The Switched at Birth finale was packed with drama and excitement! There was a kidnapping, a FBI raid, a birth, a break-up, and a trip to China! And those were just the big things - it seemed like everyone had something crazy going on and the episode left everyone’s future more uncertain than ever.
The situation with Eric, Hope, and Will is still a total mess and it only got messier during this finale. Regina tried to get Eric to agree to move back to Atlanta and work out joint custody in order for him to avoid prison. Regina is the best thing that’s ever happened to him and he’s kind of ungrateful about it. I’m sad for her though because she cares about this family and I actually like them with her. She tried to help Eric so much and in the end, he just ends up abandoning her and leaving her with the FBI on her back. I’m not sure what will end up happening with that. It seems pretty serious but it was dismissed rather quickly. I’m guessing those gaps will be filled in next season because there have to be consequences for this sort of thing.
Meanwhile, Bay’s art show was finally happening! I was so happy for her, she’s my favorite character so I was really proud. I was also equally as disappointed when we found out the whole thing was a set-up by Travis. I really resent this storyline. I wasn’t happy about it before, but now I really hate it. Why couldn't the writer’s just leave it alone. Why do they have to mess everything up for everyone?? I knew this sort of thing would happen and I really think Travis went too far. Is it too much to ask for him to just be a supportive, good friend? Why does he need to be obsessed with her and so meddling. As a consequence of this, Bay found out about Travis’ feelings for her and they kissed and fought. To top it all off, Emmett was back in town for the summer and was there to support Bay. I don't even know anymore. I love Bay and Emmett, and I probably always will, but I love her with this Emmett - not the Emmett we saw back in LA, and I’m just not sure who he is anymore. The writers have toyed with his character so much this season I don’t know what to believe.
Daphne and Mingo also had their fair share of trouble during the finale. Daphne was interviewing for a summer internship in China but it turns out that Quinn was in town and was going to be the one interviewing her, which was kind of weird. I'm not a fan of Quinn, mainly because I actually like Mingo a lot and I hate how Daphne’s love interests are always so short lived - you start to like someone and then the writers take them away. Anyways, Quinn is totally playing her and basically saying that being with him and the internship are a package deal. Why would she even want to work with someone like him? While all this is going on, Mingo is being a supportive guy and even when it becomes obvious that him and Daphne need to take a break, he gives her the idea to go to China without Quinn and just do it for herself. This leads her to ask Bay to come along too and it seems like it’s going to be a “switchsters” adventure! I love it! I’m a bit disappointed with the time jump because I wanted to see all of their adventures, we got a snippet but it wasn’t enough, hopefully we’ll get to see some fun flashbacks next season.
John and Kathryn are in the process of selling the car wash and it’s about to close when someone from their past comes back with some bad news. Their lawyer from the switch lawsuit, Craig, is the lawyer for the car wash buyer. They found some problems with the property and are lowering their initial offer. I totally forgot about him and especially his thing with Kathryn. With the way John has been acting this season I would be all for more Craig next season, he’s an upgrade! Kathryn ends up using Craig’s feelings against him and getting a better deal for the car wash. I’m still not really sure if she was completely playing him. I feel like there was something real there too so it will be interesting to see where everything stands when we come back next season.
Finally, in the final minutes of the episode, Toby and Lily’s baby was born! Their baby is super cute and they end up naming him Carlton, as a nod to where Toby and Lily met and it obviously holds a special place in everyone else’s heart as well. It was a beautiful moment between the whole family and these are the moments that Switched at Birth does really well. In the closing moments, we are flashed forward 10 months to China, where we see Bay and Daphne living and working. Bay gets a mysterious phone call and it’s crazy enough for them to have to pick up and go home. This cliffhanger could really be anything, we have no idea what’s happened during the time jump. They practically skipped a whole year, which is way more than just the summer, but they’re still in China - what’s up with that?? I honestly have no idea what to expect for the future but it seems like the show is moving in a different and interesting direction.
Overall, I’m looking forward to next season. I have a feeling it could be the last and I want them to give us everything they’ve got. This has been a season of transitions. They really had to find where the show stood now that Bay and Daphne were out of high school and on different paths, which is a difficult task for every show that faces this dilemma. Although, at times, I felt like some of the magic that made this show great had faded, overall, there was still enough to keep me invested in these characters that I’ve come to love. With the 10 month time jump at the end of the finale, I’m curious to see what happened along the way and what is so important that Bay and Daphne need to drop their new lives and come home. One thing’s for sure, if next year is as interesting as the end of this episode leads us to believe, there should be a crazy fifth season ahead!
What did you think of the finale? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading (even though it’s a bit late)!
About the Author - Kate Sidwell
Kate is a 24 year old, USA based, Psychology/Public Health Researcher - but that’s just her day job! In her spare time she is an avid TV watcher (some may even say addict!!). Some of her favorite shows are Jane the Virgin, Bates Motel, The Flash, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Rookie Blue, Silicon Valley, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, The 100, The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Royals, Orphan Black…so pretty much too many to count and a huge variety! She’ll give pretty much any show a chance! She also devotes a lot of time to her tumblr (
eat-sleep-breathe-tv.tumblr.com) where you can find her reviewing and commenting on most of these shows and just generally fangirling! She’s excited to be writing for SpoilerTV on Complications, Baby Daddy, Proof, Switched at Birth, Secrets and Lies, and Minority Report!
