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Well, that was bound to happen.

The extremely tightly wound Clarice finally blew up on Clarice Season 1 Episode 12.

Not that she wasn’t provoked. But lashing out apparently isn’t allowed at the Bureau.

Her timing was bad because Krendler and ViCAP needed her profiling expertise in the worst way as they made a final push on the River Murders and Alastor.

Clarice’s fragments of memories about a special night with her beloved father were pushing her frustration to a fever pitch.

Clarice is all about making connections, but she couldn’t even do that when looking back on her own childhood.

She seemed to expect Dr. Li to do that for her. But that isn’t how therapy works. Instead, the therapist can guide the patient who needs to come up with a revelation of her own.

But Clarice didn’t have the time to do the work. Not with the Alastor raid looming.

Unfortunately, Clarice is all about being an FBI agent, even though Ruth, Krendler, her first therapist, Dr. Li, and even her best friend Ardelia are skeptical about her state of mind.

The trouble is that Clarice can compartmentalize, only pestered by her visions when she’s sleeping. She’s entirely functional when she’s working.

Except for her bad habit of injecting herself into dangerous situations. Maybe, as her flashback revealed when she was out jogging, that came from that moment when she was “Daddy’s little deputy,” delivering a payment to criminals for him.

Clarice had been worried all along that she was building her career on a false narrative of following in her father’s heroic footsteps, and now that appears to be the case.

Normally, this would be an opportunity for self-reflection. But, even though she had officially resigned, Clarice’s being at the heart of the Alastor case won’t give her that time.

Only the pressure she was under finally caused her to snap. She could handle the obnoxious agent Eddie putting down female agents. That was nothing she hadn’t heard before.

But she came instead to Esquivel’s defense because apparently, anyone who wasn’t a white male offended Eddie. 

It was a tender moment afterward when Esquivel and Clarice traded thoughts about containing the anger within them.

Unfortunately, since Clarice was at the heart of Ardelia’s discrimination suit, she had to be punished, needing to get Dr. Li’s approval to continue work.

The good doctor could tell Clarice had reached a tipping point and left it up to Clarice to decide whether she wanted to continue at a job that traumatized her.

She made the right choice turning in her badge and gun until she did the work to get her head straight.

But Clarice’s big heart and big brains seemed to have deposited her in trouble once again.

For, while she was doing the right thing for her peace of mind, ViCAP made a major discovery. Tyson wasn’t the meek and mild philanthropist that he appeared to be, a person that had been intellectually attractive to Clarice.

So Ty showed up at her door, seemingly to make peace and confess. That can’t be good.

The River Murders investigation veered all over the place this episode.

Thanks to informant Julia, ViCAP had the evidence necessary to charge Alastor with fraud. But with four murders linked to Reprisol, they weren’t done yet.

However, they were racing against the clock since Ruth was getting pressure from all around to drop any further investigation.

That included Hagen threatening to make Catherine’s arrest public. Fortunately, Catherine had developed a backbone while institutionalized and told her mother to do what she had to do.

It was refreshing to see that Catherine had appeared to have turned a corner. Maybe house arrest wasn’t the best way for her to heal from her Buffalo Bill trauma.

The raid on Alastor didn’t immediately yield the smoking gun that ViCAP and Ruth sought.

So that fugly painting so valued by Hagen ended up front and center. It’s a good thing that Tripathi returned on Clarice Season 1 Episode 11 to offer his art expertise. Can you imagine Clarke attempting to make sense of it?

It was sad that the artist of the painting felt so little connection to it. It was just a vanity project for Hagen.

But the biologicals on the painting told a story about a warped Hagen attempting to impregnate desperate women that Tyson had brought into the country for him.

So sadly, the son was willing to do evil things to please the father that he had met later in life.

It was shocking that Hudlin, who had appeared to be the mastermind for most of the investigation, ended up being Hagen’s fall guy.

It wasn’t until he stopped Hagen’s security detail from abducting Julia that Hudlin appeared to be more than a greedy, standard-issue lawyer. He seemed genuinely surprised at what was happening around him.

Then he was shocked by Hagen’s praise and lack of concern about the charges against him. It wasn’t until it was too late that he realized Hagen was setting him up with his earlier press conference.

Of course, he called Krendler. After all, Hudlin thought they had bonded through Krendler’s divorce case.

Only now he was another pawn in Hagen’s game.

To revisit Clarice’s breakthrough, watch Clarice online.

Will Clarice end up a captive again?

What intel does the reporter have for her?

Can the case get closed on the season finale?

Comment below.

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Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

While NCIS has been renewed for Season 19, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the series. 

NCIS Season 18 concluded with Gibbs in danger after a boat blew up. 

Now, the hit CBS series is said to be bringing a TV legend into the fold in the form of Gary Cole. 

Variety reports that Cole is in talks to join the veteran procedural, but CBS has not commented on the reports, leading to speculation about what it could mean.

If you watch NCIS online, you know Gibbs lost his place as the leader of the team during the most recent season, putting his future in doubt. 

We also know that Mark Harmon is definitely returning for NCIS Season 19, but what we don’t know is whether he will be a series regular or a recurring player. 

Earlier this year, The Hollywood Reporter alleged that Harmon was plotting his exit from the franchise. 

At the time, it was teased that he could return in a part-time capacity, or not at all. 

This led to questions about the long-term future of the series, but with Gibbs not at the helm of the NCIS, could Gary Cole’s character step in to lead the team? 

It would certainly allow Harmon to appear in fewer episodes if that’s what he wants. 

Variety teases Cole will have a “major” role, so we’re inclined to believe this will shake up the series like never before. 

Many of the other stars are locked in for the next season, but Emily Wickersham recently revealed she was done with the series. 

“Hangin this hat and jacket up. What a great ride it’s been. This cast, this crew, are top notch. I can’t say enough kind words about this group that I’ve had the pleasure of working with for close to 8 years now and 172 episodes later,” Wickersham shared last month.

She added, “This business is finicky and weird and consistency is a rarity. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a show where I got to show up and act and laugh and learn with wonderful people. A moment in time I surely won’t forget.”

Wickersham concluded her message, “Thank you CBS and NCIS for including me in a part of television history. Time goes fast. Eat it up but chew slowly.”

What are your thoughts on Gary Cole potentially joining the series?

Hit the comments below. 

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

Paula Deen brought all the fun, sass, humor, and heart.

Seriously, of all the Legends visiting so far, no one brought that amount of energy and huge personality quite like her. She was a blast to watch interacting with the other judges on MasterChef Season 11 Episode 3, and she brought out the best in those competing too.

She also has the most infectious laugh.

We had some of the liveliest contestants yet, and they perfectly matched the energy that Paula brought to the hour and the process.

Everyone was passionate about their food, the personalities were out of this world, and it was pure entertainment throughout the installment.

It’s a good thing they still had five aprons to hand out. Paula, while filterless, was also someone easily endeared by innovative dishes, fresh faces, and stories that tugged at her heart.

It would’ve been hard to tell Ms. Paula (Aaron’s level of respect for this legendary elder belied his upbringing and was absolutely adorable) that she had to limit herself.

But with the contestants they showed us, nobody would want to do that. Everyone was so special, quirky, and lovable.

They brought out all the southerners too, which spoke to Paula as well. It was hard to pick a favorite person.

Joe was right about Kelsey coming across a bit timid, but her trout dish was far from meek. She delivered a plate that looked ripped right from a culinary magazine.

Her plating was exceptional, and so was her ability to piece together a five-star, elegant dish. She’s damn near producing $50 quality dishes, and the competition isn’t even underway yet.

She deserved the resounding yes that she got, and I look forward to what she does in the future. I especially hope she brings the hunger and grit that Joe was trying to invoke in her.

She was a sweetheart but the least vibrant of the bunch.

Lexy was young, a 23-year-old mom, but she was such an endearing person that it felt as if the judges responded more to her personality, passion, and story than her dish per se.

For starters, she made a burger, and anyone entering the competition with that has their work cut out for them. You have to elevate the hell out of a burger to impress the judges.

Fortunately, Gordon is a burger king (pardon the pun). As long as it was decent, she at least had him in her corner.

Unsurprisingly, Gordon loved it — the goat cheese and Brussels sprouts among the garlic and such won him over instantly. Aarón and Paula were impressed as well, and it was Joe who didn’t think a burger was worth an apron.

But they also responded emotionally to Lexy’s story. She and her husband are a family of four, and according to her, she feeds their entire family off of $40 a week’s worth of groceries.

Chefs like Gordon and Aarón have such incredible, inspiring background stories of their own. It’s not a surprise that they connected with her.

They’re also the two who have a knack for reaching back and giving others opportunities that they were blessed with and helping others rise to their level.

They’re known for giving back, inspiring young aspiring chefs, mentoring, and so much more. We saw another glimpse of that when young Alan served the judges his quesadilla on steroids, and despite his wonderful effort, failed to earn an apron.

I had to give the kid all the credit for even making homemade tortillas in the time frame. Alan had so much passion, and he was such a lovable kid; you wanted to reach through the screen and hug him multiple times.

He was humble, creative, and excited to be there. He did come across young, and you could sense that he didn’t hit his stride yet, but the thought of him walking away empty-handed didn’t feel right at all.

Paula felt it, too, since it broke her heart to say “no” to him; she did it with tears in her eyes. But if she thought she was emotional then, nothing compared to Aarón once again extending the opportunity of a lifetime to an aspiring chef who has potential he can sense.

No, he didn’t get an apron for a competition that he’s in no way prepared for, but what he got was much greater. He’s going to culinary school in New York City with an Aarón Sánchez scholarship.

And that will do far more for Alan than the show ever could. Aarón’s passion and dedication toward providing opportunities to disenfranchised aspiring chefs, especially those in the Latin community, is moving.

Meanwhile, Tay, the radio personality, was speaking to me with this deconstructed apple pie concept. He also was coming for Paula Deen’s heart with a fancy dessert and the use of butter.

His dish had about as much flavor and personality as he did.

His personality was dynamite, and his passion was out of this world, but he elicited some mixed feelings from the judges. But honestly, when you give the dessert of a lifetime to Paula Deen, and she says yes, then it’s all that matters, right?

Mary Jayne came for him on the dessert level, and she also was the most precious quintessential Southern woman ever.

On paper, her Peach Habanero Key Lime pie with Macadamia Crust doesn’t sound as if it should work at all. But she executed it to perfection, showed why she’s the pie queen of her hometown, and the flavors balanced out beautifully.

I want to try this key lime pie desperately! It was so good she made Gordon lick the plate clean, and that was only after he and Paula hoarded most of the dish before Joe and Aarón could even get to it, and all four of them ate every crumb.

Paula may need to watch out. Mary Jayne is the new baking queen on the scene, and while I love the hell out of the bakers, I’m curious how she’ll do with other cooking.

In the meantime, I want to scoop her up and put her in my pocket. She’s so precious, and she’s giving off American Grandma vibes, and basically, Mary Jayne needs to be protected at all costs!

Deen brought more of that classic humor when she couldn’t resist the thirsting over vegan Michael, full-time life coach, and whatever the hell he does that involves sex and food.

I mean, I’m with Paula. I need a conversation about all of this.

He was up against Katheleen, the Italian who served up a beautiful-looking seafood risotto dish. She got an A for her presentation, as it looked like pure perfection.

Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype, and that disappointed me. Kathleen was another person who had a great story, she spent two decades climbing the corporate ladder and succeeding in the tech industry, but her passion was for cooking and food.

Instead, Michael — with the body that made Paula swoon a bit — won the judges over with vegan crab cakes with jalapeno remoulade. Crab cakes aren’t something you’d expect works well as a vegan dish, but Michael managed to pull it off.

Michael has only been vegan for two years, so he’s not opposed to making dishes that aren’t, which may give him a better shot at lasting in a competition like this.

While the auditions were fun, it’s a relief that we’ve moved past this portion and can jump right into the competition. They dragged this portion out too long. Although, they did save the best contestants for last.

Over to you, MasterChef Fanatics. What did you think of the latest contestants? Hit the comments below!

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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.