Switched at Birth – Season 2

The lives of the Kennish & Vasquez families are still a mess. During the first season they found out that their babies were switched after they were born and this season there’s a whole lot of drama heading their way again. Season two is set up in two parts. Part one aired during the winter of 2013 and part two during the summer.

The power of ‘Switched at Birth’ is the recognisability in my opinion. The families get into situations that are easy to imagine, the conversations they have are relatable, the humour seems spontaneous and the chemistry between the cast members is great which results in a very relaxed outcome. I can imagine this genre isn’t for everyone though. It’s a show about everyday issues, with families in it who are just trying to make the best of life. I personally love these kind of series, especially in the way 'Switched at Birth' is coming across on screen!

The first part of season two takes place during the school year. Bay (Vanessa Marano, 'Scoundrels') decides to participate in a project which leads her to be transferred to ‘Carlton, School for the Deaf’. The same school where Daphne (Katie Leclerc) and Emmet (Sean Berdy) go to. Of course, this doesn’t go as smoothly as she would have liked it to be. The relationship of the ‘sisters’ as well as some boy trouble make for a nice combination of drama. Toby (Lucas Grabeel) has started dating Nikki (Cassi Thomson, 'Big Love'), a relationship that has a lot of ups-and-downs, while Regina (Constance Marie) is dealing with Angelo’s (Gilles Marini, 'Brothers & Sisters') baby-momma who comes out of the blue. John (D.W. Moffett, 'Life is Wild') and Kathryn (Lea Thompson, 'Caroline in the City') are preparing for John’s candidateship for the Senate and in the meanwhile Daphne’s relationship with Travis (Ryan Lane) gets to a whole new level.

An important subject during this part of the season is the impending closing of ‘Carlton’ due to budget cuts. Especially episode nine is one that I’ll remember. It made US history being the first ever episode on the national TV consisting out of (almost) only American Sign Language. It shows a protest, led by Daphne, to keep the school open. A beautiful episode which gave me goosebumps all over and left me with a lot to think about.

Part two of this season takes place in the summertime, and welcomes the return of an old friend, Ty (Blair Redford, 'The Lying Game') who’s back from Afghanistan. The girls both have summer jobs and are leading a seemingly new life. Daphne temporarily moved in with the Kennish family and is spending a lot of time with Kathryin, while Bay decides to move in with Angelo and Regina to live the life she ‘should have’ had. And there’s a lot happening in their love lives as well. Daphne hooks up with a co-worker but this romance seems to be a lot more than she can handle. Bay and Ty also grow closer together while Toby and Nikki decide to get married. Something their families are not that happy about. Regina tries to get her life back on track while Angelo is searching for his missing daughter. John is very busy with his new job, which eventually takes its toll. In the meantime, Kathryn is being placed in an awkward position by one of her husband’s new co-workers.

There’s another special episode in this second part of season two. Episode fifteen, the ‘what if?’ episode. It shows how the lives of the girls would have been if Regina came forward about the switch immediately after she found out. Another episode that gave me goosebumps and is such a nice example of how much the lives of people can change by one decision they make during their lives.

This season of ‘Switched at Birth’ is one that kept its viewer’s greatly entertained again in my opinion. And the cliff-hanger has enough questions in it as well to make you want to watch another season soon. It’s a good thing season three is already announced to be aired next year. I for one can’t wait!