S01.01 The Silence Is Over

[AimingforYoko]

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Clarice is a deep dive into the untold personal story of FBI Agent Clarice Starling as she returns to the field in 1993, one year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs.

This was fine, obviously in the CBS procedural vein of things. I like that they're digging into the aftermath of Silence. I just hope they don't turn Catherine into a psycho or anything.

I know Hannibal (The Novel) was a shitshow, and I don't know what this says about me, but Krendler's ultimate fate give me the warm fuzzies.

[ShellsandCheese]

Well, I hope it improves. It was very meh. I swear all the CBS procedurals are interchangeable. This felt like an episode of Criminal Minds. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I was concerned that the lead actress was too lightweight for that role, but I think she held her own.  At times it is a little distracting.  

I’m a little weary of that same old, same old formula of how the case solver is brow beat by the mean old supervisor, etc.  it’s she done to death.  And who gives away details of a case at a press release that could be used to enhance their investigation?  Makes no sense.  

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, ShellsandCheese said:

.This felt like an episode of Criminal Minds. 

Heh, and that's part of the reason I was kinda intrigued about this show :p. I normally don't watch CBS procedurals in general, but I did watch that one. Hell, they even have Strauss here!

I've only seen Silence of the Lambs once, a long time ago, and that's all the more I know about the Hannibal universe in general. So depending on how this all plays out, I may have to do a little more research into this universe. But I do think there's some interesting potential here. I do like Clarice herself, and I liked her interaction with Esquivel and Ardelia as well. And I'm curious about how things will proceed with her therapist as time goes on. 

That scene in the bathroom towards the end was creepy. 

[Chaos Theory]

Very piloty but it has potential as a dark procedural.  CBS does those well so I am willing to wait it out.   There is a few things I like but also a few I don’t.      But it wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[luna1122]

This show wishes it was Hannibal.

It is not.

[sempervivum]

I was prepared to be disappointed and I was. It was like Criminal Minds (minus the 'humor' and 'quirk') meets FBI, neither one of which is a good role model (imo).

I suppose the show needed to create a development arc, but the essence of Clarice's persona in SotL was the way her fragile beauty disguised her spine (and nerves) of steel. The Clarice of 'Clarice' is a broken and pushed-around victim-which doesn't fit with the indomitable woman we admired-until the very end. I assume/hope that means she'll grow in confidence during the series, because if she's going to continue being 'tortured' and 'conflicted', I won't be around to watch. Also, please don't have this tiny woman beating up bad guys. God.😒

11 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

same old, same old formula of how the case solver is brow beat by the mean old supervisor, etc.

Yes, so boring. And the senator/attorney general who doesn't want to know who really did the killings because reasons? Wouldn't she get as much political capitol from solving the murders of whistle-blowers? 

I fell asleep for a while in the middle, so maybe I missed some other stuff I'd hate.

[The Wild Sow]

13 hours ago, ShellsandCheese said:

Well, I hope it improves. It was very meh. I swear all the CBS procedurals are interchangeable. This felt like an episode of Criminal Minds. 

Including Erin Strauss!

 

14 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

and I don't know what this says about me, but Krendler's ultimate fate give me the warm fuzzies

Oh yeah, me too! 

“Let’s have Paul for dinner; I want to pick his brain...!”

[tennisgurl]

This was alright, but its no Hannibal. Its not even Criminal Minds, despite the show desperately wanting to be both shows at once while also being part of the Silence of the Lambs verse and a pretty typical network procedural. The actress playing Clarice is doing a decent job, but I really hope they start writing her better soon. I get that they want to show her dealing with everything that happened in the movie, and obviously that's going to make anyone rather jumpy and be quite traumatic, but I hope that she gets more of that inner steel that made her so compelling in Silence. I do like the idea of following up with what happened after the movie, but I hope that it isn't so...generic? At least when it starts going more, I know that pilots can be rough, especially for what is essentially a sequel to a beloved classic, so I will give them some more time. 

I know that people underestimating Clarice has always been kind of a thing, but this was going really over the top. I mean, the lotion thing? Like, holy shit guys, people were killed. Is this a federal agency or an 80s frat house? Her boss is even worse, what the hell is this guys problem? Its like he just rolled off the conveyer belt for Angry Police Captains. "Damn it Starling your off the force! Your a loose cannon! Turn in your badge and gun! The AG is on my ass about this!" 

I like the follow up with Catherine, but I hope they don't make her become a serial killer too. I am weirdly happy to see Buffalo Bills puppy alive and well. I like some of the other supporting cast alright, we will see where this goes at least. 

[luna1122]

31 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

 

I like the follow up with Catherine, but I hope they don't make her become a serial killer too. I am weirdly happy to see Buffalo Bills puppy alive and well. I like some of the other supporting cast alright, we will see where this goes at least. 

Literally my favorite thing about SoL was Brooke Smith's Catherine Martin. She was tough, she was brash, she was funny. And I LOVED that she adopted Princess, it was such a telling sort of detail about her. Many people suffering such an ordeal wouldn't want anything to do with that little pup, as a reminder of the horror she suffered, so Catherine protectively cuddling that pupper as she was rescued just filled my heart. So I was happy to see that she's still got Princess.

But I hated seeing her so broken and shattered and, apparently, now virtually anorexic in the aftermath. While all of that is understandable, to some degree, it's not how I want to imagine her, and it doesn't seem to fit with the Catherine we knew.

[mjc570]

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would - mainly because Jayne Atkinson! Kal Penn! Kris Holden-Reid!  Speaking of whom, I hope he shows up in other episodes, since I guess he's not dead.  I seriously doubt Clarice could over power him, even with her past demons adrenalizing her, that guy is a freaking were-wolf FFS.

My expectations were so low, so it worked out ok for me.  I agree it was pretty cliche, but perhaps it can move beyond that.  The last few minutes gave me hope. I'll keep watching for now.

Edited February 12, 2021 by mjc570

[Clare]

It was ok, agree with everyone that it was very Criminal Minds.  I'll give it a few more episodes because pilots are often rough.  I wish they had taken some artistic license and set it in current day.  I think being set in 1993 is going to be a mistake for production.  They changed around the actress, they could have gone an extra step and set it in the present. 

The actress is ok but that accent is out of control, I really hope they gradually phase out the accent.  

Love Michael Cudlitz though and I will keep watching for him.

[Cotypubby]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I am weirdly happy to see Buffalo Bills puppy alive and well.

I love that they stuck with that since the last we saw of Catherine in SOTL she was hugging Precious tightly as she was being walked out of Buffalo Bill’s house. An agent tried to take the dog from her and she shook her head. It was a tiny detail but one I really liked. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Rebecca Breeds looks like Margot Kidder and Elliot Page. 

[ctlady]

On 2/11/2021 at 11:33 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I was concerned that the lead actress was too lightweight for that role, but I think she held her own.  At times it is a little distracting.  

The only thing I found distracting were those damn pieces of hair hanging on the side of her face.  This seems to be a thing onscreen when it comes to ponytails.  You're on the job, not trying to make a fashion statement so please keep her hair out of her face

I really liked the pilot and the director's use of flashbacks were used effectively without it looking as if the show was trying to ride on the coattails of SOtL.  I hated the political angle of it and muscling Clarice to stick to the serial killer story to make in order to make higher ups - especially  Ruth Martin.  The line Paul gave Clarice about Ruth making a statement to 'inflame the public and get the press on her side' is all about making herself look good.  Katherine's right - do not trust her mom

Loved seeing they wrote Ardelia's character in

Paul is a prideful, 'I'm not gonna let this upstart who lucked out have this kind of luck again' dooooosh and - yes, knowing his comeuppance in Hannibal is what makes me grin through all his trying to pound Clarice down in order to puff himself up antics.  He's obviously threatened by her and wants to be several steps ahead or else he would wouldn't have Esquival watching her and reporting things to him

[Dowel Jones]

The irony of Brooke Smith playing a woman who is married to a psychopath on another show...

[preeya]

Will there ever be a show where the person in charge gets along well with his/her subordinates, particularly newbies?

Edited February 14, 2021 by preeya

[preeya]

20 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Rebecca Breeds looks like Margot Kidder and Elliot Page. 

She reminded me more of Page than Kidder, as I immediately thought of Page when I first saw her.

[Anela]

This is making me miss Hannibal. 

[grawlix]

On 2/12/2021 at 8:16 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

Rebecca Breeds looks like Margot Kidder and Elliot Page. 

She reminded me of Robin Tunney from The Mentalist.

[j5cochran]

I didn't mind the accent -- it's surprisingly close to a real West Virginia accent. However, she badly butchered the name of the county she claims to be from. It's Kanawha, pronounced ka-NAH-a, not ka-na-WHAH, with that final "a" almost swallowed, like the word has only two-and-one-half syllables. I'm not surprised that she mispronounced it, as newscasters have done so for decades. I'm just a bit sad that they didn't try a little harder.

That said, I'll give it a few more episodes. It's dark and procedural, not normally my favorite, but that was one of the least clunky pilots I've seen in the last few years.

[DangerousMinds]

7 hours ago, preeya said:

Will there ever be a show where the person in charge gets along well with his/her subordinates, particularly newbies?

I think rookies usually have a hard time, even in real life.

[preeya]

6 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

I think rookies usually have a hard time, even in real life.

Having a hard time is one thing, but being abused by superiors is another. Her "boss" acted like a total ass.

There are better ways to criticize & direct than just using "your reputation has preceded you."

[starri]

I found the actual procedural part ho-hum, but the character work was pretty good.  I was really impressed by the scene where Catherine called Clarice.  For two actors working against nothing, they really sold the trauma and desperation.

I was also quite surprised they managed to match the cinematography of the movie so well.  Not just the typography, they matched the color palate almost perfectly.  I'm still not sure if the fleeting seconds of actually seeing Bill were taken from the movie or just very good recreations.

[Lostinthehouse]

Long time member (name taken from old TWoP days), long time lurker & reader.

I had to jump in here to comment on this:  

Quote

I was also quite surprised they managed to match the cinematography of the movie so well.  Not just the typography, they matched the color palate almost perfectly.  I'm still not sure if the fleeting seconds of actually seeing Bill were taken from the movie or just very good recreations.

Yes, yes and YES!  Typically, I'm more of a movie-goer than a TV-watcher, but alas, the pandemic has restricted me to watching TV.   What struck me immediately about this show was the beauty of the cinematography, the editing, the moodiness, and the composition of the settings.  This show startled me into believing that *maybe* TV is progressing into construction and editing, rather than focusing on plot, characters, stories.  Yes, it was Criminal Minds-ish, but IMHO, that is forgiven because of the dark beauty of the show.  I loved it! - not so much because of the story, the characters, the progression of SotL storyline - but because it was so "movie-like".  I'll keep watching until the show veers away from that.

[sempervivum]

On 2/13/2021 at 9:11 AM, ctlady said:

The only thing I found distracting were those damn pieces of hair hanging on the side of her face.  This seems to be a thing onscreen when it comes to ponytails

More importantly, it's not appropriate to 1993. I just re-watched the original movie last night on HBO and was struck by how full and swingy Jodie Foster's hair was styled to look (she has gorgeous hair, imo). The current 'messy/stringy' look is a 21st century thing.

On 2/12/2021 at 2:15 PM, luna1122 said:

So I was happy to see that she's still got Princess

I assume you mean Precious, but yeah. It does make me wonder what happened to her cat - the one who was waiting in her window while Katherine was being lured into Bill's van.

On 2/12/2021 at 1:35 PM, tennisgurl said:

I mean, the lotion thing? Like, holy shit guys, people were killed. Is this a federal agency or an 80s frat house?

And really, how would they know about this- they watched the movie? The 'its puts the lotion on it's skin' phrase has become a cliche/trope in our world, but in the world of Clarice, nobody would know this but Katherine, and I doubt she gave press interviews where she quoted Bill's cute sayings. 

[Netfoot]

56 minutes ago, Lostinthehouse said:

...but alas, the pandemic has restricted me to watching TV.

Since the lockdown(s) I've been watching more movies than ever!

 

[TattleTeeny]

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Having a hard time is one thing, but being abused by superiors is another. Her "boss" acted like a total ass.

I don't deny that it's a trope throughout movies and TV, but this particular character has always been a notorious sexist asshole in the books and in the movies. Why wouldn't he be here as well?

Quote

More importantly, it's not appropriate to 1993. The current 'messy/stringy' look is a 21st century thing.

In 1993, lots of people, myself included, had loose pieces of hair with ponytails. If your hair is not all one length, the shorter pieces may not reach the elastic (and Movie Clarice does have pieces falling out of a ponytail too, but it's when she's training and running, not when she's wearing her "good bag and cheap shoes").

[Lostinthehouse]

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Since the lockdown(s) I've been watching more movies than ever!

 

I meant going to the theater.  When the only light in the theater is coming from a huge screen, it's a totally immersive experience.

[Simba122504]

CBS cannot get anything right yet I still watched the pilot. How can you make SoTL bland and cookie cutter?! Every character was a character we've seen before. I'll see how long I stick around. 

[MicheleinPhilly]

On 2/12/2021 at 7:09 PM, Clare said:

I think being set in 1993 is going to be a mistake for production.  They changed around the actress, they could have gone an extra step and set it in the present. 

I get WHY they set it in 1993 in order to explore the immediate aftermath of Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter and how it impacts her development as an agent. But there was a moment when someone mentioned texting that took me completely out of the story. 

I was a teen in 1993 but could you text on those big brick-like mobile phones? It just seemed like a sloppy overlook. 

[preeya]

4 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I get WHY they set it in 1993 in order to explore the immediate aftermath of Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter and how it impacts her development as an agent. But there was a moment when someone mentioned texting that took me completely out of the story. 

I was a teen in 1993 but could you text on those big brick-like mobile phones? It just seemed like a sloppy overlook. 

From Google:  The SMS concept was first developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert. The first text message was sent years later on December 3rd, 1992 from Neil Papworth, a former developer at Sema Group Telecoms.

 

Don't know when it actually became widespread, but I'm certain it was later than 1993.

Edited February 16, 2021 by preeya

[MicheleinPhilly]

41 minutes ago, preeya said:

From Google:  The SMS concept was first developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert. The first text message was sent years later on December 3rd, 1992 from Neil Papworth, a former developer at Sema Group Telecoms.

Don't know when it actually became widespread, but I'm certain it was later than 1993.

Yeah, 1993 was more "I sent you a message on your pager" time in my mind. 

Will be curious to see how carefully they control for these types of mentions and even with the production design choices. 

[Grrarrggh]

On 2/14/2021 at 9:39 AM, preeya said:

Having a hard time is one thing, but being abused by superiors is another. Her "boss" acted like a total ass.

There are better ways to criticize & direct than just using "your reputation has preceded you."

Seems very real to life FBI white men's opinions on female agents who embarrass them by being competent. 

[Cotypubby]

On 2/16/2021 at 11:25 AM, MicheleinPhilly said:

But there was a moment when someone mentioned texting that took me completely out of the story. 

Do you remember what scene that was in? I didn’t notice it and that’s a pretty big mistake to make when they’re being so detailed with getting everything to match the film. I’d want to check and see if that’s really what was said.

[MicheleinPhilly]

7 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Do you remember what scene that was in? I didn’t notice it and that’s a pretty big mistake to make when they’re being so detailed with getting everything to match the film. I’d want to check and see if that’s really what was said.

My memory is that Ardelia said it to Clarice at some point. I don't have the episode on my DVR anymore otherwise I could pinpoint it more specifically. 

I would be happy to be proven wrong though so let me know if you catch it too or if I need to clean my ears more thoroughly. 

[DanaK]

This was intriguing, though I have 2 big problems with it. There are a lot of gross things, though I can look away like I do with medical shows. The nasty and sexist attitudes towards Clarice drove me up a wall and I’m not sure I want to deal with that. Also, this borders a bit on unnerving. If that gets worse like with “Evil” I won’t last. But for now I’m intrigued enough to continue watching