On Tuesday January 3, 2012, ABC Family began to air new episodes of its successful series, Switched at Birth.
Previously on Switched at Birth
In the ten episodes that were broadcast from June 6, 2011 to August 8, 2011, the first season of Switched at Birth explored the changes in the lives of two Missouri teenage girls, Daphne Paloma Vasquez (Katie Leclerc) and Bay Madeleine Kennish (Vanessa Marano), who learn that they were, as the title suggests, switched at birth.
The situation was further complicated by the cultural and economic differences between the Kennish and the Vasquez families. Daphne’s deafness also added considerations to the difficult task of finding a method to harmoniously conjoin the two families.
Completing Switched at Birth Season 1
A further twenty-two episodes will be broadcast to complete the premiere season of the series.
The second installment of this season has commenced with three unresolved conflicts. Firstly, the father who abandoned Daphne as a baby has returned, and Bay wishes to take the chance to develop a relationship with his as her biological father. Secondly, Bay’s legal parents’ lawsuit against the hospital responsible for the switch of the babies is coming to a head, and finally, Bay’s romantic relationship with Daphne’s male best friend and current crush is causing tension and continuing to create a love-triangle.
Some further subplots are simmering with the potential of developing into complications and conflicts. For example, Daphne’s legal mother may be driven back to the bottle, and bay’s brother’s best friend has begun to have romantic feelings for Daphne, so a love square is far from out of the question.
Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, Sean Berdy, and Austin Butler star in Switched at Birth
The cast of Switched at Birth is much stronger than the casts of most teen dramas.
The actors portraying the teen characters, including Katie, Leclerc as daphne, Vanessa Marano as Bay, Lucas Grabeel as Toby, Sean Berdy as Emmet, and Austin Butler as Wilke, each deliver natural performances. They also seem to have the knack for obtaining and retaining audience interest in their characters. Lucas Gabeel, who previously played brother to Ashley Tisdale in Disney’s High School Musical and the movie series that followed the made-for-television movie, is especially noteworthy in his role as the un-switched Kennish sibling.
Of the parental characters, Kathryn Kennish, played by Lea Thompson, is perhaps the most likeable and sympathetic, but D.W. Moffett as John Kennish and Constance Marie as Regina Vasquez also give good performances. Ivonne Coll, who plays Adrianna Vasquez, is also noticeable in her important supporting role as a grandparent.
Switched at Birth Review
Switched at Birth is an enjoyable and interesting series. It develops its characters and its storylines comparatively well, and unlike many modern series, it seldom starts a plotline without exploring it and pursuing it to some sort of resolution. Like all teen “dramas,” it exhibits soap opera aspects, but to date, it has not become covered in soap scum.
Instead, the character reactions to situations are believable as possible human reactions, and not every storyline is predictable.
Switched at Birth rightly does not seem to seek the level of sophistication and realism achieved by dramas such as Law & Order. The series is commendable for seeming to be aware of its boundaries, and it does maintain that difficult balance between poignancy and comedy necessary for the success of the series.
Elizabeth Fredericks - Elizabeth Fredericks is a graduate of Oxford University, and she has worked as a freelance writer since her first paid assignment as a ...
