Will contemplates a daring plan to catch Dolarhyde in ‘Hannibal’’s stunning season (series?) finale.

Image via NBC

“MIC DROP”

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

This may end up being the last time we see this incarnation of Hannibal, but we can take some solace in the fact that it went out in the strongest possible way. I don’t really like using the phrase jaw-dropping to describe my reaction to a show, but my jaw was basically unhinged by the end of the episode. Big moments started hitting us right from the off, beginning with Dolarhyde’s fake suicide and running straight up until that crazy scene at the end of the credits. I mean this episode perfectly filled the dual role of acting as a wonderful series finale, while also giving us a huge tease of things to come if the show does come back in some form.

I want to jump straight into my favorite moment of the episode, a scene that will probably end up being my favorite of the entire series: Hannibal and Will vs. The Red Dragon. The conversation in the house and the ensuing fight was pure edge of your seat entertainment. Other than the body-count they left behind on the road, Will’s plan had worked quite well. Hannibal was at the mercy of Dolarhyde, and he was about to be out of Will’s life forever. But Will just couldn’t let it happen in the end. Dolarhyde was planning to kill both of them no matter what, but Will still reached for his gun at the last moment. The fight was brutal as all hell, with Will getting stabbed in the freaking face making me actually shout at the TV. What followed was almost operatic, with Will and Hannibal combining perfectly to take down Dolarhyde, with Hannibal ripping his throat out using only his teeth.

I loved the little bit of knowledge that Hannibal had brought both Miriam and Abigail to that very same house he and Will ended up at. It just felt right to tie them into the story again right then. Hannibal got the thing he wanted the most in the end: to kill with Will. They shared one final embrace before Will decided to pull them both off the side of that cliff, leaving us with a massive, literal cliffhanger. The usual television logic dictates that if we don’t see a body then someone isn’t dead, but of course normal rules don’t always apply to series finales. It was already going to be a massively talked about moment, but then it was followed up with the incredibly WTF post credits scene, with Bedelia sitting at her dinner table, seemingly about to tuck into a meal of her own leg. Bryan Fuller himself has pointed out on Twitter that there are two other places set at that table, so are we to assume that they’re for Hannibal and Will? Is Bedelia just gone a little bit more loopy or did the two of them really survive? Part of me feels like this was a perfect way to end the series, but an even bigger part of me needs to know what the hell is going on there.

Image via NBC

The rest of the episode leading up to those brilliant final moments was filled with brilliant character interactions. I felt that pretty much every single character that we cared about had a chance to shine. Hannibal was at the heart of most of it, whether he was chatting with Will or threatening Alana. I especially enjoyed that moment between Hannibal and Alana as he very chillingly told her that he would one day kill her, and that she’s living on borrowed time. Alana will never be able to live in peace unless Hannibal is confirmed dead. We see her fleeing at the end with her family, and even though she obviously has the means to live quite comfortably, she’ll forever be looking over her shoulder. Will’s whole plan to catch Dolarhyde was also a great moment. I mean “fake escapes” are a horribly silly idea, especially when cannibal killers are involved. What made this work was the fact that Will was being straight up devious. Unbeknownst to Jack, Will was in league with Dolarhyde at that stage and had set it up for Dolarhyde to kill Hannibal for him. Not that Jack would really mind that of course, especially considering he wanted to just kill Dolarhyde and Hannibal to get rid of them once and for all.

THE BREAKDOWN

This is a bit of a bittersweet moment for me now. I enjoyed the hell out of the whole episode and loved how they managed to give the show an ending that completely worked as a series finale. On the other hand though, I want more! Each Hannibal season finale has been incredible, and I feel like this was the best one of the lot. If this really is the absolute end of the line for this show, then I’m going to be disappointed for sure, but at least they gave us one of the best episodes of television of the year to end it all on.

Did you feel like this was a suitable way for the show to wrap up, or are you left wanting more? What are your thoughts on that final, post-credits scene? Tweet me @OldSnake24. And be sure to follow us @YouNerded!

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