As Hannibal breaks the ice with a new colleague at a dinner party, Will explores the doctor’s past.

“TECHNICALLY, YOU KILLED HIM.”

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

The mayhem in Hannibal’s house that capped off Season 2 has obviously changed the show in major ways. Obviously there was a lot of blood spilled that night, but with it also came the total vindication of everything Will had said about Hannibal earlier in the season. Will was pushed into a situation he wasn’t ready for, ended up getting framed for some terrible crimes and eventually got completely cleared of them, but the whole process has seemingly changed Will. He’s in a very dark place right now, talking to ghosts and acting as manipulatively as Hannibal. While Hannibal’s actions are the fault of nobody but himself, Will was only put into his crosshairs in the first place by Jack, and that’s something Jack seems intent on setting right.

So we finally got confirmation that Jack survived that bloody night, and now as Will follows in Hannibal’s footsteps, Jack follows in his. Jack has always been a little cold, and very much focused on the job at hand. Now it appears that he’s aiming for a little redemption of his own by saving Will. It’s a good change for Jack, and it’ll be good to see him doing something that isn’t just part of the job here. His chat with Rinaldo seemed to imply that he wasn’t really allowed go near the Lecter case in an official capacity at this time, so he may not even have a job to focus on properly anymore. His wife Bella was also terminally ill when we last saw her (over eight months ago in the show), so saving Will may be all that Jack has left.

And Will certainly seems to need saving right now, and it may be more from himself than from Hannibal. The show toyed around a lot with whether Will would actually join Hannibal last season, and it’s looking a little bit more likely each week. Last season involved a lot of double bluffs, with an elaborate plan to fool Hannibal concocted by Will and Jack. The whole thing hinged on whether Will could convince Hannibal whether he would truly come over to the “darkside,” and in the end, Hannibal was just too smart. It was hard to tell exactly how much of Will’s behavior was an act, and it’s continued in the same fashion here. Will forgiving Hannibal last week was followed up by a move right out of Hannibal’s playbook, with Will essentially releasing a supposed killer just to see exactly what would happen. Following that up with a tableau of his own shows us that Will is ready to take things to the next level.

I don’t know what to make of the newly introduced Chiyoh yet. We don’t know an awful lot about her, other than the fact that she graduated at the top of her class in “getting manipulated by Hannibal.” She’s spent years watching over a man locked up in a cage who may or may not have killed Hannibal’s sister. Of course we have seen enough to believe that Hannibal ate his own sister, with even Bedelia being so bold as to ask him how she tasted this week. Will released the man to see whether Chiyoh would actually kill him or not, and now that she passed his little test, they may be set for a team up. To what end though, I really don’t know yet. The grand moth tableau they constructed together from the man’s body could act as a message to Hannibal, but it could end up bringing further trouble their way.

Hannibal and Bedelia’s time spent together continues to be delightful. They seemed perfectly matched to each other at the moment, as she can say whatever she wants to him and he can eat whoever he wants in front of her. Their dinner party was a real fun moment, with Hannibal oh so nonchalantly stabbing Sogliato in the head with an ice pick. “That may have been impulsive” said Doctor Lecter afterwards. Impulsive indeed. Not very impulsive though was Hannibal’s decision he had reached regarding Will by the end of the episode. Bedelia made a rather insightful remark that Hannibal was drawing everyone to him with his actions. That seems to be exactly what he wants, it’s all part of another game he is playing. And now with Will, out of respect and maybe even love, he has decided to eat him. Delightful.

THE BREAKDOWN

Hannibal peeled back another layer this week and revealed the fate of Jack Crawford. Jack appears to be psychically fine, but there’s still some big doubts about how his personal and professional lives are going. We’re being made to wait at least another week to find out about Alana, but I’m still digging this slow roll-out of information we’re getting. Even without Alana there’s plenty to keep us going, with Jack seeking redemption for “breaking” Will, and Will acting more and more like Hannibal with each episode. All of this was topped off by Hannibal deciding that he’s going to eat Will in a wonderful moment for the show. With Hannibal now seemingly out to hunt Will, and Will and Jack both travelling in the same circles as him, it seems like only a matter of time before we get a collision.

Can Will actually be saved at this point, or has he already crossed the point of no return? Tweet me @OldSnake24, and be sure to follow us @YouNerded!

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