Switched At Birth: “Love Among The Ruins”/The Fosters: “Things Unknown”

Switched At Birth: “Love Among The Ruins”
Two of my big complaints about the sometimes frustrating first half of Switched At Birth season three were how much it focused on plot over story, and on newly introduced characters at the expense of the show’s very talented main cast. These concerns happily take a backseat in the show’s return, as fallout from the midseason finale makes for a busy-but-focused premiere full of wonderful character moments. The show’s balance is back—at least in this episode—and the result is very satisfying.
There are three big stories continuing into this second half: Bay and Emmett’s reunion, Matthew’s continued torment of Emmett, and Regina’s conflict with East Riverside over the development project. All advance here nicely, taking on some welcome character-based weight to balance their more plot-heavy aspects.
Especially strong right out of the gate is Bay and Emmett’s reunion, fraught though it is. The biggest question after they had sex in the midseason finale was “What happens next?” Switched At Birth wastes no time answering, picking up the very night of the encounter with the revelation that Bay and Emmett didn’t use a condom, and now Bay needs to get the morning after pill. What’s great about this story is how it subtly does so much good work dealing with the messy business of sex and what happens when you are young and make mistakes, without ever being preachy or judging Bay and Emmett for what they did. They should have used a condom. Bay knows this. Emmett knows this. But now they have to deal with the consequences of that mistake. It’s also a great showcase to explore how the girl always has it harder in this situation, and is silently expected to take more responsibility for the matter. It’s Bay who has to find a place to get the pill, not Emmett. Even Emmett—great as he is—just assumed Bay was on the pill without asking, simply because of her past dating experience. It’s a tough world out there for teenage girls, and it’s nice to see that quietly acknowledged here.
Also strong is Regina’s clash with the residents of East Riverside over her involvement in the new development project with Wes. When we last saw her, she was getting a brick thrown into her shop window. Instead of scaring her away, however, it somehow causes her to ask for her job back in order to steer the project the right way for the good of the neighborhood, consequences be damned. Standing in her way are the neighborhood residents who see her as a threat to their community and their history, leading to an interesting confrontation between Daphne and the (supposed) gang member leading the charge against Regina, Nacho. The strength of this story is that Nacho’s views on gentrification are just as valid as Regina’s views on how the development will help strengthen the neighborhood. It’s an ideological battle, but one that will likely become much more than ideological as the East Riverside residents get more angry. As long as the opposing viewpoints remain this balanced and interesting, Switched At Birth will have a winning story on their hands.
Stray observations: