Will Graham: He's Getting Too Close to This One

[Chaos Theory]

The protect Will has been less about his physical being and more about his mental state which makes sense because he has been portrayed as an empath; someone who can literally get into the mind of a killer: "this is my design" and all that. This is why it was so easy for everyone to believe Will was guilty of Hannibal's crimes in Season 2 and why Will and Hannibal's relationship is so intense because Will has gotten way too close to Hannibal to understand him.

Yes Will is capable of protecting himself physically. Emotionally and mentally is anyone's guess.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[DeadlyEuphoric]

The protect Will has been less about his physical being and more about his mental state which makes sense because he has been portrayed as an empath; someone who can literally get into the mind of a killer: "this is my design" and all that. This is why it was so easy for everyone to believe Will was guilty of Hannibal's crimes in Season 2 and why Will and Hannibal's relationship is so intense because Will has gotten way too close to Hannibal to understand him.

Yes Will is capable of protecting himself physically. Emotionally and mentally is anyone's guess.

 

That is the thing, though, people's perception of him as unstable, weak and fragile IS the reason they didn't believe him when Hannibal framed him for the murders, but that doesn't mean Will is as weak as they see him. It just showed they didn't know him that well, and didn't have much faith in him (in part because he chooses to be antisocial, and not let people be that close to himself, and hides himself and is a bit of an oddball). I think Will is more capable of protecting himself mentally and emotionally than people (other than Hannibal) give him credit for. I absolutely loved Hannibal's line to him in first episode regarding how Jack sees him as a fragile little teacup", and I also loved it whenever Will would tell Hannibal "I know who I am Dr Lecter" or "I know my kind of crazy". This is the guy, who was suffering from encephalitis and had Hannibal Lecter of all people messing around with his head at the time, and he still managed to hold onto his sense of self (however meekly come the end), and not only that, realized who Lecter was. He may tremble and sweat and hallucinate and seem to be losing it, but he manages to hold it together somehow. That is not to say it isn't hard, or that he doesn't suffer and hurt, and feel terrorized etc, and continued subjugation to this type of thing is good for his psyche (it can't be good for anyone, really), but at the end of the day he is rather strong.

 

I feel, because for most of S1 Will had encephalitis and was showing physical and mental signs of coming undone due to it, the image kind of stuck and people assume that is just how he is "normally" but that was Will being sick. Once that condition was treated, Will proved to be much more strong and stable mentally. What his relationship with Hannibal does to him is look into himself deeper, which in turn means digging into his "darkness" deeper too, so he has new feelings and new ideas to deal with. He needs time to register and categorize it all, and decide what he feels about it and what he wants. But I don't think that means he is any more fragile or unstable than before. He just had some new stuff he needs to deal with, now...

[jeansheridan]

I was going back over the book Red Dragon and then the first episode of Hannibal and there is almost no info about Will's family background. He is described as nondescript. He works on motors. He sweats a lot when he meets up with Hannibal. On the show we know he was stabbed and that he isn't a great shot. It is just so little. And now we know he stole a watermelon once.

And I do care a bit. It reminds me of X-Files when the show would drop hints of Scully and Mulder' s childhoods. I always wanted more detail. Background color.

[DeadlyEuphoric]

I was going back over the book Red Dragon and then the first episode of Hannibal and there is almost no info about Will's family background. He is described as nondescript. He works on motors. He sweats a lot when he meets up with Hannibal. On the show we know he was stabbed and that he isn't a great shot. It is just so little. And now we know he stole a watermelon once.

And I do care a bit. It reminds me of X-Files when the show would drop hints of Scully and Mulder' s childhoods. I always wanted more detail. Background color.

 

I wish we knew more too. We know he never knew his mother, I assume she died, and as Hannibal didn't push the matter we won't really know. I think Will did some nice reflection there, asking Hannibal to talk about himself and avoiding the "childhood" question altogether, heh.

 

We know he spent his childhood with his father, on the move all the time, so was the "new kid" in all his school and a stranger, which must have been hard, especially given he doesn't make friends easily.

 

The way he reacted to the concept of "family" in that episode where kids were killling their own families suggested there was a lot in his past to be dug up, but we didn't get to see it. I think in one instance he was talking about how smiles in family photos were fake etc. I think apart from his father, he doesn't have much happy memories of his childhood.

 

And I always wondered who it was that gave him that after shave every Christmas that Hannibal found so bad. Does he have cousins, or some other relatives around, for example?

Edited August 3, 2015 by DeadlyEuphoric

[Crossbow]

And I always wondered who it was that gave him that after shave every Christmas that Hannibal found so bad. :lmao: Does he have cousins, or some other relatives around, for example?

 

I generally felt OK about Will's background as far as explaining his psychological makeup, but this line always bugged me. It indicates he has relatives, so where the hell were they when he was having his multiple mental breakdowns? I think they just lifted that line from the book without thinking about it.

[Bruinsfan]

I suppose in the context of the show it could be a Christmas gift from Alana, if she knows that the scent offends Hannibal's sensibilities. Sort of a modern equivalent of giving Will a garlic wreath to wear.

[Captanne]

The aftershave is evidence to Hannibal that Will has a child in his life.  "It's the sort of gift a child would give.  Do you have children, Will?"  

 

Since Will is now with Molly and Walt, the assumption is that Walt gives him the Old Spice for Christmas.  (Hannibal mentions it's the sort of aftershave "with a ship on the bottle".)

 

Apologies to those who love Old Spice*, but it's cheap and readily available in the drugstore.  (In my day, our local store was called Peoples.  Now it's been bought out by CVS.  But, that sort of store.  The idea would be that the boy could afford it from the drugstore or that his Mother bought it as a last minute "gift from the child" on impulse or lack of anything convenient to get for the boy to give his father.)

 

*My fave is 47/11 which is also cheap and available at Peoples.  LOL

Edited August 4, 2015 by Captanne

[DeadlyEuphoric]

Actually the "I keep getting it for Christmas" line is from s1, when Hannibal not-so-subtly sniffed Will, noticing his brain inflammation, in the process creeping Will out.... To cover his tracks Hannibal blamed it on the horrible aftershave. So there was no Walter in his life at that moment and Alana wasn't anti- Hannibal yet.

[Crossbow]

Actually the "I keep getting it for Christmas" line is from s1, when Hannibal not-so-subtly sniffed Will, noticing his brain inflammation, in the process creeping Will out.... To cover his tracks Hannibal blamed it on the horrible aftershave. So there was no Walter in his life at that moment and Alana wasn't anti- Hannibal yet.

 

The line made no sense where they put it in the show, so we have to assume Will has some family somewhere that just apparently doesn't give a damn. (In the book of course he already has the wife and Kid when that line shows up.)

[Captanne]

It came from Manhunter.  I don't remember if it was in the book.

[dargosmydaddy]

I'm pretty sure it was in the book.

[Tippi Blevins]

Maybe Will buys it for himself and just lies about getting it as a gift in order to disassociated himself from his own terrible taste in scents.

[Anela]

Found this on tumblr.

 

http://fannibal-crack.tumblr.com/post/110224780015/will-graham-is-an-ex-cop-who-got-stabbed-while-on

 

Well, it is rather true. And I am guilty of it too, at least from time to time... Heh! But seriously, Will is more capable and strong than he is sometimes given credit for. It probably doesn't help that Alana is always "must.protect.Will" and Jack was also supposed to be in a "protect Will" mission at the start of this season. And he does get hurt A LOT - physically and emotionally, so hard to not be worried about the guy and want to protect him...

I thought the escape was part of his recreating a crime scene? I need to get back to my re-watch, if I can get the IP changer working again. I also see it being about his mental state. Even Jack, who was so worried about him for a while, came looking for him, to throw him back into what he hates doing. What is actually dangerous for him to do.

[DeadlyEuphoric]

I thought the escape was part of his recreating a crime scene? I need to get back to my re-watch, if I can get the IP changer working again. I also see it being about his mental state. Even Jack, who was so worried about him for a while, came looking for him, to throw him back into what he hates doing. What is actually dangerous for him to do.

Apart from his recreation of Gideon's escape, come end of s1, when arrested by FBI he made a similar escape for himself, ended up going to Hannibal's office, and made him take him to Abigail's house.

I am really curious as to how old spice smells. Wonder if they sell it around here...

[Captanne]

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Spice-Classic-Scent-After/dp/B00187PWDY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1438781079&sr=8-6&keywords=old+spice

 

$7.70

 

And, now I have Old Spice ads coming up in all the revenue windows on this page.

 

LOLOL

[Bruinsfan]

I've always liked it, though I prefer Oleg Cassini and Calvin Klein's Eternity for Men.

 

Hannibal is just lucky he was written in the days before Axe body spray.

[Crossbow]

Yes, the line is in the book. And it makes sense there since Will has a kid at that point.

 

I don't mind Old Spice, but I don't have Hannibal's nose.

[Captanne]

I'm a 4711 woman, myself.

 

It's after he has the kid in Manhunter, too.

[Fen]

I love 4711, and it smells identical to Tom Ford's very expensive Neroli Portofino. 

 

I'm also partial to Chantilly - another discount classic :)

 

I liked Hannibal's comment to Alana about having Will in metaphorical dignity pants: nothing he does is ever his fault.  It rang true with me, especially in the first episode of the Dolarhyde arc, where a lot of the discussion was about Jack manipulating Will to go back into the field, or Molly pushing him, or Hannibal trying reverse psychology tricks on him.  For me, it was like, well - they can all try to influence him, but the ultimate decision lies with Will.  He's not a passive child who'll obey whoever shouts loudest.  He chose to go back to work.  He chose to ask to see Hannibal.

 

One of my favourite characters for interacting with Will is actually Freddie - because she doesn't feel a need to be remotely protective of him, and Will is likewise sharp-tongued when dealing with her.  We get to see a different side of him.

[DeadlyEuphoric]

I liked Hannibal's comment to Alana about having Will in metaphorical dignity pants: nothing he does is ever his fault.  It rang true with me, especially in the first episode of the Dolarhyde arc, where a lot of the discussion was about Jack manipulating Will to go back into the field, or Molly pushing him, or Hannibal trying reverse psychology tricks on him.  For me, it was like, well - they can all try to influence him, but the ultimate decision lies with Will.  He's not a passive child who'll obey whoever shouts loudest.  He chose to go back to work.  He chose to ask to see Hannibal.

 

One of my favourite characters for interacting with Will is actually Freddie - because she doesn't feel a need to be remotely protective of him, and Will is likewise sharp-tongued when dealing with her.  We get to see a different side of him.

 

 

Will/Freddie scenes are always fun. Sometime they feel like two bickering siblings...

 

One of the reasons I had a problem with Molly's line to Jack regarding Will that went something like  "no matter what he says, you will take him anyway" was how it made it sound like whatever Jack demanded, Will had to do. No, Will makes his own decisions and if he goes he will go because he himself wants to, too. I agree that his decisions are ultimately his and I believe he is smart enough to know when people are trying to manipulate him (especially when done as blatantly as Jack does), so he doesn't necessarily "fall" for it. For me, what is more important about people trying to manipulate Will is what it says about those people and their relationship to Will...

Edited August 5, 2015 by DeadlyEuphoric

[Crossbow]

One of my favourite characters for interacting with Will is actually Freddie - because she doesn't feel a need to be remotely protective of him, and Will is likewise sharp-tongued when dealing with her.  We get to see a different side of him.

 

The snarky teenage girl side?

[Captanne]

I think all the physical damage done to Will is what makes people think he can't take care of himself.  I'm not sure I'm wording that right so let me explain.  

 

If Will had spent two seasons mentally sparring with Hannibal and then, as a climax, had his throat slit -- the impact would have been greater and people would have been less likely to say, "Poor woobie" because, who could have known a veritable killer with a figurative scimitar was in his immediate future?

 

By folding, spindling, and mutilating him physically, the audience gets used to wanting to protect him; they see him as vulnerable and weak.  (Some may even see him as moronic.)

 

I'm not talking about the mental damage Hannibal does routinely to Will because, by script, that's Will's job to deal with.  It's what he's especially good at.  

 

There are several artistic disagreements Fuller and I will simply have to "virtually" agree to have and this is one of them.  Physically damaging Will over and over and over numbs the audience and emasculates Will.

 

I've complained about it before -- and the straw that broke my back about it was when the pointless Chiyoh pointlessly threw him off a pointless train.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Captanne

[Tippi Blevins]

That back flip though.

[Captanne]

Especially after only just recovering from a gutting.  And then, what, walking to Florence?  Maybe he took his magic boat over land to Florence?  Totally credible!  (No, it was not.  It was laughable.)

[Crossbow]

I don't know, I don't feel numbed to Will. I've never wanted to protect him, but I still have a lot of sympathy for him.

[Captanne]

I don't feel numbed to him as much as I do feel numbed to his getting hurt.  Cut him and I don't really care* because he just bounces right back and returns for more.  Seriously, that is pretty much how I feel about him now.  

 

*That's what I mean by the idea that the violence has become cartoonish.  Warner Bros. made a mint off of the idea that cartoon danger caused by bunnies, ducks, coyotes, and "Elmer Fudd" types of people inures the viewer after a while.  

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+wile+e+coyote+cartoon&FORM=VIRE5#view=detail&mid=BBEB1CA5946F4070872DBBEB1CA5946F4070872D

[Tippi Blevins]

I'm still wondering if he ever got his boat back from Italy. And did anyone ever find his dragonfly sculpture at Lectervania Castle? He put a lot of work into that thing to have it go unrecognized.

[Tippi Blevins]

OK, so, confession time. I didn't know until today that "dignity pants" are diapers. So when Hannibal said the thing about Alana putting Will in "moral dignity pants," my brain translated this as... "moral big-boy pants." And I just... the mental image? I don't even know.

[jeansheridan]

I think of Will as mentally fragile, not physically. I was thrilled to find out a brain infection was the reason for his hallucinations in Season 1. I knew he would be gutted in S2. Being tossed from a train and tortured by Mason didn't worry me because I knew he would survive. I worry for the people around him. And dogs.

I don't think of him as weak at all. Scrappy and stubborn. Purposeful. When he must act, he does.

I think Jack knew Will felt obligated still. Will didn't really answer for his betrayal. Jack knows how to press an advantage. Truth is Will chose Hannibal twice over Jack. Jack is not going to ignore that.

[Captanne]

jeansheridan, ITA but I'm not even sure he's mentally fragile.  He may have some issues but I'm not sure fragility is one of them.  The first season breakdown was brought on by physical illness.  Other than that, he's as tough mentally as anyone I know.  He's survived a lot of mental gymnastics without completely cracking up.

[Crossbow]

He's not tough enough to stand up to Jack.

[Captanne]

Is that lack of toughness, though?  Or is it a stronger sense of moral duty?  That's what Jack tapped into in Manhunter and I can't criticize Will for wanting to "use his power for good".

Edited August 18, 2015 by Captanne

[DeadlyEuphoric]

Will knows perfectly well when Jack tries to manipulate him ir use him. It is not that he can't stand up to the man, it is that he chooses not to as he does feel obligated to save people and work for greater good. Will is the person who chose the law enforcement career for himself after all. But i believe he does have a growing resentment towards Jack for all the manipulation he is doing and his disregard towards Will and his well being and now also his family.

[DeadlyEuphoric]

Tippi Blevins, i also didnt know that but for that scene i still maintain Hannibal meant "moral dignity" big-boy pants and not diapers... though Alana does act like Will's mother sometimes but who knows... still rather not have that visual lol...

I cant quote or edit when on the phone it seeems... Boo... :(

[Captanne]

Will knows perfectly well when Jack tries to manipulate him ir use him. It is not that he can't stand up to the man, it is that he chooses not to as he does feel obligated to save people and work for greater good. Will is the person who chose the law enforcement career for himself after all. But i believe he does have a growing resentment towards Jack for all the manipulation he is doing and his disregard towards Will and his well being and now also his family.

 

 

Oh Deadlyeuphoric, ITA and then some.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Captanne

[Anela]

Minus the serial killer frenemies, Will is the sort of man who would be perfect for me - at least when it comes to dogs. 

[supposebly]

I think also that part of Will's growing resentment towards Jack is in part growing resentment towards himself and his inability to resist Hannibal's siren call, another temptation he knows perfectly well is not good for anyone.

 

At least that's how I interpreted his petty remark.

 

Both with Jack and with Hannibal, Will seems to use the "for the greater good" excuse in order to allow himself to engage. While that works with Jack, I did have a hard time seeing why Will needed Hannibal's help initially. Maybe I've seen too many serial killer movies/TV shows but why that mirror thing was fairly obvious to me.

[DeadlyEuphoric]

Oh yes, i think he does resent not being able to keep away from.Hanmibal. As he aaid, he knew what he was doing when he agreed to work on the Toothfairy case and more importantly WHO he was letting back into his life...

I don't think he needed Hannibal's help for the mirror thing. He pretended Hannibal's input on the subject was interesting and i found it interesting that he needed to pretend..was he trying to appeal to Hannibal's ego for continued help, or was he trying to justify it to himself that he came to visit Hannibal because he is just so helpful and already making a difference? Probably the latter... whatever it was, Hannibal called him out on it, saying it wasn't interesting as Will had already figured it out himself... I think the main reason he went to Hannibal is to find out how Dolarhyde chooses his victims, he keeps bringing that subject up in their talks. And he needed to talk to Hannibal because his own thinking improves when engaging with Hannibal, i think like Jack and Hannibal he also thinks he is more efficient when he works with Hannibal on a case (which i can buy. Conversations with Hannibal are like brain gymanistics for Will), and they need to hurry up and solve this case before Dolarhyde can strike again, so he chose to go to Hannibal from the beginning and make the most out of that "resource" available to him (which i like. If he knew he was going to end up going anyway better to.be honest about it and suck it up and go now). And lastly, i think he wenr because part of him did miss Hannibal and their conversations and wanted to see him, the very same part that wanted to run away with Hannibal.

[Captanne]

Letting Hannibal back into his life was Will's own choice and against Jack's intent.  (But, Jack didn't protest.)  That's straight from canon.

 

IIRC, in Manhunter, he went back to "get the scent" -- or, in my words, to get the mindset back.  He's submerged it for three years and needs to get back in the groove of the mind of the serial killer.  So, he returns to interview Hannibal.  During Manhunter, I assumed it was specifically (and mainly) Hannibal because he was in captivity.  For Fuller's version, I think it's that but also because of Will's unique relationship with Mikkelsen's Hannibal.

Edited August 19, 2015 by Captanne

[jeansheridan]

I think the book and Manhunter had the advantage of starting years after Will's encounter with Hannibal. So getting the mindset back made sense. Red Dragon opened with their confrontation and it was "fun" to see Hannibal sort of bested. They both got bloodied. And Norton played such a centered Will. He could call Hannibal insane and mean it. I never felt he on the edge of losing himself. He was anxious to stop the killing. But I never believed his Will could kill. Dancy's Will is so much more complex. He can't call Hannibal insane. He doesn't feel superior. At best he can only claim he lacks Hannibal' s appetite.

I do get the unfortunate feeling Will has been hiding for three years. He wasn't ready to face Hannibal. If we get another book or a film (Fuller hinted at a film), perhaps we will see a Will fully prepared to take on Hannibal. A man at ease with his strengths and unambivalent about Hannibal.

[Crossbow]

He said there was a certain mindset he had to recover. Apparently he thought he was a better profiler while under Hannibal's influence? IDK. I'm re-reading the book now, and I don't see how Hannibal helps him at all. Tells him a couple things Will already knew, then tries to have him killed. In the book you could argue that since Hannibal was the last guy he caught before retiring, he needs to get that mindset back, but on the show, Hannibal was literally driving him insane. On the show it looks like he just missed Hannibal and wanted to see him.

[Captanne]

I think we're all seeing the same thing -- I would add that my impression of Will's return to Hannibal in Manhunter and in the books (which I consider the canon for simplicity's sake), was to get the mindset back the way that someone who hasn't ridden a bike in a while gets on a well-known and convenient bike before he goes back out on the Tour de France course.

 

Hannibal just happened to be conveniently a "captive audience" -- if it had been another serial killer in a cage, he would have gone back to him/her.  Hannibal's role in canon was merely to get Will back on the scent.

 

You're right, Fuller and Dancy have changed this in the show, "Hannibal".  By giving them this convoluted and almost spousal relationship, they have complicated Will's motivations for returning to Hannibal. 

[jeansheridan]

Which isn't a bad thing. Will has bits of Clarice in him and she did become a mate, but a gutted one IMO.

I wonder if the Norton/Hopkins interaction is what inspired Fuller? I know some critics slammed Hopkins for sleepwalking in that movie but I think he brought a certain warmth in that first scene. A regret at needing to gut this boy as he called him. I think I need to check the movie out from the library.

I am going to miss Dancy' s Will but 38 eps is a good run.

[DeadlyEuphoric]

Yes, that was a standout scene from Red Dragon and i liked it very much. He called Will "remarkable boy" as he gutted him, almost affectionately, shushing him, saying he regrettd it came down to this or something like that and how it'd be all over in a minute -if I remember it right...


And I'd say throughout the movie there was some warmth to his interactions, the mentor-pupil relationship undertones were there, even if he also liked messing with Will and wouldnt mind if he died.

 

 

ETA: he called him "remarkable boy" I think, not "clever boy" as I first remembered.

Edited August 20, 2015 by DeadlyEuphoric

[Captanne]

I'm starting to get the feeling that all of my reactions of "Ew, something smells bad" in this series about the plotlines come from Fuller seeing and getting more from Red Dragon (the movie) than from Manhunter.  Maybe that's what's making me bristle.

 

And the arty-farty wasting of precious time.  (I LOVE the feel of this show and the art, in its place.  I just feel Fuller wasted time with it in many places.)

 

And Bedelia.  My Bedelia dislike grows like a well-fertilized weed each day.  (I lost it over her staccato delivery in her last episode.  Oh, the dislike.)  I think she was and is a terrible mistake as a character.  Fuller, next time leave the author to give you original characters; don't bother with your own, please.  UO:  

(For the love of Mike, that is not a reflection on Gillian Anderson.  Sometimes a role and a performance just doesn't click for a viewer.  It's acting.  It happens.)

Edited August 20, 2015 by Captanne

[Bruinsfan]

In Manhunter when Hannibal draws parallels between himself and Will it sends the latter running out of the building in a panic, while in Red Dragon he doesn't show any reaction until he stops in the waiting room on his way out and you see that he's sweated through his shirt under the suit jacket. I wish Fuller had kept the former reaction, as it feels like TV Will should take such comparisons far more to heart than the movie versions.

[jeansheridan]

I have a totally heartfelt dislike of William Peterson so his Will will never grace my television screen again. I can see Brian Cox in clips on YouTube. I always want to slap the smug off Peterson's face.

I have a totally heartfelt dislike of William Peterson so his Will will never grace my television screen again. I can see Brian Cox in clips on YouTube. I always want to slap the smug off Peterson's face.

[Crossbow]

In Manhunter when Hannibal draws parallels between himself and Will it sends the latter running out of the building in a panic, while in Red Dragon he doesn't show any reaction until he stops in the waiting room on his way out and you see that he's sweated through his shirt under the suit jacket. I wish Fuller had kept the former reaction, as it feels like TV Will should take such comparisons far more to heart than the movie versions.

 

In the book he feels numb. I guess that's a hard one to emote for the screen.

[jeansheridan]

I am starting to get the icky feeling that Fuller might gut Will like Harris did to Clarice. I need to see some more fight in Will. Some willpower, if I may pun.

Even Freddie seemed a tad horrified by Will. Of course she has always poked at him. Her "small" comment to him, just as he is designing an interview to enrage Francis. It seemed like a throwaway dig, but Will has been tossed around like a small man all season. He was exposed by Freddie in his hospital bed. He was manhandled by Mason and Hannibal and Chiyoh. His 11 year old stepson dismisses him. No wonder he is getting angry now, but I still want him to be a hero ultimately. He is in the book. And the two films.

[raven]

 

 

Here are the things that concern me.

--Will has chosen to help Hannibal twice over helping Jack (he warned Hannibal on the phone and he let Hannibal go after Muskrat Farm (and given Hannibal rescued him, that seemed fair, but Jack wouldn't have done it).

--Will tried to stab Hannibal in Florence

--Will set up Frederick  It was partially Alana's idea and Jack fully supported the effort, but Will knew what he was doing.  Having two guys on Frederick wasn't nearly enough protection.  Frederick should have been kept in a fully secure location during the "operation".  Unlike the book and film versions, there WAS reason to think he might go after Chilton.  In the books he goes after Freddie and it's a bit of a curve ball.

So these are the things that worry me.  That and his increasing anger towards Jack and his isolation from Molly and Walter.

 

Quoted from jeansheridan in the episode thread.

 

I worry about Will also.  The phone call warning Hannibal was when he was still immersed in the Hannibal mentality (that he needed near death then his scalp cut open and three years to recover from) so while I don't like it, I can attribute it to his disturbed state of mind.

 

His release, I guess you could say, after Muskrat Farm is a bit more worrying.  I don't think Will could best Hannibal physically, and I know he was deliberately alienating him and wanted to be clear to Hannibal that he felt nothing for him even though Hannibal saved his life, but he had to know Hannibal would kill again.  I would have liked it a bit more if Will was sure the FBI were closing in.  

 

I'm fully on board with anyone trying to kill Hannibal - so Will trying to stab him is ok with me.  It may be Will trying to atone for letting him go earlier,

 

The Chilton set up is disturbing.  The Will we've seen had to have known how it would look.  I watched "Red Dragon" for the first time today, and in the movie Will gives the interview to Lounds alone, and at the end is photographed with his arm around a slightly surprised looking Lounds.  Movie Will seemed to be doing it to reinforce the perception that he trusted Lounds and believed what he was saying in the interview - he was obviously playing a role.  Show Will seems to be doing it  more callously - the degree of disgust that Show Will has for Chilton is equal to Movie Will's for Lounds.  In the movie, Lounds only has two guards and Will has the whole contingent, just like the show, which seems a big failing on Jack's part in both cases. 

 

I draw the comparison because I don't know if Fuller was trying to pay homage to the scene or to show a cold Will; maybe both. It's even pointed out in the movie that Will's arm around Lounds is indicative of him treaing Lounds like a pet, and Dolarhyde goes after the pets first. To me, Will is getting angrier at having allowed himself to be played by Lecter, which ended up putting his family in danger.  He is now being less careful, which makes him more dangerous to those around him.  That doesn't excuse Jack or Alana, however, who both should have known better.

 

So I see an angry and dangerous Will, but not one who's under Hannibal's spell like before.  I'm hoping the Bedelia scenes are there for us to see Will's disgust at what he could have become.  Unfortunately it probably will be left open ended, so we'll all just project what we think anyway!