S03.E15: And We Bring the Light

[Athena]

 

Back from a soul-searching trip to Iceland after his failed marriage, Toby returns with a new perspective on life and a surprising new aspiration for his career. Bay’s college dreams are knocked for a loop when she doesn’t get the news she expected. Angelo helps Daphne redirect her senior year stresses with a baking challenge. Meanwhile, Regina’s participation in the East Riverside project brings her to yet another moral crossroad.

 

The Art: "And we bring the light" by Nicolas Roerich (1922) - The second Roerich piece in a row.

[FormerMod-a1]

Toby!  yay!

[morakot]

And he shows his maturity by having a beard!

[FormerMod-a1]

See, everything is better with Toby!  Best brother ever!

 

I liked the whole family bonding with Bay's light-installation street art, but I was less that impressed with the actual art piece.

 

And although I didn't like how ugly it got, I liked the Regina/Angelo argument.  It seemed real. I hated the ending though.  So Chekov's gun was just a misdirect? And Angelo got into a car accident due to angry-driving or something.  Of course, I knew something was going to happen, I just thought it would be with the gun.  They telegraphed the shit out of this - Daphne and Angelo bonding, Angelo accepting some of his failures, etc.

[KaveDweller]

 

I liked the whole family bonding with Bay's light-installation street art, but I was less that impressed with the actual art piece.

 

Same here....it was kind of blah.  And that's really all I have to say about the episode, the gun stuff was a fake out to set up the drama for next week.

 

Daphne's comments to Regina in the promo annoyed me though.

[KBrownie]

I found the Bay/Toby/John/Kathryn adventure and bonding much more interesting than the Daphne/Angelo stuff.  It was just not subtle at all where the Daphne/Angelo stuff was headed.  It would have been better if it was more gradual over the past three seasons and not jammed in four episodes, mostly this one.  It was kind of boring as well.  Too much exposition with the SAT book, then the cakes and Nana.  The restaurant being foreclosed on kind of came out of nowhere as well.

 

If Angelo dies, it would have been nice to get some individual bonding with him and Bay before he kicked the bucket.  Bay hasn't had any bonding time with him or Regina at all this season.  Yes, Bay has Kathryn and John and they are great, but that doesn't mean she deserves any less to have her biological parents in her life if she wants and she has expressed that she does want that even though they are both extremely flawed.  So are John and Kathryn.  Just in different ways.  Daphne doesn't deserve a relationship with her biological parents more than Bay just because her upbringing was more challenging than Bay's. 

 

Toby and Bay are just the greatest.  Toby knows right away that something's wrong, knows exactly how to cheer her up, and calls her out when she's wrong.  Kathryn, and later John, were great with both Toby and Bay.  That whole story tonight was great.  Perfect way to handle Bay not getting into her dream school.  It was nice to see Bay have a story about the challenges of college after the good story with Daphne's college struggles last week.  The only weak spot was the story Kathryn told the security officer.  It just didn't feel natural.  It was more like, we need some more signing in this episode, so here it is!

 

Regina is just so stupid and irresponsible.  There were at least two better options than what she chose to do when she pulled up and saw the graffiti.  1. Leave and get somewhere safe.  Whoever did it could still be around.  You don't go up and start cleaning up in the dark.  The police might want to get evidence or something.  2. CALL THE POLICE!  I wouldn't blame Daphne one bit for being pissed off at having a gun pointed in her face.  By her own mother no less.

 

 

This show is SO setting up Wes as Regina's new love interest if Angelo dies.  That also wasn't very subtle.  Wes all of a sudden turning over a new leaf and doing the right thing? Angelo out of the blue accusing her of cheating? Not subtle at all.

 

I'm so tired of the whole East Riverside plot.

Edited July 8, 2014 by KBrownie

[stopeslite]

Was I the only one who was thrilled that it was Angelo instead of Toby? The writers seem to not know what to do with Angelo, so maybe they'll use this to write him off. And I was sad when he was talking about being a good dad to Daphne, because what about Bay? He and Daphne have issues to work out, yes, but Bay still ever got a chance with him, either.

 

My favorite part was the Kennish Listing of Failures. "Oh, and remember the gambling? That was pretty bad." 

[AmandaPanda]

The writers definitely haven't known what to do with Angelo. I'd say that they never really knew what to do with him. He never should have become a recurring character. I've never seen the chemistry between him and Regina. All of his solo plots have been pretty blah as well.

 

It made me so happy that they showed the actual Kauffman Center. Totally in agreement that Bay's art piece was pretty boring, though. I was picturing something totally different when she was describing it. She basically made a cool disco ball. I know it was more complicated, but that's what it seemed like to me. Also, I definitely thought there wasn't a electric car charging station anywhere in KC, but I just looked it up and there's apparently one next to the Kauffman Center. SaB is apparently teaching me stuff about my hometown.

 

Here's the thing that infuriates me about the college storylines. Bay is devastated that she didn't get into Pratt. However, Kansas City Art Institute is a pretty good art school. I know several people who went there and they definitely would recommend it for art students. Now for Daphne. Very few schools even have pre-med as a major. Medical schools are now taking people from most disciplines. She should be looking at schools for biology or chemistry. I even know people who majored in English for undergrad and then went to med school. From what my friends have said, med schools are looking for people from all backgrounds. Just like pre-law isn't a major anymore, neither is pre-med.

[Primetimer]

Make lemon cake. And art. And try not to get shot. Digging in to a very twisty Switched At Birth!

Read the story

[Athena]

Is it me or is the show better than it was the last couple of seasons? I've enjoyed the family and character drama much more these last three episodes. Daphne is not hooking up with anyone new and almost everyone has had a family storyline even Travis last week.

 

Gosh, Toby is definitely one of my TV boyfriends. He is the best brother. What's funny is that I noticed Regina hugged him right away when she saw him, but Daphne didn't. Ha!

 

It figures that when Gilles Martini finally shows some acting he gets put on a cliffhanger deathbed. I don't think this show would kill him soon. On another network sure, but it's too early in the season and this is ABC Family. I didn't like the ugliness of the Regina/Angelo fight, but it was very real. No wonder they had an up and down relationship.

 

The signing in the security office was contrived, but cute. I like it when this show does signing without oral communication.

[CleoCaesar]

Definitely a downgrade from last week's episode. The East Riverside plot is way past its expiration date. Wes is cute though. I've never much liked Angelo, mostly due to Gilles Marini's stilted acting, so I don't really care what happens to him. I doubt the fabric of the Vasquez-Kennish families would be torn if he were to die.

 

Oh and Toby, shave off that thing on your face. The goatee made me think he looked like an old Dutch painting or something. 

[possibilities]

I think the show has been improving, also.

 

I am a fan of Toby and I am usually a fan of facial hair. But Toby's facial hair is gruesomely horrible and he needs to get rid of it immediately.

 

I thought it was okay that they didn't have Regina actually shoot someone. I thought it was enough to raise the possibility.

 

I also thought it was fine that Bay didn't get into Pratt. TV makes things look too easy. Let her do something else. I also like that she wants to do street art again. I have to admit that i don't find her art very interesting or inspiring, so if they had been trying to sell her as "exceptional" I would not have bought it. I like her a lot, I just don't think she's great artist. I've seen better, even from kids her age. I'm totally fine with that, though. There are millions of kids who love art and are not more talented than she is. It's more interesting to see what she can do with her non-exceptional abilities than it is to see a prodigy rise to the top as prodigies inevitably do.

 

Toby wanting to be a DJ is the same thing. He's fine as a musician, but having him not become a megastar makes him more interesting. We don't need to see Toby have a meteoric rise to fame. Let's see a normal person find a career that suits him and his interests.

 

Daphne bonding with Angelo right before his accident is typical TV stuff but I'll give it a better late than never pass. I don't really want them to kill him off, but I don't want to watch the predictable schmaltz that would follow a TV accident like this either. So I don't know where they're going and I'm not looking forward to it, either way. Though i will say that showing him win then lose all that money was kind of satisfying-- not in a revengeful way, but just because that actually does happen to people. It's like Bay and Toby not being superstars; here's a guy who doesn't know how to manage his life and is kind of a fuck up. Like so many people we actually know....

 

The litany of family failures was fun. I like this show when they are being truthful and proportionate about human fallibility and family dynamics. If they never show us another boyfriend of the week, I'll be happy.

[KBrownie]

 

Definitely a downgrade from last week's episode.

 

I agree.  This was, overall, the weakest of the four that have aired so far in 3B.  It had its strong points, but as a whole it wasn't hitting on all points like the first three have done.

 

The East Riverside stuff just seems so pointless.  It's not like it directly affect any of the characters.  I understand Regina wanting to help the old neighborhood, but at the end of the day, her home/business isn't going to be affected.  And none of the other characters are affected or seem to really care all that much.  It's looking more and more that it was all just a plot point to get Angelo out of the picture so Regina can hook up with Wes.

 

One thing that I did like about this episode was that it was light on the guest characters.  This show has way too many guest characters that they try to give story to and fit in where they don't always make sense or they are completely separate from the main stories that it just seem like valuable time is being wasted.  This was all about the main cast members except for Emmett, but that's not such a big deal because he's had good stories the past three episodes.  I do hope he's back next week though. He should be there for Bay and Daphne and plus he disappeared way too much in the past for my liking.  Especially when there was so much focus on other non-essential characters.

Edited July 8, 2014 by KBrownie

[bettername2come]

I like how the drama separated into the original families for the duration of the episode. I'm always happy to see Lucas Grabeel on Switched at Birth. I figured it would be Angelo at the end, and figured the gun was probably a fakeout since that would require legal ramifications, although I did briefly wonder if he would heroically push Daphne out of the way of the gun. I do like when Angelo gets protective of Daphne. I do think it's interesting that we only see that physical protectiveness in his relationship with Daphne, even though he's much closer to Bay. I think he still sees that three year old girl he left when Daphne is in danger, especially given that those are the only times I can remember him calling her his daughter.

 

My favorite line of the night was after Kathryn sold the lie about them being deaf artists from Iceland. "Twins?" "Deaf?" I think I'd watch a whole show based on Kennish family hijinks. 

[Bec]

It's more interesting to see what she can do with her non-exceptional abilities than it is to see a prodigy rise to the top

Ha, yeah, huge contrast to Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls getting into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale with a single-minded focus on becoming the next Christiane Amanpour. Though this show does have a tendency to make some things too easy (like Daphne being good at everything and attracting every dude ever), so I have a feeling this is just to keep Bay in Kansas City for the show to go on (later we might still have to swallow that she's an art superstar). Just like Daphne will probably stay close for school because Angelo is in a coma or something.

 

Parts of this was like an after-school special with the moral of "guns are bad, mmmkay?" I mean, I'm not comfortable around guns myself, but Regina's proclamation of "it's a deadly weapon!" and the dramatic music of doom when she got the gun out of her glove compartment was a bit much. And of course she ended up pointing it at her child by mistake. Okay, lesson learned! I guess we'll never see that gun again then.

 

Also, I guess Daphne learned to never enter without knocking and announcing herself, even if the door is open a crack. Someone might take you for an intruder and kill you. Lesson to live by!

 

But I wasn't at all worried, not even for a second, that they would kill off Daphne. Hee.

 

I guess suspicions of infidelity has always been Angelo's thing. He thought Regina cheated on him when Daphne came along looking like she can't possibly be biologically his. You would think he would have learned his lesson after already making accusations that turned out to be unfounded before. Anyway, is theirs supposed to be a real marriage now? I thought it's still a sham marriage to keep Angelo in America. I lost track somewhere around when that other chick turned up pregnant.

 

I was oddly disappointed that no one was shot. The big dramatic "accident" was just Angelo getting into a car accident? Aw, I feel let down.

[t7686]

I agree with another poster who said that this season has been much better than the last few seasons. I like the bonding scenes with Bay, Toby (yay he's back!) and their parents in contrast with Daphne and Angelo. That said, I miss seeing Daphne with the Kennishes and... We've never seen Bay much with Angelo, Regina and the grandmother much ( sans that summer which was mostly off screen) have we? Saw Angelo being the one hurt in the promo a mile away. The writers keep repeating the same story just with different details. Regina's the "bad guy" because she doesn't tell everyone some secret or another, hell breaks out , it's righted and she apologies only to do it all over again. Ugh, as much as I like both Toby and Bay, it would have been better to make them be the ones to get in the car accident. Both would be a cool way to bring the whole cast together in a way Angelo can't. Plus, there could be some complications due to the switch that might make Bay being the one hurt interesting. Angelo, eh, he's only really close the Daphne (though a sweet turn of events) if they try to say he's more to the others (even Bay at this point) it'll come off unbelievably.

[stopeslite]

 

Also, I guess Daphne learned to never enter without knocking and announcing herself, even if the door is open a crack. Someone might take you for an intruder and kill you. Lesson to live by!

Yeah, I couldn't believe that Daphne only yelled "Mom" ONCE, when she knew that Regina was in there somewhere. Honestly! 

[izabella]

Regina is just so stupid and irresponsible.  There were at least two better options than what she chose to do when she pulled up and saw the graffiti.  1. Leave and get somewhere safe.  Whoever did it could still be around.  You don't go up and start cleaning up in the dark.  The police might want to get evidence or something.  2. CALL THE POLICE!  I wouldn't blame Daphne one bit for being pissed off at having a gun pointed in her face.  By her own mother no less.

 

I couldn't believe she was being so dumb.  You want a police report on that kind of thing in case it escalates.  Having a gun must have made her feel like she could handle it, but it just made her dumb. 

[Saradactyl]

 

Also, I definitely thought there wasn't a electric car charging station anywhere in KC, but I just looked it up and there's apparently one next to the Kauffman Center. SaB is apparently teaching me stuff about my hometown.

 

Yay for the Kauffman Center!  Also there are several electric car charging parking spots at the big library in Overland Park.  Primo spots too.  

 

Good Kennish stuff this week, but the Vasquez side was slightly annoying.  I'm not really a fan of the "jump back ___ hours" plot device.  I'd rather just watch the story unfold rather than have that in the back of my mind all episode.  Like I wasn't too worried about Daphne at Regina's store because I knew that the call came after the Kennishes were already in bed.

[Bobcatkitten]

Smiled through most of the episode. Schmaltzy? Yes. But I thought it was the best one of the season. I loved the Kennish bonding. Especially the scene discussing their failures to Bay - rejection letters, marriage etc - and then John chimes in on how terrible being a senator is. It was great. I do wish Bay would stop saying mean things to her mom, who is pretty awesome. 

 

The scene in the kitchen with Daphne just makes me wish they would let this medical thing go. She loves cooking. It's in her soul. Why aren't they using that? 

[Scarlett45]

I do like that the show has kept people "true to their character"- for example Angelo, he is very weak and insecure and likes to take the easy way out. Yes he regrets walking out on Daphne, and attempted to get in touch years later (pre switch reveal) and Regina DID shut him out (for valid and selfish reasons), but Regina is right, he is the one that cheated on HER with a one night stand, didn't use protection and conceived a child. And after all his struggles to get custody, he COULDNT raise that one either. The one that was biologically his because it was just too "hard" aka Regina didn't want to help him. Being a single parent with a million dollars in the bank (I am taking out his lawyer bills and taxes) was just "too hard".

Angelo is lazy. Truth. He has big dreams, ala the restaurant, but no common sense sometimes- he is almost 40!

He is accusing Regina of cheating when HE is the one with that problem. Projecting on her not keeping Daphne safe, where has he been?

Edited July 9, 2014 by Scarlett45

[BC Mama]

My favourite part of this episode was John showing up to support Bay with the generator! He has been the parent to show the least amount of support for her street art, so his confidence in her was especially touching.

[Zima]

This episode bored me to death. It was like torture trying to get through it. The only things I liked were:

 

1.The return of Toby

2. The fact that Daphne didn't get a new love interest

3. Angelo might be dead

 

Bay not getting into the school of her dreams kind of pisses me off. I bet Daphne will automatically be accepted into any pre-med or chef school she applies to, but not Bay. In fact, I bet if Daphne applied to an art school, she would get in right away, just because she's DAPHNE. I  loved last week's episode so much because she didn't get that Latina scholarship. HAHA, bitch!

[joanne3482]

Bay not getting into the school of her dreams kind of pisses me off. I bet Daphne will automatically be accepted into any pre-med or chef school she applies to, but not Bay.

 

I'm okay with Bay not getting into the art school of her dreams, but I agree if Daphne gets into every single school she applies to without waitlisting or anything like that I'll be annoyed. Also, how can Bay have a rejection letter and Daphne is retaking the SATs?  I can see Bay applying under early acceptance and getting her letter, but if Daphne wanted to go to some of these high flying "pre-med" programs she too probably should have been applying early admission. In my experience regular admission deadlines for fancy schools are usually too late. 

[dmmetler]

Bay is applying to enter in December and graduate early, Daphne isn't graduating until May.