XI. If The Dead Can Talk: Same-Old/Different
(Jack Crawford shares his thoughts on [and with] Clarice)
I didn't expect him to talk to you,
And it still amazes me
That he did;
I still believe
He's the same-old brilliant liar,
Manipulative mad monster
Who could eat your face
And charm you with Shakespeare
Before you even realize your
Throat's been slit.
..
He's not to be trusted
Under any circumstances.
"You don't want [him] inside your head,"
Isn't that what I told you?
Yet, you dismissed procedure,
And
Thank God you did,
Because we wouldn't have
Cracked the case
And saved somebody
If you didn't get him to trade.
..
Trade for what, you ask?
C'mon, it wasn't trees, water, and birds.
He wanted you.
I asked, remember?
"Do you think he likes you?"
"Do you feel he likes you?"
I had a hunch,
And yes,
I'll admit that's why
I sent you in the first place.
..
It's not what
You think it is,
I didn't, wasn't
Throwing you into the lion's den.
It's because
You are different.
You're the heir to the
Stalwart warriors,
Wise healers,
Who have always done the needful:
Keeping watch, and
Caring for those
Who are dead and gone.
..
You watch football, agent?
I taught you some fundamentals:
You think about your opponent long enough,
You'll get a feel for him…
Then,
Out of all the stuff you know,
One little part could jump out.
And if you just stay open
And let him show you…
You might just make the
Game-changing play.
..
But,
To win the championship,
You gotta be different.
The same-old game-plan
Just isn't going to work.
Championships take
Heart,
Sacrifice,
Belief,
Even if you don't have any
Or know what to believe.
..
I'll admit,
I've never won a championship,
Just made the playoffs
Before getting knocked out twice.
But you,
You're built different
And I believed -
Still believe -
You can go all the way.
..
So surprise me, agent.
Surprise all of us watching,
We see you.
Go prove us
Right or wrong
That you can make a difference:
That the same-old narrative
Isn't true.
And what I believe
Is, can be…
Different.
...
(Note: This is a series based on my thoughts of what characters who died [or are presumed dead] would say. For the record, I don't really understand the bashing of Jack Crawford, as I always saw him as a mentor/father figure for Clarice rather than another sexist, authoritative male figure of the FBI who is scared of her or wants to bring her down. The main difference was the dynamic in his relationship to Hannibal vs. that of Clarice's. And I think Jack recognized the Clarice-Hannibal dynamic, used it to do the "medical missionary" work of BSU, and - perhaps, with time and distance - even comes to respect it.
Parts in quotations are attributed to The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal where Jack shares his views on Hannibal. The parts regarding "warriors/wise healers…" and "fundamentals" is attributed to The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal where, respectively, Jack and Hannibal describe their thoughts on Clarice and Jack shares best practices for cracking cases. And yes, I am a NFL football fan, so credit to football references goes to the coaches/players who said them first.)