Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The SWITCHED AT BIRTH Code?

ABC Family's SWITCHED AT BIRTH is filled with twists, secrets, and cliffhangers. Is it possible it also has a Da Vinci Code style secret message? Fans point to the fact that every episode title is also the name of a famous work of art.

What do you think? We united the title of each episode with an image of its namesake masterpiece. There's also a plot synopsis to help jog your memory. Finally, we have two extra clues—the art for the next two episodes (8 & 9)! Please tell us in the comments section what—if anything—you think it all means!

Episode 1. "This Is Not a Pipe"



Bay Kennish discovers that her blood-type is AB, as opposed to her family's A positive. Through this, she learns that she was switched soon after birth with Daphne Vasquez, who is deaf and lives with her single mother and grandmother on the other side of town. Bay discovers that she is more like her biological mother. After finding out that Daphne's mother is in financial trouble, the Kennishes invite Regina and Daphne to move into their guest house, an offer which they accept. 

Episode 2 "American Gothic"




John and Kathryn want to sue the hospital so they can prevent the situation of misreading the ID cards to any other family. When Liam visits Carlton, Emmett acts like a body guard, but Daphne spends time with Liam after he asks to hang out. Emmett comes later to pick up Daphne and he forgives her for bailing on him. Regina opens up about her past drinking problems to Bay. 

Episode 3 "Portrait of My Father"



Bay asks questions about her biological father. Daphne and John bond over their love of basketball. Kathryn gets Regina a job at her friend's hair salon, and rumors fly regarding the Kennish-Vasquez living situation. Kathryn admits to her one of her friends the truth about Daphne and Bay, in order to end the end rumor that John had an affair with Regina. Daphne then shows Bay a photo of Regina when she was pregnant, which was taken by Bay's biological father. 

Episode 4 "Dance Amongst Daggers"



Bay learns that Daphne is seeing her ex-boyfriend, Liam, while Daphne, Kathryn, and Regina learn that Bay is seeing Ty. Bay feels like Daphne is taking over her life. Emmett fills in as the drummer for Toby's band, 'Guitar Face', and gets jealous when he finds out that Daphne is dating Liam.

Episode 5 "Dogs Playing Poker"



John invites Ty to chili night, where Ty reveals he has enlisted in the army and is leaving in two days. Daphne and Emmett play poker with Toby. Regina and Bruce bond, and Bay tells Ty goodbye before he leaves. 

Episode 6 "The Persistence of Memory"



Daphne joins an advanced cooking class at Buckner Hall. This leads Daphne to become more self-conscious about her deafness. Bay and Emmett work together to find Bay's biological father. Toby and Wilke draw up a plan to steal a chemistry test in order to pay off their debts. 

Episode 7 "The Stag Hunt"



Bay believes she's uncovered her birth father's identity. John and Kathryn suspect Regina is to blame for the hospital's recent action regarding their lawsuit. Regina talks to Toby about his addiction. Emmett tells Bay he likes her and kiss her. Daphne discovers her mom knew about the switch keeping track of Bay her whole life.

Episode 8 "Pandora's Box"



Episode 9 "Paradise Lost”

4 comments:

  1. I didn't even know that about the episode titles.

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  2. That is so incredible. I think it was intentional and artistic (like some of the characters: Regina- hairstylist, Bay- painter, deaf characters- sign language as an art). Perhaps the only way to understand a meaning behind the use of a title is to understand why Da Vinci's pieces were titled that way. "Switched at Birth" certainly is clever with this.

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  3. Doris, I like how you think. Very interesting!
    I didn't know about the paintings until yesterday! I think it's just yet another layer of meaning and intrigue for SWITCHED, one of the best new dramas in a long time...

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  4. The writer is having fun. It's pretty much been established that Bay will be an artist, so it's also a way into that character's head. In the first episode she specifically referenced "This is not a pipe." Clearly she felt a need to question the reality she was living in as everything had chanced. Her parents weren't her parents and she wasn't even supposed to be Bay.

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