WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Clarice Season 1, Episode 4, “You Can’t Rule Me.”
CBS’ Clarice just saw Agent Starling’s (Rebecca Breeds) ViCAP unit in the FBI take a major hit when the assassin they held in their custody for a spate of serial killings was murdered under their very noses. They were infiltrated by secret agents and as a result, her boss, Paul Krendler (Michael Cudlitz), is in the firing line as his old Quantico rival, Herman (David Hewlett), wants to disassemble the team and take some agents like Clarice under his wing.
However, ViCAP ends up getting saved, but it’s not due to Paul’s political connections; it’s actually because of their most twisted enemy.
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Herman is jealous of Paul’s success and the preferential treatment Attorney General Ruth Martin gives him. However, while Herman tries to lure Clarice over to his side, she remains loyal to Paul. She knows that despite him pushing her to drop the idea of a conspiracy and to follow the serial killer angle, he has good intentions and is playing the game with Washington. He even admits he gave her a hard time because she’s not a team player, which can get her killed, per the Buffalo Bill drama.
But for all the sage wisdom he dispenses, Paul slips up as he doctors the visitors’ log to ensure Agent Esquivel (Lucca De Oliveira) isn’t fingered for letting unsanctioned people into the building. This led to their suspect being poisoned, but Paul wants to take the hit and protect a young, budding agent. Eventually, this info comes to Herman, and he finally gets authority to shut ViCAP down and send Paul packing. However, a call suddenly comes in indicating the suspect died of a stroke, not due to poisoning.
Paul is in shock, and when his team asks if he pulled any strings he makes it clear it’s not him. Someone changed the toxicology report, and Paul knows that only a person with a lot of power could do that. At this point, he fully believes Clarice’s conspiracy angle because he knows that the only reason someone would want this case done and dusted is to stop further investigation.
ViCAP deduces it’s the shadowy cabal that initially had the assassin covering up a drug trial for them by killing women. They went after Rebecca, a reporter in contact with the whistleblowers, and wrapped up loose ends by taking their own killer out.
The villains clearly want secrecy, and this is their way of getting ViCAP off their backs and goading the FBI into allocating resources elsewhere to proper leads, not natural deaths. However, a fire has been lit, and Clarice’s team will be pursuing more fervently than ever, and chances are Herman’s unit will do the same.
Starring Rebecca Breeds, Michael Cudlitz, Kal Penn, Nick Sandow, Lucca De Oliveira, Devyn A. Tyler and Marnee Carpenter, Clarice airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
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