Switched at Birth returned from its long midseason hiatus this week and jumped right into the relationship drama. Bay and Emmett hit a bit of a rough patch in the midseason premiere. Not only is there a fairly significant communication barrier between this couple, but Daphne has also been hit by the jealousy bug and seems rather determined to claim Emmett for herself. Bay and Emmett will be hitting another obstacle in the January 10 episode, when Marlee Matlin returns as Emmett's mother, Melody, and lets her disapproval of their relationship be known.
We recently chatted with Switched at Birth's creator and showrunner Lizzy Weiss, who helped shed some light on Bay and Emmett's relationship woes, why Daphne is feeling jealous and whether there might be a chance for romance between Daphne and Wilkie.
Bay and Emmett: “It’s inherently challenging to date someone so different from you" Lizzy explained. "You have a serious language barrier - Bay is not just trying to learn [ASL] as fast as she can and she’s doing great, but she’s not fluent - and Emmett can’t read lips perfectly. So [until Bay becomes fluent] that’s always going to be a challenge. Melody is going to put up some roadblocks as well. Like any mother, she’s protective of her son if she foresaw challenges and would want to have her child to avoid that and avoid pain. We do a lot this season with Emmett’s family. We meet his dad this season - his parents are going through a divorce and like any kid of divorced parents, it’s very much a struggle for him."
Daphne's Pursuit of Emmett: Is Daphne pursuing Emmett because she genuine has feelings for him or because she's jealous that Bay has started dating her best friend? We put that question to Lizzy Weiss, who said “I think it’s all of that. I think as he pointed out to her - or accused her of - in the finale, he’s a security blanket. They do have a bond that Bay and Emmett will never have, which is true. Whether or not that needs to be love remains to be seen. Daphne is going through a lot and, as she said in episode 9, [he's] the one thing she could always count on so she clung to it. But she’s going to have to figure out this season: 'how hard do I fight?' [She also needs to consider] 'is this really the right way to get emotionally what I need?'”
Daphne and Wilkie: Switched at Birth fans might have noticed a sweet bonding moment between Daphne and Wilkie in the midseason premiere, which led us to ask Lizzy whether there's a chance for a relationship between them. She teased: “Well that’s something that they have different perspectives on and we play with. We take time with that relationship. There’s a lot of Wilkie in this season.”
What's Next for Toby: Lizzy couldn't tell us very much, but she did manage to drop a relationship hint for Toby. We know that “He gets more time with his band. We have more of him singing and we have a lot of fun with the Toby/Wilkie friendship.” But Lizzy also told me that "Toby will get a love interest [this season]."
Familial Relationships: Of course, romantic relationships aren't the only problematic relationships on Switched at Birth. I made a point to ask Lizzy about the mother-daughter relationships, especially since it seems like Kathryn has made more of an effort to reach out to Daphne than Regina has with Bay. She said: “Yes, I would say that Kathryn makes an effort, but there’s still a hesitancy there and Lea [Thompson] and I have talked a lot about this and Lea feels strongly that [Kathryn] has a much deeper bond with Bay than with Daphne. Even though Daphne is her biological daughter, there’s the added distancing element of her daughter being deaf, which is still so new to her and the language is still so new to her, so it’s not quite as natural with Daphne. She does make an effort, but she’s not as quite as natural a mom as she is with Bay. And that’s a real choice Lea has made. [As for] Regina, I would agree in the last season she and Bay barely had any scenes together, except for the one where Bay found out the truth and felt so betrayed. This season, both Regina and Bay mutually make more of an effort to get to know each other.”
Don't miss an all new episode of Switched at Birth on Tuesday, January 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC Family.
WHAT THE FREAK WHY DID HE GET ARRESTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Because he put Bay's painting up on that abandoned billboard as her birthday gift.
I know this sounds stupid, but I hope John cheats on Kathryn… He's famous and it just seems like it would add a new kind of drama to the show..
That’s a bitchy thing to say
ya but its a tv show get over it more drama more viewers