Well, that was depressing.

For once the flashbacks were not Kirsten-centric on Stitchers Season 3 Episode 5 "Paternis." Instead, we glimpsed moments from Cameron, Camille, and Linus' childhoods.

And no one was happy. Not then, and not now.

We may as well start with the case of the week since it struck a personal tone. Cameron's father, James Miller, was accused of killing a prison guard. And, in case you forgot, Miller's been in prison for 14 years.

If you did forget, you're not alone. As much as I hate to sound like a broken record, Stitchers has a bad habit of only reminding the audience of past plot points when it's time for them to resurface.

Frustrating, right? It's Especially frightening when it's obvious our heart strings are being tugged. That's not necessarily a bad thing. We want to feel for the characters. It's part of the reason we watch TV – to get swept up in fictional problems rather than real life.

So now we've been reminded how much Cameron's childhood sucked. And thanks to the specifics of the case, we learned his dad wasn't such a bad guy after all. Minus the part where he stole all of that money.

Okay, so he's definitely a criminal. But he also did something selfless to protect Cameron. He stayed quiet after the agent arrested him stole all of the stolen money.

Does anyone else have a headache trying to accept how and why that happened? Again, you're not alone. And it's probably due to the show's usual rushed pace when it comes time to resolve the case.

The important part is that Cameron's relationship with his father is a little less chilly. And even though he wanted revenge, Cameron did the noble thing and waited to make sure another kid didn't have to watch his father get arrested. 

He's a good guy. There's a reason we root for his happiness.

Kirsten: I didn't even know you went to see him. It's been what, thirteen years?
Cameron: Fourteen.
Kirsten: So why now?
Cameron: I don't know. I guess Linus' father dying affected me more than I realized. Or my feelings for you are making me want to reach out to my family.
Kirsten: That's sweet.
Cameron: Not so sweet that he wanted to see me.

• Permalink: Not so sweet that he wanted to see me.

But, for a smart guy, he also did something pretty dumb. Why on Earth did he tell Maggie about Kirsten's mom?!?!

Another plot point that's easy to forget is how Maggie's came off as shady more than once. She hides things. She's never been completely honest about her connection to Kirsten's family.

So how did Cameron, a smart, sweet guy, who always puts Kirsten first, manage to let such a huge secret out of the bag? And without batting an eye? Then, he let Maggie convince him not to say anything to Kirsten. Or maybe he'd already decided since he had chances to tell her, and didn't.

Because it obviously needed to come out in the worst way: Kirsten discovering her mother missing when she went to visit.

Let's call this what it is: manufactured drama to cause a rift between Cameron and Kirsten. That's the only explanation for why Cameron would suddenly let a huge, important secret slip.

There are too many holes in this for it to be anything other than lazy writing. It's in the same category as the random reason Kirsten and Cameron aren't allowed to have sex. It's fine on the surface, but as soon as we start poking at it, the logic falls apart.

And now Kirsten has turned to Ivy. The last person she believes she can trust thanks to another manufactured drama moment: Camille turning on Kirsten over Ivy.

Can we agree that everything involving Ivy is the worst at this point? Her instant love with Linus, her father blackmailing her, Kirsten setting herself up to get hurt again, and Camille's vendetta against her – all of it is the worst.

Ivy wants to change, but she's behind the Cameron anomaly Kirsten saw in the stitches. It isn't so much a surprise as it is the kind of revelation that just makes sense. She knew a lot about the program. She created it to help her dad. Now she regrets it. I can accept that.

But, as usual, the problem is that Ivy doesn't want to tell the truth. Singer's whispering in her ear that no one will believe her. He might be right. It's a fool me once kind of thing.

That being said, I think Kirsten would believe her. Maybe not now when she's feeling betrayed by Cameron and Camille, but before that she would have.

Kirsten wants a family more than anything. I don't think she'd throw away her sister that easily.

Getting back to Camille, she's ashamed of her trailer park past, and the cons she used to pull. She's also angry and sad and doesn't trust anyone, including her friends and Amanda.

It's hard to reconcile Camille's past with the person she is now. Maybe it's her confidence, but she doesn't strike me as the type to let the past define her. Which is why, like Cameron and Kirsten, it's hard to take her weirdness with Amanda as anything other than something that came from left field.

On Stitchers Season 3 Episode 4, Camille opened up and let her in after they had their near death moment. Why would she take it back now? And why would Amanda, who seemed so chill, take offense to Camille telling her for the second time that she wants to be her special person?

Manufactured drama strikes again.

Fisher: Get your head out of your ass and just be the person you are inside.
Camille: Ugh. Sounds like a nightmare [walks away]
Fisher: Why do they ask me for advice?

• Permalink: Why do they ask me for advice?

Our final set of flashbacks centered on Linus and his dad. His dad did everything he could to help Linus with his childhood struggles, but all Linus wanted was a friend.

He has that now with Cameron. How fun was it to watch Linus show up and save Cameron from the thugs? I loved Linus' power moment. But watching him try so hard to get through to Ivy brought the mood way down.

I'm not sure whether we're supposed to be rooting for them. At this point, I'm not. I ship Linus with happiness, and I don't think Ivy's mature enough to give him that. She's way too busy keeping her own secrets.

Now that everyone's angry, sad, and hurt, it's your turn to share your feelings, Stitchers' Fanatics!

Did you enjoy "Paternis"? How much did you remember about Cameron and Camille's histories? Do you think the drama is too over the top? Are we straying too far from the believable path?

Hit the comments and tell us what you think!

Remember, you can watch Stitchers online anytime!

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