S03.E20: The Girl On The Cliff

[AmandaPanda]

Bay and Emmett are elected prom king and queen on a new episode of "Switched at Birth." Regina, Kathryn, and John are shocked when Bay tells them about the extent of Daphne's self-destructive behavior, prompting the parents to set some ground rules. Bay reconsiders attending the prom when the school board implements a new rule regarding dance dress code. Daphne continues her downward spiral when a bad decision puts her job at the clinic in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Tank helps Toby grow his deejay business, but their bromance is tested when Toby is offered a gig at Omega Psi.

Edited August 6, 2014 by AmandaPanda

[Scarlett45]

When I went to prom (11 years ago) a classmate wore a sequined tux and the coolest black stilettos with spikes- she wasn't gay (came with her boyfriend) but really wanted to wear a tux, I thought she looked great and it wasn't an issue even though I went to a small private school. Having dress codes regarding too much skin I can understand but this- I was proud of Bay for standing for Natalie and Hilary, Natalie as a character as been a nice edition to the series. 

 

Daphne, Daphne, Daphne......stealing Oxicodone? What in the world? Regina was right, after ALL of the opportunities she has had, after Regina has worked to give her best education and enrichment she could, after all John and Kathyrn have done for her she acts like THIS??!! UGH.....

[Primetimer]

Bay takes the tough stands, but not without consequences.

Read the story

[stopeslite]

Seriously, what they do to poor Bay on this show. It was great to have a "Stand up for all the people" showdown, and if she had been snarky about the prom the entire time it would have been awesome, but she had a day or two there where she wanted to be pretty and the center of attention and have a night for herself for once. She had a few fleeting moments of feeling special, and then... nope, have to be an activist again. I know she wanted to. I know she couldn't have lived with herself if she hadn't. But jeez, can't the girl have something that is her thing to be happy about, without having to take care of everyone else in the process?

 

Daphne finally broke, and it's about time. Too bad that didn't happen before she stole drugs. I did really like that they brought back the switch with Katherine talking about all that lost time. That was a good use of the background of it. 

 

Toby, Toby, Toby. Just... jeez, Toby.

[BC Mama]

First of all, Bay if I didn't love you before, this episode would have been the clincher for me. You looked gorgeous in that dress, but you were a total knock-out in the suit!

 

Second of all, Daphne, I have no sympathy for you. She thinks she can do coke, and then tell her parents it won't happen again, and all will be okay. She thinks she can steal a narcotic, and apologize and keep her job. Sorry for your loss, but the world does not work that way (although, until this episode, the world kind of did for Daphne).

 

And third of all, John, you are an arrogant dick. You have had some moments in this half season that has warmed me up to you, but your attitude to therapy totally ruined any goodwill your past actions had created. Therapy is not wallowing. Depression is not wallowing. Attitudes like this only further the stigma against mental illness and I wish that John's reaction to Kathryn's very solid suggestion was given more attention.

[KBrownie]

 

Seriously, what they do to poor Bay on this show. It was great to have a "Stand up for all the people" showdown, and if she had been snarky about the prom the entire time it would have been awesome, but she had a day or two there where she wanted to be pretty and the center of attention and have a night for herself for once. She had a few fleeting moments of feeling special, and then... nope, have to be an activist again. I know she wanted to. I know she couldn't have lived with herself if she hadn't. But jeez, can't the girl have something that is her thing to be happy about, without having to take care of everyone else in the process?

 

I know, right?!  And Emmett was so eager and willing to give her that night where she would have been the center of his world.  His face (and he gives such great face) was so disappointed when he saw her come down in the suit and when he realized what it was about.  And you could tell Bay was worried if he would like what she was wearing when she asked him before they left and at the end when they were outside.  They both handled the whole situation very well.  But they usually do when they are talking and communicating and being honest and not leaving anything out.  

 

The way they both handled it was great though.  Bay got to take a stand and Emmett got to voice his disappointment, but told her she would always be beautiful.  And she was.  That suit with the corsage to match Emmett was great on her!  And them as twins was actually quite visually stunning.  They are still completely adorable when it's just the two of them interacting together and enjoying each other with no drama.  

 

The Matthew thing was kind of out of nowhere, but I was glad that it didn't cause any problems for anyone.

 

[jtn]

I'm guessing Daphne wishes she hadn't been so pissy with her mother about the Angelo's insurance money about now... maybe Regina can back out of funding the college deaf program and instead fund the paying for construction equipment and lawyers fee to avoid hard prison time.  I'm still hopeful Daphne will do some hard time and we see a time jump of several years that picks up again with her being released.  Most judges are going to look at her and say "blackmail conviction, stolen Oxycontin, and felony vandalism at Northwestern and at the construction site... I think stripes will be flattering on you..."  but this is ABC Family so something will be pulled out of someone's posterior and after some insane maneuvering she will have learned her lesson and be preachy and sound like Nancy Reagan giving PSAs on the dangers of drug use.  I just hope they show Nacho getting 10-15 for his actions in the same courtroom with Daphne getting her probation because she can afford a lawyer and appear contrite.  Hell, if I was Chip Coto, once I found out about this, I'd drop a dvd of "The Bad Seed" in the mail to Regina.

[RachelKM]

Seriously, what they do to poor Bay on this show. It was great to have a "Stand up for all the people" showdown, and if she had been snarky about the prom the entire time it would have been awesome, but she had a day or two there where she wanted to be pretty and the center of attention and have a night for herself for once. She had a few fleeting moments of feeling special, and then... nope, have to be an activist again. I know she wanted to. I know she couldn't have lived with herself if she hadn't. But jeez, can't the girl have something that is her thing to be happy about, without having to take care of everyone else in the process?

I know.  I was seriously proud of her, but I was disappointed they could just let Bay have a day to be a kid without drama for once.  

 

I was ready to slap Emmet when his response to Natalie saying she and Hillary wouldn't be going to the prom was concern for the limo and the after-party.  I get that he was on a mission to give Bay the perfect prom, but dude... perspective.  He redeemed himself fairly well by the end of the episode, but that was not his finest five minutes.

 

I just can't with Daphne.  She's committed a crime in each of the last 3 episodes (4 if you count the reckless endangerment while on coke).  2 of those crimes have been major.  I know everyone will be trying to protect her next week, but if this show doesn't let her feel the fall out from this I will be pissed. 

Edited August 12, 2014 by RachelKM

[bettername2come]

When Emmett asked Bay how Daphne was, it reminded me that I cannot remember the last time they had a one on one scene together. They're supposed to be best friends, and I think he might actually be able to get through to her. He's certainly not afraid to call her on her bad behavior. I think Katie Leclerc played the "Daphne's really angry at herself for being angry at Angelo" moment well, but that girl needs some consequences now. I did enjoy the Regina/Daphne/Kathryn hug at the end of the episode.

 

It was totally obvious Emmett was trying to make up for ruining the last prom, to the point of ignoring his friend's needs. I did like that he stuck up for Natalie in the end and had a pleasant interaction with Matthew (would not have guessed the night would end with him and Sharee dancing). I think the show uses Emmett vocalizing very effectively. Two words and you know that he's finally taking the situation seriously.

 

Bay is awesome. She's a good friend, a good sister, and she can work a tux and dress equally well.

 

Max Adler, I love you. Now please go away.

[LisaM]

I loved this episode. Bay standing up for Natalie and Hillary was terrific. I thought that she looked gorgeous in her dress and in her matching tux. Loved the "outdoor prom". I also liked seeing Sharee intermingling with the deaf kids after the rough beginning that both groups had when the hearing kids started at Carlton.

Loved the co-parenting scenes with Daphne which brought back the switch. Also loved Kathryn talking with Daphne about all the time lost with her bio daughter due to the switch. Very curious to see what is going to happen with Daphne. I can't see the show sending her off to prison - this is not OITNB - but perhaps they want to show how a deaf person deals in a hearing prison?

Edited August 12, 2014 by LisaM

[morakot]

I felt sorry for Bay who, once again, has a milestone event in her life hijacked by her drama queen sister. I was hoping that Daphne would get together with Tank so they could be manipulative and passive aggressive together. At least, it was nice to see Bay among friends -- including friends who started off as her enemies and she gradually learned to be comfortable with.

[twoods]

I'm getting so tired of Daphne's bitch face (that seems to be the only face she has now). Everything is about her. Now she's caught and everyone is going to rally around her spoiled ass. I hope she goes to jail because nothing else would make sense. If the writers were brave enough to have her do coke, vandalize, and steal drugs then they should be brave enough to give her some consequences.

Edited August 12, 2014 by twoods

[meatball77]

I would love for her to get like six months.  Show what it's like for her for an episode or two and then do a time jump to halfway through freshman year at college for the others. 

[Zima]

Everyone else has pretty much summed up what I think about this episode. I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved the first outfit Bay was wearing: The black shirt with the grommet buckles and the knee-high boots.  As for Daphne...she needs both a lifestyle AND wardrobe intervention STAT! 

[BestestAuntEver]

I loved Bay/Emmett. I was happy Daphne's drama was kept away from the prom. Bay had enough to deal with without adding Daphnee's drama to the night.

I swear they can send Daphne off to prison & make the show about Bay, Emmett, Natalie, Toby, Sheree et al & I would be pleased.

[izabella]

Seriously, what they do to poor Bay on this show. It was great to have a "Stand up for all the people" showdown, and if she had been snarky about the prom the entire time it would have been awesome, but she had a day or two there where she wanted to be pretty and the center of attention and have a night for herself for once. She had a few fleeting moments of feeling special, and then... nope, have to be an activist again. I know she wanted to. I know she couldn't have lived with herself if she hadn't. But jeez, can't the girl have something that is her thing to be happy about, without having to take care of everyone else in the process?

 

This really bothered me, too.  Way to make prom about everyone else but Bay.  Yes, she had fun in the end, but she did want to wear a dress and look pretty, and was excited about it.  

 

The worst part is it was so contrived.  It's like the writers said, whoops, need to have one last "fight against The Man" before graduation and shoehorned this last protest in there.

Edited August 12, 2014 by izabella

[CleoCaesar]

Oy. What a heavyhanded mess. I got so many shades of “Glee” that my stomach still hasn’t settled down. Was anyone not expecting some tiresome gender-bending prom? This has been done on, oh, every other teen show in the past decade if not more.

 

To be fair, I’m of the “oh just wear the dress for a couple of hours, dresses come in all sizes and shapes, hell wear pants underneath if you really want” school of thought, so I wasn’t hugely sympathetic to the main plot of the episode. I didn’t much like dresses in high school and still don’t to an extent but it’s just one night. Acting like you’re being stripped of all your civil rights over something so minor really doesn’t do much for your cause. Comparing it to slavery and fascism? Really?

 

I felt bad for Bay too. Can't she have one night of fun? Emmett was cute and dorkily excited about the prom too, so it wasn't that fair to him either.

[40Love]

The worst part is it was so contrived.

 

 

That was my problem with it too. No school would announce something like just days before the prom. The dress code would have been mentioned to the Senior class long before that. Most people don't wait until last minute to buy formal wear. It's also not believable that such a progressive and inclusive school would have such a rule, even if it was allegedly coming from the School Board. Just plain silly!

 

And where did the Prom Nazi school official come from anyway? I don't ever remember seeing him on the show before. What happened to the kind, patient and understanding female principal who runs the school? 

 

I wish they had let Bay and Emmett have a nice protest-free Prom... with the biggest problem being the Limo driver showing up late. 

[possibilities]

I don't understand why Bay is being regarded as a victim here. I thought she was acting out of choice; no one forced her. I didn't even see anyone pressure her, or ask her in the slightest way to do what she did. She seemed to feel very empowered by her actions and to have a good time with her friends and other students who joined them at the "outside prom." I guess solidarity with her friends and holding fast to her principles was more important to her than wearing a dress on that particular occasion. This makes me like her and respect her. She's a good friend and not a shallow bimbo.

 

RE: why can't the butch lesbian just put on a dress like the admins dictated: same reason it would be considered out of line for the admins to require Emmet or Travis to do so. It's as much of a violation of her as it would be for them. She wouldn't enjoy herself and the rule makes her a second class citizen, which is not a fun way to celebrate. I personally think gender-based rules are stupid for all people of all types, but given the way most macho men would react to being told to dress in certain ways, I don't see why it's fair to impose equivalently aversive manners of dress on anyone else, either. It's undignified for her, and communicates that she is not OK the way she is-- a message she is likely getting many other places as well, so it accumulates and wears a person down. As long as the suicide rate for LGBT teens is more than twice that of straight teens, I will gladly accept as many heavy-handed TV episodes as can be served up, modeling other options than passivity in the face of exclusion and tacit acceptance of these kids being considered "freaks."

 

http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm

The CDC actually found that in environments free of anti-LGBT harrassment, all students fared better-- not only the LGBT students.

Edited August 14, 2014 by possibilities

[Perfect Xero]

And where did the Prom Nazi school official come from anyway? I don't ever remember seeing him on the show before.

 

The same place that the never before seen butch CODA lesbian girlfriend came from.

 

I find it somewhat amusing that just about every deaf kid on the show starts out hating hearing people and wanting to burn the entire school down rather than allowing hearing kids, then changes their tune when they start to think that a hearing female might consent to have sex with them.

[CleoCaesar]

I find it somewhat amusing that just about every deaf kid on the show starts out hating hearing people and wanting to burn the entire school down rather than allowing hearing kids, then changes their tune when they start to think that a hearing female might consent to have sex with them.

 

 

Ha! Very true. And it's not even limited to the kids - Melody "I H8 Hearies" Bledsoe is even dating Hot Gabe, a hearing guy.

[jammaker]

 

I don't understand why Bay is being regarded as a victim here.

 

I don't think it's "Bay's a victim of the dress-code policy" debacle, so much as "Bay's a victim of the writers constantly dumping on her".  After so much upheaval and generally crappiness, it would have been nice to have a drama-free magical senior prom.  Yes, she's a great friend and stood up for her friends and that's great.  Just c'mon writers, cut the girl a break.  Though I guess that wouldn't have made for good TV.

 

 

And where did the Prom Nazi school official come from anyway? I don't ever remember seeing him on the show before.

 

And where was the student recording the whole thing on their cellphone, as evidence that this guy was clearly stepping beyond the bounds of enforcing the dress code and calling them freaks, and "don't even get me started on you", etc.   That's honestly where I expected it to go, that they were going to point out how so very fired he could be for talking like that ... or he could let them into the prom.   It's kind of better that they didn't go into the prom, but I still wonder how none of them recorded it to get him fired.

[jtn]

I found it a bit contrived as well. If that was the policy, they would have known in far in advance and I would have preferred to see her show up in a kilt... or go to the Halloween store and get a full length grim reaper robe... or a toga made out of "My Little Pony" bed sheets (or something equally silly) or pants under a full sized hoop skirt made out of pride flags... there are so many ways to flip off administration while technically adhering to the policy. She could have even made a transformer dress with panels buttoned on to create a skirt or a full tux with a teeny tiny micro mini a size too small around her waist instead of a cummerbund... heck, I'd be tempted to get the policy from the school to double check it, and go out and buy a Barbie dress and pin it on the tux like a corsage. If the rules say you have to wear a dress, its technically adhering to it.

The outside prom is just a cop out.

[amaranta]

I didn't see a link to the art for this episode so I thought I would post one.  Hope that's OK.

 

The Girl on the Cliff by Augustus Edwin John