On the heels of ViCAP uncovering Alastor’s secrets, Clarice is imprisoned in an animal testing facility where she finds trafficked women being held captive.

The spin-off series from Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs ties up its loose ends after its 13-episode run (it felt longer because of the multiple season breaks) with no suggestion at this time that it will be returning for a second year. And while that may be a disappointment for many, I’m not convinced it ever achieved its true potential.

One of the problems with the show is its inability to namecheck or feature Hannibal Lecter, thus leaving limited options where to take it. Does it become a regular police procedural about the exploits of a division within the FBI, or do we follow the trail of serial killers? In practice, we’ve had both, neither angle offering anything particularly new in these well-trodden genres.

Rebecca Breeds has been fine as Clarice, ably supported by a crack squad at ViCAP, but there have been too many moments where the back story of her childhood has got in the way of the story rather than enriched it. In this final episode, the season’s big bad, Nils Hagen, reveals all to Clarice, in particular the cause of his obsession with the Cronos myth. And there are moments of drama as the team come together to rescue their kidnapped agent. But I cannot reconcile an action at the end that is not consistent with Clarice’s beliefs – you’ll know it when you watch it.

Verdict: A valiant attempt to give further life to a popular novel, this just feels too little too late and with an arm tied behind its back. What should have been ‘must-see TV’ will now just be seen a footnote to Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-winning classic. 7/10

Nick Joy