A dead British spy. A shadowy government organization closing ranks. A wild child agent cooling her heels in jail after punching a cop. A cow. A swan. A golden snake.

Basically all the makings of what could have been a thrilling case to watch unfold on Stitchers Season 3 Episode 4 "Mind Palace."

Instead, we were once again left with a case of the week wrapped in a tidy bow we all saw coming a mile away.

While we might not tune in week after week because we're dying to hear about the victim's memories and connections, it does make things more compelling when cases are not cut and dry.

Or worse, rushed. Stitchers Season 3 has been guilty of all of the above, and it's frustrating. "Mind Palace" had great potential. Kirsten was in someone's head, but couldn't see anything other than coded objects.

This could have been a great opportunity to tie the current case into the larger mysteries. While the team was decoding the objects, wouldn't it have been cool if they'd stumbled on a familiar code? An "ah ha!" moment that gave them a piece of the puzzle they've been missing?

Camille: Okay, so just to be clear. You want me to go behind the back of, and flip a hardy bird to, my employer the National Security Agency?
Kirsten: Absolutely.
Camille: It's about damn time.

• Permalink: Okay, so just to be clear. You want me to go behind the back of, and flip a hardy bird to, my em

Maybe I'm asking too much from a simple case of the week. But the problem is all of the cases are too simple. We all knew Chloe was trouble as soon as walked into the room naked.

Sure, I suppose it could have been part of the running gag over how Kirsten and Cameron can't have sex. Then there's suddenly a hot naked woman in his apartment. Hilarious, right?

No, not hilarious. Obvious. Obvious she was the bad guy right along with Agent Abbott. Why else would he have needed a back channel to get his agent out of jail? Punching a cop is a big deal. But not for a spy organization. Don't tell me he couldn't have bribed her out of jail if he'd wanted.

They may as well have painted an arrow over their heads with a sign flashing, "These are the killers!"

Meanwhile, Camille and Linus are diving into their new relationships at an alarming pace. It's cute how, even while mad at each other, the former lovers each took a moment to warn the new flames against hurting their exes.

It sounds more complicated than it is. I like that they're still looking out for each other. Even more so because I don't fully trust Ivy or Amanda. Although Ivy's more or less a prop at this point. They bring her out when there's a code that needs to be broken.

Amanda, on the other hand, is already deeply important to Camille. To the point where Camille is offering her trust and her heart. That's not an easy thing for Camille to do. And it makes me worry that Amanda's setting her up for a fall.

Camille: When Chloe came at us with that knife, something stopped inside of me. I was just so afraid of losing you. I don't let people in. It's not who I am. It's not who I raised myself to be. But I let you in.
Amanda: You must be scared.
Camille: I'm so scared. But I'm so excited. My life makes sense with you in it.

• Permalink: I'm so scared. But I'm so excited. My life makes sense with you in it.

I want to be wrong about this. I like them together! I like that she brings out Camille's fun side. I like the quips and the chemistry and all the good things the ladies have going.

But if Stitchers has taught us anything over the years, it's not to trust new people. Camille knows that better than anyone. And the faster she moves with Amanda, the more convinced I am that she's going to get hurt.

However, I'm having a hard time finding a motive. Amanda is a medical examiner and she doesn't seem overly curious about the NSA's secret stuff. So what would be her point to luring Camille into a false sense of security? I don't see Camille giving up secrets.

And they did share kickass moves while fighting off Chloe's attack. Let's keep our guard up, but also hope for the best.

At least Kirsten and Cameron are back on the same page.

While this oxytocin thing continues to frustrate, I'm proud of Kirsten for telling Cameron the truth. We can let the part where it was after the fact slide. It still counts.

It's hard to blame her for being apprehensive when he's been so worried all the time. Just as it's hard to fault him when there are reasons to be worried. 

But when the time came, Kirsten made the right choice. She opted to find the killer rather than stall to do the mind map and potentially let Chloe get away.

Where do we go from here? Hopefully to more interesting cases of the week, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen. We do seem to be getting back into the overarching mystery of the Stitchers' program.

That's a good thing. Now that Cameron and Kirsten have the mystery box, they'll be able to trace where the cases originate. Will we finally see who's behind them? And how they tie into Kirsten's mother?

She deserves answers. And, frankly, so do we.

It's your turn, Stitchers' Fanatics! What did you think of "Mind Palace"?

Were you expecting more from the spy storyline? Are you happy the relationship drama has been ironed out (for now)? What do you think they'll find once they trace the mystery box?

Need to catch up? You can watch Stitchers online anytime!

Mandy Treccia was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2017. Follow her on Twitter.