'C.B. Strike' Season 2 Preview: Here's what to expect from 'The Silkworm'
If you still haven't caught up with 'C.B Strike', you should. Especially, if you are a fan of J.K Rowling's work; with this plot she does not disappoint. The show, starring Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger and Kerr Logan, made its debut in the US on June 1 on American screens. Based on the books written by Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, 'C.B. Strike's first chapter - 'The Cuckoo's Calling' - closed its final episode yesterday. Next in the series is 'The Silkworm,' which airs this weekend on Cinemax. The third and the final one in this series is 'Career of Evil.'
The show follows the life of a one-legged war veteran Cormoran Strike (Burke) as he tries to find his footing (no pun intended) as a private detective in London. No, this isn't the flashy Oxford street you're assuming it to be — these are the dingy alleys of a city that Strike has lived in for far too long. He's short on money, sleeps in his dirty old office in Demark Street, spends the day at the local pub and is struggling to find clients.
But, all that is, about to change.
Enters Robin Ellacott (Grainger); she's come to work under Strike as a temporary assistant. A e's a university drop-out but is extremely intelligent, sweet, kind and of course, fascinated by Strike's work. The two soon find their first case together and that's where the it all begins.
The Plot
'The Silkworm' is one of the more queasy plots. While the first chapter dealt with the death of a fashionista, who conveniently fell to her death on a cold winter night, this one deals with an insane revenge story. With 'The Silkworm', the crime goes to a whole new level.
Owen Quine, a famous crime novelist goes missing. In a desperate attempt to find out what happened to her husband, Leonora Quine, begs Strike to take up her case. Prior to his disappearance, the author had written a book called 'Bombyx Mori' - a horrifying story that has elements of cannibalism, torture, rape, sadomasochism, and necrophilia. As Strike unwillingly takes up the case, he finds something unimaginable - the author has been killed exactly as he has described the murder in the book!
Bombyx Mori is a type of silkworm, which is boiled alive within its cocoon, to preserve the silken threads of the cocoon when the worm is removed. Like the plot, the author Owen Cline is killed in order to protect the secrets of those around him. Reminds us a lot of the way Rowling had decided names of the characters in 'Harry Potter' doesn't it?
The expectations built from the intriguing episodes of 'The Cuckoo's Calling' are not let down. The plot is as gripping as you'd expect a Brit detective show to be - it's got the slow reveal and your guesses are always wrong. The plot has some really good suspects and an even better criminal. The connections that Strike makes in the series, which is split into two parts, is what Rowling is famous for. It all fits into the story, much like her most popular work, 'Harry Potter.'
The connections, you realize, have always been right under your nose. The way he puts it all together makes one think of Sherlock Holmes a bit. Its the same sharp eye with a little less narcissism, though. As for the characters, I think this particular story has the best set.
Leonora Quine (Monica Dolan) plays a homemaker, who has entirely given up on her marriage and has found solace in the love and companionship of her intellectually disabled daughter, Orlando (Sarah Gordy). Dolan as Leonora is perfect - the big glasses, the shabby clothes and the way she just fits into the character that not only inspires sympathy but also the adoration is worth the watch. The prime suspect for the murder, she portrays Succuba in her husband's book, a demon in the body of a hideous woman who holds Bombyx (Owen) in bondage and repeatedly rapes him.
Elizabeth Tassel (Lia Williams) is another character to look out for. She is so angry inside, just looking at her on-screen leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Tassel appears as The Tick in Owen's book, a parasitic woman who cultivates Bombyx's talent to leech off him. This plot is directed by Kieron Hawkes.
Batman and Robin's relationship
As for him and Robin, she moves exceedingly away from Matthew (Logan) in 'The Silkworm'. Strike's relationship with Robin also kind of starts falling apart as he proposes that he should get a new partner. Expect this conflict to set the tone for their relationship going forth.
Strike and Robin have been like two peas in a pod. They are so different yet fit in together perfectly into the plot. The show is an adaptation of the novels, so don't expect it to match the books to the tee. Nevertheless, the screenplay is amazing. The chemistry between the two is more than your average main hero and sidekick - they are partners. So clearly, the shock and anger that Robin feels when he decides to get a new person is understandable.
Will they, won't they this time?
While this angle is obviously explored a lot more in the books, the series doesn't really do justice to the aching longing that the two characters have for each other. 'The Silkworm' in comparison does bring the two closer on some levels, it would be too soon to say what would happen. There are instances of them that makes you wonder, if there's something extra there, but the cleverly written scripts always find a way to make you rethink your assumptions.
Expect a lot of subtle sexual tension.