Stitchers season 3 episode 7 review: Kirsten, Cameron’s artificial adventure

While we would say that “Paternis” is the strongest episode of Stitchers season 3 in terms of delivering an emotional impact, “Just the Two of Us” Monday night slides into second place. This was on the surface the story of two characters, though as the episode went along it became progressively clear that the two people were actually just one. Kirsten found herself acting in an alternate stitch universe designed by someone who could not process feelings and reactions on the outside.

Try not to think too much about the technology that was behind the night’s central twist — all that is complicated, and at the end, not what the actual point of this episode is really meant to be. (Think about it too much and your brain will hurt.) Instead, you are intended to view “Just the Two of Us” more as the story of Kirsten trying to trust those who are closest to her, and why she shouldn’t ignore the feelings that Cameron has and some of the remorse that he has wrestled with since he first made his mistake. She never thought in her heart of hearts that Cameron was trying to hurt her by the information that he disclosed concerning her mother. It was just a mistake — a terrible mistake without a doubt, but a mistake nonetheless. This was a way of moving past that.

Seeing the two come together at the end of the episode was a welcome sign for the future of the pair, let alonethe future of the entire show around them. This is a moment that needed to happen in order for their future to be assured and for some tension to be cut out of the Stitch lab. Having it happen in this way may not be accurate to reality (Kirsten was only in this Stitch universe for a few seconds), but it worked for the innovative structure of the show.

The real success of this episode mostly came in the way that the big twist was constructed, given that for most of the story, it was set up in a way that made it appear as though Cameron and Kirsten were trapped and the remainder of the team had just all been separated from the two of them. There was a sense of urgency mostly in that she thought that their actions would be able to bring them back. This is an episode that has a great rewatch ability to it, given that in doing so you’re probably able to piece together the parts of the story that was Kirsten projecting feelings onto Cameron, or him acting in the way that she secretly wanted him to. It showed her some of her own insecurities in a different light, and there may be even more revelations that you simply glossed over looking at this story in a more literal sense.

What we especially enjoyed was the way that the episode played into some fun television meta-commentary when it comes to how shows often jump between one location and the next without any sort of regard for how long it takes for people to travel. (Given that this show is set in Los Angeles, they could have very well thrown up a card reading “three hours later” to make it seem relevant.) The subject of this was brought up when Kirsten realized that she had no memory traveling anywhere with Cameron in this world, a sign that it was artificial.

In the end, Cameron and Kirsten are now in a better place, and they can unite for the mission of getting her mom back. There’s not much to report on many of the other characters at the moment, but there will certainly be more in due time with Linus, Camille, and others.

For now, let’s just praise the Stitchers writing team for coming up with an interesting twist that you really couldn’t see coming at the start of the episode, and for presenting a nice shakeup of the procedural format while they were at it. This certainly proved to be a hidden gem of the season, and one that contained a number of different detours that got us to a good place for the show’s most important couple. Grade: B+.

What lies ahead now?

If you head over here, you can get some further news regarding the show, including an additional preview right now for what’s coming up next. (Photo: Freeform.)