Stitchers: The Top 5 Reasons To Watch
As Freeform’s first Sci-Fi Crime Procedural, Stitchers has begun captivating audiences young and old alike. It can be daunting to see so many descriptions used to describe a single show, but what the writers, cast, and crew have managed to do is seamlessly bring it all together. Before you know it, the hour has gone by and you’re begging for more.
Simply narrowing down five reasons was difficult, I am not going to lie. Everyone has so many reasons for watching Stitchers and I heard so many different ideas, everything from Kyle Harris’ hair to the way the sets are designed. I had to narrow it down for sure. Down below is what I heard the most when I asked around. So, here are the top 5 reasons to watch Stitchers.
5. Sci-Fi
Science Fiction can be tricky. What sets Stitchers apart from all of the others is the idea of stitching. The premise of inserting a live consciousness into the mind of a recently deceased individual to read their memories definitely makes for great television. It’s fresh, innovative, and makes for compelling television. The very real possibility of this technology being invented and used is a bit too awesome to comprehend. With our extreme advancements in science and technology these days, you never know what scientists could come up with next or prove. That’s what makes awesome television, the idea that even in a sci-fi show, this technology could actually exist.
We as the viewers get to travel with Kirsten (Emma Ishta) through each stitch and see the last memories of someone who has recently died. Stitching is a complicated science and with it comes many risks. Only having five minutes to go through a persons memories and figure out what would and would not be useful would be a lot of pressure for the Stitcher.
I could not touch on Sci-Fi without going into the technology used in the lab a little. Cameron (Kyle Harris) helped develop the corpse cassette, which reads and sends feedback to the team while Kirsten is stitching. It’s controlled environment helps keep the sample fresh, but in some cases, as we saw in Fire in the Hole; it can cause a bit of trouble.
The Fish Tank used by the lab is how Kirsten is able to connect into the stitch. We haven’t been officially taught how stitching works, besides a general overview from Cameron in the beginning of the series, but I have some ideas of my own. Mostly that as soon as Kirsten lays down in the seat, the base of her brain connects to electrodes that are able to insert her into the mind of the deceased. It’s all very complicated and my hopes for season two are that we get a bit further explanation of the stitching process. It’s a fascinating and bold idea that, if real, could really transform the way we see life.
4. Murder/ Mystery
Everyone loves a good mystery. It keeps us engaged and on the edge of our seats. Solving crimes and figuring out puzzles is why shows like CSI succeeded for so many years. Everyone likes to have answers. Stitchers is no exception. Each case surrounds a murder victim and it is Kirsten’s job to decipher their last memories to solve the crime.
She is thrust into the field along with Cameron as they track down and piece together the clues that she sees from each stitch. Maggie (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) puts it best when she justifies Kirsten’s field work as “She sees things that only she can follow-up on.”
Along the way, Detective Fisher (Damon Dayoub) is called in for several cases as he discovers the stitching program in Friends in Low Places. More often than not, especially early in season one, he is often helping to ‘hold’ Kirsten back from becoming too extreme on some cases. He’s a smart guy who figures things out pretty quickly and doesn’t waste any time trying to figure out the bigger secrets within the program and what really happened to Kirsten’s guardian, Ed Clark.
3. Conspiracy
Which leads us to the biggest mystery surrounding the program. The conspiracy about the Stitchers program.
Over the course of season one, we see glimpses and clues of how Kirsten developed her Temporal Dysplasia and begin seeing how stitching affects her. All of that leads up to the finale, Full Stop, which seems to leave us with more questions than answers. We are introduced to an individual, Robert Barbiero, who worked closely with Kirsten’s mother in the program as they began rolling it out years ago before her untimely death. Much is revealed in regards to the program and how it was created and maintained by Jaqueline and Daniel Stinger, Ed Clark, and Robert Barbiero (the original ‘stitching team’). We are left at the season finale wondering what really happened to all of them, how their fates are connected to the program. It could even come to surface that someone on the team now may have some answers. (We’re looking at you, Maggie)
When we are introduced to Liam mid-season one, we don’t believe he is there for any other particular reason than to come barreling back into Kirsten’s life. But, with all characters who come in mid-season, we find that there may be some layers to “Mr. Perfect” that he didn’t bother to let Kirsten know about and it all seems to start with a picture.
Les Turner is a name you will not want to forget. He is the man behind the badge at the NSA. You can never really tell if he is on the good side or the bad one, it’s fantastic writing and wonderfully acted by Oded Fehr. Les is usually preaching to Kirsten about the lengths that he and others go through to keep her safe, while at the same time eliminating threats like Marta and Justin Lange, who dare to ask questions about the NSA and the program itself. What is he hiding? What is the true purpose of the program besides solving crimes? Why is he willing to kill over it?
If anything convinces you to watch Stitchers, make it the conspiracies. You’ll spend hours trying to wrap your head around how everyone and everything is connected. Nothing is tied up in a neat little bow, that’s for sure.
2. Friendships
Friendships are so important, both in our real lives and through our forms of entertainment. The friendships within the Stitchers circle is just as important. Kirsten has never needed to lean on others before, but when her life is upheaved by the death of Ed Clark and she is suddenly recruited by the stitching team, she begins realizing just how important it may be to rely on others. Her roommate, Camille (Allison Scagliotti) becomes less of a bother and more of a companion as the season progresses. All the ‘girl talks’ that the two experience helped build their friendship into something that by the end of the season, almost looks like a normal friendship.
How much do we love the Men of Science? It’s hard not to when the two of them share some hilarious and awesome moments over the season. It helps to realize that the two of them have come a long way in this program, they have worked together and built a steady foundation from which their friendship seemed to have come naturally. Bro Night is a special moment in the series, as Linus (Ritesh Rajan) convinces Cameron to experience a night with friends by going out of his comfort zone. You definitely learn that these two push each other, but that’s what makes them great and work well together. They probably haven’t spent one day being bored with each other since they met.
1. Relationships
Of course, number one would be relationships. A compelling show is nothing without characters who have chemistry.
We start off with Camus, Camille and Linus. These two have a particularly odd relationship. They spend much of the season going back and forth with each other, even sleeping together at one point. Camille is very free-spirited, not wanting to be tied down by anyone, whereas Linus is ready for something a little more serious. Season two will be interesting seeing how these two sort out the tension they left off with at the end of season one.
Camsten is the holy grail of ‘ships. You might come for any of the four other reasons that I stated above, but you’ll stay for Cameron and Kirsten. The chemistry that Harris and Ishta have with one another almost helps you forget that their characters aren’t actually together…yet. So many moments over the first season really begin to define this relationship and we begin to see just how much they both start to care for each other.
Cameron makes the ultimate sacrifice to keep Kirsten safe in Full Stop, and believe me, it stops your heart too. Season two is going to bring a rollercoaster of emotions as we learn how Kirsten deals with what she saw in Cameron’s stitch and how she reacts to knowing his feelings about her. Cameron won’t get off too easy though, as he has to come to grips with his brush with death, again. Seeing how it affects the team and Kirsten. These two started to trust and rely on each other so much that it may not be as easy to rebuild that broken wall as we all would like.
Trust me, Camsten will make you feel so many emotions, whether they be good or bad. Think of it this way, though, at least, it’ll keep you coming back for more.
So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t caught Stitchers yet, or you want to rewatch before season two, you can watch it for free on the Freeform app or out at Freeform.com. Don’t forget to Facebook and Tweet about how much you love the show as well! #Stitchers returns March 22nd 10/9c on Freeform!