Pilots are a unique animal. They have a very difficult job to do. They're suppose to introduce the regular characters, build the world and then demonstrate what the viewer can expect from each episode. This pilot was successful at world building. I had some fun with the crime solving part of the episode as well. However, the main characters were a problem for me. I began the episode really disliking the main character. I think that might be a problem for a casual viewer who's not interested enough in the premise to stick the episode out. Then again, this is ABCFamily and I'm not the target demographic. I'm told the target demographic has a chronically short attention span so, if the characters don't grab these viewers it could cost ratings. Because this is a pilot I'm going to spend most of my time reviewing the show setup.
The episode starts in the middle of a “Stitch”. It’s kind of freaky and we don’t really know what’s going on or what the rules are. But color me definitely returning after the opening credits.
Then we meet our main character Kirsten Clark (Emma Ishta). Kirsten's roommate Camille (Allison Scagliotti) are meeting with the head of the computer department. Camille accuses Kirsten of sabotaging her research and wants her put on academic suspension. Kirsten obviously doesn't care enough to be bothered. My problem is, Camille's reasoning makes no sense, she has zero evidence and once the discussion descends into an argument about doing the dishes it's obvious the Dean of the Department is being subjected to a childish temper tantrum that he *should* ignore, but instead, he does put Kirsten on academic suspension. My basic reaction was extreme dislike of both female characters. We do learn that Kirsten has a condition called "Temporal Dysplasia." More on that in a moment.
Kirsten discovers that, due to the academic suspension, she can no longer log into the university's computer system. (I'm guessing this is the main reason the roommate argument wasn't cut from the episode.) So she heads out of the house to break into the department head's office. As she crosses the street a black SUV follows her.
When the bag is removed we find ourselves in the first exposition scene. And it's pretty good. It’s difficult to lay out these kinds of details in a scene where one person has to explain it all to another. Not only did the scene work well for me but I started to warm up to Kirsten. I think Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Emma Ishta have good on screen chemistry.
Once this explanation is finished Maggie offers Kirsten a job. Kirsten seems interested more because she realizes that her odds of finding a job, given her personality issues, are slim. So she decides to check it out.
The Stitchers Program secret base is beneath a Chinese restaurant. (I couldn’t help the flashback to Special Unit 2.) And we’re getting more series regular introductions. I didn't hate these characters, but I was disappointed by how cliched they were. None of these characters made my list of why I want to watch the show. Not even the male lead, whose name I immediately forgot. Cameron Goodkin (I looked it up.)
But here was the other moment that made my brain scream ‘wait a minute!’ Kirsten goes from “Has anyone ever done this before?” healthy skepticism to “So, what do you want me to do once I’m inside his memories?” in the space of a couple of lines of dialog.
Hang on! She took the job? What? Why? I mean was there a reason other than ‘because it was in the script?’ I completely understand why she checked the project out but I have no clue why she agreed to it. But agree she did. And we’re off.
This is the part where they actually got me on board. I liked the way they used the stitching to solve the case. A bomber was killed in an accidental explosion and a second bomb he built went off killing several people. The cops know he’s planted two other bombs but they don’t know where. This is Kirsten’s first assignment.
Stepping into the memories wasn’t as simple as the team expected it to be.
First, they allow Kirsten to go into this mission with zero preparation. Apparently Marta (the first Stitcher) didn't react like this because the team is completely taken aback by Kirsten's crashing vital signs. They almost abort mission but Kirsten calms and settles into the job.
Third, Kirsten doesn’t come out of the stitch unscathed. She steps out of the pool, approaches the scientific head of the project, gives him a clue about a Blue Door, kisses him then collapses.
When Kirsten discovers that the government’s official field agents can’t find the Blue Door she declares that field teams are obviously doing it wrong and she could do it better. Maggie informs her that the project is “as clandestine as they come” and if she’s caught working outside the mandate they will all be swooped up and disappeared. Therefore, they will adhere to their mandate and stay in the building. Other groups will do the leg work. Kirsten ignores Maggie completely and heads off to do what she's certain she can do better.
The bomber wasn't a terrorist. He was a grief stricken man whose girlfriend was hit by a car when she, upset because her bosses stole her invention and sold it, ran into the street. He destroyed the building where his girlfriend worked, blew himself up intentionally, and planned to kill the two people he felt were responsible for her death.
Using more clues garnered from the Stitch, Kirsten and Cameron stop the final bomb from going off saving two targets and the potential innocents that would have been killed as well. Their thank you is to get their hands slapped by Maggie (because she got her hands slapped for letting them out of the building.) Since Kirsten didn’t want to be there in the first place she walks. I cheered.
Cameron stops her and she explains that she had to learn to read emotions from flash cards of people’s faces when she was a child. The Stitch allowed her to experience emotions she’d never felt before and she finds that she’s not a huge fan of feeling these emotions. Despite that, when she was offered the possibility of solving her father's murder she says she’s in and we have a series.
I thought they did a better job with the story than they did with the character work but they did manage to get me to like Kirsten. She may have some serious problems with interpersonal relationships but I really like her passion for solving these crimes. I hope that the other regular/recurring characters get better treatment once the regular episodes start to roll out. I think this is going to be a fun show.
Agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the episode.
