It Isn't What You Think

“It isn’t What You Think” leads us to question what is it that we are thinking so we could know what it isn’t. Life is not what we think it is, and people even less. You think you know someone close to you, well, you really don’t. Everyone has a secret, every single person in the world that you think you know ALL about him/her has a secret you don’t know about. Daphne doesn’t know her mother’s intention on the East Riverside project or how she feels about Angelo’s death, but she thinks she knows and judge her for what she thinks is true, but never really talk about it because she wants to be mad at her.

Regina doesn’t know what Daphne is doing, if Daphne hadn’t tell her about cocaine try out, she wouldn’t ever know, as she doesn’t know now that she is the one responsible for her project to fall down on Coto’s hand. She doesn’t even know that Daphne was accepted at Gallaudet.

Bay doesn’t tell any close friend about her hereditary condition, so her parents and real close friends doesn’t know what she is going through right now. But, we all can bet that all of her parents and Emmett think they know all about her.

When Toby slept with Lily, she was thinking he did that to get her to give a make-up test for Sharee. She wasn’t thinking it was because he was attracted to her.

Tank’s father was so out of the reality when meeting Tank and Bay at dinner. If Tank hadn’t told the truth, he wouldn’t know anything about Tank’s new life.

Bay was thinking that Tank would be mad at her forever, newsflash there, usually men don’t take break ups that deep like girls do. They may not be friends anymore, but they won’t hold onto being mad for a long time. I like their philosophy, life is too short to be holding the grudge for too long. Anyway, if he was that mad at Bay like she thought he was, he wouldn’t be OK in becoming friends again.

But other stories we see on this episode are not just about secrets. Starting with the one of the first scenes when Bay started to look for info on aneurysm, it is scary to know if you have the same problem or not, but for being such a big thing, one usually confesses his/her worry to someone really close, like a sister, brother or the boyfriend, maybe even the parents, not much an ex mad at you that is trying to forget the past to be friends again. In my opinion, that was the biggest flaw of the episode. Bay had many connections closer to her, like Toby and Daphne, Emmett, that was ALWAYS there to listen to her problems and even Marybeth, her best friend could be the chosen person for her to open up to, and she chooses Tank? Who was never REALLY there for her but when she got hurt, who blames her for his depledging his fraternity, who lied and tricked her to say she was still his girlfriend, who, until the dinner, was still mad at her. That is not a profile of a friend or close person you would chose to open about your feelings and scares about your health condition(existent or not), but she did it anyway, at least it was good to see that she does think about her boyfriend’s feelings even when she is with other people. I would too, if I knew I was the one feeling bad about what I did to one person and try to blame that on my boyfriend that has nothing to do with it, and he made really clear about that. It is not Emmett’s fault that she cheated on Tank. If she didn’t want to cheat on him, she should have stopped Emmett before kissing him and starting to take his clothes off. And Emmett deserved to have his celebration with the one he loves the most, an after dinner plan, or a surprise breakfast idea could have been a lovely gesture. Getting into college is not that easy (see Travis), and even though we have seen many times that he had failed in some history tests over the years, he was still accepted in the University he wanted the most. That shows that, if you failed here and there, it doesn’t mean you are a failure, there are always possibilities to come around and still succeed. As Melody said, there are other options to success, plain and simple, that was other message of this episode.

Look at Travis, he didn’t get into Gallaudet University, and right away he started to look for other options. According to Garrett, his success was drop out from school and work in some cargo company. You will only get the success you look for. For Garrett, success for a Deaf person is getting a job that pays well with benefits, but it is obvious to Travis, that is not what he was hoping for, but getting into the “Deaf talk” where people in general think they cannot become a better professional, Travis seems to let go of his dream to get into what he thinks may be the reality. Travis story reflects what we see a lot in the world, and it is not just about Deaf people, but anyone who has some kind of a difficult life. Most people without HS diploma work for minimum wage, some even with the diploma doesn’t get much choice but to fall down for any job to help the income of the family. They forget to dream or try to succeed in life because their reality knocked in and they fall into it.

To succeed you must do things outside your comfort zone:

Tank had to face his father wrath to tell him he depledge his fraternity and is looking forward to find out other things that are good in life.

Lily had to try to help someone by giving her a chance to pass her test. Something she was not happy about due to what she had gone through with her brother, but a small step outside her comfort zone can make her the heroin of Sharee’s life

Regina had to accept Chip Coto’s company to be the one working for the project she wanted to happen. That was definitely not something she would like to do, but getting out there and facing this fear is something she needed to do in order to get what she wanted and think would benefit more people.

Melody, was one of the most challenged character, after talking to Gabe (just a pause here, I loved the idea of having the new couple name Gelody, it sounds cute to me) she was challenged to do something for all the kids she knows that deserve to get into college. Her idea of a Satellite Gallaudet in UMKC was awesome, but it was not after she get off her comfort zone where she is just a counselor for the students and was just doing her job helping them with the application process that she decided to help them even further with organizing other ways to get them in. Who knows how she is going to get this going, but it does give the writers and producers the good excuse to have ALL of the Deaf cast still on the show while they attend the Satellite Gallaudet in UMKC.

As for Daphne storyline, it was a bit difficult to really understand her. She wants to be mad, but she is not that mad. Any small detail turns her head the other way without her even thinking it through. However I have to say that, the more spinning emotionally she is the better Katie Leclerc plays it. The range of emotions that Katie is playing while delivering the lines were the best I have seen in the show so far.

On the technical department, I have to take my Hats Off again for the costume designer Courtney Stern and hair-stylists team. Bay’s hair during dinner with Tank is very nice and so is Melody’s during her date with Gabe. As far as I remember, I’ve never seen Melody with a hair-do other than a ponytail or some free curls. This, specially done, hair style for Melody suited her very nicely. On Bay’s clothes, it was nice to see her on regular clothes for a change. We always see her with stockings and 2 shirts, seeing her on a regular jeans and one piece shirt is calling attention for her usual style. Not just that, but right in the beginning of the episode, she was wearing a shirt that says “Love”, we saw her wearing many shirts with the word “Love” in the beginning of the series around season 1 episodes 1-4, but never again. This small detail just takes us back to that Bay, nice little girl but also scared about the news of her new life, then when she found out about the switch and now when she finds out about her aneurysm inheritance.

Just a small thing I noticed again during the only Bemmett scene of the episode, those extras need to be controlled. It is hard not to see the background extra getting out of the scene from behind Bay in one take and then be there again on the following one..lol

Can we get Deane Bray on the show? She is a doll!

Rachel Shenton and Lucas Gabreel do have some chemistry there. I was always a Tokki fan, but since Nikki is really gone, a Toly or Loby seems to work out pretty well.

Summarizing the episode, don’t judge the book by its cover, things and people are not always what it seems to be or how it shows from the outside and don’t follow others’ steps, make your own. It is hard but it is worthy, as your own success in your life will come once you make it happen, comfortably or not, go beyond and above what you can do and what you know. Look hard for choices and possibilities and take them as you can, make it count!

Here it the promo for episode 19 (next monday)

Time to re-watch last Monday's episode. If you do not have ABCFamily app or dvr or hulu or iTunes, you can try this link: http://www.zzstream.li/2014/07/switched-at-birth-s3-e18-it-isnt-what-you-think.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.

Girl with Death Mask (She Plays Alone)

Life definitely goes on!! No other way to look at it, no matter what kind of tragedy happened in your life, you must live on. Leave the past behind and just look at the present and plan for the future. How can I say? This episode is suppose to show us, viewers, how everyone is handling Angelo’s death, but instead it show us a variety of other types of separations from someone we loved, should also be looked into and handled.

Toby had to re-start his life again after the failed marriage. How many people go through divorce and separation from the loved ones nowadays? Not only married people but just boyfriend/girlfriend relationship can be hard too, let’s take a look at Tank for instance, being cheated on and dumped for another guy, he is definitely not handling very well, getting himself drunk and pretending he is fine getting a new phone app to get girls. I don’t know if that app exist or not, and I know many people who find their loved ones through the internet, but the attitude from Tank shows, that is not what he would do if he was handling his break-up with Bay nicely. It seems that in the end, he was sober enough to think straight and hope to get over Bay. Although on the next week preview, we can think it is actually the contrary. We will have to wait and see.

As I was saying, Toby copying with his separation from Nikki is going well right now, but let’s not forget how it was on the 1^st week when he cries like a baby and decided to run off to Iceland as an escape from his life. Of course, when you have great people around you to give good advice and enough money to just go on a “life searching” trip, you may face the separation a lot better than others who don’t have anyone or can’t just take off. Let’s pause here just a second to remember a few other separations that was covered on Switched at Birth. Who could forget about Bay and Emmett break up? Of course, Bay couldn’t handle too well, 1^st she went on a trip to Galapagos, got herself a boyfriend and became a really angry person. Her street art partner and she were living dangerously and she almost ran away. Granted, not all the anger and distress came from the break up alone, she was also going through a lot with the switch and the law suit, but it was obvious that the separation from Emmett triggered a lot more on her emotions and actions than she would normally do. Regina also had her rough time separating herself from alcohol in the end of season 2A, and to deal with it she had to have the comfort and help of her family and, of course, get the support and treatment needed. Emmett and Melody went through some rough time too dealing with Melody and Cameron’s divorce. Although the show focused a lot more on Emmett’s feelings, we know Melody was having her difficulties accepting it. As for Emmett, needless to say, he definitely could not handle things very well, leading him to fight with his mother and ultimately cheating on the only person he ever really loved. And again, Toby was in denial for a while trying to deal with the addiction for poker, but again, he seems to be one very strong person to stick with his decision and move on with his life.

Leo also shows up with a separation issue. The gay couple, who fought so hard to get baby Abby for themselves, are separated. That was a shocker for me. They seemed to be very solid, and I’m sure they were or they wouldn’t have been able to adopt Abby in the first place. Leo is coping with his separation in a very mature way and it seems that even though he is hurt, he is definitely living on, and he has to for the sake of his daughter.

Regina, Bay and Daphne feelings for the loss of Angelo were definitely handled differently. As we saw, Regina seems to just let life goes on, she seems to just exist and not really live, but we can see she is making some effort to make things better somehow. As Daphne said, it may be out of her feeling guilty for what happened to Angelo or really just the loss of her loved one can make her do what she is doing, we don’t know it ..at least, not yet, but we could see a normal reaction on Regina attitude that will get better with time. We all know, time IS a great healer.

Bay seems to be a little better than anyone else who was close to Angelo. Even though she is still really sad about his death, she is showing to be strong enough to talk about it, even through an intercom (that whole part was so over the top for me, why would you give such a horrible news through an intercom? And to a stranger). Anyway, to my point of view, Bay is doing great and should be going on with life just fine in regards to Angelo’s death, however after meeting her 2^nd cousin Sebastian and find out about her aunt Francesca death, she does have another issue to deal with..the possibility of her own death. I know it is bad about the situation but I personally loved knowing more about Bay’s background and family. Bay really had some bad genes in her, the alcoholism from Regina and the aneurism from Angelo are not the bet hereditary things you would like to know about yourself, but it is definitely good to know so you can take precautions and prevent bad or worse things to happen.

Daphne, oh poor Daphne, her decisions are going from bad to worse. First time we talk about Daphne’s decision was who she would chose, Campbell or Jorge. I think we can agree Campbell was not a good decision, come on..break up because your girlfriend got a job? That’s was such a lame excuse, but worse than Campbell was to decide to get high with a stranger. The decision itself was already stupid, getting high on any substance is not cool at all, it just proved that she is actually a very weak person who cannot handle any tough situation. That was what surprised me the most on the writers’ decision. I read that this is a way to focus on Daphne, since the whole season 1 was about how Bay would handle the “switch” that hurt her the most, now it is Daphne turn to handle a situation the hurt her the most. Bay, however, never made that big of stupidity, which we are grateful for. This, in my opinion, is a very bold move from the writers and producers to get the main character into drugs, let’s see what come next and hope that doesn’t turn into an addiction. During her craziness, it was nice to see the new character, the Chinese student was so funny, both during high and normal reactions. Maybe the producers and writers should consider getting more asian actors, Renzo and Nelson play funny scenes really well. Renzo was on his best performance as a nervous “flirter” than any other scene he played so far.

Talking about funny scenes, could anyone not laugh with Emmett and Tank? Sure it was super awkward and uncomfortable to Emmett seeing Tank talk about Bay and how he felt, but Emmett’s sense of humor and avoidance of conflict made the scenes the funniest of them all. We all know Emmett is an excellent lip-reader but a drunken Tank was not helping him understanding much what he was saying. “Something about cats” was the best lip-reading mistake Emmett could have done at the moment. I’ve got to say, Tank is his best when he is playing the funny guy, drunk or not. Just a quick note here, the bar where they are is the same location that was where Bay and Marybeth hang out during Bay’s attempt to make Marybeth like Tank on episode 9.

It was not so funny for Bay to learn that her cousin has a “problem” with Angelo and he lied to her. When Bay broke the vase and said “she does stuff like thing all the time” when was the other time she has ever showed her clumsiness? Please, I need help on this one because I can only remember 1 time, which was when she broke Emmett’s camera during the Star party. Moving on, Sebastian started as a jerk but it was nice to see he could be a nice guy and hopefully he can help Bay finding out more things about her family, the Sorrentos at a later time. While we see Bay standing up for herself and Angelo, it was when we see how much John has changed. The almighty, big shot, big protective and strict father bound to his daughter’s decision without much or nearly no argument or resistance. He is a very calmER person and he seems to respect Bay’s and Daphne’s wishes. I know, he forced Daphne to go on a tour on campus, but I’m sure he was thinking she would be safe and make good decisions. Yes, he was wrong about that, but my point is, he thought he was right, he trusted her alone with a stranger.

I really have to take my hat’s off to Katie Leclerc on this one for such an amazing performance as a “high in cocaine” Daphne, Max Adler as the drunken Tank and Alec Mapa as the nervous Renzo. They killed it! And I can’t forget how nice seeing BK Cannon signing so naturally.

How you handle separation or any tragic situation that comes up in your life is how makes you stronger and define your future decisions. I once saw this verse: God has 3 answers to you questions: Yes, Not yet and I have better things planned for you. Whether you believe in God or not, I think this way of thinking resumes what you do with your life or better yet how you handle your bad situations in life. When life gives you a problem, it is giving you an opportunity to change your life either for better or for worse, but if you follow the thinking that “this problem” (in this episode the pain of separation, either by death or divorce or simply break-up) will have an answer that is either positive, OR can make you stronger during the process while the positive answer develops to you OR the answer could be really simple, this is not for you, you deserve or you can get a LOT better than what you want, so why hold on to the pain and let it change you in a bad way? Heads up, life goes on and just wait and see how much better your life can be if you just let the past stay in the past and live the present and the future.

As always, Lizzy Weiss sending a great message through a great show!

Here it the promo for episode 17 (next monday)

Time to re-watch last Monday's episode. If you do not have ABCFamily app or dvr or hulu or iTunes, you can try this link: http://tv-series.me/switched-at-birth-s3e17-girl-death-mask-she-plays-alone/ 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.

The Image Disappear

Sad or even emotional is too small of a word to describe this episode. Shocking is too weak of a word to describe this episode too. Who would have thought that killing one of the main characters in the middle of the season would be something we would see on a TV Show, especially on Switched at Birth where no one ever died.

How do I even begin to comment on what happen in this episode? Guilt ran all over the characters memories while we see great father and daughter scenes from Bay and Daphne’s imagination of what would be the future with Angelo in their lives. Needless to say that those scenes were the most touching ones apart from the grand final scene. Also, apart from the family and the needed extra cast for the hospital staff, school test “director” and police, the only other character appearing in the show was Emmett giving Bay, once again, the support she needed. Bemmett fans all over were in heaven for a small moment in this so dramatic and sad episode when the writers and producers decided to have Bay dreaming about her future as a pregnant woman of twins in labor waiting for the father of the babies to get to the hospital in time to see the birth of their children. For a while now, there have been many mentions of Bay being pregnant of Emmett and many, if not all, of the Bemmett fans want to see them getting married and having children, if not now, in the future as it was showed in this episode. The actual dream scene never revealed who was the exact father, but the reference of Emmett’s favorite movie (Alien) when Bay was in contractions saying she was feeling like the person in the movie right before his stomach was about to explode and the wake up of the dream to see Emmett in the hospital by her side was enough of a hint that the future father of Bay’s children is or will be Emmett. What I also noticed during that dream was how much Bay knew the French language. Few scenes before that she was asking Angelo to practice with her, and in the future if he was there with her, she would have had the time to practice and would be as fluent as she was during the dream.

As I mentioned before, the characters were all feeling as guilty, in a way or the other. Regina felt guilty for letting him go when she found out about the switched 15 years ago. She could have had all these years with him in her life but she was too stubborn or proud to let him know he was right about 1 thing, Daphne was not his daughter. John felt guilty for not lending Angelo some money to help him out, he tried to “fix” that by doing all he could to get him the best diagnosis and paying for his hospital and treatment bills, up until then thinking he still had a chance to survive. John was afraid that Angelo decided to commit suicide after talking to the police officer and his guilt raised up even more as he thought he could have prevented that if he had loaned him some money. Instead he was happy to see Angelo in misery and it was thanks to Kathryn that he could raise his head up again as she once again reminds John that he is human and as this show has mentioned over and over again, all humans make mistakes. Daphne guilt feelings came when she left him at the hospital to go take the SAT, she could not concentrate to the test and ended up leaving it undone. That may have some consequences in the future, it was her last chance to take the test and get the higher score she needed to get into pre-med. As for Bay, her guilt was to ignore him even though he was living so close to her, she hadn’t reached out to him since summer. Yes, they had dinner with the family and seen each other, but nothing really meaningful as their father-daughter relationship should have been. Toby, Emmett and Kathryn were the ones with a little more strength and focus minded being the ones that supported the other characters all around throughout the whole episode. Kathryn not only helped John but Regina as well. Kathryn is the kind of woman that breathes in problem and breathes out solution, kindness and support. Could it be because her firm belief in the “supreme being” as it was shown on this episode? Maybe yes, but regardless of religion or beliefs, Kathryn strength and, most important, friendship is what has always kept the whole family together, no matter what they go through, she is the glue who kept them as a family.

There were so interesting twist and many assurances of the characters throughout the story lines. Daphne lip-reading skills was sharp as always gave her the bad news of Angelo’s condition throwing Bay’s anger out of the point. Regina and Bay are real mother and daughter, on both past episode and this one, they act exactly the same way on the same kind of situations. The “fast mouth”, the denial, the stubbornness. We have repeatedly mentioned how much Emmett and Angelo are alike and how Regelo and Bemmett relationship are so similar, and these past 2 episodes just proved our point of view once more. (http://bemmettsabplanet.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-dos-and-donts-part-1.html ,  http://bemmettsabplanet.blogspot.com/2014/02/memory-is-your-image-of-perfection.html ,  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&srcid=0B5JYlugfMBG4OFRvVHNJTF9wRXc) Even in dreams Regina can find a way to imagine Angelo acting like Emmett did and Bay has been doing. The “season motto” “We will figure it out” came on this episode on Regina’s dream of reconciliation with Angelo 15 years ago. It was also interesting to see how every time Bay needs to find something about Angelo is Emmett who helps her to look for it. First was the car, now the mother’s phone and ultimately the last will, but we also know Bay will continue to look for answers, so it is very probable that we will see him helping her again in a future episode.

The whole season is a big twist on everyone’s life, either for good or for bad, but in every episode we have the plot twist, and this episode was a bit bitter counting that we were all hoping that Angelo would survive somehow. The writers gave us a little bit of hope right in the beginning when they show us the Angelo was almost waking up and all would be fine, but in a biggest change of event, he just went from bad to worse. That was mean to us, fans. We wanted to believe there was still hope for Angelo.

On a more technical level, I was wondering what Angelo’s mother was saying to him on the phone. Once again, where were the captions (or subtitles) for the ones who do not speak French? That is the 2^nd time we cannot understand completely that beautiful moment when a mother shows how much she loves her son, either when is just supporting a teenager scared of his father new marriage situation like on episode 14 when Melody had to comfort Emmett after Cameron’s wedding and baby announcement, and now this one, when Angelo’s mother was saying good bye to him.

On another technical level, I particularly love the directing and angles. Director Wendey Stanzler is amazing, the way she captured the feelings on the actors’ face is so deep that I’m sure about 99% of the viewers were crying the whole time. By the way, if you all noticed, there were barely 2 scenes where no one is crying, meaning we saw about 40minutes of tears rolling down on, at least, 1 character’s face. I’m sure they had tons of water on set during that episode to keep them all very well hydrated. One angle that I loved the most was how she captured Daphne anxiety during the test while the phone was vibrating and blinking on the director’s table. That was a great shot. Back to the tearing characters, I was so surprised that even Emmett was crying. We can’t really figure out if he was crying of sadness for Angelo’s situation or for Bay’s feelings about the situation, but knowing the character’s history, we assume it was the second one. We’ve seen scenes where Sean Berdy has tears in his eyes during an emotional scene with Vanessa Marano (Bay), but actually crying that was the first. As he delivered the most inspiring message of the show, we could see his eyes watering, his nose red and his mouth swollen as he cries from the inside. His lines were not just as beautiful as it should be but also comes from his character own experience and history. “Sometimes love means to do what the other person wants, even if it is not what you want” has a repercussion from Emmett’s life history, he had to accept his father decision to get a CI when he was against it, his father marriage, his mother custody decision and most important of all, the space he has to give to Bay while she was “recovering” from his betrayal. During the whole time he wanted to be with Bay, he couldn’t, he had to be apart and far from her, that is what she wanted. She didn’t want to be with him and because he loved her, he had to do what she wanted, not what he wanted. But from those whole experiences of so much love, Emmett was the one who could bring peace in Bay’s heart and make her accept the truth and how love can mean much more than what we can see or feel.

On the good part, we learned a lot about how to handle situations like that. For that alone, we would like to thank ABC Family, Lizzy Weiss, Linda Gase, Terence Coli and especially Kevin Compayre for sharing with us so many good things that can be thought from such a painful situation. The death of a person, especially one close to you, is always painful and really hard to deal with, but the thought of donating the organs should not be handled like Bay did at first. To know that this person’s parts not only will live on but can also save so many other people’s life is one of the most comforting thoughts and feelings. Is the feeling of giving life to the world, bring a smile on someone else’s face and most of all, give them time or a second chance to say good bye to the ones that love them. Regina also delivered another important message; “Life goes on” we can’t stop time or even rewind it, life never stop for us, we need to keep living even it is hard to do so, but be strong and continue to live is really important for anyone and everyone, no matter what situation you are in. As we all know, death comes unannounced and if you don’t use the time you have with someone the best way you can, it may be too late. Anyway can go anytime and the chance to say good bye can be lost. This episode show us that we have to be careful with how we react with people and how we treat them, the love ones or anyone you know. The only thing you leave behind is your reputation, your memory of who you were and your legacy. What would people say about you, how would they remember you, and for what? Are you leaving fond memories or ugly ones? If you or someone you love die today, what would your friends remember of you or what would you remember of that person you love? When was the last time you talked to him/her? Don’t waste time, don’t let opportunity passes by, make sure your day is fulfilled with good memories and make your friends and family fill their memories of good ones from you, everyday, each day. Don’t leave it for tomorrow, make it today!

Here it the promo for episode 16 (next monday)

Time to re-watch last Monday's episode. If you do not have ABCFamily app or dvr or hulu or iTunes, you can try this link: http://www.zzstream.li/2014/07/switched-at-birth-s3-e16-the-image-disappears.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.

Interview with Alexander Georgakis (Writer) (w/translations)

Alexander Georgakis

Twitter: @alex_georgakis                              IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3594988/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

1. What do you like most on your role in SAB? 

I’ve really enjoyed learning about deaf culture and being a part of a show that means so much to the deaf community. When we were working on “Uprising” (the episode entirely in American Sign Language), I remember having a very conscious awareness of the fact that we were doing something that literally had never been done before on television. When I see that episode, I’m always moved to know that I had been a part of creating something so groundbreaking.

And I’ve really enjoyed meeting Switched at Birth fans from all over the country. I struck up a conversation with a group of deaf tourists in Memphis and found out they were big fans of the show. I took a tour in New Orleans from a hearing mom who watched the show every week with her deaf daughter. These kinds of experiences remind me how much Switched at Birth means to its audience—both deaf and hearing—and I’m very grateful to work on a show that puts stories and characters on screen that our viewers hold very close to their hearts.

2.  What was the biggest challenge you had working at SAB? (either character or personal challenge)

I worked as a writer on the upcoming Episode #3015 (which airs on July 7th), and as you will soon see, a large portion of this episode takes place outside at night. In the world of television production, that usually means that when you’re filming the episode, you start shooting at sunset and end when the rooster crows, so to speak. I had worked on all-night shoots on other shows before, but I had never worked so many nights in a row, and it was quite a bit more physically exhausting than I had anticipated. And often I was in a position where I was the only writer on set; when important creative questions would come up about scenes we were filming, I would have to debate whether or not I could make a decision on my own, or if I should wake Lizzy (the creator of SAB) at three in the morning with a phone call to get an opinion from her as well. (Luckily, I never had to do this, for which I’m sure she’s eternally grateful!) My co-writer and I also sometimes had to rewrite scenes during the day that would shoot later that night, and so by the time we finished shooting the episode, I was about ready to sleep for a month! But, of course, I was very grateful for the opportunity to help bring this episode to life, and for the cast and crew who all worked very hard those evenings.

3. What was the first sign you learned?  

On my first day of work, I learned how to sign “My name is Alexander, I’m the script coordinator on Switched at Birth.” That’s a phrase that has come in handy a lot over the past few years!

4. What was the first sign you learned? 

In my episode, one of the characters signs the phrase “paradise lost,” and I thought that sign was so evocative. (You’ll have to tune in on July 7th to see what that looks like.)

5. What are your plans for the future?

I have some of my own writing projects I’m looking forward to working on once this season of Switched at Birth is done. I’m also a musician, so I will be playing piano for some shows I have lined up after this season ends.

We don’t have any information about Season 4 yet, but hopefully we will get picked up for another round. And at that point, you should ask Lizzy Weiss what she has planned for my future. :)

Bonus: As a Bay & Emmett Fan page, would you like to say anything for our followers, Bemmett shippers and SAB fans in general?

Thank you for loving Bay and Emmett! It means so much that the characters on our show inspire so much passion among our viewers. I think we have some great Bay and Emmett stories coming up, and I hope you all enjoy the rest of Season 3.

Spanish

1. ¿Qué es lo que más le gusta de su papel en la SAB?

He disfrutado mucho aprendiendo sobre la cultura sorda y ser parte de un espectáculo que significa mucho para la comunidad sorda. Cuando estábamos trabajando en "Uprising" (el episodio en su totalidad en lenguaje de señas americano), Recuerdo haber tenido una conciencia completa del hecho de que estábamos haciendo algo que, literalmente, nunca se había hecho antes en la televisión. Cuando veo ese episodio, yo siempre me conmuevo por saber que había sido parte de la creación de algo tan innovador.

Y he disfrutado en conocer Switched at Birth aficionados de todo el país. Me puse a conversar con un grupo de turistas sordos en Memphis y me enterarón de que eran grandes fans de la serie. Hice una excursión en Nueva Orleans con una mamá que oye que ve el espectáculo toda semana con su hija sorda. Este tipo de experiencias me recuerdan cuánto Switched at Birth significa a su público, tanto sordos y oyentes, y estoy muy agradecido de trabajar en un espectáculo que pone historias y personajes en pantalla que nuestros televidentes mantienen muy cerca de sus corazones.

2. ¿Cuál fue el mayor desafío al que había que trabaja en SAB? (Ya sea de carácter o reto personal)

He trabajado como escritor en la próxima Episode # 3.015 (que se emite el 7 de julio), y como pronto se verá, una gran parte de este episodio tiene lugar fuera y por de noche. En el mundo de la producción de televisión, que por lo general significa que cuando estás filmando el episodio, empezan a fotografiar al atardecer y termina cuando el gallo cante, por así decirlo. Yo había trabajado en las grabaciones de toda la noche en otras demostraciones antes, pero nunca había trabajado tantas noches seguidas, y era un poco más físicamente agotador que yo había anticipado. Y a menudo me encontraba en una posición en la que yo era el único escritor en el local; cuando las preguntas creativas importantes aparecian sobre escenas que estábamos filmando, yo tendría que debatir si o no que pudiera tomar una decisión por mi cuenta, o si debo despertar Lizzy (la creadora de CAN-SAB) a las tres de la mañana con una llamada teléfonica para obtener una opinión de ella también. (Por suerte, nunca tuve que hacer esto, por lo cual estoy seguro de que ella está eternamente agradecida!) Mi co-escritor y yo también a veces tuvo que reescribir escenas durante el día para grabar más tarde esa misma noche, y así que, por el momento en que terminen rodaje del episodio, yo estaba a punto de dormir por un mes! Pero, por supuesto, yo estaba muy agradecido por la oportunidad de ayudar a este episodio a tomar  vida, y por el elenco y el equipo que trabajó muy duro toda esas noches.

3. ¿Cuál fue la primera señal de que has aprendido?

En mi primer día de trabajo, me aprendi a senalar "Mi nombre es Alejandro, soy el coordinador guionista de Switched at Birth." Esa es una frase que ha venido muy bien un montón en los últimos años!

4. ¿Cuál fue la primera señal de que has aprendido?

En mi episodio, uno de los personajes senala la frase "paraíso perdido", y pensé que esa señal era tan evocador.

5. ¿Cuáles son tus planes para el futuro?

Tengo algunos de mis propios proyectos de escritura que estoy ansioso por trabajar en una vez esta temporada de Switched at Birth termine. Yo también soy un músico, así que voy a estar tocando el piano para algunos espectáculos que he alineados después de que termine esta temporada.

No tenemos ninguna información sobre la temporada 4 todavía, pero espero que podamos ser recogido por otra ronda. Y en ese punto, usted debe preguntar a Lizzy Weiss lo que ella ha planeado para mi futuro. :)

Bonus: Como página de Bay y Emmett Fan, ¿te gustaría decir algo a nuestros seguidores, cargadores Bemmett y ventiladores de SAB en general?

Gracias por amar Bay y Emmett! Significa mucho que los personajes de nuestro show inspiran tanta pasión entre nuestros televidentes. Creo que tenemos algunas grandes historias de Bay y Emmett por venir, y espero que todos disfruten el resto de la temporada 3. 

Portuguese

1. O que você gosta mais no seu papel na SAB?

Eu realmente gosta de aprender sobre a cultura surda e ser parte de um show que significa tanto para a comunidade surda. Quando nós estávamos trabalhando em "Uprising" (o episódio inteiramente em American Sign Language– Lingua Americana de Sinais), lembro-me de ter uma consciência completa do fato de que estávamos fazendo algo que literalmente nunca tinha sido feito antes na televisão. Quando eu vejo esse episódio, estou sempre comovido por saber que eu tinha feito parte da criação de algo tão inovador.

 E eu realmente gostei de conhecer fãs do Switched at Birth de todo o país. Eu puxei conversa com um grupo de turistas surdos em Memphis e descobri que eles eram grandes fãs da série. Eu fiz um passeio em New Orleans a comde uma mãe ouvinte que assiste ao show toda semana com sua filha surda. Esses tipos de experiências me fazem lembrar o quanto Switched at Birth significa para seu público-surdos e ouvintes, e eu sou muito grato a trabalhar em um show que coloca histórias e personagens na tela que nossos telespectadores os tem muito perto de seus corações.

2. Qual foi o maior desafio que você teve trabalho em SAB? (Caractere ou desafio pessoal)

Eu trabalhei como um escritor do próximo Episódio # 3015, e como vocês vao ver em breve, uma grande parte deste episódio ocorre fora e durante a noite. No mundo da produção de televisão, isso geralmente significa que, quando você está filmando o episódio, você começa a filmar ao pôr do sol e terminam quando o galo cantar, por assim dizer. Eu tinha trabalhado em filmagens de toda a noite em outros shows antes, mas eu nunca tinha trabalhado tantas noites seguidas, e era um pouco mais fisicamente desgastante do que eu imaginava. E muitas vezes eu estava em uma posição em que eu era o único escritor em no local; quando importantes questões criativas surgiam sobre as cenas em que estávamos filmando, eu tinha que me debater se eu poderia tomar uma decisão por conta própria ou nao, ou se eu deveria acordar Lizzy (a criadora de SAB) às três da manhã com um telefonema para obter sua opiniao também. (Felizmente, eu nunca tive que fazer isso, do que eu tenho certeza que ela é eternamente grato!) Meu co-roteirista e eu também tinhamos, a vezes, que reescrever cenas durante o dia que iriam ser filmadas mais tarde naquela mesma noite, e por isso no momento em que terminaram as gravacoes do episódio, eu estava prestes a dormir por um mês! Mas, é claro, fiquei muito grato pela oportunidade de ajudar a trazer a este episódio a tona e pelo elenco e a equipe trabalharam muito duro nessas noites.

3. Qual foi o primeiro sinal de que você aprendeu?

No meu primeiro dia de trabalho, eu aprendi a fazer os sinais  "Meu nome é Alexandre, eu sou o coordenador do roteiro em Switched at Birth." Essa é uma frase que veio a calhar muito ao longo dos últimos anos!

4. Qual foi o primeiro sinal de que você aprendeu?

No meu episódio, um dos personagens faz o sinal para a frase "paraíso perdido", e eu pensei que esse sinal era tão evocativo.

5. Quais são seus planos para o futuro?

Eu tenho alguns de meus próprios projetos para escrever e dos quais eu estou ansioso para trabalhar uma vez  que esta temporada de Switched at Birth acabe. Eu também sou um músico, por isso vou estar tocando piano para alguns shows que eu já tenho alinhados após que temporada termina. Nós não temos qualquer informaçoes sobre a 4 ª temporada ainda, mas esperamos ser renovados para outra rodada. E nesse ponto, você deve perguntar Lizzy Weiss o que ela planejou para o meu futuro. :)

Bônus: Como uma página de Bay & Fan Emmett, você gostaria de dizer alguma coisa para os nossos seguidores, carregadores Bemmett e fãs SAB em geral?

Obrigado por amar Bay e Emmett! Significa tanto que os personagens em nosso show inspiram tanta paixão entre os nossos telespectadores. Acho que temos algumas grandes histórias para Bay e Emmett vindo por ai, e espero que todos gostem do resto da 3 ª temporada.

French

1- Qu'aimes tu le plus de ton rôle dans SAB?

J'ai beaucoup aimé le fait d'apprendre sur la culture sourde, et de pouvoir faire partie d'une série télévisé qui a tellement d'interêt pour cette communauté. Quand nous étions en train de travailler sur “Uprising” (l'épisode qui était entièrement en langue des signes américains), je me rappelle avoir été très conscient que nous étions en train de faire quelque chose qui n'avait jamais été fait auparavant dans une émission télévisé. Quand je regarde cet épisode, je suis toujours ému de voir que j'ai pu faire partie de quelque chose d'aussi révolutionnaire.

J'ai également beaucoup apprécié de rencontrer des fans de Switched at Birth tout autour du monde. J'ai commencé une discussion avec un groupe de personnes sourdes et muettes à Memphis et j'ai découvert qu'ils étaient des fans de la série télévisée. J'ai fais un tour à la Nouvelle Orléans qui était guidé par une mère entendante qui regarde la série toute les semaines avec sa fille sourde et muette. Ce sont ces expèriences qui me rappellent à quel point Switched at Birth a d'importance pour son audience – que celle ci soit entendante ou sourde -  je suis très reconnaissant de travailler sur une série télévisée qui créer des histoires et à des charactères qui sont tenus très proches du coeur des téléspectateurs.

2- Quelle a était la chose la plus difficile pour toi en travaillant sur SAB? (soit en dans ton rôle ou personnellement?)

J'ai travaillé en tant que écrivain sur le prochain épisode #3015 (qui va passer à l'antenne le 7 juillet), et comme vous pourrez le voir, une grand partie de cet épisode se passe dehors en pleine nuit. Dans le monde de la production de séries télévisuels cela signifie que l'on commence à filmer quand le soleil se couche jusqu'à ce que les permiers coqs se fassent entendre, façon de parler. J'avais déjà travailler de nuit sur d'autres productions mais jamais avant pendant autant de nuits d'affilées, et je dois avouer que c'était beaucoup plus dur physiquement que je ne pouvais imaginer. Souvent j'étais le seul sur le set en tant qu'écrivain; notamment quand des questions importantes sur la créativité de certaines scènes qui étaient posées lorsque nous filmions. Je devais me demander si je pouvais prendre une décision tout seul ou si je devais appeler la créatrice de SAB, Lizzy, à trois heures du matin pour avoir son opinion sur la scène. (Heureusment je n'ai jamais eu à le faire et je suis sûr qu'elle m'est éternellement reconnaissante pour cela!). Mon co-écrivain et moi-même devions aussi réécrire des scènes pendant la journée que nous allions filmer le soir-même, je dois avouer que quand nous avions fini de tourner cet épisode j'étais prêt à dormir pour un mois! Mais bien évidemment j'étais aussi très reconnaissant d'avoir pû participer à mettre en vie cette épisode, et pour les acteurs et l'équipe de production qui ont travailler très dur sur, durant ces soirées/nuits sur cette épisode.

3- Quel a était le premier signe que tu as appris?

Mon premier jour de travail j'ai appris comment signer: “Je m'appele Alexandre, je suis le coordinateur de scénario sur Switched at Birth”. Cette phrase m'a était très utile pendant ces dernières années.

4- Quel est ton signe préferé?

Dans mon épisode un des acteurs signe la phrase: “paradis perdu” et j'ai trouvé que ce signe était très évocateur.

5- Quels sont tes projets pour l'avenir?

J'ai moi-même de mes propres écrits sur lesquels je souhaite travailler une fois que cette saison de Switched at Birth sera terminée. Je suis également un musicien, donc je vais jouer du piano pour certaines émissions que j'ai déjà alignées pour quand cette saison sera finie.

Nous n'avons à l'heure actuelle aucune information sur la Saison 4. Mais j'espère que nous serons séléctionés pour une autre saison. A ce moment précis vous devriez demander à Lizzy Weiss ce qu'elle a de prévu pour le futur.

Bonus (Réponds si tu peux): En tant que fan de la page Bay & Emmett, veux tu dire quelque chose pour ceux qui nous suivent, les amoureux de Bemmett et/ou les fans de SAB en général?

Merci d'aimer Bay et Emmett! Cela signifie beaucoup pour moi de savoir que certains des charactères peuvent inspirer tellement de passion parmis les personnes qui nous regardent.  Nous avons de très bonnes histoires qui viennent pour Bay et Emmett et nous espèrons que vous allez apprécier le reste de la Saison 3.

And We Bring the Light

OMG, talking about shocking, this episode was by far the most intense of the whole series..I said series, not season, the whole series. True when John had his heart attack it was a huge of cliffhanger and how or if he was going to survive, but this one with Regina almost shooting Daphne, the Kennish family almost being arrested and, of course, Angelo being in a car accident was just too much for our fan hearts to handle in 1 miserable hour.

For the whole week there were the questions of who was on the gurney and who would be shot, although there were no shootings but the gurney was a little too unexpected for many people. In reality, there were many speculations that Angelo would lose all his money on the restaurant, so the fact that it was being foreclosed is not that surprising, but how is a restaurant foreclosed even before open, that is a heck of a fast process in MO, I guess.

Anyway, let’s talk about the plots. Daphne stressing about SAT is no surprise, many teen looking to go to college would be the same nerve wreck like she was, but the best of it is that even in the bad situation she was able to find the bright side of it. It brought her closer to her father and the discovery that he is indeed a great guy and very carrying dad. Different from John but still a wonderful person and protective of his loved ones.

Toby and his new view of life also helped Bay see her own misery on another direction. After learning that she was not accepted at Pratt (the art school where she wanted to go), she tried to hide her sadness during family dinner but Toby, knowing his little sister too well, noticed that something was wrong and knowing the real reason, he was able to bring the light back in her eyes, even if that meant to do some illegal street art again. I have to say I was really hoping for Ax or Hammer Girl to be back, but the replica of the lights of Iceland was also cool, and a lot less illegal than we though. Bay story was not only how we can learn from bad experiences and live on, as the Kennishes help Bay to lift up her mood, she learns that everyone can fail on something, but the failing is just part of the process, how you handle it and what comes out of it is what will make you who you are and push you to where you want to be. You can see this message as well on the Angelo and Daphne story, when we see Angelo thinks he is a failure, he still takes it to the bright side to help Daphne, when Daphne realizes that just because he is making the best of his “failure” he became the best as being a father and bringing the family together

However, there was another point on the whole Bay failure story that was as sweet and powerful as the previous one I just mentioned, and it actually repeated the point of the last week’s episode. The point is how important a family (or group of friends) support is for every person. We all live surrounded by people that can pull us down or up depending on the “energy” they send to us. Bay was really with the energy low but the family that loves her surely was there for her to bring her energy up high again. How would Bay react about her failure of not going to Pratt if she hadn’t got the amazing family around her to help her see the bright side of life? Everyone can make good things out of bad experiences on their own, but sometimes it is hard and having the family around to help is always a plus. If you remember last week’s story was about self identity and how the family upbringing can influence the person’s character and identity, on this episode, we see again how the family support can and will change a person’s behavior and reveal the true family/friend love.

The part of Regina learning about political corruption was not really much into character on my view. It seems, of course, that Wes is into Regina and her influence in his life is affecting his business, maybe for better maybe for worse. If he is truly falling for Regina, the Angelo accident will be the point where Regina will have the choice to find out who she is and what she wants, if he is not, then we may see that Wes can still have a great business doing things the right way. What just confused me the most on that part of the episode was the fact that Regina was not aware of the corruption that goes around in every business. Her being a business woman her entire adulthood she never came across any shady business or client or boss? Not really believable about that part. Yes, we understand that the political way is a bit different than just a client or supplier kick-back but is not that surprising the way it was showing on the episode.

As a big fan of the Deaf part of the show, I really missed the ASL scenes, but I was really happy to se Angelo improving really fast. What also amazed me was that the whole episode was done in 1 day only. I don’t mean filming it, but the story, starting in the afternoon when Regina was learning how to shoot and Toby arriving from Iceland and finishing on that same day really late at night when Angelo got into the car accident, or better yet, arriving at the hospital. There was no passing of time, no change of clothes from the characters. From the 1^st episode until this one, I do not recall any other being done in 1 day only like this one, the closest I can think of was on Season 2 episode 15 (Ecce Mono) that the whole story was a dream and was dreamed in 1 night, but during the dream there were several days going by.

So back to the intense or tense part of the episode, the whole vandalism scaring Regina is starting to get out of hands when she almost shot her own daughter. Angelo was right to think she should stop with the project as she is living in fear and putting people in danger, especially Daphne. What was amazed to see how Daphne was just static looking at the gun pointing at her, did she freeze? It didn’t look like it, it actually looked like she was very cool with it and not afraid at all. Come on, someone, I don’t care who is, if it is your mom and you know she will not shoot you on purpose, point a gun at your face and you just stare at it? What if her fingers get cramps or slip and pull the trigger? If someone point a gun at your face, either you really freeze or you just run out of the way or duck, something, but don’t stare at it, unless you are Bruce Willis playing John Maclane in Die Hard 6 or something.

Kathryn playing the artist agent so they wouldn’t get arrested was a plus to see. The all righteous and well behave lady of the house now became the street savy that basically saved the day, or the night, with her way and her creativity of lying to the officer and get them out of the problem.

As for Angelo, it looks pretty bad for his side, but I’m no nurse or doctor to say, I just was not expecting that they would take the oxygen mask out of his face right way if he is in critical condition, but it was definitely necessary for us , the audience, to see who it was on the bed. Nothing in life is perfect and of course, fantasy TV is not either, it is fantasy and entertainment, one of a darn good entertainment. I wouldn’t spend 1 minute writing about it if I wasn’t happy with what they bring to us, it just some times the flaws are so obvious that is hard not the think about it. We’ll see what will happen to Angelo next week.

So, here it is, make sure to see the bright side of the dark side. Failing is just a process to get to success, how you handle your failures is how you will build your character and the people around you to the final destination of your life. See around you how many people had failed and how many times they failed before they got what they wanted. We know Lizzy Weiss herself had many failed ideas until she finally hit the jackpot with Switched at Birth, and thank GOD she just handled her failures so well and kept living on until she got to succeed, so now we all can enjoy this amazing show!!

Here it the promo for episode 16 (next monday)

Time to re-watch last Monday's episode. If you do not have ABCFamily app or dvr or hulu or iTunes, you can try this link:http://www.zzstream.li/2014/07/switched-at-birth-s3-e15-and-we-bring-the-light.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.

Interview with Bianca Bethune (Sharee Gilford) (w/translations)

Bianca Bethune

Twitter: @OfficialBiancaB                                            IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1410005/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Instagram: @biancabethune                                          Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bianca.bethune

1. What do you like most on your role in SAB? 

I love working with such an awesome cast. Too much fun and laughs

2.  What was the biggest challenge you had working at SAB? (either character or personal challenge)

Learning field hockey was a challenge

3. What was the first sign you learned?  

How are you

4. What was the first sign you learned?

How are you (We assume)

5. What are your plans for the future?

Being a successful actress in tv and film

Bonus: As a Bay & Emmett Fan page, would you like to say anything for our followers, Bemmett shippers and SAB fans in general?

Thank you guys for the support and love !!

Spanish

1-¿Qué es lo que más le gusta de su papel en la SAB?

Me encanta trabajar con un elenco tan incredible, demasiada diversión y risas

2- ¿Cuál fue el mayor desafío al que has tenido al trabajar en SAB? (ya sea de carácter o reto personal)

Aprender hockey sobre césped fue un reto

3- ¿Cuál fue la primera señal que has aprendido?

¿Cómo está usted?

4- ¿Cuál es tu señal favorito?

¿Cómo está usted? (suponemos)

5- ¿Cuáles son tus planes para el futuro?

Siendo una actriz de éxito en la televisión y el cine

Bonus (Conteste si puedes): Como página de Fans de Bay y Emmett, ¿te gustaría decir algo a nuestros seguidores, “partidarios” Bemmett y fans de SAB en general?

Gracias chicos por el apoyo y el amor!

Portuguese

1-O que você gosta mais no seu papel na SAB?

Eu amo trabalhar com um elenco tão incrível. Muita diversão e risos

2- Qual foi o maior desafio que você teve ao trabalhar em SAB? (personagem ou desafio pessoal)

Aprender hóquei de campo foi um desafio

3- Qual foi o primeiro sinal de que você aprendeu?

Como vai

4- Qual é o seu sinal favorito?

Como vai (Assumimos)

5- Quais são seus planos para o futuro?

Ser uma atriz de sucesso na TV e no cinema

Bonus (Responda se puder): Como uma página de Fans de Bay & Emmett, você gostaria de dizer alguma coisa para os nossos seguidores, torcedores”Bemmett e fãs do SAB em geral?

Obrigado a vocês pelo apoio e amor!

French

1-Qu'aimes tu le plus de ton rôle dans SAB? J'aime travailler avec une équipe aussi géniale. Trop de fun et beaucoup de rires. 

2- Quelle a était la chose la plus difficile pour toi en travaillant sur SAB? (soit en dans ton rôle ou personnellement?)

Apprendre à jouer du hockey sur gazon a était mon plus gros défi. 

3- Quel a était le premier signe que tu as appris?

Comment vas tu? 

4- Quel est ton signe préferé?

Comment vas tu? 

5- Quels sont tes projets pour l'avenir?

Être une actrice qui a réussi dans les séries télévisés et au cinéma.

Bonus (Réponds si tu peux): En tant que fan de la page Bay & Emmett, veux tu dire quelque chose pour ceux qui nous suivent, les amoureux de Bemmett et/ou les fans de SAB en général?

Merci pour le soutien et l'affection!!