It’s easy to see why Mac was so popular with fans, and eventually became a major player in the next two seasons. This episode goes to great lengths in establishing a truly likable character with not only her back story, but her genuine friendship with Veronica; she’s the Willow to Veronica’s Buffy. While ‘Silence of the Lamb’ presents two justifiably strong stories, what makes this episode less than perfect is the strange pairing of them in the same hour.
In ‘Silence of the Lamb’ Keith returns to the sheriff’s department to assist in tracking down a killer he once had dealings with in the past. When Veronica makes a name for herself getting dirt on her parents, Mac asks her to do the same for hers but it leads to a dramatic discovery that will change Mac’s life forever.
I think when a show decides to bring a minor character to the forefront that decision should be backed up with arguable reasons for them becoming a key player. ‘Silence of the Lamb’ did just that by giving Mac an interesting back story and involving her in a beautiful depiction of someone who was born into the wrong family.
There are a million different reasons why I adore this story, not the least of which is Mac’s incredibly touching scenes with her birth mother. All of them were so well performed and though I’m a little disappointed the topic was never explored again, it was a bittersweet place to leave things since there could be no undoing the mistake, it would only lead to more heartbreak if they were to continue to see each other.
Not only does it describe a sad and emotional story it also explores the idea of what it would have been like to have been part of the lucky ones. Madison got it all growing up, and we saw during this episode how hurt Mac must have felt for not being able to get the same things that she did. It was so endearing to see Mac’s love for her own parents stay the same. She knew all that she had missed out on, but still stuck by the ones who were with her all along.
I think the main downfall of this episode is the idea of having both Mac’s birth story and such a dark mystery in the same hour. While both the Mac and serial killer stories are decent ones in their own right, I feel like had they been in separate episodes, and each given more screen-time, it would have led to an even stronger episode; they we just a little disjointed.
I got a major kick in seeing Keith and Lamb work together here though. There were some pretty hilarious scenes and once again, the series displays its fabulous use of minor characters. Deputy Leo is one who I always liked; he was a genuinely nice guy who just got caught in Veronica’s cross fire. We’ve already seen what happens when someone crosses Veronica, but her and Leo’s short fling sort of depicts events of Veronica doing the same to someone else.
It may seem like I ragged a little about this episode, but the truth is it’s a particularly great, and it’s plainly obvious why it’s a fan favourite.
9.5/10
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