Heroine TV Podcast #11: Pretty Little Lying Cat People Who Were Switched at Birth
Photo Credit: ABC Family.
I have a brand new co-host on board for the latest episode of the Heroine TV Podcast. My teenage sister Jeannie joins me to discuss summer TV, adding a new perspective. This is an ABC Family heavy podcast, with discussion of Pretty Little Liars, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, and Switched at Birth. In case you don’t watch all three shows, or you want to avoid spoilers, the first two episodes of Pretty Little Liars season 2 are discussed first; followed by discussion of the first 2 episodes of The Nine Lives of Chloe King, beginning at the 1:15:20 mark (75 minutes and 20 seconds in); and finally, discussion of the first 2 episodes of Switched at Birth begins at the 1:44:24 mark (104 minutes and 24 seconds in). There are a lot of tangents, including discussion of Veronica Mars, X-Men First Class (warning: spoiler for a cameo in the film is included in this podcast), Smallville, The O.C., H2O: Just Add Water, The Hunger Games, Hidden Palms, and The Secret Circle. There is also a lot of laughter, so if tangents and giggling annoy you, please avoid this podcast. You can listen on the player below, or subscribe via iTunes. We welcome your feedback via the comments, email (heroinetv@gmail.com), or iTunes reviews. Enjoy!
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Wow…thanks for the Bay bashing session. I get that she’s difficult, but that’s sort of the point. Most teenagers are under the best of circumstances, let alone these. Your argument seems to be that because she had the privileged life, she should just shut up and be happy to have a new sister. Daphne is much more pleasant and likeable than Bay…and everybody in Bay’s family is very quick to observe the same thing. The Kennishes take to Daphne right away and clearly adore her, while Bay and Regina are having a much more difficult time connecting (nice that you blamed Bay for that when it’s clear that there’s hesitation on both sides). Bay’s the only one who sensed that something was wrong, and Bay’s parents are the ones who want to sue the hospital. She’s feeling unwanted and rejected in every corner. I’m not saying that Bay’s parents don’t love her, I’m saying that’s what Bay is getting from their actions. Would you want to compete with Daphne?
Now, I’m not saying that Bay isn’t acting like a brat. I’m not even saying that her fears are valid. I’m just saying you are being really harsh toward a girl who got thrown a hell of a punch just because she’s not taking it as well as the other girl. I think it’s a very human response, and that she is a child. We’re not talking about an adult exhibiting this behavior, but a teenage girl with all the accompanying hormones and immaturity. You seem to want her to have the benefit of perspective and foreknowledge (i.e. that everyone loves her regardless and that her family just got bigger, not smaller when in real life there would be no such guarantee of either), or to just be more like Daphne (who clearly has issues just as severe with regard to pleasing people and setting boundaries)–neither of which is realistic if Bay were a real human being, and neither of which would serve the show in question.
I don’t know if it’s just that the characters that have been on the receiving end of your sharp tongue in the past were ones I felt had fully earned it or what, but I was not expecting this. Bay is hardly my favorite character on Switched at Birth, but your treatment of her in your podcast really got my hackles up. So much so that I couldn’t even finish listening it–and I LOVE your podcasts! Just thought I should let you know.
Oh wow, sorry it was so offensive. But I think you took it in a way that was not intended. We were stating everything in a light and laughing manner. We were commenting on our first impressions and basically just said that Bay’s character was annoying and was acting angsty and bratty, which I don’t think is too harsh a condemnation. None of those are cardinal sins. Everyone’s siblings have probably accused them of such behavior. Since the actress who plays Bay, Vanessa Marano, played April Nardini on Gilmore Girls, there may be some overflow with how we view her character. But I think most people can be annoying and act like brats (myself included), so it’s not exactly the harshest condemnation.
The show is still early on its run, and if you had kept listening, you would have heard that we were discussed how we liked Bay’s relationship with her brother, and hope to see more of that, and hope that she could build something with Daphne. Plus, we went into a discussion of how understandable it was that Bay was feeling insecure and unloved, and how the parents were making it all about them. We discussed how the parents fighting was making them seem overly strident unlikable, and how hard that must be on the kids. Clearly Bay’s parents still love her just the same and I hope that Bay and her parents can bond and make sure that she knows this soon. I also pointed out that Regina stand-offish, and said she hadn’t really tried to bond with Bay. Then Jeannie argued that Bay was too. So there was some back and forth. I think you’re misconstruing our words. Perhaps since you didn’t finish listening. It is NEVER my intention to be cruel, so I’m sorry my words sounded that way.
Actually, I did listen long enough to hear all of that–it must have been pretty close to finished when I clicked the button to comment. I don’t know for sure because I did not look. I believe you if you say you weren’t intending it come off serious or mean, but that was the way it sounded to me upon first listen. Every time one of you gave her the benefit of the doubt, or mentioned something you did like, the other would chime in with a comment that undercut that. The only time I’ve ever heard the like was the Bonnie commentary on the Televixen podcast toward the beginning of season 2 of The Vampire Diaries. The difference was that Bonnie had really earned it–she was being an atrocious friend. Bay is just teenager acting like a teenager, and like you said, the show is just getting started; she’ll probably grow out of it.
I want you to know that I love your blog. I check it every day, and the awesome chicks in your top banner are my idols. I think you’re hilarious, I always enjoy your posts and podcasts, and I almost always agree with you. In fact, sometimes I think you are the only TVD reviewer with their head screwed on straight. Did I mention that you’re hilarious? So please, please, don’t take this as criticism in general; I wrote the comment above mostly because I was surprised. The reaction I had tonight is not a typical one. In this particular instance, I felt that you were too harsh on the character, that’s all.
Thanks, Liz! I really really appreciate that and your comments on my TVD posts over the past season.
Keep in mind that podcasts are discussions rather than carefully written essays, so that type of back and forth devil’s advocate discussion is just what happens. We discuss our initial gut reactions, then look at other angles, and work out our opinions as we go along. It’s a discussion full of spontaneity, trying to decide what we think and then trying to express that verbally, so it is a very different medium of expression from the written word. The podcasts I do are a a mixture of description, opinion, analysis, discussion and debate on television, and there are a lot of different ways to interpret this subject matter. There’s no way everyone will always agree with me on everything, and I definitely don’t expect or even want that. Please continue to express your own differing opinions, because I welcome them. I just hope you won’t be offended because I express things that you don’t agree with. That’s the only thing that concerns me here–that you were so offended that you had to shut it off. You are of course free to listen or not listen to whatever you want, but I hate to think that people are taking my snarky opinions on fictional characters personally. If I didn’t offer my reactions and opinions, the podcast would be boring–or more boring than it is.
Only three episodes have aired, and Jeannie only saw the first two. As one of the two main leads, I think both of us wanted to find Bay more likable, but we just don’t. Yet. We ultimately concluded that we saw where Bay is coming from, but don’t find her character pleasant to watch on screen at this point. Bay is clearly more introspective and closed off emotionally than Daphne, and that is probably why we’re not connecting with her. As viewers of a TV show that we’re discussing for entertainment, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to find Bay’s behavior and attitude annoying. In fact, that seems to be the actual point of certain actions she does. She very clearly says bitchy things about Daphne in Daphne’s presence, that she knows Daphne won’t be able to hear. She’s constantly rolling her eyes. She is that teenager. Yes, Bay is just a “teenager acting like a teenager,” but she has clearly been written very specifically in counterpart to Daphne, and we’re picking up what is being put down. (Of course, it is also perfectly reasonable to find her behavior understandable under the circumstances, and thus make allowances for her.) It seems to me like the writers are setting Bay up for a specific character arc here–I’ll probably have very different views by the end of the season. And like you said, Daphne has hurdles of her own to overcome–like her desire to constantly please people. I think both girls can help balance each other.
I’ve currently accumulated 300+ TV boxsets, god knows how many boxes that will fill when I eventually move out, don’t even wanna think about it. Love hearing some good rambles from fellow TV addicts (even if I don’t watch those shows). Also love the fact that you force it on all your family! I do the same with my parents, just got them hooked on Parenthood.
Oh wow! 300+ puts my collection to shame. Yeah, Parenthood is the next one I want to introduce to my mom. She’s watching Everwood now.
I loved hearing you guys talk. Now I want to join the sister podcasts!!!
Hurrah! You are always welcome!