This season of
Stitchers has challenged these characters on every front. Just when they each feel like they are getting ahead in some area of their life things start to crumble. It’s not for lack of effort, they have fought hard to try and have the things they desire and want and need, but the timing just hasn’t been right. That’s life and while it’s hard to watch the characters we love struggle it would be irresponsible writing on the part of the writers to make things easy on these characters. When the time is right and when they’ve earned it through various trials and tribulations then things will come together for them. For some characters, that time seems like it's coming and for others, it seems like the road ahead is still long and winding. At least, for now, they all have each other to lean on. They fight with each other, as all families do, but when it counts they are always there for each other. This episode highlighted all of these things and showed the struggle the characters have to endure as they seek to better understand themselves so they can have the things they desire.
Since this episode picked up just the day after all of their relationships imploded it was understandable why the tension was so thick. They were all struggling to cope with heartache and anger and a multitude of other feelings. The first reconciliation and forgiveness came between Camille and Kirsten who quickly put their fight behind them and got back to being best friends. Let’s face it, at this point they both need a friend they can count on. While Kirsten initiated their reconciliation it was only possible because Camille acknowledged and apologized for lashing out. They put their petty fight behind them and got back to having each other’s backs. Camille even handled the information regarding Kirsten’s mom better than pretty much everyone else. She would have liked to have known, but she understood why Kirsten couldn’t tell her. These two have been through a lot together and thankfully they keep coming out the other side with their friendship stronger than ever.
Unfortunately for Camille, her relationship with Amanda seems beyond repair. She tried her best, but she couldn’t overcome the issues that arose the prior day. It’s sad because they were a terrific couple, but Anna Akana was only ever a guest star booked for just a handful of episodes so it wasn’t a total shocker. It appears that this relationship was meant to teach Camille some things about herself. It was meant to humble her and perhaps act as the catalyst to the next step in the evolution of her character. Relationships are never easy and they require work and sometimes jumping in feet first and full speed doesn’t work out. The writers seem to have intentionally written them as a quick romance to show the pitfalls. It was the complete opposite to some of the other relationships on the show, but totally in character with who Camille is. This failed relationship will likely serve to inform Camille’s next relationship. The question is will that be with another new character or will the writers try and edge her and Linus back together, hopefully not the latter because those two are at their best when acting just as friends. It would be nice for the writers to give Camille another girlfriend but show Camille ease into the relationship to avoid what happened with Amanda. Now, there is also the scenario where the writers are able to get access to Akana again and try to repair the relationship. Though, that doesn’t seem in the cards right now.
One relationship that seemingly repaired itself was the one between Linus and Ivy. Though, that one also seems to be on the fast track to falling apart. Ivy just can’t escape her past and it keeps coming back to haunt her. She was going to let go of Linus, but in the end, she couldn’t. Despite everything, she does seem to genuinely care about him. However, thanks to the return of her father everything could fall apart. Ivy has made a lot of mistakes because of her misguided trust in her father, but her eyes are opened now and she sees the monster he has become. Unfortunately, he’s not inclined to let her go anytime soon and is seemingly blackmailing her. She’s stuck in an impossible situation which she only proceeded to make worse by lying. When Fisher grabbed her and she was cornered by him and Maggie she had a chance to come clean and didn’t. That lie is on her, but it’s clear that she’s afraid. She doesn’t trust her father anymore and she doesn’t entirely trust the stitchers program. There isn’t a side where she truly fits in leaving her in a limbo and stuck as a pawn for both sides. All of this is a recipe for disaster with her relationship with Linus. It’s unfortunate too because they have a really great dynamic.
There is also a high likelihood she won’t have much time for a relationship since it would seem as though she’s been recruited by the NSA. Maggie and Fisher had her in custody and could have swept her away to some black site, but instead, they let her go. That only means that they cut her a deal which will likely involve her having to interact with her dad and play a bit of a double agent. She’ll have to convince him that she’s betraying them while she’s, in fact, betraying him. What will be truly interesting is if she confessed to them about being the apparent mastermind behind the young Cameron anomaly. Should that information come out it would shatter Kirsten.
Fortunately for Ivy, Kirsten has become very forgiving. She gets angry for a bit but seems inclined to try and repair damaged relationships. However, unfortunately for Ivy, is that the one person Kirsten has formed an inability to forgive is their father. That’s entirely understandable given that he’s clearly a psychotic monster who has no qualms about killing people. Whether Kirsten can forgive her for having encountered their father and not told her about it is a big unknown. They are family and they have bonded, but that bond may still be too new to be able to overcome such a big blow. It’s ironic that Stinger wants his family back together yet everything he does keeps pushing them all further apart. At least, for now, the sisters have come to rely on each other and turn to one another in times of need. Hopefully, that’ll be enough to get them through the rocky road ahead.
While that relationship has an unknown future, Kirsten’s relationship with Cameron is on the mend. They aren’t in a good place yet, but they are well on their way to reconciliation. Thanks to the case Kirsten was able to better understand the push and pull of two people in love working together. In the case of Jake (Drew Fonteiro) and Kenny (Eugene Shaw) it was quite literally Jake’s job to betray Kenny yet they still loved each other. They had their fights and their disagreements, but they loved each other despite everything. Kirsten seems to have understood the moral of the story and realized that love is worth fighting for even if it isn’t always easy. She started the episode off extremely mad with Cameron to the point it was affecting their work. By the end, she was giving clear signals that she was trying to overcome her anger and frustration so that they can repair their relationship. They did, however, end the episode still apart, but at least now they have a path forward to fixing all the damage that has been done. They have a solid foundation to stand on while they fix things, so it’s really only a matter of time before they end up back together.
It might help Cameron’s case if Maggie would tell Kirsten where her mom is, but that doesn’t appear as though it’s going to happen anytime soon. Even though Maggie’s actions look like a betrayal from the outside she clearly has the best interest of the team in mind. She’s unfortunately tasked with doing the dirty work that ultimately keeps everyone safe. They may not always understand why she does what she does, but she has a proven track record of putting the team first. She’ll do what is necessary despite the fact that others will be mad at her. Since Kirsten’s mom has been such a major part of this season it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that she could finally emerge from stasis. Perhaps that’s what Maggie is working on in some secure location. Or, perhaps, when the time is right, Maggie will bring Kirsten to her mom and allow for a stitch that will allow mother and daughter to actually interact. So many possibilities and it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.
This was an interesting episode that had a heavy focus on the case while still allowing all of the character stories to evolve and advance. The balance between characters and case was perfect and allowed the episode to have a very strong natural flow throughout. It was actually one of the cooler cases because it put almost all of the characters in their element. Linus got to show off his crazy awesome skills while Cameron got to go full on gamer. Even Camille and Kirsten got to get hands on at AVR. While AVR was a big part of the case the best part was the gaming fight club action because it allowed Cameron to really dive into things and show off his fun side and break away from his more serious work persona for a bit. He also got to show off his awesome gamer skills and the show was able to introduce Zelda (Zelda Williams) who was fun for Cameron to work with. She proved to be instrumental in helping them solve the case. Williams slid into the role seamlessly and had a really fun energy with Kyle Harris. Acting is in her blood and she is proving that her father’s legacy lives on strong in his immensely talented children. For those that don’t know she is the daughter of the legendary Robin Williams who will forever be missed. She has definitely inherited his gift for acting and brought her own energy and flair to it. Sadly it’s likely that Zelda is a one off on this show, but this young actress has a great career ahead of her. Zelda seemed to be flirting with Cameron a bit, but that seems as though it was just a ploy within the story to make Kirsten take notice. It’s likely that the character of Zelda will not be seen again. Cameron is committed to fixing things with Kirsten and that seems to be the trajectory the writers are heading.
This seems to have been a sort of setup episode. It positioned Kirsten and Cameron to reconcile. Put Linus and Ivy in a place to have their relationship fail. It put into motion events that will likely lead to a confrontation with Stinger sooner than later. Camille seems to be on the cusp of some big character evolution. The story seems to be pushing towards some big end of season revelations and showdowns. Things are sure to only keep getting more intense in these next few episodes before the season finale.
Don’t miss the next episode when it airs next
Monday, July 24th at 9/8c on Freeform.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. Are you happy that Cameron and Kirsten are on track to reconcile? What will happen with Ivy? Will Ivy confess to Kirsten what is going on? Is she even allowed to? Will Maggie let Kirsten see her mom soon?
