Rob245

Answer: She's only "assigned" to the case after Jack Crawford sends her to interview Hannibal Lecter; she goes thinking it's just a training exercise, though he (Crawford) really wants to see if Lecter spills anything about Buffalo Bill. When Lecter does reveal "Miss Hester Mofet" to Clarice, she follows the lead and discovers it is linked to the Buffalo Bill case, so at this point it's only natural that she would continue to work on it. Plus, Crawford has seen her potential and is her mentor/champion, so he's happy to bring her onboard...though, of course, she starts off still as an apprentice rather than a field agent, and no-one has any idea how deep she will get with Lecter or that she will be the one who apprehends Bill herself.

Answer: Clarice is never assigned to the case, she is just working with Crawford as a trainee and under his supervision. Crawford wanted to obtain information from Lecter (he being a notorious serial killer) that might help capture the Buffalo Bill killer. Crawford knows from past experience that sending a seasoned FBI agent to interview Lecter will yield few results as Lecter is too brilliant a psychiatrist to be manipulated into helping. Crawford instead sends a trainee and chose Starling because she is young, attractive, unpretentious, and somewhat emotionally transparent and vulnerable. He gambles that Lecter will be disarmed and intrigued by someone different from the usual law enforcement type. Lecter is taken with Starling and they form a bond which prompts him to provide clues to Buffalo Bill's identity. Based on that, Crawford knows Clarice's relationship with Lecter will be a continued asset during the case.

raywest ★