5 Things We Learned During Switched at Birth 5×02

The Switched at Birth season 5 premiere ended with a social media explosion after Mingo dressed as Lil Wayne at a dorm costume party. In Switched at Birth 5×02, Daphne faced the firestorm, Regina rekindled her romance, John and Kathryn dealt with a moral dilemma, and more. Read on for five things we learned during Switched at Birth 5×02, “This Has To Do With Me.”

1. Daphne gains a new perspective.

After Daphne and Mingo’s costume party photo goes viral, Daphne defends Mingo against what she sees as censorship. She writes an op-ed for the UMKC newspaper about free speech, and concludes the piece with “We have the right to offend people – that’s what makes us Americans.” Meanwhile, Mingo’s RA status is called into question, but the board ultimately rules in his favor. Daphne doesn’t realize the full scope of the issue until she speaks with Iris, who moved out of the dorm in the aftermath of the incident.

Daphne: “College isn’t supposed to be a safe space. The whole reason we’re here is to be challenged intellectually.”
Iris: “I’m not talking about intellectual safety, Daphne. For you, this is all just some fun academic debate, but I’m talking about my emotional safety … Everywhere I go on campus, I have to be on guard. I have to put on this armor to protect me from stuff you don’t see. … The dorm is my home. It’s where I sleep. It’s the place where I’m supposed to be able to take off that armor.”
Daphne: “You’re moving out because one guy wore something that upset you?”
Iris: “No. I’m moving out because that guy was my R.A. – the person who’s supposed to protect me – and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m tired of not having a voice. And I can’t live in a place that doesn’t even ask black kids how they feel when there’s a race issue on the table.”

Katie Leclerc told us more about Daphne’s stance in our recent interview.

2. Regina was the 1985 Ms. Pac-Man Champion…

…and she’s ready to dust off her skills in Switched at Birth 5×02. When a school project brings Regina, Luca, and a classmate together to increase The Cracked Mug’s revenue by 10%, they come up with the idea of a game night. There’s just one problem: The difference between video games and arcade games gets lost in generational translation. With a little help from Luca, the old-fashioned games turn out to be a success – as are Luca’s efforts to win Regina back.

3. Bay’s coloring outside the lines.

After working as a tattooist in China, Bay is desperate to work for a local artist named Noelle, who isn’t as cool as Pop City Life’s founder and editor of the same name, but we won’t hold that against her. Noelle begrudgingly gives Bay an apprenticeship – but it’s limited to manning the phones, cleaning, and helping with supplies. In short, Bay has to earn her dues. That said, she’s not known for her patience, and her actions in Switched at Birth 5×02 are no exception, leading Noelle to fire her after she tattoos a customer without a license. When Noelle finally looks at Bay’s portfolio, though, she’s impressed. Maybe Bay will get her dream job after all?

4. Kathryn’s playing by the rules.

Eager to take UMKC’s baseball team all the way to the finals, John is tempted to honor all-star pitcher Chris’ request for a car in exchange for transferring to the school. In contrast, Kathryn is determined to play by the rules, even though another college has already promised Chris a car. In the end, Chris signs up to play for UMKC after the National Collegiate Athletic Association forces the competing school to rescind its offer. But how did the NCAA find out about the deal in the first place? Kathryn, of course. “I am really enjoying your fierce sense of morality right now,” John tells her. (Congratulations to the one person who correctly answered our Twitter poll about that quote!)

5. Travis may just be the best boyfriend ever.

Bay and Travis are like ships in the night in Switched at Birth 5×02. Between his baseball schedule and her job at Bombshell Betty’s, they struggle to make time for each other, and Bay admits she wishes they’d never left China. At the end of the episode, Travis surprises Bay by decorating her apartment with candles and lanterns. “We can’t go back to China so I thought I’d bring China to us,” he tells her. Awwwwwwwwww.