'Switched at Birth' Showcases Unlikely Friendships, Surprising Underdogs

This week, "Switched at Birth" showcased an unlikely friendship and a surprising underdog. The strengths of this episode, "The Persistence of Memory," came from the unlikely friendship between Bay (Vanessa Marano) and Emmett (Sean Berdy), and the experiences of Daphne (Katie LeClerc) at Buckner Hall.

Bay and Emmett: Dreams of Her Father

Bay sought Emmett's help in tracking down her biological father. Emmett suggested using the license plate number from an old photo to track down the car. At the junkyard, Bay found an old guitar pick and guessed that her father was a musician.

After searching Regina's old boxes, Bay and Emmett were not able to find the guitar. They did, however, find Daphne's (Bay's) birth certificate, which revealed her father's name to be Angelo Sorrento. Through an Internet search, Bay found 45 Angelo Sorrentos in the country and three in Missouri. Which one is her father?

Bay and Emmett: Surprisingly Compatible

At first glance, Bay and Emmett seem an unlikely pairing. He is generally mistrusting of hearing society and has stated that he would never date a hearing person, not even Brooklyn Decker.

Yet Bay showed that she was able to appreciate deaf culture, commenting that he was the best listener she knew.

And as someone who has had negative experiences in mainstream society, he seems to appreciate the fact that Bay is a black sheep in her family and her society. They also share a passion for art and photography,

Daphne the Underdog

In previous episodes, Daphne has come across as the "It Girl." She had replaced Bay in a family photo, caught the attention of handsome football player Liam (who happened to be Bay's ex), was a hit with his friends, and was the object of Emmett's unrequited affection.

To top it off, Daphne excelled academically, athletically, and was genuinely nice to the point where Bay found her irritatingly perfect.

This week, we finally got to see Daphne vulnerable and struggling. Kathryn (Lea Thompson) had signed her up for a cooking class at Buckner Hall. While she hoped to excel, she almost set the building on fire because she couldn't hear the oven timer go off. To avoid liability, the administration required her to be accompanied by an interpreter (whom she disparagingly labeled "a human subtitle").

She continued to struggle as classmates disparaged her, the teacher dumbed down the class, and she was nearly hit by a car.

Bay surprisingly came through for Daphne by telling her about the embarrassing escapades of her classmates and by reminding her that she didn't have to care what others thought.

Daphne handled the situation with grace, telling the teacher not to slow down the class, telling her interpreter not to sign unless she asked, and offering homemade desserts as a peace offering. To the pernicious classmates, Daphne quipped, "I'd offer you one, but I wouldn't want you to catch being deaf."

"Switched at Birth" airs at 9/8c on ABC Family.