Stitchers has had a heavy relationship theme that seems to be poised to be a big part of this season. The beautiful part about the relationships aspect of this season is that it hasn't deterred from the core of the show. These relationships have become a wonderful extension of the core story and allowed each character to show how they've evolved. As a procedural show, Stitchers has always debunked the usual storytelling pattern for procedurals that says characters can't be the focus over cases of the week. They have proven that a procedural show can have intriguing cases of the week while allowing their characters the freedom to grow. The nature of this case allowed for a really well-integrated story with a lot of great moments for the characters. However, Maggie's absence was felt throughout the episode, so she needs to return and soon.
A lot of themes of this episode carried over from the prior one, including the big one - Cameron's promotion. As was expected, his early days in charge didn't go smoothly. Camille is justifiably upset and Kirsten is struggling how to balance her boyfriend as her boss. Then, there is the rest of the team who is used to him being one of them and are now confronted with him as the man calling the shots. Even harder for him is the fact that he, himself, second-guessed some of his decisions. It was a true testament to him that he knew when to take a step back and hand the stitching controls over to Camille.
What is going to be a bit more troublesome for him to handle is the fact that he can't be intimate with the woman he's waited to be with for so long. In true chivalrous Cameron style, he is doing his very best to respect her and keep things platonic as they try and sort out how they can be together without affecting her ability to stitch. This whole situation is hard for Kirsten as well, but she's only recently reconnected with her emotions, making it not quite as difficult for her. It's likely this will cause many more disagreements and moments of frustration for the couple. If any couple can overcome it then it's definitely them, but it certainly won't be easy.
In the meantime, it looks like Camille has landed herself a temporary promotion to stitching pilot. While everyone thinks Cameron will be at it soon enough, Camille proved that she is just as capable. An argument can be made that for now, she's even more capable than him since he is struggling with anxiety over anything happening to her. Camille is the ideal person to pilot because she's not only a natural at it, but Kirsten is her best friend. She has a vested interest in not letting anything happen to her friend and will do whatever it takes to protect her. When Kirsten got into trouble in one of the earlier stitches, she jumped right into the action, clearly very concerned, but able to maintain her focus to help find a solution to get Kirsten out safely. For now, and for all involved, Camille should maintain her position as stitch pilot. It also finally gives Camille a solid purpose on the team other than just handling briefings and tablets.
Being in a more prominent role should help Camille in overcoming her frustrations regarding being passed over for the promotion into Maggie's position. It's still a hard blow to handle, as was evident by the way she was acting early on in the episode. She was pushing back against Cameron and making things harder than necessary on him, but we've all been in that spot of feeling screwed over and it's hard to not take frustrations out on someone even if it's not the right person. As would be revealed later, Camille has always struggled with the idea of being judged and it would seem that came into play in this whole situation causing the tension that filled the early parts of the hour.
Tension is the theme that dominated the episode. There were tensions at the office, in relationships, and in friendships. By the end of the episode, most of the issues were put to rest, at least temporarily. Despite the upheaval of change, the team still managed to come together and work this interesting and bizarre case. All the unexpected twists and turns kept it unclear until the very end who the actual killer was. It was a clever case and showed how procedural and character driven stories can be perfectly integrated.
It also finally gave Fisher a place in the action after sort of taking a background role recently. A lot of time was spent with him working the case and nearly getting himself taken out by a poisoned container of coconut water. Though, in the progress of this investigation, it was Cameron who actually managed to find himself in the most danger. Going forward he should just avoid anyone with access to needles. This case was cleverly done in that the obvious suspects, who were in fact partially guilty, weren't even the ones who ultimately ended up being the murderer.
There was a lot of character growth in this episode and a lot of progression in the various relationships. Ivy and Kirsten took a big step forward as sisters. When Kirsten was forbidden from going back to her place because of Camille and had to leave Cameron's because of their fight, it was Ivy she turned to. They may be a ways away from being best buddies and having a true sisterly relationship, but this was a great step forward for them. It's great that Kirsten is able to have this relationship in her life. However, long before Ivy showed up, Kirsten had Camille and they are about as close as sisters. It'd be fun if they have a girl's adventure at some point this season to see how all three work together. Camille is a bit peeved about the whole promotion thing which she feels happened because she supported Ivy. It would be interesting to see that tension confronted head-on with Kirsten stuck between them. There is also the issue of Linus moving on to Ivy which also seems to have struck some nerve in Camille because she didn't have the best reaction to finding out. Granted, at the time, she was massively hung over, so it's likely her sober reaction would be a little more understanding.
There isn't much reason for Camille to be upset, other than just lashing out in frustration because she found Amanda. They had a great heart-to-heart during their date night that gave the show the perfect opportunity to show just how brilliant Allison Scagliotti is. She has a stunning singing voice and hopefully, now that Amanda knows Camille's little secret, this won't be the last time the show allows her to demonstrate her incredible musical ability. The little secret is something she's kept to herself for who knows how long, but she very willingly admitted to it to Amanda. There is a level of comfort and trust in this relationship that she didn't seem to share with Linus. Before the end of the episode, there was even a strong implication that they were in the process of having their first sexual encounter. It should be interesting to see if this will encourage Camille to finally reveal to everyone who she is dating. Much like her guitar playing, she seems to want to keep Amanda all to herself, and that's understandable. However, it'll be interesting to see how the team reacts to her dating Amanda and how they like her.
Seeing Linus' reaction to that should be quite interesting as well, given that he too, appears to have taken the next steps into making his connection with Ivy into something more. He was the one that pushed Camille to explore this relationship, so hopefully, he'll have a positive reaction to meeting Amanda. Could an awkward double, triple, or even quadruple date night be in the works? This season is looking to maximize a number of potential relationships. Fisher is back with his ex, Cameron and Kirsten are finally official, Ivy and Linus look like they will soon become official, and Camille and Amanda round out the list making a list of four strong dominating relationships. Statistically speaking one of these relationships won't survive the season intact, so the big question is which will survive and which will fall apart thanks to the high pressure lives they all live.
A lot is to come as the mission to save Kirsten's mom and stop her dad continues. There are sure to be a lot of high-stress situations and tense relationship drama. So far, this season is hitting all the exact right points and as long as that can continue this show is right on track to have its best season yet. With the right combination of intriguing cases and brilliant character moments, they might just be able to bring in enough viewers to secure a fourth season. But for now, it's great to just revel in the amazingly strong season that the show is currently embarked on.
Don't miss the next all new episode when it airs next
Monday, June 26th at 9/8c on Freeform.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. What were your favorite parts? Which couples do you think will survive the season? Did you miss Maggie?
