Stitchers – Maggie (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), Kirsten (Emma Ishta) and Cameron (Kyle Harris) – Photo by Mitch Haaseth/Courtesy of Freeform
Kill It Forward, the penultimate episode of season three of Stitchers (Freeform, Mondays, 9/8C) is one of the more diabolically twisted episodes to come from the show’s creatives.
When Kirsten refuses to work for Maggie if she can’t see her mother, Maggie makes her a deal – do this one last stitch and she’ll tell her where she is. But the case turns out to be somewhat more convoluted than anyone could have expected.
Kill It Forward opens with a confrontation – Kirsten (Emmis Ishta), Cameron (Kyle Harris) and Linus (Ritesh Rajan) confront Ivy (Sarah Davenport) about her meeting with Stinger (C. Thomas Howell) and her attempt to trap Kirsten in her own mind.
Meanwhile, a top flight beach volleyball player is murdered the night before a big tournament – potentially eliminating her teammate as a victim, but by someone with no apparent connection to her.
Meanwhile, potentially non-work-related sparks fly between Maggie (Salli Richardson-Whitfield – who also directed the ep) and Quincy (Damon Dayoub), and a second murder – this time a magician’s agent by what seems to be a suburban soccer dad.
Stitchers – L-R) Camille (Allison Scagliotti), Cameron (Kyle Harris), Linus (Ritesh Rajan) and Kirsten (Emma Ishta) – Photo by Mitch Haaseth/Courtesy of Freeform.
The only connection between the murders is an app on the phones of the killers (who record the slayings).
Written by Don Whitehead & Holly Henderson, Kill It Forward is one of the show’s most intriguing episodes on a number of fronts – the team’s apparently final break with Ivy; the unrelated murders; the Maggie/Quincy thing; a Piece of Maggie’s past, reflexes, and a few other minor things that add depth to the ongoing serial that is the lives of the Stitchers team.
Also, Camille (Allison Scagliotti) sings.
Richardson-Whitfield does a terrific job of directing the ep – as a cast member since the show’s inception, she has a thorough knowledge of how the show needs to be put together to work properly. She sets up both stitches and action sequences equally well, but may be one of the most empathetic directors on the series – she really nails the emotional beats, getting super performances from everyone in the cast (including herself…).
She also keeps up the show’s knack for making its cerebral elements as exciting as its more physical ones. She also kills it with the cliffhanger that sets up next week’s season finale.
Final Grade: B+