In Clarice season 1, episode 8, “Silence is Purgatory,” the ViCAP team continues to connect the dots between Alastor Pharmaceuticals and the River Murders, all while still hiding out in the dark and depressing basement of the FBI, as they trust no one. While the procedural part of the show still drags the episode down in spots, the dangers they uncover, and the mental and practical cost of staying silent that are explored, make for interesting ideas.
Clarice (Rebecca Breeds) literally kicks Pandora’s Box wide open when, while questioning the corporate accountant Julia Lawson (Jen Richards) of the pharmaceutical company. She leans on Julia a bit too hard and before you know it, the past comes rushing in to knock her back a step, that being Buffalo Bill. Julia has a problem with Clarice and opens up about it, exposing yet more damage that Buffalo Bill did, in the shape of some brutal collateral damage. Clarice’s face tell the story, as you can almost see her wince numerous times as she tries to keep composed.
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The ViCAP team decides it’s time to push harder (Clarice going tough on Julia a prime example) and it’s not without its consequences. Krendler (Michael Cudlitz) pushes sleazy attorney Joe Hudlin (Raoul Bhaneja) and is forced to make a big personal and possible professional sacrifice, something that Agent Clarke (Nick Sandow) calls him out on. Speaking of Clarke, he also does some pushing of his own, something he tells the younger agents is something they need to learn to do, and that too has horrific consequences. The ViCAP team is reminded, yet again, about just what kind of people they are dealing with.
Meanwhile, Agent Ardelia Mapp (Devyn Tyler) goes all-in on her decision to try and change the status quo at the agency. She teams up with Agent Garrett (K.C.Collins) to try and get the Black Coalition’s case against the FBI together for a lawyer to try and take it on. Not surprisingly, and unfortunately, the case gets tied up with Clarice, who seems to be involved in almost everything that goes on, good and bad. She is the captain that steers this ship, but sometimes the connections they make to Clarice are more humorous than they should be.
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Something that is sure to add to Clarice’s already overloaded and fragile mental state was what happened with Catherine Martin (Marnee Carpenter) in this episode. She actually goes outside, and not only that, confronts some of her past, only to have it bite back and put her right back in the horrible mental state she is in. (Although, there is a good argument here that she is damaged beyond repair.) Her call to Clarice and her final scene is more evidence that things are definitely going in the wrong direction for Catherine.
“Silence is Purgatory” gave us consequences, more mental anguish, and some real danger in the investigation. While the episode stalled at times, it did build some real tension. The danger begins to feel real as the show marches towards the end of its first season.
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