Stitchers finally made its big grand return after being off the air for over a year. For a fair portion of that year, fans sat by nervously waiting for Freeform to make a decision about this beloved show. It has, very unfortunately, never been a big ratings show, but it has an exceptionally loyal fan base. Thanks to a combination of those loyal fans and a brilliant creative team they made Freeform listen, allowing fans to once again be entertained by another season of this terrific show. It is the little show that just keeps going and that’s a terrific thing because there are still a lot of rich stories left in this series. This current season is rumored to end in another cliffhanger, so all we fans can do now is hope that this determined little show has one last miracle renewal left in it. But, at least for now, we have a whole season ahead of brilliant episodes to enjoy, starting with this exceptional premiere.
With that in mind, no time is wasted as the episode launches straight into the big events left over from last season, primarily Kirsten being stuck in her own memories and the Stitchers program in danger. It was always sort of a given that if the show got renewed that Kirsten would be safely rescued from her own memories. The big question was how her friends would accomplish that. It is a huge testament to the friendship between Camille and Kirsten that Camille was the one who came up with the plan that led to Kirsten being convinced to bounce. These two have developed a strong friendship over the seasons and this split-second decision by Camille showed off how well she knows her friend and knew how to save her. She clearly didn't look too happy to have to propose the plan to Cameron, and he was equally unhappy to have to enact it. At the end of it all, the two of them fought side-by-side to save Kirsten and they successfully got her back. It was harsh and painful for all involved, but it was necessary to give Kirsten a swift kick in the butt to get her to bounce. Kirsten was justifiably angry when she figured it out, but thankfully she did seem to come to understand why Cameron had to say the things he did.
She didn’t really get much time to process before she passed out only to wake up to find out her friends had been detained. It was an interesting twist to have Ivy be so involved in this episode. This is hopefully an indication of what is to come with her as the season progresses. She’s a very interesting character that provides Kirsten with a link to their father. Hopefully, Ivy will be as inclined to help with the hunt for their dad as she was to help Kirsten rescue the rest of the team. They built Ivy pretty heavily into Kirsten’s story so it would be nice to see the sisters get some genuine time to bond. These two had some really great scenes together that showed just how powerful of a duo they could be working together. With their father still out there and going to major extremes to reach them, it’s time for the girls to bond together. With any luck, Ivy will now start to realize that their father isn’t quite the saint she has come to perceive him as. It will be interesting to see how her story progresses this season.
Ivy did have a rather interesting encounter with Linus. While it doesn’t seem like they are likely to put these two characters into any sort of relationship it could be really fun to watch these two super geniuses work together. Though, the possibility of something romantic can’t be ruled out for much later in the season. Linus is single again and with Camille about to enter into a new relationship, it would seem as that relationship is done. With her moving on it might prompt him to move on as well. But before that can happen he needs some time to be alone to process the loss of his father. The scene he shared with Camille, where she tried her best to console him, was solid proof that these two are still going to remain the best of friends. It would be nice for Linus’ mom to appear this season. She and her husband accepted Camille into their family even when they knew that she and their son weren’t together anymore. And Camille is definitely desperate for that parental connection that her own parents denied her. So, even though Linus and Camille aren’t going to be a romantic pair this season there is still so much beautiful potential for their friendship.
While those two uncoupled, Cameron and Kirsten are officially together as of the end of the episode. This couple has been in the works since the first moment they met. This will surely make a fair number of fans happy. Though it was likely hard for those fans to deal with, this union was perfectly paced. The writers took their time building the relationship over the past seasons and this was the right time to finally launch into exploring this couple. It was a nice touch that even in the midst of a make-out session between this much-anticipated couple that they still managed to drop a big bombshell. Someone managed to get another covert message to Kirsten. While it’s doubtful that message came from her dad it does beckon the question regarding just who it was. It’s a safe bet to say that it’s Kirsten’s mom, but with this show just about anything can happen, so who knows. One thing that will almost certainly happen is that Kirsten and Cameron will be trying to track down that rogue message. They really need to work on better securing the stitches from outside forces.
This task will thankfully be a lot easier since Kirsten managed to keep the Stitchers team intact and the program safely in Maggie’s hands. That means that she’ll have free access to seek out the information she’s after. While Cameron will likely have more freedom to secure up the program now that he’s probably going to have more autonomy to work. Though, Blair is likely to be a constant force working against them this season. One can’t help but feel bad for the guy over the loss of his son, but no one would have blamed the team for not helping him either, especially after all he put them through. It was a major testament to Maggie’s ability to lead that she got the team to ultimately do the stitch. Even though there is nothing likable about Blair, it was horrifying what Kirsten’s father did just to get a message to her. Blair’s son did nothing wrong other than being the son of a jerk of a man. Clearly, Kirsten’s father has snapped and his very disheveled appearance seems to indicate that as well. He’s now lost all the people he cares about since Ivy is now with Kirsten. If they are going to find him before he hurts anyone else the sisters are going to have to work together a lot more. It would be interesting to see if they bring Ivy into the innermost circle of the program, but based on how everyone reacted to her Kirsten may have her work cut out for her making that pitch. Still, Ivy could be a big asset for the team to have at their disposal.
At least the NSA shouldn’t be too big of a problem given that Kirsten now has the leverage to keep them at arm’s length from the team. With Maggie in command, the program should run a bit smoother for everyone involved. But Blair is certainly someone the team doesn’t want to mess with. He showed how unstable and volatile he can be by taking Camille hostage. Also, worth noting is how much of a fierce badass Camille was in the situation. She had a loaded gun pressed to her side and was willing to sacrifice herself to preserve the information Kirsten uncovered. Then after the situation was diffused she took a quick second to shake off the encounter before throwing a snarky remark at him. Not a single performer does sarcasm quite as perfectly as Allison Scagliotti does. She’s got this mixed background of drama and comedy that allows her to perfectly nail the timing these certain moments require. It seems like this will be a big season for Scagliotti with Camille about to enter into a new romance and the character potentially getting more to do within the actual team unit. And there are fair odds that Camille will encounter Blair again so it could be fun to watch her humble him with her superior fighting skills. Had he not grabbed her from behind there is no doubt that she would have flattened him long before he got that gun pressed into her.
This episode delivered just about everything fans could have hoped for. It had the heavier tense dramatic moments and the lighter moments. The escape from the NSA facility was quite fun. Kirsten was genuinely peeved that they had it so easy in there while she and Ivy were so desperately working to save them. The whole tone of that scene was necessary to offset the heavy drama from the opening act. Then the big ending between Cameron and Kirsten really helped to balance everything that had come before it. After two seasons of not being able to figure out their timing, these two will finally get to explore being a couple, so that should be fun to watch develop.
After over a year of being away, the show delivered a terrific episode. There were high expectations for the cast and they not only met those expectations but exceeded them. Emma Istha has a lot more freedom now that Kirsten is able to process emotions and she took full advantage of that. Kirsten was fiercer in this episode than ever before. Kyle Harris jumped right back in ensuring that there was no question how much Cameron loves Kirsten. It should be quite a fun season for him to get to show how Cameron is when he’s in a relationship with someone he truly loves. Ritesh Rajan delivered an utterly heartbreaking performance when Linus found out his father had passed away. This character has been through a lot lately, so hopefully, he’ll have some better days ahead. Allison Scagliotti was phenomenal as usual and the promise exists for her to have an incredible season. The relationship between Camille and Linus was always a fun one to watch but never had super serious standing. It should be interesting to watch Scagliotti navigate Camille through a new romance that looks as if it could be quite serious with the new character Amanda (Ann Akana). Salli Richardson-Whitfield has perfectly captured the protective instinct that Maggie has over this team. Now that Maggie is fully in charge of the program it’ll be fascinating to see if she changes her approach to things. Damon Dayoub didn’t get a ton to do in this episode, but he was a strong presence in the scenes he was in. Given the fact that his ex-wife is back in the picture could provide him with a complicated storyline this season. There is so much ahead for this cast and they are all more than capable of handling everything these writers throw at them. Prepare yourselves, because this season seems as though it’ll be the most epic one yet.
Do not miss the next episode when it airs next
Monday, June 12th at 9/8c on Freeform.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. What were your favorite parts? Do you hope Kirsten finds her parents this season? Are you excited to see Cameron and Kirsten finally be together? What are you most excited to see happen this season?
