Switched at Birth Series Finale Review: The Journey Was Worth It

Five years ago Switched at Birth came on our screens tackling the enormous responsibility and honor of being the first and only television drama with American Sign Language as one of its hallmarks. Beyond that, the groundbreaking show about the lives of Bay Kennish and Daphne Vazquez has told stories to be proud of. From teen angst to adult decisions, to life-changing moments no one is ever ready for, this show has had it all. In the final episode, Bay and Daphne celebrate the day they became a family, and look forward to their futures. Above all else Switched at Birth made its mark by teaching tolerance, patience, and open-mindedness for a world where everyone is different.

Though John Kennish has come a long way from the conservative ex-baseball player and politician we knew, he is still not that supportive of Bay’s job, despite the fact that she is going to be honored by Live Ink Magazine. It’s tough for a traditional guy like John to be supportive of Bay’s career, especially since in his eyes, it’s not something stable she can do long term.. Landing a celebrity client greatly improves Bay’s chances of that, and at least her boss is proud of her. So that he doesn’t take away from Bay’s big day, Travis waits to tell her that he is accepting the position in the minor leagues in Japan. As much as Bay would like to go with him, she can’t, not when her career is just starting to take off. What she can do is send Emmett with Travis. This gives peace to the triangle they’ve all been in, reassures Bay that Travis will have a friend nearby, and gives Emmett a purpose with his career and with his foster brother. Emmett may not be the one for Bay long term, but it’s important that they are always connected as friends.

Melody also gets the opportunity of a lifetime, taking a job as Dean of Student Affairs at Gallaudet. Before Melody can leave, she has one more crisis to put out. Remember Matthew, the guy from Carlton who had a crush on Emmett (and showed it in the worst possible way)? He managed to fix things with his friends, but his father kicked him out of the house when he found out his son was gay. By the time Melody finds Matthew, he is living on the streets. Seeing that some of her students still need her, she and Gabe decide to stay in Kansas City and take in Matthew. Gallaudet has the best resources for deaf students in the country, and Melody needs to do the same for her city and her people.

Mingo has come a long way since we first met him. He’s so motivated to make something of himself, and even better, he actually knows what he wants to do. To that end he competes against Daphne for a six month internship with an orthopedic surgeon. While Mingo may wish Daphne well, the so-called brilliant surgeon does not. He refuses to even give Daphne an interview when he realizes she’s deaf. The man actually has the nerve to call her dream of being a doctor a “dangerous fantasy”. This isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last time, that Daphne has to fight to prove she can have a difficult career. After talking to both of her moms, Daphne tells that doctor off for his flagrant violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and for his callous, narrow-minded attitude. Daphne will get where she needs to be in spite of all the haters, and Mingo will be by her side. They make an excellent pairing!

Also an excellent, though far more complicated pairing, is Regina and Eric. Regina breaks up with Luca because of her love for another man, but that doesn’t outweigh her love for her daughters. Regina won’t risk never seeing them again by joining Eric and Will on the run. What she will do is raise Will after Eric turns himself in, and wait the few years he will be in prison for him. The point is to think about the long term, which I think everyone in the Kennish-Vazquez clan has done.

Toby used to be so passionate about music. It’s not that he still doesn’t love it, but his love for Lily and Carlton has taken its place as the center of his life. He needs a career that inspires him every day. Meeting two adults with Down Syndrome who live on their own is the right motivation at the right time. Toby decides to go back to school so that he can be an advocate for his son and others with disabilities.

The flashbacks to the series premiere reminds us how much has changed in the last five years. Katherine and Regina used to hate each other, the Kennishes were completely ignorant of deaf culture, and Grandma Vazquez was always ready with those pep talks. Regina knowing about the switch for twelve years was tough for the family to swallow. When Katherine finds out that John had Bay tested a month before the switch was officially discovered, she is livid. John spent a month thinking that Katherine had had an affair, but here’s the thing-it didn’t matter that much. Bay was his child, his family was his family, and biology didn’t change that. Biology only added to his family. That tissue box is pretty worn out during the family’s ‘DNA Party’ celebrating 5 years as a family. We’ve seen what life would have been like if the switch had never happened, if the switch was discovered when the girls were toddlers, and if Daphne had never gone deaf. In all of those scenarios the family would have been less than what they are now. Biology, openmindedness, and love made this family, and we love them for it.

Was the Switched at Birth series finale everything it was supposed to be? Rate the final episode and let us know.