Tag: Kyle Harris

Stitchers Gets Third Season

Emma Ishta

After a very long wait, Freeform has given the greenlight for fan favorite procedural drama series, Stitchers. This means the show will have a third season and executive VP of Programming and Development Karey Burke made the announcement on October 6.

This makes it official and all the fans who complained about the amount of time it took Freeform to renew their favorite series can now smile.

Stitchers has a very vocal and passionate fanbase, Burke said. She also revealed that the show has been proven hit.  The series has performed strongly and Burke revealed that the network was very proud of the Stitchers focussing on #smartgirls “everywhere.”

In the Adults 18 – 49 demographic, Stitchers comes in as the firm number two new series of the past two seasons. The show came in closely behind Shadowhunters.

Only Pretty Little Liars and Shadowhunters came ahead of Stitchers making the sci-fi, drama show the number three original series across digital platforms.

The lead character, Kirsten Clark is uber smart and intelligent. Add to that  a stubborn resistance to giving up and you have one formidable young lady hacking into the memories of the recently murdered victims.  The Stitchers program is part of the NSA and thus far the team have no real idea what the hacking technology is really going to be used for.

Neuroscientist Cameron, a brilliant and dedicated teammate who has an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture works along side Kirsten. They also have a “connection” that tantalizes fans enormously. Camille, an expert computer graduate and hacker extraordinaire  works with Clark and she is romantically entangled with…

Linus who is  another pop culture aficionado and the team engineer and comms expert.  Maggie runs the show and she also looks out for the younger members of her team.  Detective Fisher is a new yet important part of the team.

The season two finale saw another cliffhanger and fans are desperate to learn more about “Camsten” and the mystery behind Kirsten’s father and what really happened to her mother.

Stitchers is executive produced by Jeffrey Alan Schechter, who is also the show’s creator. Jeff is also well know for Overruled.  Jonathan Baruch and Rob Woken also executive produce the series.

Freeform have not explained why they took so long to renew the series. Fans, who were impatient to learn their favorite show’s fate,  created petitions for a third season. Social media platforms were used to query  why there was no immediate renewal of the show.

Regardless of the reasons, Stitchers is now going to return and fans will hopefully learn more about the characters and where they are headed next.

There is still so much for Kirsten to learn about her father and what his true intentions are/were. Many questions still need to be answered and more layers peeled back to reveal secrets that have been hidden throughout the first two seasons.

Many fans want to see Cameron and Kirsten get together as a couple and it will be investing to see what Jeff and the writers come up with this season.

Congratulations to all the cast and crew for finally getting the greenlight for season three. Suffice to say, we cannot wait.

The Cast:

 

 

 

Stitchers: Season Three Still Not Confirmed by Freeform

Stitchers Logo

Stitchers started two seasons ago on ABC Family. The network,  in an effort to sound more hip and relevant to the younger demographic it  wanted to appeal to, changed its name to Freeform.  Regardless of the name change Stitchers has stayed the same. An entertaining procedural crime show set in a high tech world of science fiction.  As fans wait anxiously, Freeform has yet to confirm a third season for this excellent show.

The reason for Freeform dragging their feet on a decision could be blamed on live viewership dropping  in the second season. This could have been down to the fact that the network changed the slot for the show. Marketing also shifted. A lead-in show finished and it seems that Freeform was, and still is, more interested in its summer replacements.

(For the record these are the London based “Amanda Knox” style murder mystery Guilt starring Daisy Head, Emily Tremaine and Billy Zane – Anthony Head, Daisy’s dad,  also has a role in the show. The second  is Freeform’s answer to MTVs Scream; “Dead of Summer.”)

Thus far neither show has performed overly well in live views. In the opinion of this reviewer “Guilt” never will garner a huge audience for a number of reasons and unless the body count and humor increases in the Friday the 13th homage, neither will “Dead of  Summer.”

Regardless of whether the network is hedging its bets with the two new shows or not, fans of Stitchers have busily started petitions to get the show brought back for a third season.  There are two petitions online right now.

The first was started by Alyssa Lemke on Petitionbuss.com (click on this link and sign the petition if you have not already) and the second is on Change.org. The latter petition was started by Stitchers fan Tyler Parker. (Head over and sign this one if you have not already.)  Both fans have managed, between the two of them, to garner over 9,500 signatures.

Why do the shows fans care so much?

It could be down to the personal chemistry of the show’s stars: Emma Ishta (Kirsten), Kyle Harris (Cameron) ,Ritesh Rajan (Linus), Allison Scagliotti (Camille) ,Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Maggie) or Damon Dayoub (Quincy Fisher).  

It could also be down to the ongoing storyline of Kirsten Clark…Or the brilliant writing, or the characters or the  pop culture references that make the show so much fun.

Having interviewed the show’s creator and executive producer Jeff Schechter on more than one occasion as well as the cast, on-set it is easy to say that Mike’s Film Talk can be counted as a huge fan of the show. (After finishing this article we will be heading over to sign the petition as well.)

In our humble opinion the show’s fans love much more than the romantic possibilities of “Camsten.”  Stitchers has so much more to offer. Strong female characters and men who appreciate them for starters.  A running mystery that begs to be solved and of course the question of the real reason  behind developing the “Stitch” program.

The show tells of Kirsten Clarks ability to be “stitched” into the minds of the recently deceased. The lab and the program are part of the NSA and no one has revealed just what the agency really means to use this technology for.

It is inconceivable that Freeform have not yet given a third season the greenlight. Surely the + 7 figures have come in by now and shown that the live views are inconsequential.  The way the world watches television has changed.  DVR, VoD, Hulu, and Internet streaming are all avenues that viewers can use to watch their favorite programs.

Other networks have realized the fallacy of this old fashioned ratings system.  Freeform should step out smartly and do the same.  Bring back Stitchers for another season. So many things need answers and the fans are crying out for the show’s return.

So come on Freeform, it is time to get off the metaphorical pot and make your move.

We were going to post a survey on this article about what you, the fans, want to have happen if the show comes back. Instead we urge everyone who loves the show to head over to either  (or both) the petitions and leave a signature. Let Freeform know how you feel. So many of you already have but more can never hurt.

Follow those links and sign. Help to bring “Camsten” and Stitchers back.

Stitchers: The Guest – Ivy Brown (Review)

EMMA ISHTA

This episode of ‘Stitchers’ was well crafted and put together brilliantly. ‘The Guest’ had much going for it, the flashback reveals of the latest’current stitch, Liam contacting Kirsten and Ivy Brown turning up.  The only real complaint about the episode, and this could be a personal viewpoint not shared by anyone else,  was the casting of Ivy.

In so many ways the actress was perfectly cast.  Sarah Davenport (Ivy) could be Emma Ishta’s sister in real life. Obviously well applied makeup enhanced Sarah’s appearance and it made for a believable “sister act” in this episode. The only real problem was the “age gap” or lack thereof.

Brown looks either the same age or perhaps even younger than Kirsten.  Ivy was from Daniel Stinger’s first marriage so one would expect this half sister to be roughly eight to 10 years older. This was not evident in either looks or even attitude. A bit puzzling.

While we are talking about Stinger and his multiple marriages…How odd is it that the man married twice, had two daughters and then both his wives die.  Is there a pattern here?  Is Ivy “Kirsten 1.0?”  She is clearly as intelligent as her “older” sister (Although perhaps not quite on the same level of “Beautiful mind” scary smart as Kirsten.) and she does keep prompting  “big” sis about the technology. Hmmm.

The stitch this week is referred to as the ZipCouch murders, an online application for cheap B&B (A clear nod and wink to AirBnB.).  As the  episode progresses, Kirsten reveals more and more about the case while dodging the issue of technology and the methods the NSA used to solve it.

At the office,  the team are told to keep the ZipCouch investigation quiet and Kirsten is ordered by Blair (John Billingsley) to stop her unauthorized search for Stinger. Blair informs the angry young woman that he will be looking for Daniel. Mitchell also tells Kirsten that her efforts are distracting “at best.”

Ivy and Kirsten swap “secrets” and the running mantra seems to be a combination of “Stinger will approach when Kirsten is ready for the truth” and (irrespective of what Cameron quotes at the episode’s open) all roads do lead to Stinger.

Away from sister bonding time, Cameron finally sorts the Nina situation and  Linus’ Baba goes into surgery.

Sidenote: This episode was funny and  yet still managed to make this viewer cry twice.  Kudos to Ritesh Rajan, Allison Scagliotti and the writers, you lot made me grab for tissues whilst eyes leaked and a lump stayed in my throat for ages. “You’ve never been more of a man than you are right now.” [Sob.] 

(In case you are interested the other tear-induing moment was Nina’s confrontation with Cameron, her face…)

Regardless of the (personal) problems of Ivy’s age, the two sisters clearly are from the same bolt of cloth and the two reluctantly bond while discussing the case and evading the  real questions of technology and where Stinger is.

It is obvious now that the lad in Kirsten’s stitches is indeed Stinger and it is equally clear that someone is determined that Clarke never meet her father.   (Blair?)  Liam, who has been watching Kirsten the entire time she met with her half-sister, calls his former “almost fiancee” promising answers to all her questions about Stinger. He is shot.

Is there a connection between Mary Poppins man and Ivy?  The timing seems to suggest it may well be worth considering.  Liam discovers and photographs the Stinger wall, Ivy makes contact to say she will meet with Kirsten and Granger (Jack Turner) watches their meeting. Later, after they jointly solve the ZipCouch case, Liam is still hovering about and calls Kirsten to offer answers. 

On the up side, if Liam is dead he can be stitched unless he was shot in the head which would point pretty clearly to someone who is “on the inside” of the Stitchers program or someone who knows the technology…While clearly not much help to Granger, a stitch  would allow Kirsten to learn something about Stinger and help her find out who does not want him found.

Outstanding Funny Moments:

Fisher’s plausible deniability was brilliant.

“Sound check.”

Kirsten’s heavily censured version of events when she reveals her feelings about finding Stinger. “Because I love him…”

Linus’ reaction to Camille’s “You know what you need right now?”

Camille’s reaction to Linus’ reaction…

Fisher again (to the murderer) “I hear the sharing economy is booming in prison.”

Final Thoughts:

SARAH DAVENPORT
Sarah Davenport as Ivy Brown

The series is now rapidly approaching the time where Mike’s Film Talk got to visit the set and interview the cast members.  As promised by all; this has been a darker, and more impressive looking (in terms of film quality) season and it has been tightly written. (And on a personal note, it is all quite exciting to see how that little bit I witnessed vicariously while on the set has played out through  the entire second  season. Well done guys and dolls.)

Transitioning from Temporal Dysplasia Kirsten to the current version was a tough task to pull off and they did a brilliant job.   (Although admittedly it took some time to adjust to as a viewer.)  This season has allowed many things to come together as Kirsten continues her search for Stinger.

Well written and well acted this episode was another example of why this show is a favorite. Sadly the one jarring thing about the entire segment  was that casting issue  with Davenport who was, in my opinion, years too young to be an “older” half sister.

Despite this setback, this was another cracking episode. The series airs Tuesdays on Freeform. Do not miss it.

Stitchers: Hack Me If You Can – A Hacking Ninja (Recap/Review)

Kirsten and the team are still adjusting to her new-found emotions in Stitchers: Hack Me If You Can. Camille makes a move to learn self-defense, Fisher is back on form and Cameron is undergoing a second childhood/midlife crisis thing since his return from the dead. The team get their first “proper” stitch since Goodkin’s death defying stunt.

SALLI RICHARDSON-WHITFIELD, KYLE HARRIS, EMMA ISHTA, ALLISON SCAGLIOTTI, RITESH RAJAN

Kirsten and the team are still adjusting to her new-found emotions in Stitchers: Hack Me If You Can. Camille makes a move to learn self-defense, Fisher is back on form and Cameron is undergoing a second childhood/midlife crisis thing since his return from the dead.  The team get their first “proper” stitch since Goodkin’s death defying stunt.

A man, who was blackmailing a “cheating website” is murdered by someone hacking into his  insulin pump  causing him to pass out in front of a moving  car.

Linus has moved out of his parent’s house and into his own “high tech” place. Cameron wants a Harley and Kirsten is mulling over what Stinger (her father) meant about moving the asset.  Cameron urges her to give it a rest  and  the two go through a bit of calling each other by  “love” names for the saleslady at the motorcycle shop.

Getting a call from the lab, Cameron asks the sales clerk to put the bike on hold. Back at the NSA facility  the team, sans Camille and Fisher, learn about the death and Les Turner’s boss who wants to meet  with Maggie.

Linus and Cameron have their bro-thing going again as evidenced with their little “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” gag.  The team want to meet the new big boss, Mitchell Blair (John Billingsley),  but Maggie says no.  

Fisher offers teach Camille how to take care of herself although he questions why. She points out that he was shot and Turner is dead. Camille then goes out to hack their first suspect in the insulin murder and she is surprisingly effective in the field.

Blair turns up and Maggie pulls a gun on him and Turner’s boss congratulates her on being promoted into the vacancy left by Les’ death. She asks Mitchell about Stinger killing Turner and Blair evades the question.

The team work out that the murdered man’s insulin pump was hacked by an expert via cellular connection.   As the investigation continues, it boils down to Kirsten versus the killer;  a woman in the dead man’s life.

Ellie (Cassidy Freeman) is the murdered man’s ex-wife who takes the whole team on. She depletes Cameron’s bank accounts and credit cards, sends the police to Kirsten’s to arrest her for prostitution and almost kills Linus in his new app controlled apartment. 

Kirsten calls Ellie a hacking ninja and she  enters  into the dead man’s memories again and learns that he cheated on his wife, who reacted badly.

This episode, which had  an impressive  number of comic/amusing moments features a villain whose life was ruined by her husband’s infidelity. Ellie has an accident which leaves her partially paralyzed and alone.

At the end of the episode Kirsten asks Ellie how to find her father and, just like the earlier Star Trek reference Ellie makes, both women have  indeed developed a grudging respect for one another.

Pop Culture references:

Cameron calls Kirsten “easy rider” after the Harley scene and before the first stitch, referencing the cult film of the same name.

He also  references the  I Love Lucy show, and Desi Arnaz  with his “Lucy’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.

Ellie references the old Star Trek episode Balance of Terror (1966), where Kirk and a Romulan commander battle each other and develop a grudging respect for one another at the end of the episode,   to Kirsten who states that she has no idea what the woman is on about. Cameron, listening in on the conversation nods his head and says, “I do.”

Cameron outside the elevator tells Camille to “Release the Kraken.” which is from Clash of the Titans (1981) and Norse mythology.

Comic moments:

Cameron tackles Linus in his new apartment (Ellie has turned on the gas so the whole place would explode when he accessed his app tablet) and he asks Linus:

Cameron: “Do you smell gas?”

Linus: “Well you startled me.”

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Linus and Cameron’s reaction to Kirsten’s “ideas in the shower” question and Camille’s reaction to them.

The Harley buying scene.

The whole NSA secret facility gag along with the windowless van reference…Twice.

Honorable Mentions:

Linus’ parents and the apartment tour.

Camille brushing Linus aside, muttering “get out of the way” as she goes to hug his mother.

Camille, again, hacking the owner of the cheating website via his phone.

Linus having to explain that he owns stock in the cheating  website.

Final thoughts:

The writing on this episode was tight and offered a “baddie” with depth and a sadness that was touching. Stitchers this season is slowly allowing us the chance to get used to Kirsten’s new emotions and the “new” Cameron.

All the humor from season one is there and, as mentioned in interviews with the cast and show creator Jeff Schechter, a darker feel is also there. Camille wanting to learn self-defense after the violence and death of season one is a perfect example of that.

Clearly there is no love lost between Maggie (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) and Blair.  Also, while Maggie is in charge officially over the whole Stitchers program, Kirsten still  pushes hard against authority when she feels it necessary. 

Thus far season two is offering the same sort of top notch performances from the first season and the writing is tighter than ever. We have the cases themselves to focus upon but there is also the whole “Stinger” issue and an interesting new “big bad” in the organization, aka Mitchell Blair.

Stitchers airs Tuesdays on Freeform.

Stitchers 2.0 Season Two Premiere – Cameron 2.0 (Recap/Review)

Stitchers second season blasts out of the gate with 2.0 and the premiere episode shows a great many things not known before. One of which is a new Cameron (Cameron 2.0 Kirsten calls Goodkin) and he is not the only one who has changed since the season one finale.

EMMA ISHTA, KYLE HARRIS

Stitchers second season blasts out of the gate with 2.0 and the premiere episode shows a great many things not known before. One of which is a new Cameron  (Cameron 2.0 Kirsten calls  Goodkin) and he is not the only one who has changed since the season one finale.

The episode picks up right where the finale ended. Cameron unresponsive to treatment and Kirsten sobbing over his prone body. Kristen begs to have Goodkin shocked again and when there is no response she falls sobbing onto his chest.  Cameron raises one arm slowly.

He is alive.

Cameron is also incredibly focussed as his first words are:

“Did you get the license plate.”

Later,  Dr. Goodkin lays in bed recovering under the watchful eyes of Kirsten.  Linus and Camille discuss the changes in the stitch girl. Both agree that before the Cameron stitch, Kirsten was, emotionally “b*tchy.” As Camille points out, Kirsten’s new emotions are not residual.

Kirsten does not tell Cameron about all those memories she encountered while stitched into his brain that were about her acting more emotional.  It is interesting that Goodkin has stored all those scenes  of touching moments where Kirsten was not exhibiting her temporal dysplasia but was “wearing” the emotions from her latest stitch.

Maggie, after coming across as a bit of a baddie in the first season lets her true colors shine through when she rips into Les Turner (Oded  Fehr)   for allowing Cameron to kill himself.  Telling Turner that she would kill one person to save 19, the total of her lab “family.”  The remark comes back to haunt Maggie later.

At the hospital Cameron survives his ordeal with a newfound sense of energy and enthusiasm for life and tells Kirsten the doctors have said he is good to go:

“Apparently death agrees with me.”

Linus enters and tells  Cameron about Kirsten’s feeling a little “emotionally raw” after the stitch, in other words she is now feeling emotions. Linus reveals that Fisher is awake and wants to talk before to Kirsten.  Camille is in the room already and Cameron thanks Quincy for pushing him out of the way at the restaurant.

Fisher explains  that he is sure that Turner killed Ed Clark. A furious Kirsten goes to confront the man and discovers that Les had been murdered.  The death of Turner puts the NSA facility into lockdown and a security detail has been assigned to the lab.

The leader of the detail is pushy and  Linus calls the man a “high school dropout.” Upon seeing  Kirsten, the head of security; Lee (Geoffrey Kennedy) says bluntly:

“You must be Clark. The one who strips and gets in the water. “

Linus has pointed out that there is something wrong with the mind map of the murdered Turner, calling it wonky.  Maggie asserts herself and forces  Captain Stamperson to back off. Cameron and Linus introduce Kirsten to a new stitch suit. The benefits of the suit as mainly psychological.

GEOFFREY KENNEDY, RITESH RAJAN

When asked how she feels in the suit, Kirsten replies, “slightly  bada**.” Cameron then says the new suit is working. Cue a Linus and Cameron fist bump and then Kirsten prepares for the stitch.

Lee, the security captain asks Maggie if Kirsten will eat part of Turner’s brain (the man is obviously a fan of iZombie) and the lab head says no, “She’s not a zombie, this is science.” The captain mutters a heartfelt “Thank God.”

As the countdown begins Cameron says “Open the pod bay doors please Hal,” and the captain correctly identifies this as a 2001: A Space Odyssey quote. Maggie is not impressed. Turner’s mind map is, as Linus said earlier, “wonky” the thing is all over the place and being in the stitch makes Kirsten nauseous.

In the stitch Kirsten says she can smell incense.  After she bounces from the stitch Kirsten throws up. This sense memory is new and Kirsten says she saw something in Les’ apartment that she wants to check out. A security detail follows. Cameron and Kirsten find a panic room in the apartment, after she works out the combination

Once inside the room they find a destroyed computer and Cameron texts the control sticker number  to Camille. After providing much needed intel they learn where the computer came from . Goodkin locks the two escorts in the panic room and Kirsten is impressed.

“Wow, look at the testicles on Cameron 2.0.”

Following clues, the team take the next step in working  out who killed Les but not without issues.  Kirsten and Cameron get arrested, but only after being tased. Ironically the reason for the tasers was that neither of them have badges. (Either that or neither of the security guards liked Cameron’s “stinkin’ badges” quote from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Maggie rescues the two from the police station and gives them their own NSA badges. Both are excited and Linus wants to know when he will be getting his. Kirsten tells him she thinks he may have to get arrested first.

Kirsten goes back into Turner’s memory. (At one point Cameron calls Kirsten “Agent Carter” a clear nod to the Marvel verse.) She enters the memory where Maggie and Turner are arguing, smelling incense again, and she sees Maggie kill Les.  Things get tense and Kirsten believes that Maggie shot Turner.

Maggie  overpowers a security guard and the team focus to keep Kirsten in the stitch. Linus saves the day by taking charge and having Camille take over from Cameron and making Goodkin take over at Tim’s piloting device “You break it you buy it,” Tim (Cameron Britton) says as Cameron grabs the controls. Linus then orchestrates a “save.” This allows Kirsten to work out that  Maggie did not kill Les.

CAMERON BRITTON, KYLE HARRIS

After the stitch Camille and Kirsten head up the elevator  and discover a secret room. Ed Clark’s dead body is in the room and Kirsten demand sanother chance to stitch her stepfather’s memory. In the stitch she sees someone fighting.

Kirsten sees the death of Ed, and she smells the incense again. Before he is shot, Clark shouts that he will not let the shooter hurt “her” again. Kirsten cuts it very close with the bounce;  before she leaves the stitch she sees Ed’s life begin flashing by.

Afterward, Cameron is angry that Kirsten does not appear to trust him and she says everyone has their secrets.  He asks about what she saw in his memory and she opts to not tell him.

Back at her house, Kirsten grabs a  coffee mug and it prompts a memory of her father. In the flashback, he has shaving cream just behind his ear. He takes a bit and puts on the young Kirsten’s nose and she asks about the smell.  Her father tells her it is sandalwood.

Modern day Kirsten makes the connection. She now realizes that she did not smell incense, but her father in the stitches.

The season has started off brilliantly with everyone affected by the death of Cameron. Goodkin is indeed like a leveled up version of himself after being brought back from the dead and Kirsten’s emotions are now, apparently, normal. Although not having had any before makes it odd for her and the rest of the team.

Maggie is clearly the authority figure of the group and one heck of a bada**. There also appears to be a new member in the lab, a Brit named Chelsea. Before Les was murdered he trotted out a hint at what is possibly behind the Stitchers program, saying something about saving 9 billion people and human evolution.

It appears that Kirsten’s father may have gone off the rails after that fateful stitch where it appeared that her mother died, when  dad tried to pull his wife out of a coma, or the sandalwood aroma is a coincidence.  Camille seems to be gravitating toward Quincy Fisher and Linus has decided he will grow up.

Stitchers season two has taken the tone a bit darker, a murder in the ranks of the program, and Les Turner no less, has made the whole thing a bit more tense. The pop culture references of Dr Goodkin are still in the show and It seems that Maggie’s moment at the end of the “Mexican standoff” could well be a homage to The Thing.

In the 1982 John Carpenter film, after the protagonists undergo a test to see who is human and who is not, the last man on the couch angrily asks to be untied .  After Kirsten reveals that it was not Maggie who shot Les the team all congratulate one another on a job well done and their leader, in a very sharp and angry tone asks if they are done screwing around if they will find out who shot Les.

Maggie’s delivery of the line is not exactly the same but it evokes that  image perfectly. Just another example of the brilliant writing behind the show. It should also be pointed out that none of the humor has been left behind from season one.

Stitchers airs Tuesdays on Freeform. Do not miss this cracking series.