Dolarhyde continues his transformation, while more information is revealed about Bedelia’s past.

Image via NBC

“UNFAIR REVIEWS”

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

Bedelia has always been a fascinating presence on the show. Out of all of the characters we’ve seen, she has been the hardest to get a proper read on. Hannibal was obviously skilled at covering his inner self around others, but we knew what he got up to in the dark. Will wasn’t so good at hiding the inner workings of his mind from everyone else, and we’ve known for quite a while now that he’s a little bit crazy. Then there was Bedelia, soft spoken Bedelia who remained rather stoic throughout all of her sessions with Hannibal. She has proven herself quite adept at playing the victim too as this episode proved, but up until now she still remained mainly a mystery.

Bedelia has been pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes in the three years since Hannibal’s capture. She even seems to have done quite well for herself following the events in Florence, with her now spinning her tale in front of a whole room full of students. Will knows that she’s full of crap, and I really enjoyed their sit down conversation where he basically called her on it. We’ve known one of her patients died in an incredibly suspicious manner for a long time now, and we finally got to see that fateful moment, and it proved to be quite eye-opening. The patient, Neil (Heroes and Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto), was a nervous wreck who had been referred to Bedelia by Hannibal. Now we know exactly how manipulative Hannibal is, so once Neil started convulsing and fell to the floor in Bedelia’s office, it seems easy to guess that Hannibal set it all up just to see what Bedelia would do. And boy did she deliver. I actually think for a second there that she was going to try and help Neil, but she soon shoved her whole arm down his throat. The look on her face tells you everything we need to know about Bedelia. She may not be on Hannibal’s level of mayhem, but there’s something inside her that enjoys killing.

Hannibal himself had a relatively quiet week, which makes sense considering he’s locked up in a big glass box. He’s still as clever and manipulative as ever, however, and using some technical wizardry he was able to rig up his phone so he could dial out. We’d earlier seen him effortlessly start to pull Dolarhyde’s strings, and now he’s managed to trick his way into getting Will’s new home address. I mentioned my worries about Dolarhyde going after Will’s new family in an earlier review, and now Hannibal has the means to make that happen. It’s a scary thought, especially considering it’s very likely that we won’t be seeing more Hannibal after this season. Could it all end on an amazingly dark moment in Will’s home?

Image via NBC

Dolarhyde continues to be a fascinating presence on the show for me. His evolving relationship with Reba is bringing a lot more depth to him than I was expecting. Having never read the Thomas Harris novels and only being previously familiar with the story thanks to The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal (the movie), this is all new to me. I knew Dolarhyde was going to be brutal murderer, but I wasn’t really expecting to see this different side of him. The scene with the sedated tiger was really gripping stuff, and I especially enjoyed the contrast between dangerous sleeping animal on the table and the dangerous animal Reba was about to share a bed with. The final scene of the episode was a surprise as Dolarhyde and Will came face to face. I guess I keep thinking we have more episodes to go because it really feels like this season only started a few weeks ago, but we’re now rapidly approaching the end. Dolarhyde devouring the painting was a fantastically weird moment, and then his physical threat became apparent as he picked up Will and tossed him away like a sack of potatoes. Dolarhyde is not going to be easy to stop, but Will now knows what he looks like.

THE BREAKDOWN

We’re really racing towards the finish line now. It’s such a strange feeling to be excited about seeing where these final few episodes take us, while also knowing that this will likely be the final few episodes we get of the show. Dolarhyde continues to be a great presence on the show, while Hannibal continues his manipulative ways. Bedelia was the highlight for me this week though, as we finally got a look at her true nature, and it sure wasn’t pretty.

Is Hannibal going to send Dolarhyde after Will’s new family, or is that just a little too obvious at this stage? Tweet me @OldSnake24. And be sure to follow us @YouNerded!

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