Clarice

I had reservations when this show was announced because doing a TV show they would have very large shoes to fill but fortunately they nailed it, I'm very excited to see where it goes so please renew it & give it a chance. Too many shows these days get the axe before they are able to prove themselves.

I found the show enjoyable. For me it evoked memories of reading Thomas Harris novels and the classic original film.

I could care less how it compares to Hannibal on NBC. The negative reviews and the legion of hate piled on anything positive said about this show, is utterly ridiculous, one episode in. The Hannibal fan boys need to go away, so the real audience can give this show's potential the chance it deserves.

So if you forget the legend upon which this show is built, you are left with a good proceedural Gvt. Agency show, which is rare in these days of formulaic episodic cop propaganda; yes, they're borrowing heavily from the legend just by making the show, but it does make for a certain interesting undercurrent to everything.

The cast works well, the script isn't nearly as bad as the reviews suggest, nor is the production quality in any way lacking (I think everyone was hoping for film quality attention being paid to every detail, which isn't feasible, unless you're watching Hannibal, which raised the bar to an astonishing degree). A few less moth flashbacks, and we're good. My only strong complaint is the butchery done to Catherine Martin's character, and I don't know where that storyline is going, so I'm trying to reserve judgement.

Had to laugh at Clarice needing a better psychiatrist.

Silence of the Lambs was a character study and thriller that was hauntingly directed. 'Clarice' is a superb homage to the original and to the title character. It picks up one year after the Buffalo Bill case and it addresses the PTSD that still impacts the young Clarice, who is played by the excellent Rebecca Breeds. She nails the part, which is daunting considering that Jodie Foster was iconic in the role. She is subtle in showing the character's enormous strength, deft at trying to politically maneuver through the male dominated FBI power structure while showing her brilliance, and honest in showing Clarice's human vulnerabilities.

The directing is way above average for a TV 'procedural'. It has an art-house feel. Maybe too many flashbacks. Some of the male leads are stereotypical and too overbearing, but we are only 4 episodes in. Hoping for more development for those characters, but TV is longform.

And by that I am of course referring to the excellent series featuring Mads Mikkelsen's amazing portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. That series had great style, fantastic atmosphere, and stellar directing, editing, and acting. They planned to tell the ultimate Hannibal Lecter story but only were able to make three seasons out of a seven season plan. So, here we have a Clarice Starling series that had been in the works for years but didn't get the train running till now.

So the premiere - Meh. Rebecca Breeds makes a very good Clarice but nothing else is up to her level. The cinematography isn't bad but the atmosphere is lacking, the characters are none too memorable, and the storyline isn't attention grabbing enough. I give it about a season at least.