girl under the floor

I just need them to end up together

~AnastasiaGrey~

Yeah me to

ollibear

I hope not, too. At this moment, there is still a chance for the writers to get it right, but I am already dismayed at how they have screwed up Bay & Emmett's story in the past.

Back in the glory days of Switched at Birth, I loved reading the reviews by Carrie Raisler each week. She does not write them anymore. I stumbled upon one tonight, though, and I realize how much I miss them.

Also, tonight, when I was scrolling through memories on Facebook, I saw that on this date (March 10th) in 2015, the episode There Is My Heart aired, and Emmett broke up with Bay on the beach.

Also, on this date (March 10th) in 2014, the episode The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed) aired, and Bay discovers Ty never cheated on her, before she runs to tell Emmett.

That's how I stumbled upon this old review:

The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed) · Switched At Birth · TV Review Switched At Birth: “The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed)” · TV Club · The A.V. Club

I am drawn to this part:

I really believed that at the time. I really believed that Emmett is the person Bay trusts most in the world. But the writers have muddied that now. By having Bay run to Tank over and over again, while she was with Emmett, it makes Bay's connection to Emmett seem much less special.

In my mind, now, Bay isn't a person who trusts Emmett most in the world. Instead, Bay is a person who cannot bring herself to trust any partner, so she runs to anyone else available (especially old boyfriends), in order to avoid intimacy with the person whom she shares a romantic relationship. That's a good story, but it makes Bay & Emmett's connection seem less special.

And that's sad, too. It makes Bay seem less than who I imagined her to be. It makes her relationship with Emmett seem less. It makes Emmett himself seem less. It doesn't do any good for Tank. Bay has even done the same thing with Travis, although maybe, Bay is ready to stop running to ex-boyfriends now.

In Seasons 3B and 4A, I am disappointed that the writers took something special to Bay and Emmett's relationship and destroyed it, by having Bay become a person who runs to any and every ex-boyfriend. I remember the moment it happened, too. It was the episode It Isn't What You Think. That's the episode that turned my understanding of Bay & Emmett's relationship upside down. It's the moment the writers made what Bay & Emmett share less than, rather than more.

I'm disappointed in the writers' decision to take away so many of the things that made Bay & Emmett's connection meaningful. Depth still exists, but I attribute that more to the actors than the writers, now.

~AnastasiaGrey~

Well with only a few episodes left I wonder how they will tie it up

ollibear

I do, too. I miss those days I referenced in my last post. I want the series to end like that.

~AnastasiaGrey~

Yeah the writing was superb back then

ollibear

I was in the mood for this video again tonight:

~AnastasiaGrey~

Thanks for posting that

ollibear

For what it is worth, I still have hope. My instincts tell me that Bay and Emmett will not choose to rekindle their relationship in the end, but I still have hope. I do.

charming_essa

I've been thinking about how this could happen without Bay coming off looking like an awful person. First they need to establish Bay and Emmett still have feelings for each other, but it needs to not be something that is outright deceptive like getting caught in a lie. Now that Travis is "okay" with Bay and Emmett being around each other, Travis needs to see it on his own. Things like tension, looks across a room, where it becomes obvious that they aren't over each other. Then Travis has to be the one to end things with Bay. It can't be Bay doing the breaking up at this point. If Travis lets Bay go, then she can be free to go back to Emmett. If it happens, I'm guessing it'll be in the finale.

ollibear

I've been thinking about it, too.

There are a few ways that the writers could do it. What you are suggesting is the simplest and most straightforward path. It'd be great if the writers choose it. They actually did the same thing with Bay & Ty.

Ty realized that Bay & Emmett still had feelings for each other. He picked up on the tension between them when he walked in on them at Maui Kansas and saw them watching the scene where they were making out with each other as they filmed "Dawn of the Deaf." Then, he saw their looks at each other, as Bay interpreted Emmett's toast for Toby's wedding rehearsal dinner. Ty ended things with Bay immediately after that dinner. Ty just didn't have the courage to do it upfront, so instead, he allowed Bay to think he had slept with another woman, in order to end their relationship.

These writers LOVE to repeat themselves, so they could do something similar with Bay & Travis. Although, hopefully, Travis will have the courage to end things with Bay forthright, rather than allowing her to think that he has cheated. After everything Bay has gone through in her relationships, I think that might be the end of her, if she thought another man cheated on her. I don't even think I could handle that storyline at the end.

If the writers had been given the full 20 episodes, I feel almost certain they would have brought Bay & Emmett back together again in the end. From the way their story was written, and even the way these first 7 episodes of Season 5 have played out, that seems to be the writers intent. With a full 20 episodes, Bay would have explored a healthy, mature sexual relationship with Travis, and then, we probably would have been given another time jump before the last 10 episodes. Once things naturally came to an end with Travis, Bay would have found herself working with Emmett again on an art project or something, and they would reunite at the end.

Another alternative would be for the writers to allow Bay to see Emmett move on with someone new at the end of the series. Amanda McDonough, an actor who is Deaf, was given a big multi-episode story arc on Switched at Birth this season, and it was cut with the exception of her signing to Daphne that Mingo was not in his dorm room.

I have wondered if the writers would have had Amanda McDonough's character begin dating either Emmett or Travis. I always wanted to see Emmett date a Deaf woman, because it was talked about so frequently in Season 1A. I would have enjoyed watching that immensely.

I would have even enjoyed watching Travis date a Deaf woman. Bay could be single at the end or with either man. Bay could have been wistful about watching either one of her two lovers move on with someone new who shares their culture.

Another option could be for Travis to go through something so traumatic with his "bio-family" as Freeform calls it, that he needs to end his relationship with Bay to deal with that. Travis hasn't faced his mother, father, and brother in a long time. Plus, he has never dealt with his own sexual assault as a child. If that situation is brought to the surface, and Travis is not prepared for it, then the matter could cause Travis to end any sexual relationship until after he goes through counseling.

I wonder how seeing Travis deal with his sexual assault would make Bay feel about her own situation.

Still another option the writers could take is to have Travis make a conscious decision to put his career first ahead of his relationship with Bay. He hinted at that when he told Melody that as much as he cares about Bay, he regrets going to China and falling behind in his chosen profession. If Travis breaks up with Bay, because he feels a strong need to focus on his sport and not have any relationship woes to distract him, then Bay would be free to go back to Emmett. (It would be better if Travis had noticed Bay & Emmett still have feelings for each other all along. Otherwise, it would seem that the only reason Bay is returning to Emmett is because Travis dumped her.)

In the most recent episode, it was interesting when Travis walked away from the tattoo parlor and left Bay & Emmett working together on an art project. I wasn't sure why Travis didn't stay and watch. I guess he wanted to prove to Bay that he trusts her. But it was a weird scene. I noticed both how Travis arrived, in the lead, with Emmett behind him and subservient, and how Travis left all by himself, sneaking away even, without even meeting Ally or saying goodbye to Emmett.

Lizzy Weiss took note that many fans saw a spark between Emmett & Ally, and she seemed to take glee in that. It's possible that Emmett & Ally might start dating here at the end. It would be poignant in a way. Emmett helped Bay find her father, then, he helped her say goodbye to her father. Emmett was even instrumental in finding the living will and helping Bay accept that it was her Angelo's wish to not be kept on life support and to donate his organs. That would not have happened without Emmett.

It would be touching if Angelo's heart saved the life of the woman with whom Emmett falls in love.

If Bay & Emmett do not reunite in the end, I hope we see Bay wistful for Emmett.

Bay cried when Emmett broke up with her, but she hopped back into another relationship a few months later. And whatever anyone might say about Bay & Travis, it is serious. Bay is committed to Travis.

Emmett mourned his relationship with Bay for two years, when she broke up with him. He didn't hop into any sort of relationship until Matthew set that catfish trap for him. I'd like to see Bay wistful if Emmett finally moves on with someone new in the end. Emmett has certainly been wistful about Bay & Travis.

Lizzy Weiss joked on Twitter about Bay, Emmett, and Travis having a polyamorous relationship at the end. That'd be interesting, but I don't believe we'll see it. Also, if the writers went that route, then I would want another woman added to the mix. Bay is great, but she doesn't need both Emmett and Travis to herself.

It is interesting that Bay chose not to live with Travis in KC, after living with him for nearly a year in China. It's odd to go from sharing a bed with someone all night, every night, to only sharing a bed with that person for an hour or two each week. Doesn't Bay miss living with Travis? Sleeping beside someone is so warm and cozy. It's intimate. Why did Bay make the choice to end it?

Sometimes I think Travis already knows that Bay does not love him the way that she loves Emmett. Sometimes I think Travis still feels friend-zoned by Bay.

But I also think Emmett doesn't really regret letting Bay go. Emmett chose it.

Does Emmett really want Bay back in his life? Or does Emmett just want Bay to be happy? If so, Bay has got that.

Emmett must remember how things were between them, when they were together. For every moment where Emmett said something sweet to Bay, like "Seeing you and being with you is the best part of every day," there were also moments where they broke each other's heart. Does Emmett really want to go through that all over again with Bay?

Or do they both just want to move on?

I wonder if Emmett ever thinks about the fact that Bay never told any of her ex-boyfriends that they could not be friends, when she was dating him. But now that Bay is with Travis, she has no difficulty telling Emmett that she can no longer be his friend. If I was Emmett, that would make me think that Bay's love for Travis is greater than her love for him.

This show sends out so many mixed messages.

Whether or not Bay & Emmett reunite, I feel like it was important to Lizzy Weiss to show that 1) Bay can say "I love you" to more than one man in her lifetime and mean it; 2) Bay can have a healthy and active sex life with more than one man in her lifetime; 3) Bay can live on her own independently and does not need to live with a man; 4) Bay can put her career before a relationship, 5) Bay can let go of her first love, Emmett, and put that relationship behind her without needing to cling to it for emotional support.

So Bay has basically accomplished all of those things. To me, none of them are necessary for Bay to be a well-adjusted person, but I believe these things were all very important to Lizzy Weiss.

Could a real-life Bay be satisfied with a real-life Travis, after having such a deep relationship with Emmett?

From my personal experiences, for a few years, yes. For a lifetime, no.

Finally, what is up with the writers giving viewers so many mixed messages.

1) In Mexico, the woman who was Frida's student tells Bay not to torture her lovers by dating their siblings or friends. Bay promises Emmett that she will not do that, and then, she does it anyway.

2) Bay asks John if she has to tell Emmett the truth about what happened between her and Tank, because she does not think that Emmett can handle the truth. Bay asks John if it is okay to let Tank be the "bad guy" in Emmett's eyes, when that is not the truth. John tells Bay not to underestimate Emmett, because Emmett loves her. So Bay tells Emmett the truth, and he cannot handle it, just like she thought. What's up with that? Emmett was all ready to quit school and move home to be with Bay, and she had to tell him that Tank wasn't the bad guy. Why?

3) In the episode "Oh, Future!", Bay tells Emmett, "You will always have me." And then, when Emmett tells Bay that it is too much pressure for her to move to LA, she says, "You do this now, it's done. It's forever." How does one statement equate to the other? Even if Bay's original statement meant that Emmett would always have Bay, as a friend, later, Bay said, "As long as I am with Travis, you and I cannot be friends." So yeah.

I still feel as if Emmett wanted Bay back for real, then he would have already been fighting for her. The fact that Emmett has not been fighting for Bay makes me feel as though it ws his depression talking that night that he said, "I never should have let you go."

I don't know what happened to Bay & Emmett's love. I will never, ever forget the first time Emmett told Bay that he was in love with her. Emmett said to Bay, "My mom and dad were in love. Now, they aren't. How does that happen? Does it always happen? Are we going to fall out of love?"

I don't think Bay & Emmett will ever fall out of love with each other, not really, but I do believe that they might decide to let each other go. They have shared the highs and the lows in their relationship. Perhaps Bay is happier with someone who can provide her with a more level relationship. Emmett, too.

I'd like to see both Bay & Emmett be with whomever they are meant to be, when the series ends. It won't be the same, if we see either of them single.

~AnastasiaGrey~

Great points guys

AlwaysCB

I hope so but I don't know. With only 2 episodes left, I'm losing hope

~AnastasiaGrey~

Yeah to some degree I am too bad enough that Emmett hasnt been on.

ollibear

Do you think with the full 20 episodes this season that the writers would have ended Bay & Travis and worked their way back to Bay & Emmett?

Or do you think that the writers meant for Bay & Emmett to end apart when they first embarked on writing Season 5?

Lizzy Weiss's old tweets indicate that she feared the series might not ever have a Season 5. The way she left things Season 4 is Emmett letting Bay go, although sometimes I wonder if she had two versions of Bay & Emmett's talk in the art gallery.

Perhaps if the series had been cancelled then Emmett would not have let Bay go. According to tweeted pictures, I know Lizzy Weiss also had some footage of a "pseudo young Kathryn" and a "pseudo young Regina" in hospital robes, and she was going to have a scene at the hospital that flashed back to the night of the original switch. That was replaced by their China footage when they found out that they had been picked up for Season 5 a day or so before the Season 4 finale aired. I still remember the actor who played the mom of the young boy that Daphne treats in China tweeting that her scene would not air unless the show received a Season 5 renewal.

So who knows what Emmett would have said to Bay if the series had ended with Season 4. I like to think that he would NOT have let her go. That never made sense to me. Neither did the lyrics to the song playing in the background in that scene:

No better way that I can see to spend all the time
While you're asleep
When holding your hands inside of mine
Mmm
I wanna be here and nowhere else
Rationing off bits of myself so I can crumble at your side

How can Lizzy Weiss have lyrics like that playing as Emmett tells Bay, "I have to let you go"?