I may have said in my reviews before that I really don't like those standard procedural shows that endlessly clutter the schedule, and there were moments in the early running of "Clarice" that made me wonder if the iconic character had been reduced to one of those. It wasn't the case though, as the 13 episode season is primary based on one case. There were other issues that stopped me from really loving it though.
With her high-profile rescue of Catherine Martin (Marnee Carpenter) from Buffalo Bill making her the FBI's most famous face, Clarice Starling (Rebecca Breeds) joins VICAP, a task force designed to capture violent criminals, led by Paul Krendler (Michael Cudlitz). Starling is immediately at odds with Krendler, when she publicly suggests that two bodies found close together might not be the work of a new serial killer, but instead a more sinister and insidious crime, made to look like that.
What did I like? I thought that Rebecca Breeds was alright as the title character, even if the accent is occasionally a bit much. She imbues some of Jodie Fosters performances without copying it wholesale. I liked the rest of the VICAP team too, including Lucca De Oliveria, Nick Sandow and Kal Penn. I thought the overall case they dealt with was interesting, if, perhaps, lacking a bit in genuine surprises along the way.
I do think that there were way too many subplots though. Starling has trauma from both her recent involvement with Bill and something from her childhood. Her roommate, played by Devyn A Tyler, has a storyline about systemic racism in the FBI. Krendler is going through a bitter divorce. Catherine Martin is not coping since her rescue and her mother, Ruth - played by Jayne Atkinson - is a senator both supporting VICAP and trying to maintain some level of support for her increasingly distant daughter. Nick Sandow's character has a missing sister. Tomas Esquivel is an ex-military sniper, struggling to deal with the things he's done. It's not that any of these stories are particularly bad, it's more that there are only 13 episodes and each one diverts time away from the character I'm most interested in, and the case they're working.
I made it through the series, and it was fine, though, If I'm honest, the fact there won't be a second season wasn't particularly disappointing. It you must watch one TV series, based on this property then I'm afraid that "Hannibal" in spite of the ending, is far superior.
With her high-profile rescue of Catherine Martin (Marnee Carpenter) from Buffalo Bill making her the FBI's most famous face, Clarice Starling (Rebecca Breeds) joins VICAP, a task force designed to capture violent criminals, led by Paul Krendler (Michael Cudlitz). Starling is immediately at odds with Krendler, when she publicly suggests that two bodies found close together might not be the work of a new serial killer, but instead a more sinister and insidious crime, made to look like that.
What did I like? I thought that Rebecca Breeds was alright as the title character, even if the accent is occasionally a bit much. She imbues some of Jodie Fosters performances without copying it wholesale. I liked the rest of the VICAP team too, including Lucca De Oliveria, Nick Sandow and Kal Penn. I thought the overall case they dealt with was interesting, if, perhaps, lacking a bit in genuine surprises along the way.
I do think that there were way too many subplots though. Starling has trauma from both her recent involvement with Bill and something from her childhood. Her roommate, played by Devyn A Tyler, has a storyline about systemic racism in the FBI. Krendler is going through a bitter divorce. Catherine Martin is not coping since her rescue and her mother, Ruth - played by Jayne Atkinson - is a senator both supporting VICAP and trying to maintain some level of support for her increasingly distant daughter. Nick Sandow's character has a missing sister. Tomas Esquivel is an ex-military sniper, struggling to deal with the things he's done. It's not that any of these stories are particularly bad, it's more that there are only 13 episodes and each one diverts time away from the character I'm most interested in, and the case they're working.
I made it through the series, and it was fine, though, If I'm honest, the fact there won't be a second season wasn't particularly disappointing. It you must watch one TV series, based on this property then I'm afraid that "Hannibal" in spite of the ending, is far superior.