Clarice is drugged and confined to a hospital bed, causing her to experience intense hallucinations.

Picking up from last week’s cliffhanger, Clarice is in all sorts of trouble for yet again going it alone without backup. It’s a tense hour, showcasing Rebecca Breeds’ Starling, and here (for me anyway) finally fully occupying the role and making it hers.

Since the season opener we’ve witnessed Clarice’s flashbacks, PTSD, daydreams and other moments where she’s left the present. Which means that when she’s floating in the drug-induced hallucination inflicted by nurse Marilyn Felker, she’s not as adrift as she might be. She takes counsel from her dead father (complete with cranial exit wound) while also finding herself at the bottom of Buffalo Bill’s pit.

Krendler and the ViCAP team are on the case, Ardelia Mapp concerned that Clarice is not responding to messages. They mobilise and ultimately save the day – it’s all about teamwork, remember – but Clarice does a fine job in creating her own escape attempts. There’s a lively moment where the pumped-up Starling starts using the quid pro quo technique on Felker, as employed by Lecter to get inside her head. It provides enough of a distraction to discover the chink in the nurse’s armour.

Verdict: Tense, heart-pounding and now worthy of the Silence of the Lambs brand, this is the best episode yet this season. 10/10

Nick Joy