Love Among The Ruins

OKAY..and Season 3 is back with the second half of the season. 11 more episodes scheduled and on production right now is the episode 20 directed by no other than DW Moffett (aka John Kennish) but we are not here to talk about that episode yet, as we all know, Season 3B (Summer section) just premiered this past Monday June 16^th and what an episode it was!!! I can say, I’m a little biased here, but as a great admired of the Deaf actors on the show, having no less than 10 ALL ASL scenes (ok, some with sim-com too) just made this episode my second favorite, loosing just to episode 9 of season 2 (The ALL ASL Episode) on this category. Also complementing that, as a Bemmett fan, the 4 Bemmett scenes were very fulfilling to the whole story. Anyway, let’s talk about what really happened here.

Paying close attention to the whole episode, every single scene was done by one of the main characters and very few with interactions of the supporting characters, meaning, mostly the main characters were interacting with each other, that made the scenes run extremely well done. We know after 3 years working together, all the actors and crew, already know how the other works and how they act, so at this point I can assume that they don’t get any surprises or make any mistakes on how to perform with each other (I’m not saying they can’t forget the lines or run into a problem during shootings, but if they do, they should know how to fix it by now) It also means that the show CAN have a great story and lots of action without needing the aid of too many supporting characters who can take away the focus from the main characters. Let’s face it, the season premiere’s episode (I’m talking about Season 3 Episode 1) had so many new characters and threw in so many new plots that we barely saw the main characters interacting with each other, and the whole section was developing those plots which kept the main characters out of the focus, at least in my point of view. The show can run very well and has been proved many times, and now once again, with just the main characters which make the show a lot more pleasant to watch. I’m sorry to Toby, but again, he was not really missed on the story. I do love the character of the good older brother, but it just doesn’t make him that necessary for a great episode.

Stepping into the production department, I’m impressed with the set designer and prop master, the detail of “The Hammer” movie poster on Emmett’s bedroom, the Bemmett memories in the box, the new paint canvas on Bay’s studio, the new couch on Bay’s studio were very nice choices. After reading so many stories of fans wanting Bay to sleep in her studio’s couch, I was wondering if I ever missed it, that couch was never shown before. Chair yes, but not couch. Not only that department, I also have to say “Bravo” to the director Norman Buckley, the camera angles that captured all the great performances on ALL the actors were amazing. No need to say that Marlee Matlin and Sean Berdy scenes were literally breathtaking. Melody’s expressions seeing her son hurt and angry at Matthew just proved again the reason why this amazing actress won an Academy Award. As for Sean Berdy, he needs one! That actor can go from sad, to hurt, to angry, to relieved in such an amazing way that blew my mind. The feeling of crying in pain and hurt along with him was not just mine, but many other fans I spoke with this past 2 days since the episode aired. People telling me they could not stop crying while watching Emmett’s scenes. Where there is a great direction and a great actor, we, audience, will feel the story inside ourselves and live in it. On one little detail that I cannot say if it was scripted or directed, but the scene when Emmett and Matthew discuss about what happened, Emmett left Matthew and took off his cap, that he was using to hide his face and avoid saying he got into a fight with Matthew, however since he realized that THAT was in fact a good thing because it brought him back to Bay (and vice-versa) he took off the cap to prove he has nothing to hide, he won Bay back, he is the winner of that situation, regardless of what his face looks like.

Daphne and Bay’s little trip to East Riverside was as funny as it was deep. Daphne determination to defend her mother was a clue to a new character building into Daphne’s future story. She crosses her fear to go to the neighborhood and yell at one of the worst gang-member there so she could protect her mother, or try to. But what it came after her mother tells her she is still going to be involved in the neighborhood project, she then crosses her hesitation of getting close to Angelo. If you remember on season 3A, she didn’t have feelings for Angelo as her father and had no real interest in getting close to him, but with a sudden turn of events she finds herself not letting this feelings or fear of the past to interfere with what she wants to accomplish, protect her mother, so she asks Angelo to move in making him part of the family again. Only one thing I was wondering, did they talk to the Kennishes about that? After all, it is their house they are living in. I assume that the Kennishes will have no problem with that, they already lived with Angelo for a while during the immigration process, but out of respect, a conversation about that decision should have taken place. Well, many things happened off-screen, so it could have happened…moving on.

The whole story between Matthew and Emmett was one of the best. There are no heroes without a villain, and Daniel Durant portrays this villain brilliantly. Matthew has a big baggage there we just don’t know it, or at least not yet, let’s see what the writers and producers are going to show us on the upcoming episodes, but from the events of this episode we can definitely see, this Matthew revenge was built out of something that may have happened between Emmett and Matthew apart from the whole “car slashing” suspension thing. Matthew got even madder at Emmett after he told him that he did him a favor with the whole Mandy story, that he brought him Bay back. It seemed to me that, if Emmett hadn’t told him he was happy with Bay, Matthew would let it go..at least for a while. Now, what I really didn’t understand was, the flyers with Emmett texts to Mandy posted around the school, it is a school, over 100 students (I assume) and the ONLY Emmett that goes there is the Emmett Bledsoe? Really? Of course, we knew it was him, of course he knew it was him, but the rest of the school doesn’t, if he had just ignore it and ask which Emmett was that post about, maybe no one would have known anything at all. The good thing was that his mom is a smart woman and she figured it out about the whole Mandy thing. Melody (mama bear), as always, reasoning with Emmett gives him the best and righteous advice as a mother can give. A crime/criminal cannot be unpunished. Emmett had to overcome his fears for what Matthew had planned for him to come in front of the principal and tell her what was happening. The fear of being even more humiliated as the whole school, if not town, now would know he was the victim of cyber bullying, but in his head he was just telling the world he was a stupid person to fall for it. That was a price he had to pay, he faced his fears of being publicly humiliated in order to do what he thought it was right and to show the world how to deal with crimes like that. This until Matthew shows up at the principal office and gives Emmett yet an even scarier thing for Emmett to be afraid of him. Emmett could have passed his fears of humiliation at that point, but whatever is that Matthew still have against Emmett is something a lot more than he is ready to handle now. Let’s see what comes next on that.

Melody was right about cyber bullying, it needs to be punished, and it is great that the show is covering that issue so it can show the world some consequences from both points of view, the victim and the bully (criminal). Melody and her counselor instincts were not very in tune once her anger kicked in. She had so much fear about what can happen to her son that she let the anger blind her. In my way of viewing, she did what many mothers would do. I’m not talking about attacking her son’s “enemy” to protect him, but most important, worried about him first, putting his life, wellness in front of her life and specially her job. Her fear was about what would happen to her son, not about what would happen to her, she comes second, her job comes second and once she realizes that, she crossed her line from being the good counselor to being a good mother. Poor Matthew did show fear of her.

Needless to say, Bay and her liberal, fix it all temper had her share of problems to deal with on this episode. Tank, Emmett, Regina and next week apparently her father will be on her back too. But her story here was giving the viewers a couple messages, one of them are the consequences of unprotected sex. It was a beautiful scene, the spring finale, when Bay and Emmett really let their feelings flow leading to love making. A real love making since both are really in love to each other, but just because they are in the moment, it doesn’t mean they can forget about the consequences of the “after moment”. Teen pregnancy is a very real issue out there and if every girl were as savvy as Bay was, there would be more ways to prevent this issue. Bay taught us that just because you made a mistake in the moment; it doesn’t mean you have to live with it, that without even thinking about other types of consequences it may have, like diseases for one. Bay had to face her fear of what could have happened from her unthoughtful actions and get herself ahead to deal with it. It didn’t mean she had to do it on her own, she asked Daphne to help her, but she overcame the fear and dealt with it. Her involvement with Regina’s problem was the opposite, she was there for Daphne more than for herself, but she was also for Regina. As another daughter, she wanted to help protect Regina from the gang-member threatening her. One thing led to another, and she ended up exposing Regina’s fear and lie to her parents, John and Kathryn. Bay had her worst problem to deal with her feeling for Emmett and Tank. It was never a question to her that she really wants to be with Emmett but after learning about Tank’s decision to de-pledge his fraternity for her, she felt sorry for him and really responsible for him. She felt it was her fault that now he has no friends and need to leave his room, but more than that he is breaking his father’s legacy in his life. That gave her so much remorse that she was incapable to break up with him to be with Emmett. Her and Emmett also didn’t start things right, she also blamed him for not being that prepared on the night they had sex, she blamed him, in part, for her feeling bad about having to take the morning after pill and for “making” her a cheater, leading her to hurt Tank’s feelings. That was not a good start at all and it definitely didn’t help her to be brave enough to make a decision of what she wants to do in that situation. It is not hard to find courage and face your fears when love for the other person speaks up higher than any other feelings. Bay, as we all know, is one of the bravest character in the show, especially when it comes to relationships, she has a strong attitude and behavior and can just “go for it” when she really wants to be with a guy, so why would it be any different now. Once she realized that she has nowhere to hide her feelings for Emmett anymore, she stepped up and just went for it. Her fear of what can happen from now on, due to their past, and her fear of remorse about what, she understand, Tank did for her was overcome by the courage to stand up for what she believes is the right thing..the right thing for her is to follow her heart, let her love for Emmett control her life and fear it no more. I can’t just continue writing without mentioning that the last scene once again, was one of the best Bemmett’s scenes. Although some people were expecting their conversation to be a little more melo-dramatic or romantic, the theme song choice gave us a completely different idea, one of a very happy ending. Same happened on the spring finale while they were having their intimate moment and when the song expected for that moment was a very different one than the one chosen by the producers, yet the one chosen was just as amazing, giving the happy ending feelings. On top of it, the performance and direction (again, have to mention it) was really Bemmett. Vanessa and Sean have what it takes to make us believe in real love, friendship, understanding and tenderness. For the first time in 3 seasons, Emmett touching Bay’s face in a tender gesture is what shows how a real couple should act. (Sorry, yes, I am a Bemmett fan, and it was so cute to see Vanessa almost on the tip of her toes to hug Sean, please Courtney Stern, next time give her some good and tall high heels). Still about the Bemmett moment, it was great to see how it started and finished on "Blue River Road" location where they always meet to stay together. ON Season 1 Episode 23, Bay asked Emmett to meet her there and told him that "he ripped the fabric apart and he cannot put back together with words", he then said "he would wait until he FIGURES out how he could". Episode 23 was the premiere of the Summer/Fall section for season 1 which was aired on September 3, 2012, on this episode, again Bay asked Emmett to meet her on their private place and tell him all the opposite of what she told him the last time they were there. "she won't let things drive them apart" and she was they one who promised that "they will figure it out". Talking about relation between one script line to the other, Lizzy Weiss rocked this one, for sure.

The story of Regina and her disregards for the threat was very powerful in a way to show us, the viewers, the whole meaning of this episode. I tell myself, I will learn how Lizzy Weiss (writer/creator) thinks by watching her episodes messages very closely. As John Kennish says, they never knew a Regina that was coward. Of course, as Bay’s mother, we know where Bay got her talent for art and her braveness, Regina got a wake up call from John and Kathryn when they tell her who she really is. Regina was never a coward and ALWAYS fought for what she believed was right, we know from the beginning of the show, she always fought for Daphne to get treated as an equal even though she is Deaf, she always fought against her alcoholism to make things right in her life, her job, her friends, her career and her family, so why was she backing up now? Because of one person’s threat? That was the lesson from the Kennishes. If you really believe it is right in your mind, in your soul and in your heart, you can’t let fear hold you back. You must stand up for what you believe and fight for it. That’s what Regina has always done, and will be doing with the East Riverside project. No fear of a brick on the window, or crazy boss will stop her.

In the end, in my point of view, that is what the writer was writing about, which is the message of the episode; “don’t let your fears hold you back”, stand up for what you believe. Live, trust and do what your heart is telling you. Daphne overcame her fear against the gang-member and her feelings for Angelo, Emmett overcame his fear of being humiliated, Melody overcame her fear of getting her son hurt or even losing her job, Bay overcame her fear of hurting Tank and herself by giving herself back to Emmett and Regina overcame her fear of being attacked so she could continue her work.

Be strong and go for it. If you have it in your heart, NOTHING should stop you!

Thank you Lizzy Weiss, always sending us a great message playing with your characters!!

Here it the promo for episode 13 (next monday)

Time to re-watch last Monday's episode. If you do not have abcfamily app or dvr or hulu, you can try this link:http://www.zzstream.li/2014/06/switched-at-birth-s3-e12-love-among-the-ruins.html We do NOT endorse or support the website or its content and strongly advise you to get your abcfamily app or register with a secure website endorsed by ABC Channel.