TV – Page 2 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Switched at Birth Recap: “Yuletide Fortune Tellers”

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

After a long hiatus we finally got to see our favorite Switched at Birth characters (well most of them) reunite in a Christmas special and it was great.

The show begins with the Kennish’s and Vasquez’s getting ready to celebrate Christmas together for the first time. Regina attempts to get out of it and convince Daphne to continue their annual tradition of ordering Chines food and going to the movies but Daphne’s not having it. Similarly, Kathryn is overjoyed about the holidays and is going all out driving Bay crazy.

The two families then go to their favorite pizza spot, Sal’s, that just reopened and Regina and Kathryn end up in a fight over the plans for Christmas day. Regina storms off in a huff and Daphne and Bay are left asking themselves what could life had been like if they were never switched at birth.

In classic fashion, they get to find out after splitting a garlic knot that takes them to an alternate universe. There Bay wakes up and realizes she’s deaf, living in Daphne’s childhood home with Regina and Angelo Jr. Meanwhile Daphne is living with the Kennish’s where Toby is now a goth musician, John is a stay at home dad and Daphne’s soccer coach, and Kathryn runs her own make-up line.

At first everything seems fine and dandy until, of course, it isn’t. Regina is still an alcoholic and John and Kathryn are on the brink of a divorce. Most importantly, there’s no Bemmett! Emmett only sees Bay (AU Daphne) as a friend.

Of course Daphne and Bay then become determined to mend the situation and return to Sal’s to get the magical garlic knot. Unfortunately for them Sal’s is closed but Sal is able to give them a recipe for the knots. He warns them that won’t solve their problem but of course the girls don’t listen.

In an elaborate scheme Daphne and Bay are able to get their two families together at the Kennish house and make the garlic knots. Of course, as Sal warned, splitting the garlic knot doesn’t fix the problem. However, at the big family reunion both Bay and Daphne realize how important their mother’s Christmas traditions are to them. We also got a nice Bemmett kiss there so that was plus.

After the girls become resigned to their new alternate universe they both decide to visit their “adoptive” mothers. Bay reaches out to Kathryn and brings her the same peanuts that her mother asked her to shell in the real world. Daphne visits Regina and tells her she can overcome her alcoholism and they decide to order Chinese food and watch movies.

The show then ends with the girls waking up and everything goes back to normal. Both girls then appreciate their mothers even more and the Kennish’s and Vasquez’s end by joining in for a Christmas carol.

Overall, the episode was great but there’s one thing I didn’t get. If Daphne was deaf in the AU why did she already know how to sign? Similarly, even Bay did get speech theory there’s no way she would’ve been able to speak that well just like Daphne isn’t able to. Okay, maybe she would be able to. I don’t really know for sure but that seems like a stretch.

More important than the episode itself, however, was the preview for the winter premiere which sadly won’t air until Jan. 6.

Even so, I’m super excited and can’t wait. I just hope they don’t break up Bemmett (again!). I’ll be furious. Check out the preview below and let me know what you think will happen next.

Currently Binge Watching: Gilmore Girls

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

I’ve loved Gilmore Girls for a while now so when I found it was being added to Netflix, naturally, I freaked out. For those who don’t know the show follows the lives of Lorelai Gilmore, a 32 year old mom, and her daughter, Rory, who is about to turn 16.

Lorelai, who comes from a wealthy background, left that life behind when she got pregnant at 16 with Rory and has since denounced that part of her life, only seeing her parents on holidays. However, when Rory gets accepted into a prestigious private school, Lorelai looks to her parents for help to pay the tuition. Her parents then require the girls to come to their house every Friday for dinner in return for paying Rory’s tuition.

Besides this awesome family dynamic this show is full of wit, pop culture references, and interesting townspeople who bring life and hilarity to the show. The show is not only funny but also heart warming. The mother-daughter relationship between Lorelai and Rory is great to watch especially because Lorelai became a mother at such a young age.

Lorelai and Rory often alternate between being gal pals and actually acting as mother and daughter, which is fun to watch. Especially when Lorelai switches into parent role. It’s kind of strange actually but of course necessary.

Overall, I’m excited to be rewatching this show from the beginning. There were some things I completely forgot about and many scenes I’m excited to watch again.

How Long It’ll Take Me To Catch Up: Sadly, I’m currently on the struggle bus in school so I’m still only on the first season. But once holiday break arrives it’ll take me no time at all.

Do I Need Start From The Beginning: Absolutely, yes! First of all, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to. Even if you’ve seen the show before the first season is one of the best if not THE best season. So many great one liners!

Stars: 5 out of 5, duh! Like I said before, I love this show. Definitely a must watch if you haven’t seen it (or even if you have).

Shows I Watch: The Complete List

Posted on September 16, 2014September 18, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

When I tell people I watch about 20 shows the first reaction is, “How do you have time?” followed by, “Which ones?” Therefore I’ve decided to write out the complete list of shows that I watch so next time someone asks I can just look at this list and make sure I’m not missing any. These are all shows that I am completely caught up on and still air. These are in no particular order.

*Updated Sept. 18*

Once Upon a Time

At first I thought this show sounded lame. Fairytale characters in the real world? Yeah, okay. But then I actually started watching it and I got sucked in. There’s drama with a touch of fantasy that brings you back to all those fairytales you read as a kid while still giving you a bunch of couples to ship.

Teen Wolf

This is another show I didn’t think I could get into. Loosely based on the ’80s film of the same name this show originally started as your typical supernatural boy meets girl situation. The main character, Scott, is bitten by a werewolf thereby turning him into a werewolf changing him from an average high school teen to a supernatural being. Of course he then falls in love with a girl who’s family is the werewolf hunting business. Talk about awkward. The show has since developed into more of thriller, scaring the pants off of me with almost every episode.

Game of Thrones

This show is one of my all time favorites mainly because I never know what could happen next. Of course I could read the books but I’d rather not ruin it for myself. Based in a fantasy world the show is basically about what you think it is. Everyone’s trying to get the crown and rule Westeros and there’s a lot of murder, war, and political treachery that comes along with that. In summary, it’s fantastic.

Scandal

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve definitely heard of this show. Scandal has quickly become a cultural phenomenon that takes over all social media every Thursday night. The show centers around political fixer, Olivia Pope who (SPOILER ALERT) is having an affair with the president. Talk about crazy. What makes this show great though is there’s really no one character that I could say is definitely good or evil. Every character has a questioning morality and I never really know who can be trusted. Almost everyone has some ulterior motive and the backstabbing (both literally and figuratively) can be shocking.

Grey’s Anatomy

Another product of Shondaland (actually the first Shonda show I think), I got caught up on Grey’s between the eighth and ninth season I believe. It took me about a week and half to go through all those episodes and it was probably the best binge watching experience I’ve ever heard. People sometimes say they don’t understand how the show is now going into the eleventh season but I for one can’t stop watching. There’s so much drama, love triangles, and medical awesomeness that I’m hooked.

The Mindy Project

Mindy Kaling is hilarious and this show just confirms it. Centered around Dr. Mindy Lahiri, the show takes all the romantic cliches that we love from old school movies like When Harry Met Sally and turn them on their head. We get to follow Mindy through all her up and down dating woes and it’s hilarious. Besides Mindy this cast is great and will keep you doubled over in giggles throughout the whole show.

New Girl

I’ve had some up and down feelings about this show. Last season didn’t impress me that much but I’m going to give this next season another try. The show started with the main character, Jess, moving into an apartment she found on Craigslist with three guys after she and her boyfriend broke up. This situation alone provided for a lot of comedy. Each character has their own quirks that make it hilarious to watch. From Winston’s very strange habits to Nick’s words of wisdom, the cast is great.

The Vampire Diaries

Of course this show is constantly compared to Twilight and any other vampire show/movie but I have to admit The Vampire Diaries kind of stands on it’s own in that category. Between the witches, the werewolf’s, the dopplegangers, and the ghosts there’s a lot of supernatural creatures in this show. Of course there is a love triangle but this triangle has become so convoluted I’m not even sure it’s a shape anymore. I’ve been obsessed since season one and can’t wait to see what happens next.

The Originals

I know I just said The Vampire Diaries is great but The Originals is even better. The spin-off to TVD, this show is much darker than it’s predecessor. At first I was hesitant to watch it because the premise sounded ridiculous. Somehow an original vampire got a werewolf pregnant? Yeah, okay. But then my friend kept saying, “No you need to watch it!” And because I obviously don’t watch enough television I said okay. I sat down to watch the first episode and next thing I knew I was hooked. This show has the same kind of supernaturals as TVD but what’s interesting here is the dynamic between all these groups. There’s a clear divide between the witches, vampires, and werewolves and the show is focused on who’s really in control. Honestly, I have no idea who really has the power here but I’m super excited for what’s about to go down in season two.

Arrow

I’ll be completely honest here and say I totally got sucked into this show because of the Olicity ship. As often happens I went on Tumblr and just kept seeing all these GIFs and memes about this guy named Oliver Queen and this girl named Felicity Smoak and I just thought they were the cutest couple I’ve ever seen! But then I found out they weren’t even a couple and I was really confused. Anyway I started to watch the show and as much as I love Olicity there’s also plenty of other things I love about the show. The action scenes, the family drama, the Robin Hood aspect of it all. Plus I love comic book based pop culture. I don’t think enough people know about this show but they definitely should because it’s great.

Modern Family

This show has won so many Emmy’s and rightfully so. It’s hilarious. I could list all the reasons why it’s hilarious but that would be a long list. Basically it shows a family that goes through real issues and just funny situations. It’s great because it’s comical but it also deals with some real stuff. I remember last season I actually teared up when Claire went to Alex’s high school for parent’s day and realized just how stressed her daughter really was. Alex can be very annoying but I also empathize with her and seeing one of her family members really see where she was coming from was great. I’m excited to see what happens next.

The Fosters

I have so much love this show. People give ABC Family shows too much crap. ABC Family has some really great shows and this is one of them. I just love the characters so much. All the kids have some really serious issues that kids actually go through but don’t get talked about enough. These kids go through things like being in foster care, ADHD, rape and just a lot of stuff. Besides all the drama though at the core of the show there’s this loving family that’s beautiful to watch. As Lena always says, “Blood doesn’t make a family. Love does.” Beautiful.

Switched at Birth

People are often turned off by this show just because it’s about two girls who were switched at birth and obviously that concept is a little ridiculous but I mean it’s television, all shows are a little ridiculous. What really pulled me into the show is the sign language/deaf appreciation aspect. This show has shown a culture I’ve never really thought about because it has never come into my life before. Now I want to go learn sign language. Besides that though this show deals with a lot of different issues such as race, social class, and just regular family issues. It’s a great family drama that doesn’t get the love it deserves.

Orphan Black

I don’t understand how Tatiana Maslany still hasn’t been Emmy nominated. I just don’t get it. She’s amazing. Playing a variety of characters she pulls of each one so well that I forget it’s only one actress. The show is about a woman named Sarah who is returning back to her home to be with her daughter when she sees a woman who looks just like her commit suicide. Turns out Sarah’s a clone, one of many actually. This sci-fi drama takes a lot of twists and turns and the season two finale was crazy. I don’t even know what’s going to happen next.

Rookie Blue

This is another show I feel doesn’t get enough love. To be fair it’s a Canadian show and I don’t think a lot of people know about it. It does air in the US on ABC however but only in the summer. The show begins with a group of rookie cops heading into the force and learning the ropes of being a cop. It kind of seems like the police version of Grey’s Anatomy. They all have a favorite bar they always frequent, the rookies tend to sleep with their superiors, and they’re out saving lives. Also bonus I love Missy Peregrym and she’s what sucked me into the show in the first place.

The Legend of Korra

The spin off to Avatar: The Last Airbender, this new show, though it doesn’t compare to the original, is still pretty good. The last season has definitely been the best thus far. There’s still the same kind of bending fighting that I loved in the original show but there’s also a lot of new bending techniques in the show. Also the characters are great. It’s a great show that has actually gotten very mature for something they show on Nickelodeon.

House of Cards

This show is so crazy. Of all the political dramas I’ve ever seen this has got to be my favorite. The manipulation that the main character, Congressman Underwood, and his wife do is so calculated and brilliant that I can’t help but be impressed and horrified at the same time. There’s a lot of depth to almost all the characters on the show, providing for an interesting dynamic on the show. The fact that it’s a Netflix show makes it the perfect binge worthy show.

Suits

I’m not sure when I first got invested in Suits but I’m completely hooked now. The show focuses on a guy named Mike Ross who lands himself an associate position at one of the top law firms in New York City despite never going to law school or passing the BAR. In other words he’s kind of a boss. So is his boss, Harvey, Harvey’s secretary, Donna, and everyone’s boss, Jessica. It’s really just a show full of BAMFs and I love it.

Awkward

I don’t care what any says, this show is hilarious. Between Jenna always finding herself in trouble, Tamara’s constant abbreviations, and Sadie’s “You’re welcomes” this show brings the humor. Definitely one of MTV’s hits and worth watching.

Reign

I don’t know how I forgot about Reign. I love this show. Mary, Queen of Scots, starts out all innocent and then she becomes a BAMF. I can’t wait to see her in all her Queen glory next season. She’s playing no games. YES!

Switched at Birth Recap: “And Life Begins Right Away”

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

Usually I try to go in order of what happens in the episode but I just can’t today because nope, nope, nope, absolutely not. Bay is NOT going to jail for Daphne. What in the world is this BS? I’m sorry but no.

First of all I get the whole they’re really sisters now and Bay loves Daphne enough to be this selfless and that’s beautiful and blah blah blah. Whatever. That’s complete BS. First, Bay could totally still get jail time. Honestly it may not be as bad as Daphne but still. More than that it’s a felony. She’s going to have a permanent record for something Daphne did. Also, yes Bay wants to be an artist now but what if she wants to do something different later. This is on her permanent record. Just no.

I get that this was a great plot twist and honestly I applaud the SAB writers for creating such a great finale because it truly was wonderful but I’m so upset by this. Daphne really messed up this season and although I get that she was upset by everything with Angelo that shouldn’t be an excuse and she shouldn’t be able to just walk away with this. I’m really pissed that Daphne let Bay just take the blame for her and this made me dislike her even more. Own up to your own mistakes. If we’re going to try to play the “they’re real sisters now” card then Daphne should’ve of done a solid for her sister and not let her take the fall for something she didn’t do.

But I can talk about that all day so let’s just get to the recap.

The episode began with the return of Wes and him telling Regina he wouldn’t press charges against Daphne. Yay! Except when Daphne and Regina go to tell John and Kathryn the good news there’s an officer waiting to take Daphne in because someone else pressed charges and they found Daphne’s prints on the scene.

Oh, dear.

Once at the police station it’s revealed that there’s really no way Daphne can get away from this unscathed. Either they can fight it and she could get three years or she can take the plea deal and get 90 days. Either way she’ll be going to prison for reals and since she’s 18 it’ll go on her record. I guess Nacho wasn’t worth it after all was he Daphne? (Sorry I’m still pissed.)

After the Kennish’s and Vasquez’s have a family discussion Daphne decides she’s going to turn herself in and that she just wants to enjoy her last day at graduation and the family agrees.

MeanwhileBay is working on finding a reasonable plan to present to John and Kathryn so she can go to LA and be with Emmett. Though it takes her time to figure it out she makes a solid plan and with money from Angelo’s life insurance Bay is able to present her plan to John. After revealing to both John and Kathryn that Bay is at risk for developing an aneurysm they are especially not on board for Bay going to LA. However Bay points out that she’s 18 and she can legally do whatever she wants.

You go Bay!

Also, it’s revealed that Carlton will be closing after this year which sucks but that wasn’t a major plot point so we’ll move one.

At graduation Daphne freaks about her future and tells Bay she doesn’t think she’ll be able to give her speech. However, with encouraging words from Bay Daphne is able to find the courage to give her speech which left me in a ball of tears because it was so beautiful.

Afterwards there were a lot of beautiful moments at the graduation. First of which, Travis’ mom showed up all on her own. Apparently she’d been learning sign language via an app (that I now need to purchase) and it was really sweet to see her there meeting Melody and Mary Beth.

What got me the most was the scene between Daphne and Emmett (shout out to come-and-dance.tumblr.com for this awesome GIF set):

He then admitted that if Bay wasn’t going to LA with him he wouldn’t have gone to USC. Awww! He’s so in love with her it’s adorable.

Also, when Regina went to hug Bay Bay revealed she had a picture of Angelo pinned to her gown which also made me tear up a bit. This episode really hit me in the feels.

After Sharee says her goodbyes to Daphne and says she’ll see her at the graduation party Daphne decides to peace out and go to the police station straight from there. Bay decides to go with her telling her she won’t let her do this alone. From there we get the whole Bay lies and says she did it and Daphne lets her take the fall thing that I refuse to discuss anymore.

Other notable points of the episode was Nikki deciding she wants an annulment rather than a divorce and Toby and Cool English Teacher deciding to do nothing rather than something together. In other words they’re leaving friendship territory and walking into relationship territory.

Speaking of new relationships I’m now a fan of: Wes finally made a move! Thank God. Took him long enough. When telling Regina he wouldn’t press charges he kissed Regina and at first she was totally about it but then pulled away saying she wasn’t ready. However, later in the episode after Regina had blamed Wes for Daphne’s arrest, Regina goes back to his office to apologize where he then invites her to go to Hawaii with him. We don’t know if she’ll say yes or not but I’m really hoping she says yes. I really like them together and I think he would be good for her. We shall see.

Sadly, now we’re on Switched at Birth hiatus which is always a sucky time. Thankfully, the writers are blessing us with a Christmas special in December so it won’t be too long of a wait. Check out the preview below.

Obviously the show really likes these what if episodes. I don’t care; I’m in support.

Until then let me know your thoughts on the finale and the crazy ending. Honestly I just hope this doesn’t wreck my Bemmett ship. I don’t think it will but what is Emmett going to do now? He better still go to USC. But then they won’t be together. Then again Bay might be in jail so there’s that. I can’t even think about.

Will Bay go to prison? Will Regina go to Hawaii? Does this mean Daphne’s going to Gallaudet now? What’s going to happen?!? Thankfully SAB got renewed for a fourth season so we’ll get all our answers soon enough. I can’t wait!

Switched at Birth Recap: “Girl on the Cliff”

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

This episode was everything I needed and more. Daphne finally got her intervention and it actually worked … by the end of the episode.

The episode began with Daphne being confronted by Bay, the Kennish’s, and Regina and everything that she’s done wrong has finally been brought to light. I still can’t believe she said she barely touched Bay. Lies they tell.

Thankfully, all the parents recognize that Daphne is headed down a very bad path and although John is upset that Regina knew Daphne had done drugs and was working with Chip Coto, with the help of Kathryn they’re able to work with Regina and stay on a united front.

At school Emmett is set on giving Bay the perfect prom by pulling out all the stops, including making a rose out of newspaper crosswords and campaigning for him and Bay to be prom king and queen. Although the effort was really cute Bay wasn’t that excited to be queen but eventually accepted the nomination just to make Emmett happy.

Of course despite all of Emmett’s efforts something goes wrong. The principal announces that all girls have to wear dresses and all guys have to wear suits. Natalie’s girlfriend is greatly offended by this because she doesn’t wear dresses and so she and Natalie are not going to prom.

After talking to Regina, Bay decides to take a stand against the administration and decides to go to prom in a suit and so does Mary Beth, Natalie, and Natalie’s girlfriend. Although this was a great idea and I’m proud of Bay for taking a stand for her friend the chaperone at prom (the same one who I didn’t like from the start when he said some girls would kill to be prom queen) was absolutely against it and even said some very disrespectful things that honestly he should get in trouble for.

Though they were refused entrance into the regular prom Bay and Co. recreated an awesome prom outside. Also in a great moment before hand Emmett admitted that he was trying to make the perfect prom for Bay since the last one (when he told her he cheated) was so terrible. Although he was upset that things didn’t go exactly as he wanted them to it all worked out in the end and they had a great night.

Daphne on the other hand was having a really rough time. She was grounded so she couldn’t go to prom which she supposedly didn’t really care about but in reality she was probably really upset about that. From there she went back to the clinic where she decided to steal some Oxycodone from the medicine cabinet.

She gets busted and although she begs and pleads Doctor Jay fires her. On top of that a camera caught Nacho at the construction site for the East Riverside project and Regina confronts Daphne where it’s finally revealed that she was there as well and also did damage.

Regina is livid and rightfully so and tears Daphne a new one. Daphne then lies and says she has to go to the clinic but obviously that’s not true. Regina later realizes this and becomes stressed about where Daphne could have gone. Kathryn finds her sitting on a curb in tears and Daphne finally admits that the real reason she’s been acting like such a brat is because she feels guilty for not getting to really know Angelo when she had the chance.

With that breakthrough Daphne is comforted by Kathryn and Regina and thankfully it seems she now headed down a better path. Even so, if Wes chooses to tell the police about Nacho being at the construction site Daphne may very well end up arrested. We shall see how ABC Family will let this play out.

Besides that Toby and Tank had a little disagreement about Toby DJing a party for Tank’s former frat. In the end although Toby did go to the party he apologizes to Tank, telling him he should’ve had his back. They agree to move on and all is well with the roommates.

Next episode is the finale and I can’t wait to see what will happen but I’m also sad for the oncoming hiatus. However it has to happen. Check out the preview below.

Switched at Birth Recap: “You Will Not Escape”

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

First, I think we can all agree that Daphne needs to CALM. THE. FREAK. DOWN.

She really ticked me off this episode so I’m going to begin with her. After hearing that one of the other neighboring high schools is having a senior ditch day Daphne, Natalie, and Sharee agree to have one of their own. Of course, Daphne is the most gung ho for it. I honestly could care less about the planning of a senior cut day. I mean, seriously, who didn’t have a senior cut day in high school? What I’m tight about is what happened during said day.

Daphne along with her fellow seniors head to Hawkeye Ranch where Travis quickly questions the lack of alcohol. I won’t even go into the fact that they are underage and in a public place because again this is something I think we can all agree we’ve done or at least our friends have done. It happens. What’s dumb is that Daphne decides to call Nacho (really his name is Nacho?) to come with some beers.

Nacho, being the gentleman that he is, doesn’t just show up with beer but also brings a posy that includes some girl who may or may not be his girlfriend but is definitely more than a friend.

When Daphne confronts him Nacho makes it clear that Daphne’s not the only girl he’s seeing and basically says, “I can’t just have one girl at time … but that’s cool right?” and Daphne says yes because … well at this point I don’t even know why.

Wanting to exact revenge on Nacho for being a douche she goes on the Ferris Wheel with Travis where she shares a beer with him and then tries to kiss him. Actually she does kiss him because apparently Daphne now has zeros effs to give.

Thankfully, Travis doesn’t give into temptation and reminds Daphne that he has a girlfriend then gets off the Ferris wheel and proceeds to throw up. Gross but good for you Travis!

Bay, who has already confronted Daphne for being stupid enough to date Nacho, confronts Daphne again for being a brat and kissing her friend’s boyfriend. Bay then reminds Daphne that she’s not the only one struggling and she needs to stop lashing out at everyone, being mean to Regina, and all in all get over herself. In other words Bay said everything we’ve all been thinking. You go Bay!

Then Daphne shoved Bay to the ground and stomped away, continuing to act like a bratty three year old that can’t get her way. Seriously, Daphne what are we going to do with you? Things only got worse when Daphne arrived back home where Regina tells her what she decided to do with the money from Angelo’s life insurance: donate it to Melody’s awesome satellite Gallaudet school and then maybe do a mother-daughter road trip.

Although Daphne was okay with the idea at first she then snaps at Regina, saying Regina shouldn’t even have that money because she’s the reason Angelo is dead. Daphne then goes on this whole rant about how Regina sucks and brings up the fact the Regina knew about the switch … again. Daphne, sweetie, you really need to get new material. She ends her rant by saying Regina isn’t even her mother. Really, Daphne? Really? I would just like to point out how Daphne is all upset because Angelo died but he was not her biological father so her logic is little jacked up at this point but I digress.

Daphne should be glad she didn’t get slapped into next week’s episode after everything she said to Regina. Either way it looks like Daphne might finally get what’s coming to her next week but I’ll get to that later.

While Daphne was losing it Bay was dealing with her own stuff. After talking to Tank Bay decides to get checked out for aneurysms. Thankfully she had nothing to worry about. However, she doesn’t get this news until the end of the episode and proceeds to have a mini freak out before then because she thinks she might die.

Rather than tell Emmett what she’s really stressed about she gets angry when she sees the girl who was the image behind “Mandy” and the girl says she read all the things Emmett wrote to Mandy and that made her break up with her boyfriend and she’s kind of into Emmett. Weird. Either way Bay seems to get jealous and storms away from Emmett leaving him confused and rightfully so.

Bay basically tells Emmett he should be with “Mandy” and go off to USC, where he found out he was accepted early in the episode, and leave Bay behind because who knows what would happen in the future? Silly Bay. Don’t you know honesty is the best policy? Obviously, not.

Once Bay learns that she doesn’t have an aneurysm she finds Emmett and apologizes for acting so irrational (but STILL doesn’t say anything about her health fears) and says he should go to USC and that she’ll go with him. Yep, because following you boyfriend to college is always good idea.

Either way I guess it’s Bay’s life and she can do what she wants but I personally think it’s a terrible idea.

Other major points to of the episode that don’t really need further explanation:

Regina and Kathryn go to New York for Kathryn’s book release. Some how they end up pretending they’re lesbian lovers and it’s actually kind of hilarious.
Travis thinks he dropped out of high school but in reality Melody stepped in and with the help of the money Regina donated is starting a Gallaudet satellite campus that Travis will be going to after he graduates. You go Melody!

And that’s about it. This week was crazy mostly because of Daphne (when she told Regina that she wasn’t her real mom I almost lost it). Looks like Daphne is going to get her just desserts next week, however. Is it wrong that I’m excited to see her get knocked down a peg? If it is I don’t care because that girl needs some sense knocked into her. Check out the preview for next week below.

Switched at Birth Recap: “It Isn’t What You Think”

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

So many things frustrated me about this episode I don’t even know where to begin.

Because I love Bay so much I’ll start with her. Bay, seriously, what are you doing? Please explain.

I get that she feels guilty because of what she did to Tank but the way she’s handling it is so no bueno. She chooses to apologize again and help Tank out by going to a fancy dinner with Tank and his father because Tank now has to break the news to his father that he dropped out of his frat (because of Bay). Honestly Bay doing this really wouldn’t have been too big a deal if a) Emmett hadn’t just found out he got into Gallaudet and wanted to go out and celebrate with his girlfriend and b) if Tank hadn’t “forgot to mention” that he and Bay had broken up to his father. But both of these things occurred and it’s a hot mess.

Tank tells his father the truth (about the frat and him and Bay being just friends) and naturally his father is furious. I don’t really get why his Dad is so pissed. I mean yeah Tank is now ending the three generations in the frat but it’s not like he dropped out of college, as Tank points out. None of that matters to Tank’s father, who then storms out. Tank and Bay then agree to be friends which in theory sounds good but in reality is a terrible idea. First of all anyone with eyes can see that Tank still has feelings for Bay and at this point Bay should know that nothing good comes from remaining friends with an ex. I mean she was friends with Emmett and then cheated on Tank with him. Not good.

To make matters worse Bay then confides in Tank, telling him her fears about aneurysms being hereditary and how she’s scared to go to the doctor and find out. Bay, sweetie, these are things you tell your boyfriend not your ex. Do better. Seriously. Bay is walking a thin line right now I need her to stay on the right side. The Emmett side.

Now, the other switched sister, Daphne, has actually lost it. Previously I allowed her actions because everyone handles grief differently but she went way overboard in this episode. Coming into the house and seeing Wes there totally set Daphne off and she spoke disrespectfully to him then talked to Bad Boy #1 (who’s name I honestly don’t care to learn) telling him that the project was about to break ground. Of course BB#1 takes this as a great opportunity to strike and convinces Daphne to join him.

The two then join forces to graffiti and ultimately destroy the site we’re they’re going to break ground. They do so much damage and Wes says it’ll cost a fortune to get the project back on track … unless they enlist the help of Senator Coto. Regina is still against the idea but Wes tells her it’s the only way they can get the project done and Regina relents.

Meanwhile Melody gives Daphne a stern talking to basically telling Daphne to get over herself and forgive Regina. Naturally once Daphne decides to let it go she goes to Wes’ office and sees Regina and Wes talking to Senator Coto. Oh, dear. This then undos every forgiving thought Daphne had and fuels her anger, leading her to find BB#1 and tell him she doesn’t want to slow down she wants to speed up. I’m guessing “speeding up” will lead to more than kissing but we shall see.

Also, Travis made me very sad this episode. He’s decided to drop out of high school because he didn’t get into Gallaudet and his friend is hooking him up with a job that starts the following Monday. There’s so much that upsets me about this. First, I get that Travis is sad but this is not the best way to handle things. He literally only has three weeks left before graduation. Just graduate. Second, Melody made a good point about how this happens to a lot of deaf kids because there’s not a lot deaf universities and it’s difficult for deaf kids to go to hearing schools. Let be me clear I’m basing this all on Melody’s words not any of my own knowledge. I would never pretend to know what life is like for someone who’s deaf. But I get Melody’s point and I was just saddened to see Travis going down this path. I hope he does graduate. I think he will from pics I’ve seen from the cast but one can’t be too sure.

Lastly, Toby and Lily, the cool English teacher, get into it because of Sharee who needs to make up a test if she has any chance of passing Lily’s class. Lily is absolutely against a make up exam even when Toby tries to convince her so he goes over her head to the principal. Lily then goes to Toby at his apartment infuriated. Of course this then leads them to have sex because somehow that makes sense. Afterwards instead of having pillow talk Toby brings up Sharee again making Lily feel like he only slept with her to get her to change her mind which he denies.

Lily leaves more infuriated than when she first arrived and Toby later goes to the school to apologize and Lily tells him about her deaf brother who was always babied and it wasn’t until her family and everyone else stopped babying him that he really reached his potential. Somehow this explains why she’s so hard on her students. Personally, I don’t really get it but sure, okay. Either way their conflict is resolved and they’re now heading down the road to a relationship. How cute.

I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next. The promo for the next episode looks so crazy I’m having trouble believing it myself. Check out it below and I’ll see y’all next week.

Switched at Birth Recap: “Girl with the Death Mask (She Plays Alone)”

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

This episode could be summed up in three words: Daphne lost it.

I don’t blame Daphne for losing it, really I don’t. I never liked her but the truth is she just lost someone that she was just starting to really get to know and like and she blames her mother for his death. That’s a lot of emotions to deal with. Even if this episode was two weeks later.

If you didn’t watch this episode yet stop reading here because there’ll be plenty of spoilers. Here we go.

Bay and Daphne are both still recovering from the loss of Angelo and Regina, Kathryn, and John are doing just about everything in their power to help them get past it but to no avail. That is until Bay gets a letter from her grandmother (Angelo’s mother) telling her about a cousin Angelo stayed with a few years back who should know that Angelo is now dead.

Using this to their advantage Kathryn and John suggest taking a trip there (Chicago) and bringing Daphne along so she can visit Northwestern. The switched sisters begrudgingly agree and let John drag them across the country (with snacks provided by Kathryn).

Daphne is still pissed off at Regina and as hard as Regina tries Daphne won’t forgive her making a bad situation even worse for Regina who’s barely holding it together. This is evident by the fact that Regina completely spaced on Abby and one of her father’s visit to the house. Thankfully Kathryn steps in and takes over helping out with Abby as her father spills that Daddy #2 has stepped out and Abby has quickly gone from having three dads to having one. Is she even one yet? Wow.

Kathryn hoping to cheer up Abby’s papa calls Renzo and invites him over which may have been a good idea if Renzo didn’t suddenly turn into a nervous hot mess of a man that decided to make a three course dinner that didn’t turn out so well. Renzo ends up leaving in despair, embarrassed and disappointed but Abby’s daddy appreciates Kathryn’s efforts and thanks her.

Meanwhile in Chicago Daphne goes off with a premed nerd at Northwestern to learn more about the program but instead makes a good nerd go bad and convinces him to do coke with her. Yep, that happened. Things quickly escalate and they end up throwing his couch off the roof and Daphne almost destroys the nerd’s laptop. I personally got really stressed for him then. Losing your laptop in the middle of the school year is never good.

While Daphne was experimenting Bay was learning more about her family history. Although her cousin turned about to be a bit of jerk, not really feeling any kind of sympathy about Bay losing her father and trying to weasel some money out of John, he did reveal some much needed information to Bay. Turns out Angelo had a sister who died at 18 also from an aneurysm. I guess maybe now Daphne should stop blaming Regina for his death because it might just be a hereditary condition. Of course this is not good news for Bay who realizes she’s 18 and there might be a chance she’s next. Hopefully Bay doesn’t keep this information to herself and get’s checked out ASAP.

Later Bay and Daphne reunite at Northwestern where Daphne tells Bay how she kind of lost it and that she thinks Regina caused Angelo’s death. Of course Bay defends Regina because Bay knows the truth but doesn’t tell Daphne that, making Daphne even more pissed off.

Everyone then returns to the Kennish-Vasquez household where Daphne finally completely loses it with Regina even telling her that she got high and asking Regina what is she going to do about. Ouch. To end the show on a happier not there was then a cute moment between Bay and Abby where Bay realizes she had a piece of Angelo closer to her than she thought. Awww.

In the middle of all that upheaval Toby had his first DJing gig which he invited everyone he possibly knows to. Including his upstairs neighbor who turns out to be a teacher at Carlton, Ms. Summers. It is a small world after all.

Emmett and Mary Beth show up at the bar (or was it a club?) and Tank is there. Awkward. Thankfully Tank assumes Emmett is Travis and everyone else just plays along. That is until Travis actually shows up and Ms. Summers reprimands Emmett for drinking, calling him by name.

Tank, drunk and pissed, attempts to take a swing at Emmett embarrassing himself by falling over. I truly felt bad for Tank in that moment. It’s obvious he’s been having a hard time since he and Bay broke up. After Toby and Ms. Summers takes Tank back to Toby’s place Toby even offers to let Tank crash on his couch. Looks like someone just got a new roomie.

Also I totally ship Toby and Ms. Summers. She’s cute, has a great accent, and is just all around awesome. My only question is how old is she? I mean Toby’s legally an adult and can date whomever but I’m just curious. Either way I think she would be a good fit for Toby.

It looks like next week will be even more interesting with Daphne still lashing out and Bay going out with Tank? What’s going on here? We’ll just have to wait until next week. Check out the promo below.

Switched at Birth Recap: “The Image Disappears”

Posted on July 15, 2014July 15, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

If you follow me on Twitter you know that I was in complete denial this whole episode. I still can’t believe it and I’m very upset with the writers. Let’s just get straight to the point. Angelo is gone. After his accident he went brain dead and there was no reviving him. What I hoped was a very bad dream turned out to be very true and I couldn’t be more upset. Let’s start from the beginning.

The episode begins with everyone arriving at the hospital, stressed because Angelo is in grave condition. Although he pulls through his surgery the doctor warns that there could be serious brain damage but also states that since he’s young and healthy there may be a chance (there wasn’t).

After Bay, Regina, and Daphne go in to see Angelo the doctor tells Daphne if the number on the machine that’s hooked up to Angelo goes above 20 that’s no bueno. Regina then convinces Daphne to leave and go take the SATs that she’d studied so hard for. I personally think it was a little ludicrous for Regina to expect Daphne to sit through an exam like that after all she was going through but it is what it is. Daphne leaves, telling Toby to let her know if the number goes above 20. Of course, because everything has to go terribly wrong in this episode, it does.

Meanwhile Kathryn and Regina pray for Angelo’s recovery and Bay decides to donate blood in an effort to help Angelo. While donating she passes out and has this really sweet dream of Angelo helping her as she gives birth to twins. Then she’s gently awakened by Emmett, her knight in shining armor. Aww.

At the test Daphne has to give the proctor her phone and of course it starts to go off during the exam. Having to make a choice Daphne picks up the phone and she is dismissed (rather harshly) from the exam. Running back to the hospital Angelo has been rushed off to the OR. Daphne tells Bay she went to take the SAT and Bay rings her a new one, asking how she could possibly leave to take a test in such dire circumstances. Little does Bay know that was the last thing Daphne wanted to do in the first place.

When Angelo gets out of surgery the doctor says he’s brain dead leaving everyone shocked and wondering what to do. Angelo can continue to live off of all the machines he’s hooked up to but he’s essentially gone. Well, at least this is what the doctors say. Every one is in denial about this point at first.

John, who feels guilty because Angelo asked him for a loan and he said no, is looking for any doctor that can give them a different diagnosis. He fails to find one and is forced to admit there’s nothing he can do. Daphne talks to the doctor who explains to her Angelo’s not coming back. He shows her two x-rays of Angelo’s brain, one that shows the blood flowing there and one that shows no blood flowing at all. The doctor then suggests that the family consider doing organ donation.

Daphne tells Bay about her plan and Bay is outraged asking Daphne how she could possibly want to break Angelo down and “sell him for parts like a used car”. Again, ouch. Bay is throwing some hard punches in this episode. Speaking of low blows when John suggests to Regina they let Angelo go she accuses him of being glad that Angelo’s finally out of their lives. She later apologizes however.

Bay and Emmett go to Angelo’s apartment on a search for a phone number for his mother so they can call her and let her know what’s happening. While searching the apartment they find Angelo’s last will and testament. Surprisingly, Angelo states that in the case that he can no longer function or make choices for himself he would like to be taken off ventilation. Bay, who still doesn’t want to let go, doesn’t want to believe it and even suggests they pretend they never saw it. Oh, dear. Thankfully Emmett is able to talk some sense into her and they bring the will to the hospital where Regina is forced to face the truth as well.

Realizing what Angelo would have wanted they agree to take Angelo off of the ventilator and donate his viable organs. Bay then calls Angelo’s mother in France and tells her the bad news. In a touching moment Bay and Daphne watch as Angelo’s mother says goodbye to him, in French, on the phone.

It is later when they’re talking to a different doctor(?) about what organs will be donated the family learns that Angelo suffered a brain aneurysm. The doctor suggests it could have been caused by extreme stress or anger or a number of other things. However, all Daphne can really hear is anger and once the deed is done Daphne rips into Regina blaming her for Angelo’s death.

Throughout the episode there was also a recurring flashback of Angelo and Regina in the hospital when he accused her of cheating. Towards the end Regina imagines a different ending where he doesn’t leave and they work it out instead wasting all those years apart. Daphne also imagines Angelo coming in on her wedding day and seeing her in her dress. Basically there were a bunch of scenes that made me cry.

As I remain in denial it seems that Angelo is really gone and I will never understand why the writers did this to me. Still this was a very deep and thought provoking episode that I wasn’t expecting from Switched at Birth. The acting was superb and despite all my tears it was a great episode.

Check out the preview for next week below.

Source for Photos/GIFs: ABCFamily and Tumblr

Switched at Birth Recap: “And We Bring the Light”

Posted on July 13, 2014July 15, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in TV

Last Monday’s episode ended with a bang (if you haven’t watched it yet stop reading here; spoilers are included). I thought this was a great episode except there was no Emmett so that was sad.

But to make up for Emmett’s absence (sort of), Toby’s back. Yay! Although his facial hair really should’ve stayed in Iceland.

Let’s begin with the Kennish’s because they had a lot of cute family moments. First, Bay didn’t get into Pratt and I think Pratt can suck it because that’s just dumb. She’s great and I don’t understand how she couldn’t get in (other than the SAB writers just don’t want Bay to be happy). And she wasn’t. She was devastated which broke my heart. Poor Bay.

But then big brother Toby returned and her day got a little bit brighter. Not telling anyone about not getting into Pratt Toby is finally able to get the truth out of her and decides to help a sister out. They plan to do a big art piece and using inspiration from Toby, Bay wants to create the Northern Lights. While planning to sneak out they get busted by Kathryn who wants in.

Thus begins the Kennish adventure. The art mission seems like a go until the electricity goes out and Bay kind of loses it. She rips Kathryn a new one basically telling Kathryn she’s not a “real” writer. Ouch. Although I know Bay is hurting because of Pratt that’s still no way to talk to your mom. Like ever. Kathryn, of course, is furious and would’ve stomped away if security hadn’t shown up.

To Bay and Toby’s amazement Kathryn is able to talk them out of getting in trouble by making up this crazy story about how Toby and Bay are twin, deaf Icelandic artists. After the guard leaves Bay breaks down and reveals to Kathryn she didn’t get into Pratt. Then in a very touching moment John shows up with a generator and all the Kennish’s say a time when they failed at something. Bay feeling revived turns on her Northern Lights and it’s magical (again, Pratt I don’t understand). It was a very cute Kennish moment and I thoroughly enjoyed seeming them be one united happy family.

Speaking of cute family moments Daphne and Angelo’s bonding time in this episode was fantastic. Their budding father-daughter relationship is adorable and I love it. Daphne is freaking out because of her SATs and Angelo helps her relax by distracting her in one of her favorite places: the kitchen. He tells her he needs help figuring out one of his grandmother’s recipes and suggests they make various different cakes until they get it just right. After they figure it out and Angelo admits he took no notes so they’ll have to do this process all over again at some point, Daphne finds a foreclosure notice. That’s when Angelo reveals that the restaurant is going out of business and he’s in a bit of a money crisis. After breaking down a little bit Daphne is there for him and then they take the cutest selfie ever.

While Daphne and Angelo are becoming closer than ever Regina is out to dinner with Wes who just gave her a gun for protection that she now knows how to use and shoot. Yeah, this won’t end badly. Regina and Wes go to dinner and guess who joins them? None other than Senator Coto (or is it former senator? Not sure on that front). Anyway some how Coto doesn’t recognize Regina and remember that her daughter blackmailed him. That would’ve been pretty interesting if he had though.

Wes had planned to get into a (not so legal) partnership with Coto but instead refuses to do so once Regina tells him the truth about how she knows Coto. You go Wes! About the only good thing he’s done so far. I’ll admit he’s growing on me. I still don’t like him with Regina and I definitely think he wants to be with her in a more personal than professional way that I don’t approve of but at least he’s becoming a better person.

After dinner Regina heads to K&D and is upstairs when Daphne comes in looking for her SAT book. Daphne calls out but Regina doesn’t hear her. Daphne then heads upstairs because she can hear Regina up there and Regina calls out hearing someone in the store. Of course, Daphne can’t hear her. Regina then gets her gun and gets ready to shoot and Daphne comes face to face with Regina’s gun. Oh, dear.

Daphne is pissed and rightfully so. She’s run downstairs when Angelo comes in and hears the whole story. Now he’s pissed and Regina and him get into a huge, nasty fight. Angelo accuses Regina of cheating and Regina basically tells him he sucks at being a father and a man.

Yes it really is Agent Coulson. Angelo then storms out and speeds off in his car and …

So that happened. Angelo is in serious bad shape. I’m really hoping ABC Family doesn’t kill him off. Angelo and Daphne were really just getting close and truthfully I’m not sure if Daphne could ever forgive Regina if he doesn’t recover. I hope it all works out but honestly I don’t know where the writers are going to take this.

Things. Just. Got. Real.