courtesy of  hollywood.com

This is the Color of My Dreams is the title of the premiere episode, and Regina (Constance Marie) is seen walking down the aisle in a wedding gown. Everyone is visibly filled with bliss, except, Adrianna (Ivonne Coll), of course. She shakes her head in disappointment as her daughter gets ready to take Angelo's (Gilles Marani) hand in marriage. We find out that Regina's new fling is the priest and he asks her "Why are you doing this?" Regina is awoken from her slumber by her alarm clock and it's evident that it was all a dream. Obviously, she was thinking back to what John (D.W. Moffett) told her in the last episode, that the only way to avoid Angelo's possible deportation is if he were to marry a U.S. citizen.

Bay and her new boyfriend || Courtesy of  funny-videos.eu

We then see Daphne (Katie Leclerc) and Toby (Lucas Grabeel) swimming laps in their pool, just as Bay (Vanessa Marano) returns home from an Enrichment Program in the Galapagos Islands and surprises the family with a guest--her new boyfriend, Alex. It seemed to me like an obvious rebound, considering Bay's recent heartbreak, after discovering that her deaf boyfriend, Emmett, regrettably cheated on her with Simone. Nonetheless, Bay seems to have moved on and doesn't want to think about Emmett at the moment. She went as far as to tossing a note from him (delivered by Daphne) on the top shelf of her closet, out of sight.

Meanwhile, both Kathryn (Lea Thompson) and her husband, John, are getting adjusted to her new-found fame, thanks to her newly released book, "Switched at Birth," which details the complicated lives of both the Kennish and Vasquez family and their amazing journey. Alex is still trying to catch up with all the details of Bay's interesting life, and skims through her mother's book, during her Book Party. He stumbles across Emmett's name and dashing description and Bay quickly retrieves the book, storming into the house asking her mother why he was even mentioned. Kathryn made a great point stating, "Emmett's apart of our story; I'm sorry, I can't erase that."

Regina later learns that her new fling isn't a fan of marriage, but he sees her as apart of his life it seems. She later visits Angelo in prison and hopes just as much as he does that he is not deported, due to past mistakes. As the court date approaches, he beats himself up for messing everything up and wishes more than anything to finally have a father-daughter relationship with Bay.

Daphne and the Chef || Courtesy of welovesoaps.net

In the world of Daphne, viewers see just difficult it is for her to have a successful job interview once the interviewer discovers she is deaf. She went on 12 interviews and Daphne ultimately felt defeated. However, she followed Toby's advice and asked Kathryn for help, since she had connections. The next thing we know, Daphne goes in for what she thought was an interview at a restaurant called MAIZE, but is instantly hired by the stern Chef Jeff Reycraft.

Meanwhile, Bay decides to open Emmett's note and realizes it's a map. She hops in her baby blue jeep and follows his drawings, until she reaches a lot. On a white wall, she sees a pair of hand-drawn female eyes and male eyes looking at each other with the words "First meet June 2011" underneath. She walks along the side of the wall and is welcomed by more art/words with each step: "First kiss" ... "First birthday surprise" ... "First 'I Love You'" ... "Emmett makes a mistake" ... "Bay Forgives Emmett" ... and finally, "Bay and Emmett Forever."

Daphne is excited about her brand new position, and is thrilled to be in the kitchen doing what she loves. However, on her second day, we witness the difficulties that Daphne's deafness brings to the kitchen. After misunderstanding a spoken ingredient and making a mess after bumping into a chef behind her carrying a tray load of food (who loudly stated his presence), Chef Reycraft demanded that she leave the kitchen.
The next day, Daphne is back in the kitchen and what the chef says to her is a clear sign of ignorance and idiocy on his part. Not only did he insult Daphne's capability of doing anything as a deaf person, but he demoted her to Dishwasher, deeming her unsafe, stating that she couldn't do much damage washing dishes.

Kathryn's popularity is at its peak and this means: meetings, book signings, phone calls, emails, and late hours. John is obviously getting tired of it and didn't realize that his wife would be so busy with little time to be with him and the rest of the family. "This isn't the end, this is the beginning" were words that he may not have wanted to hear from Kathyrn, but he's not willing to give up and says calmly, "I'll get there".

While on a date with Alex, Bay struggles to explain her life, but gives up and changes the subject. It was obviously easier to discuss things with someone who had lived through the events with her. Throughout the entire date she is evidently distracted by thoughts of Emmett and eventually is honest with Alex about how she feels. She clearly hates being hung up on Emmett still.

In the next scene, Daphne feels pigeonholed and feels like everyone in the world won't give the deaf/hard of hearing a real chance at careers. Back at MAIZE, Kathryn stops by the restaurant and is angered by the chef's injustice towards her biological daughter, wanting to speak with him personally. Daphne stops her immediately and tells her to go home, leaving Kathryn at a loss. Later on, at home, Daphne explains to Kathryn that she's used to handling things on her own. With tears in her eyes, Kathryn admits to wanting to protect her, even though she had only been her "mother" for a few months.

Emmett and Bay || Courtesy of  theangstreport.blogspot.com

Meanwhile, Bay and Emmett meet up and tears fill Bay's eyes as she explains her hurt to an apologetic Emmett. Bay said that he ripped the fabric apart and he can't just tape it back together with words. Emmett's response was that he will wait until he figures out how he can. Bay drives away leaving Emmett standing alone in the night.

Daphne returns to MAIZE and takes initiative by installing a mirror overhead, so she can know who is behind her more quickly. The chef approves nonchalantly and viewers can assume that things in the kitchen will be OK for Daphne after all.

In court, the judge brings up points that seem to side with Angelo and the possibility of his release; however, the fact that he overstayed his visa and that the court cannot ignore the pattern of law-breaking, the judge granted the government's petition for his removal and his return to Italy within 48 hours. A distraught Bay is too much for Regina to handle, and knowing she didn't do everything she could for her biological daughter to have her father in her life, led her to run back into the court house. Next, we see Regina and Angelo in the  Municipal Court room, standing in front of a man who ultimately pronounces them man and wife.

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So, many viewers think that we are now in season 2 of "Switched at Birth," but we're actually still in season 1. The second season is set to premiere in Winter of 2013, but for now, there are nine episodes left in this unique family drama. I can't wait!