Switched At Birth Response: Victoria Annese

The interviews and the way that the podcast is structured play a major role in how the listeners perspective on the story changes from act one to act two. Act one is interviews of the two daughters, Sue and Marti, as well as a few others. These interviews are extremely important because they help us understand how the two women felt throughout the whole situation. Marti grew up with some idea that there was a possibility that she was not the Miller’s biological daughter; while Sue grew up with no idea what so ever.  As a listener myself, I developed a dislike for Mrs. Miller very quickly and could not get past the fact that she kept the secret for 43 years. The interviews progressively added to reasons behind why Mrs. Miller should be held at fault for the situation occurring.

Act two is extremely important in the listener’s thoughts on Mrs. Miller and the story in general. Act two begins with interviews with Kay McDonald. Mrs. McDonald’s interviews added to the dislike I had for Mrs. Miller because she talked about how she fell into a depression after finding out the truth and experienced all the emotions someone goes through when they have a death in the family. She also talked about how she would never understand why and how Mrs. Miller stayed quiet for so long and that she would pursue the investigation of the switch even if her husband disagreed. It was not until the interview with Mrs. Miller herself that my opinion of her completely changed.

By the end of the podcast I began to blame her husband, Mr. Miller. Mrs. Miller discusses how she was sure that if she pursued looking into the switch she would destroy her marriage, lose her husband, and be left to raise 6 children on her own. Contradicting previous interviews with the daughters Mrs. Miller also says that it was good to have Marti as her daughter because she brought happiness and entertainment to their family; previously in act one Marti talks about how Mrs. Miller told her she didn’t expect much from her because she knew she wasn’t her biological daughter. I believe that saving Mrs. Millers interviews for the very end of the podcast was a complete twist because it truly impacts your thoughts on the whole story. You go from truly blaming her to hearing the pain and honesty in her voice, causing you to understand her actions. 

Patrick Scannell's Response to Victoria

Victoria I totally agree that Mrs. Miller’s interview in the end provided a great twist. Just as she had stirred up different emotions with her letter, the podcast provides a similar roller-coaster ride for the listeners. I think it was important to have Mrs. Miller’s interview go last because it makes the story as a whole so much more interesting. Also I feel it was the most different of the four main interviews with each woman. Sue, Marti, and Mrs. McDonald all indirectly worked toward creating a cloud of hatred to hang over Mrs. Miller. However, it all becomes negated to some extent by the end.

            It was interesting how Mrs. Miller said she would leave hints by calling the girls “sisters” or having the McDonalds over for dinner. You talk about how Mrs. McDonald goes through a depression and I think that was due to more than just the secret itself. With Mrs. Miller casually dropping hints and the fact that the two churches merge, Mrs. McDonald must have been upset with herself to an extent. Although Mrs. Miller never directly said it, I don’t believe she was being quiet for 43 years. She was in a difficult situation and tried to communicate in the best way possible.