Things are changing rapidly for Kirsten and her friends. New romances and new career paths are just starting to blossom and while the characters are all being pulled in different directions they still have each other’s backs. The dynamics may not be the same but their dedication to each other is as strong as ever. At the end of the day they are a team and that will always take priority for all of them. With the top priority being their need and dedication to protect Kirsten and maintain the integrity of the stitchers program. For at least Camille and Cameron that plays a major role in the decisions they make in this episode.
The characters all experienced some great moments of development throughout this episode. I’ve been talking about this in all of my reviews this season, but every week this show continues to surprise and impress me with their attention to their characters. They haven’t allowed a single character to be forgotten or pushed to the side this season. Camille was the only character I ever felt was underused but this show, and its creative team, has put a great deal of effort into changing that this season. The arc of this change really kicked into gear in the last episode and got notched up to the next level in this episode. Camille finally has an assignment and with the stakes being so high and Kirsten’s safety on the line she’s taking the assignment seriously even if it means risking her barely rejuvenated relationship with Linus.
I’ve made it very clear that I love Linus and Camille as a couple but I like the friendship between Kirsten and Camille even more. I would hate it if this assignment ends up hurting either relationship but it seems poised to at least cause trouble should her involvement with Liam be revealed to either of them. This is a big step forward for Camille and she doesn’t want to blow her first real assignment from Maggie so I’m willing to bet she’s in this to play the long game with Liam. The big question is to what lengths she is really willing to go to find out what Liam knows. I’m happy the show has entrusted this storyline to Allison Scagliotti because she has proven throughout her career that she can handle just about anything thrown at her. I believe things will get tough for Camille before they get better but I trust these writers and in the end her relationships will be stronger and her place within the program solidified in a major way. This may end up being a tough storyline to watch for fans of both of Camille’s major relationships but hang with it because I suspect the end result will be worth enduring whatever hardships they put her through.
While Camille has her own hardships to work through so does Cameron who now has to juggle a new relationship while working with the woman he still clearly cares about. He has developed a bond with Nina, but at the end of the day his heart will always belong to Kirsten. This relationship with Nina is likely just a short term roadblock. Though I must admit to loving any character that so valiantly defends
Torchwood because everyone knows that was an epic show. Did anyone else catch Nina’s deliberate reference to Captain Jack being bi the week immediately following Camille’s bi revelation? I swear the show is setting something up and I’ve got some theories, but we’ll see if any of them come into existence. I’m not usually a fan of this type of typical story troupe to keep two characters apart but I must agree that the time isn’t right for Cameron to be with Kirsten. They have both been through a lot of trauma lately and have had their lives turned upside down. Both need to spend some time dealing with their own individual issues and lives before they can be in a place where they can have a happy and healthy relationship. I know this will bother some fans begging for this relationship to finally happen, but to those fans I encourage you to just enjoy the journey. When the time is right I trust these writers to put these beloved characters together through some beautiful and epic storyline. Don’t expect them together anytime soon though. Each still has a journey they need to go on first.
One character that is on an interesting, yet still kind of mysterious, journey this season is Fisher. He’s got a place within the team but his story outside of the team seems to be on a slow burn. The show seems to be trying to build his relationships but so far I don’t see either as being romantic. He is happy to help Kirsten and is always there for her but I see that as him taking his duty to keep her safe seriously. He also had a nice tender moment with Camille as they were desperately searching for Kirsten. Yes, he put his hand over Camille’s when she was worrying about Kirsten, but that felt very friendly so I wouldn’t read too much into that. I want to say that the show seems to be having a problem figuring out where to slide Fisher into the story now that Damon Dayoub is a series regular. I want to say that, but I can’t, because everything in my gut tells me there is a bigger story at play that we just haven’t been made privy to yet.
I like to give these writers a lot of credit because unlike other shows they’ve proven worthy of my trust in their plotting of storylines. This show doesn’t like to deliver meaningless lines without some intention to pay them off. For instance last week they talked about Camille having an ex-girlfriend which I still suspect the show will get back to at some point. And we keep getting mentions of Fisher’s mysterious ex-wife. I suspect that while in the moment each mention seemed random they are setups for future storylines. We now have a lot of mystery women in play from Fisher’s ex-wife to Camille’s ex-girlfriend and Striker’s mysterious wife Elizabeth. Could one of these women be the mystery woman from the end of last season? I don’t think it’s any coincidence the show has been talking about all these mysterious and unidentified women. I believe at least one of them will make an appearance in a big way later in the season. The big question is which one and how will she factor into the overall mystery? Only time will give us the answers to that particular mystery but I can’t wait to find out.
In this episode all of the characters had a lot going on in their personal lives but everything took a backseat when Kirsten asked for their help. The team rallied together to go against Maggie to give Kirsten a chance to maybe get some answers regarding her father. I really enjoyed the stitches in this episode with the rogue midnight stitch being my favorite. I had wondered before what would happen if Kirsten entered the mind of someone whose brain had been altered or brainwashed. The answer was given with a visually creative answer as Kirsten encountered the brainwash block and pushed through it. The acting delivered here was nothing short of perfect by Emma Ishta who made sure the audience knew something major had just happened to Kirsten even if it wasn’t immediately obvious.
That twist in the story was really fun to watch unfold. It was a very gradual shift for Kirsten and Ishta handled it with the expertise fans have come to expect from her. This storyline also gave Kirsten great moments opposite of both Camille and Cameron as both worried for her. Camille is incredibly observant so it was no surprise she noticed something was going on with Kirsten. I was glad when she spilled Kirsten’s sleepwalking secret to Cameron, but I really wish she had followed up on it when she realized Kirsten wasn’t willing to accept something had happened to her. Ultimately she did regret that decision when Kirsten was activated and she realized she could have helped stop the situation from reaching the levels it did. While Camille’s story with Kirsten was dynamic and enjoyable to watch it was Cameron who had the biggest part to play in finding and saving Kirsten. It was during the brainwashed Kirsten scene at the theater that Cameron got to shine as he fought to bring Kirsten back to them. He was willing to put his own life on the line because he knew Kirsten was strong enough to fight back if the stakes were high enough. He was right because holding a gun on the man she loves was enough to get Kirsten to find her way back. It was a beautiful scene and intense acting by both Ishta and Kyle Harris who have incredible chemistry together. Scenes like this make the journey these characters are on enjoyable to watch and when the characters one day come together it will be because of moments like these.
Perhaps the most shocking moment of the episode occurred when Kirsten, in complete control, used the gun to take down the actual murderer. It was a shocking moment, but did lead to a great scene between Maggie and Kirsten. Maggie may be tough on Kirsten and the others but it’s because of how much she cares about them all. She doesn’t want anything to happen to any of them and at the end of the day these people are her responsibility and she takes that seriously. Kirsten had to shoot someone and Maggie let her know it was okay to feel what she was feeling regarding it. This was a great moment of mentorship and guidance in a gentle way. Maggie knew it wasn’t the time to be harsh or critical and it really gave Salli Richardson-Whitfield a great moment to allow Maggie’s softer side to shine through.
Thanks to Fisher’s assistance Kirsten now has more information regarding Elizabeth Brown. The downside is how many women exist with that name and I can’t wait for Kirsten to work through the list and find the right one. This woman could hold a lot of answers for Kirsten and I think it’ll be immensely interesting to hear what she has to say when and if Kirsten can find her.
This was a solid episode with a lot of great character moments. The case of the week obviously played a big part in the story but it was really the character moments that drove everything forward. A wide array of mysteries remain, but I’m enjoying watching each new clue revealed to Kirsten. The mystery continues to unfold and seems to be building up to some major things. I get the impression that by the time this season ends a lot of things will be different as the characters and their relationships continue to grow and evolve.
Tune in to the next episode on
Tuesday, April 26th at 10/9C on Freeform.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about the episode and what you think is coming up for the team.
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a newspaper in North Carolina and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. If the show is sci-fi, fantasy, comic book based, drama, or action the odds are good she watches it or has at least watched a few episodes of it. She also has a love for comedies 2 Broke Girls and Mom. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operating under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.
You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
