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S02.E05: Mukozuke


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When Will assists with a profile he reveals the Chesapeake Ripper and the Copycat Killer are the same person; Will asks Freddie Lounds to help him contact his admirer; Alana becomes suspicious of Will.
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Pretty sure the good doctor is going to be looking at Will in a new light after this. It should be interesting to see how their relationship changes.

When is Will getting out of prison already? I hope this doesn't go on all season.

I loved this episode though.

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Yes, Hannibal can no longer afford to under estimate Will.  The tide has turned, and Will actually made Hannibal his victim.

That Alana and Jack know Will manipulated the orderly to kill Hannibal is going to complicate matters for Will.  Even if Gideon was the witness, they have the orderly and they found him on the attack as they were warned he would be.  Will is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.  That adds yet another charge to his next trial, and he cannot claim that encephalitis was involved.  Emotional disturbance perhaps, given what seeing Beverly's body was like.

That was harrowing.  I did not expect her to be displayed, though it was with somewhat more respect and attention than most of Hannibal's victims.  The death reenactment was disturbing.  As with Miriam, he preferred to strangle her.  At least she didn't suffer long.

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Damn, Will actually had one hell of a plan, had it not been for Gideon.  Too bad for him it didn't work out, and now Alana and Jack are probably just going to be even more against him.  And then there is Hannibal.  He sure won't be underestimating Will after this little incident.  D'oh!

Jonathan Tucker was good as the killer.  Although, it wasn't him that killed the judge?  I guess it was Hannibal after-all.

I wonder if we'll be seeing more of "Beverly", in Will's mind palace.  Hey, "Abigail" needs someone else to talk to.

Also great seeing Eddie Izzard again as Gideon.  Can't say I blame Chilton for the way he was around him tonight.  Chilton may be a dick, but, yeah, I wouldn't wish what Gideon did to him on anyone.

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Jonathan Tucker was good as the killer.  Although, it wasn't him that killed the judge?  I guess it was Hannibal after-all.

 

In an AV Club walkthrough, Fuller said that Hannibal didn't kill either man. So a third party is responsible. Michael Pitt's Mason Verger, perhaps?

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Jonathan Tucker did very well as the orderly, moving from slightly off to full on psycho as the episode progressed.  Like Tobias, he was a memorable adversary for Hannibal, and much smarter in his attack.  Their scene together was intense, with Hannibal refusing to be humbled even in that situtation.

I would love for Beverly to continue on as a happier part of Will's psyche.  I bet she would enjoy the fishing.

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That must be one heck of a deep-freezer Hannibal has, capable of freezing to stone in one night a human body that started out at 98-degrees. Also, good thing he just happens to keep giant Perspex slabs around in case he gets a sudden urge for a crafting project. And, he did all that, and still had time to make Crawford a breakfast of eggs and shellfish (crawdad for Crawford???). And to think, last night I just, like, slept.

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Damn, but Will's admirer was an efficient killer. I do enjoy seeing competence and capability playing out in a character; no unnecessary risks taken. If not for Gideon playing both sides, that plan would have worked. 

Will just brings all the boys to the yard ;)

I'm very curious to see where this takes Hannibal's relationship with Will, promo aside.

Revenge sex with Alana is a clear punishment,

but in this attempt on Hannibal's life isn't Will also taking one step closer to becoming what Hannibal actually wants him to be? I'm hoping Hannibal is subtle, and tries to leverage the situation to his advantage and towards his ultimate end of bringing Will close. He's put Will in harm's way more than once to leverage a manipulative advantage so I'm hoping the reverse is true.

The layering of Beverley was supremely awful, and theatrical, but also respectful by Hannibal's lights. She had to die, but as with his dispatch of Miriam Lass, it wasn't personal. I miss her already though. I'm glad she's in Will's memory palace.

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Since there has been no mention of the judge missing organs, I am still not sure it was Hannibal. Maybe they (the FBI) just overlooked it and it will come up later. I can't see the showrunners making that kind of mistake, though.

Edited by 90PercentGravity
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Holy shit, did this episode not disappoint.

 

I was spoiled for the way Bev was going to be found, but it still moved me. Laurence Fishburne was brilliant in that scene, as well as in the rest of the episode.

I loved the orderly, and according to Bryan Fuller, 

he is not dead,

, which should be interesting.

 

The way they showed everyone grieving, with little to no dialogue -- very wise, very powerful.

That last scene was a whole new level of WTF. I wonder where they're going with all of the Christian symbolism this season. I know Mads said he plays Hannibal as Lucifer, but I don't really think that analogy can stretch any further. 

 

Also, on a shallow note? Damn. 

Edited by CinnamonCat
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Woosh. Holy shit, poor Beverly. 

Here's my take so far (the quote's from a poster over at TWoP):

Hannibal is not only going to be super-pissed, but he's probably going to double-down on framing him for whatever he can.

 

And that might be where he messes up. The more he doubles down the more chances he runs of making a mistake--like letting somebody sneak up behind and dart him out of some kind of twisted fifties pop song tribute to his hero, Will; leader of the pack.

Honestly, I know there's a kind of tacit agreement on this show to not niggle over details, but does nobody use public buildings in Baltimore? First the observatory, which has become the East Coast clearinghouse for serial killers and impromptu surgeries, not only isn't being staked out by the FBI, there apparently isn't even a single security guard on duty to watch as you haul six SLICES of full grown woman plus floor to ceiling glass slides in there! (Plus, as I've pointed out before, no actual astronomers seem interested in using this professional grade telescope.)

Then, it turns out Maryland has the only federal courthouse that it's apparently not only possible but easy to get guns into, but not a single camera to record the shooting/evisceration/display of a judge in his own chambers and courtroom. And now we've got an Olympic sized pool without a single lifeguard, security detail, camera, or fellow gym member around when Nutty Orderly tranq darts Hannibal, hauls his deadweight body out of the pool, strings him up and balances him on a bucket and commences monologuing. No wonder Hannibal hunts in Baltimore--there is literally nobody around but potential victims and the FBI, who are being sent on more wild goose chases then John James Audubon.

But I kid because I love--there was a lot to like here, and a lot of pieces moving around. Hannibal, by killing Bev (and that smirk he gave as he ate her kidney pie meant that he deserved every damn thing that was coming to him) has not only yanked Will's chain, but Jack's. While of course it's pretty impossible for Jack and Alana/ everybody else to believe that urbane, sophisticated, brilliant Hannibal is the Ripper, it's only pretty impossible. Let's face it, Lector used up a helluva lot of his Lucky Points with the universe this week: not only did Jack manage to save his life, he shot the orderly right before he could say "Hey, check it out! He's the Chesapeake Ripper! Like the Christ imagery? Sorry about the duct tape, had to work fast..." But how many more times can Hannibal count on people who could out him being dead/conveniently crazy? The pool of potential prospects is thinning with every murder he commits.

Jack is going, by elimination and his continued if reluctant trust in Will Graham, going to start investigating Hannibal, if only to prove his innocence to Will.

The previews prove that.

In the meantime, Chilton and his frustrated ambitions are getting needled from corners Hannibal can't control, such as Will, Gideon and Alana. He can manipulate Gideon and Alana, but for how long? Gideon's already proven willing to help her and Will to some extent, if only to piss off Chilton, and Chilton's desires, unlike his intestines, haven't gone anywhere. The only thing dangerous to a hawk is a little, ambitious birdie.

Bad Laugh Of The Episode: My husband, while watching Jack's speech to Beverly's colleagues, managed to chime in perfectly at the end--"And we will not let this slide!"

Edited by Snookums
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AVC: Hannibal nearly dies in this episode, and we know, because his name is the show’s title, he’s not going to die. What do you look for when you put that character in that situation?

BF: I think what’s cool about it is you see him vulnerable. It’s the first time we really have seen Hannibal that vulnerable. Even in the book and the movie Hannibal, when he’s taken by the Sards and he’s trucked over to Mason Verger’s pig farm, there is an imperiousness to him where you don’t ever think he’s going to be fed to the pigs. But this instance, we wanted Hannibal to maintain his dignity on one hand, and then also be really impressed with Will. Like, “Attaboy. That’s the spirit!” is kind of the attitude that Hannibal has with Will in this instance and he’s enough of a grown-up in terms of his being aware of what he has wrought in this world with his actions, I think he figures he had it coming. The thing that does surprise him is that Will had it in him to take action.”

AV Club: Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller on Will’s big move

Delicious :) Just what I was hoping for. Really want to see Hannibal be subtle and leverage this to bring Will closer

(revenge sex with Alana aside)

now that Will has taken this huge, crucial step (in effect) towards what Hannibal wants for and from him, with this murder by proxy attempt.

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I knew that Bob Little on Parenthood was creepy but man, I didn't think he was THAT creepy. He went from sexing up his intern to killing the bailiff and almost killing Hannibal!

Poor Beverly. I knew she was a goner at the end of the previous episode but I had hoped against all hope that she somehow got away. That was brutal. And poor Jack. He's in the middle of dealing with his wife and then loses Beverly in such a terrible way. That guy can't catch a break.

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I am never disappointed in Hannibal.  This episode was no exception.  BF is genius at juxtaposition. We last saw Beverly apparently finding something guesome in Lector's basement only to see Hannibal appear behind her.  The audience knew Bev was not escaping from that situation.  Yet we have to wait for Freddie to make the discovery of Bev's remains.  Nice touch to go back to the Observatory where we last saw "My Girl" meet her end. I was very appreciative of the respect Hannibal showed Bev in her presentation. The care he used was painstaking.  While still completely horrific, it shows yet again the mastery Hannibal has of the macbre.

My one big complaint is the endlessness of Will's incarceration.  It makes perfect sense that he is still locked away but I do prefer to see him out and about. The assylum reeks of the 1950's horror houses that entombed people for life.  Adding the wannbe ripper to muddy the waters for Will was a nice touch. The orderly's admiration for Will is like Hannibal's.  They make a strange triumvirate.

It was somewhat satisfying to see Hannibal captured and vulnerable.  I had to look away for a bit.  Strange but true. I think this little experiment will make Hannibal admire and covet Will even more.  He will also be proud that he has brought Will to this amoral state. One by one people who believe and trust in Will are being stripped away. It seems it will come down to Jack and Will against Hannibal.  I also wonder how many more cast members will be sacrificed in the battle of wills between Hannibal and Will.

I love this show. MM is the best villain I've watched in a long while.

Edited by CatLady
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I have to give Fuller props for following through on Will's incarceration, as restive as it makes me feel personally. On so many shows, it would have been one-and-done, from season ender to season opener. 

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The assylum reeks of the 1950's horror houses that entombed people for life.

Totally agree. I think living there would drive a sane person insane. Moldy walls? Rust-stained, leaky sinks? Gray, gray, gray everywhere? Ticked, stained mattresses without sheets? Seriously, I think there health codes, even in Maryland, that residential facilities must meet. Dr. Chilton is apparently trying to encourage a typhus epidemic. Or at least lice.

I do sort of love that of all of Hannibal's many talents, he does flip turns, too. Because of course.

Also, Will's hair/wig is out of control. It looks like they dragged Rizzo's wig from Grease out of a trunk somewhere and plonked it on Dancy's head. Seems like Chilton would be the type to buzz-cut the heads of all new inmates, though Chilton does have a rather cavalier attitude towards lice, as noted above.

Edited by annlaw78
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I believe Hannibal has two issues with are polar opposites.

On one hand, he doesn't want to get caught.

On the other hand he doesn't want anybody else to take credit for being the Ripper.  It makes me wonder if Hannibal's fantasy is for him to tell someone who he really is and have that person say.  "Okay, so what are we having for dinner?"  Isn't that what people want, to be seen for who they really are and be accepted?  I think that's what Hannibal wants, but alas, it's not for him.  

I also think that he killed Beverly for the same reason he killed Miriam; self preservation.  I think Hannibal's ego is going to be the thing that catches him.

I liked this episode, it was fun to see Hannibal in something other than a suit and tie; he was wearing a sweater and swim trunks (yum).  I'd like to see Hannibal in jeans and barefoot but I guess that's asking too much.

Edited by Neurochick
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I knew that Bob Little on Parenthood was creepy but man, I didn't think he was THAT creepy. He went from sexing up his intern to killing the bailiff and almost killing Hannibal!

I did like how Bob Little made a point to have his six-pack on display when torturing Hannibal. Psychopathic killing is good exercise (mounting men on stag heads, dragging massive Perspex sheets up to the top of telescopes, dragging unconscious men out of pools and hanging them is tough!) -- forget pilates! And hurrah for Fuller for letting the men be objectified for once -- how many times have we seen girls in bikinis or similar running around in horror movies, and often for no explicable reason other than for eye-candy for male viewers. The hanging scene could have taken place anywhere, with Hannibal in one of his TM suits. Instead, Fuller added some visual interest to the scene with Hannibal in his trunks. Barely clothed women are typically used as (and expected to be) set dressing (especially on cable TV shows), so it's nice to see that expectation sort of turned on its head, and see a guy in his skivvies, for no real reason except, hey, let's show some abs. I guess there's an argument that Hannibal's being in his trunks makes him feel more vulnerable or something, though I don't think "Hannibal" and "vulnerable" belong in the same sentence. I think it was an interesting choice, especially coming off the criticism Fuller/the show received for "killing off" a strong female character.

On one hand, he doesn't want to get caught.

On the other hand he doesn't want anybody else to take credit for being the Ripper.

Yeah, the balance between the value he places on his freedom and his megalomania/narcissism is tipping. It's not enough that he knows what he's getting away with; he at some point will want someone else to know, specifically his new friends in the FBI. Will Graham is NOT the smartest man in this room, damnit! Edited by annlaw78
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Will Graham is NOT the smartest man in this room, damnit!

I'd say the two were very close, but give Will the slight edge. Even when he was sick,and there was no reason whatsoever to suspect Hannibal, and every reason given to trust him, Will knew on some level what Hannibal was - hence the threatening omnipresence of Swiggity Swag the nightmare ravenstag. Hannibal was ahead on points in S1 precisely because Will was sick and unstable. This season, even with his extremely limited access and resources, Will's restored sanity and clarity have erased Hannibal's psychic driving and other manipulative advantages. Will came extremely close to taking Hannibal out this week. I think the more-or-less equality between these two men, the cobra and the mongoose, is one of the major drivers of both Hannibal's love for Will and Will's ability to trust Hannibal in the first place. It is, to me, a big part of the premise for the series.

Edited by heyerchick
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That must be one heck of a deep-freezer Hannibal has, capable of freezing to stone in one night a human body that started out at 98-degrees.

Ha, that was the first thing I thought, how the hell did he get her solid enough for those smooth cuts that fast. It takes over an hour just for a pound of hamburger to freeze solid.

Wonder if Hannibal has a "Hope Chest" full of objects to display future victims. I mean, did he once go "Oh my, look at those lovely Plexiglas sheets. I can use them the next time my victim is worthy of a display showing they were as fascinating on the inside as out."

Edited by caseylane
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Totally agree. I think living there would drive a sane person insane. Moldy walls? Rust-stained, leaky sinks? Gray, gray, gray everywhere? Ticked, stained mattresses without sheets? Seriously, I think there health codes, even in Maryland, that residential facilities must meet. Dr. Chilton is apparently trying to encourage a typhus epidemic. Or at least lice.

This bugs me too! Not since season 2 of American Horror Story has a mental health facility so openly detrimental to mental health been shown on screen! And at least AHS's was from the sixties, right before mass reforms. Who strolled into this place, gazed upon the dank and mossy walls, lack of sunlight and rusty bars and said, "Perfect!" You'd think Chilton would be quite pouty over having to use such an outdated, grody place--I'm surprised that the mike wires aren't continually blowing the fuses in that place.

 

 

On one hand, he doesn't want to get caught.

On the other hand he doesn't want anybody else to take credit for being the Ripper.

Plus, lonely as he is, Hannibal can't bear the give and take of genuine friendship, no matter how twisted his version of it would be: Tobias was too presumptuous, Franklin too neurotic, and Nutty Orderly too greedy--none of them was willing to fall down and worship him as a fallen angel, the pesky little nits all just want too much. Too much attention, too much trust. He's fascinated by Will because of his oppositness--so strange and unfamiliar that it might be just what he's looking for.

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I'd say the two were very close, but give Will the slight edge.

Yes, clearly Hannibal is disadvantaged by, per Red Dragon Will, being insane. Which makes Hannibal convinced he's the smartest person in whatever room he's in.

Wonder if Hannibal has a "Hope Chest" full of objects to display future victims. I mean, did he once go "Oh my, look at those lovely Plexiglas sheets. I can use them the next time my victim is worthy of display showing they were as fascinating on the inside as out."

Ha! Saturday morning hardware store runs must be a trip with Hannibal! Edited by annlaw78
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"I guess I'm a better friend than therapist."

Jack, you've been warned.

This episode was like Will vs. Alien vs. Predator!  I thought Will was in a win-win situation because however things went down, either Crazy- Nurse or Hannibal would be taken out. He's already an inmate in an institute for the criminally insane so he can't be held responsible for his actions, which can't be proven anyway. 

I'm gonna miss Beverly.

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I am unnaturally obsessed with Freddie's hair.  Am I alone in this?

 

I mean, did he once go "Oh my, look at those lovely Plexiglas sheets. I can use them the next time my victim is worthy of a display showing they were as fascinating on the inside as out."

And just how big is that basement?  (My dad and I both have trouble giving up potentially useful gadgets or boxes.  One begins to need storage space.)

One of the things I appreciate about this season's Hannibal/Will relationship is that BF & Co are letting Will seek vengeance without using a variation of the "yes, yeeees, give in to your evil desires" trope.  (Which never works, btw: the minute the villain says this, the hero returns to his/her senses, puts away the gun/knife/whatever and gets out the handcuffs.)   Hannibal is killing for his own reasons, not as a way to turn Will to the dark side.  Will as his sous chef would be far less satisfying for the doctor than Will as an unknowing "friend" and fellow intellectual/profiler.

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And hurrah for Fuller for letting the men be objectified for once -- how many times have we seen girls in bikinis or similar running around in horror movies, and often for no explicable reason other than for eye-candy for male viewers.

That was a notable reversal, especially in this genre, and I was glad to have the contrast.  Beverly, inspite of having been killed, was not subjected to some pre-mortem torture (or monologuing) as far as we can see, unlike Hannibal.

That must be one heck of a deep-freezer Hannibal has, capable of freezing to stone in one night a human body that started out at 98-degrees.

I wouldn't put it past Hannibal to have liquid nitrogen tanks on hand, either for his cooking or for special occasions like this one.  We know his murders take preparation, recipe selection, and stalking, so perhaps he had this concept in mind.

Hannibal was ahead on points in S1 precisely because Will was sick and unstable. This season, even with his extremely limited access and resources, Will's restored sanity and clarity have erased Hannibal's psychic driving and other manipulative advantages

.I have to think that Hannibal will take credit for this transformation.  This is such a monumental shift from the shy Will who was nervous abouting having his glasses adjusted by Jack in the pilot.  Even when he was asymptomatic, at the very beginning, Will was never this decisive and focused.  He was awkward and uncomfortable in his own skin.  This Will, as Gideon said, has been shaped by what's happened to him.  Belinda thought Hannibal did believe he was doing what was best for Will, and aside from Will she has been the best judge of him so far.

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I must have been taught well in my swimming classes because all I could think of when Jack and Alana came to rescue Hannibal was, NO RUNNING BY THE POOL!    

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The Following, which is my current favorite show to hate watch, seems to have ripped off this current iteration of the Freddie Lounds character, although in its typically obvious and ham handed way. That's what makes that show so awful.

Praise Hannibal.

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As much as I enjoy this show for the acting and cinematography, the suspension of disbelief required for some of these crime scenes is approaching ridiculous proportions.  How Hannibal was able to put Beverly's "display" together so quickly and all by himself is really pushing it. 

Full disclosure - I have read all the books/seen all the movies (I prefer Manhunter), and am getting increasingly annoyed at Fuller's cute attempts to inject dialogue from all other sources into this show.  It's cheap.

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I am unnaturally obsessed with Freddie's hair. Am I alone in this?

I am with you. Then again, I follow Connie Brittons Hair on twitter so maybe I just like redheads.

Tami Taylor's hair was a glorious thing! I suspect Freddie's hair color come from a bottle -- that purple-red shade is not one found in nature! Between the dye and the perm, she must be a slave to hot oil treatments. Ot does strike me as slightly wiggy, though -- it lies rather flat and unnaturally at the scalp, and doesn't move! Maybe Sarah can do a Wig Cop exposé for us (at least Freddie's wig, if it is a wig, has a better part/faux-scalp than whatever they have on Julia Braverman's head on Parenthood).
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That was harrowing.  I did not expect her to be displayed, though it was with somewhat more respect and attention than most of Hannibal's victims.  The death reenactment was disturbing.  As with Miriam, he preferred to strangle her.  At least she didn't suffer long.

Thanks for summarizing what happened to Bev.  I had my eyes squinched shut and my fingers in my ears during that part.  Just.  Could not.

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I found myself obsessed with Freddie's hair too. Not so much the color but the perfection of those curls.

If Beverly had to go, that was an impressive way. I had to look away from the saw scene though. Just the thought of it was too much for me. Thank goodness, because I was starting to wonder if I had a problem since I was admiring the gruesomeness of this show!

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I am unnaturally obsessed with Freddie's hair.  Am I alone in this?

Absolutely not. Count me as another, because whenever she is on screen I cannot stop staring at that glorious hair. Those curls are so lovely. :)

 

A friend said to me about the last episode, "WTF is wrong with Jack?  A ten year old street kid could figure out in fifteen minutes that Hannibal's bad news.

Maybe. But we have to remember that the people on this show don't know that they're on this show. Granted Hannibal has really dialled up the creep factor so if they all continue to be completely oblivious (which from the preview it looks like Jack, at least, is coming around), I might have to start throwing things.

Also, there's no accounting for what people will let themselves actually see, even if they are aware on some level what is going on. Look at Will. It took him until the end of season one to let himself realize what I'm almost positive he already knew on some level. Yes, there was illness at play, but I think quite a bit of it also had to do with just not wanting to know.

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So Beverly's kidneys were swapped with the mural-killer's kidneys, does that mean Hannibal had Katz Kidneys for lunch?

Yes.  Hannibal accomplished a lot in 24-hours: revived Bella with adrenaline, accompanied her to the hospital until she awoke, was slapped, found Beverly snooping, dispatched her, froze her in his special freezer that bends the laws of physics to its will, sawed her with a special saw, mounted her in giant plexiglass slides he just happened to have laying around the place, tossed the slides into the back of the Bentley (or, more likely I suppose he keeps a van or panel truck around somewhere), drove to the observatory, hauled the plexiglass up the stairs, went home, cleaned up, put on a fetching cashmere sweater, cooked a complicated breakfast for Jack, suited up and went into the office for cognac with Dr. Chilton, reunited with Dr. Gideon at the State Hospital, chided Freddie for rudeness, returned home to mince up Beverly's kidney and make some gross British pie, drove to his fancy club to swim laps, got tranq-darted and strung up by the orderly.  Heck of a day!

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The thing that doesn't make any sense to me at all is the fact that neither psycho nurse nor Will saw Gideon in the next cell. Or even knew that he was in the next cell. Seriously? That makes me wonder if it's part of Will's endgame to set up Dr. Gideon somehow.

Crikey, this show is unrelenting! So much tension in every scene. I'm shuddering while speculating what's going to happen to Dr. Chilton and Freddie. (Or should I say when?)

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mounted her in giant plexiglass slides he just happened to have laying around the place

I am in love with the theory I've seen elsewhere that he's been keeping that particular presentation method in his back pocket ever since he started working with the FBI, just in case a member of Team Sassy Science got too close.

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I am in love with the theory I've seen elsewhere that he's been keeping that particular presentation method in his back pocket ever since he started working with the FBI, just in case a member of Team Sassy Science got too close.

I can totally see this (and it cracks me up). We are talking about the man who has a song to go with every moment (even if it's just in his head). He's a big fan of having just the right presentation, is our Hannibal Lecter.

I think that's part of what keeps me from fully hating him (well, that, the suits, and the fact Mads Mikkelsen is incredibly watchable). I have to admit, I also love good presentation.

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I'd say the two were very close, but give Will the slight edge. Even when he was sick,and there was no reason whatsoever to suspect Hannibal, and every reason given to trust him, Will knew on some level what Hannibal was - hence the threatening omnipresence of Swiggity Swag the nightmare ravenstag. Hannibal was ahead on points in S1 precisely because Will was sick and unstable. This season, even with his extremely limited access and resources, Will's restored sanity and clarity have erased Hannibal's psychic driving and other manipulative advantages. Will came extremely close to taking Hannibal out this week. I think the more-or-less equality between these two men, the cobra and the mongoose, is one of the major drivers of both Hannibal's love for Will and Will's ability to trust Hannibal in the first place. It is, to me, a big part of the premise for the series.

I see them as playing a real high stakes chess game here.  Using people as their pieces, with all the pitfalls and uncertainty that goes with it and both are doing it extremely well.  This means that both have to be really smart and really good at reading people and their psychology.  Will has nothing to lose at this point - people think he's guilty, he's incarcerated.  Hannibal actually has everything to lose, but probably doesn't see it that way.

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Here's something I wrote about Alana over at TWoP, r.e., her "not knowing" about Hannibal:

Quote
Seriously, Jack's been having emotional bonding breakfasts and talking about how good a friend Hannibal is to him. I don't see why we should require Alana to be more tormented than anybody else. No matter what happens, this is all going to ruin her life, but I don't think she's been so specifically blind as to bring it on herself.

 

I don't think so either, and I think a big part of it is Alana's role as the sensual/caretaking person, and more importantly, WOMAN,  in this drama.

Jack's all ego and rationality, and while he's sexy and sexual, his love for his wife would preclude any seduction by Hannibal, even if he'd been presented as bi or bi curious. Viewers would be mad for him cheating on Bella, but not so much that he "should" have known anything others haven't picked up on, despite his job as head freakin' profiler for the FBI. He is caring towards his employees, but not presented as an empathetic listener. He was devastated by Miriam Lass' end, but the guilt did not destroy, nor did it deter him. His rationalistic blinders weren't knocked askew but neither was his intelligence.

Alana, on the other hand, has been presented from day one not only as a warm, emotional listener, but as a very specific type of female--the caregiver. She's very sensual and colorful and feminine in her dress (but not sexualized.) She's in contrast to Dr. Du Marier's chilly glass of wine take on the human psyche, to Bella's crumbling, narrowing life, to Beverly's analyzing, one of a trio physical evidence searchers. She takes in seven dogs at the drop of hat to relieve Will's mind, she screams to the heavens in her car when he was first arrested, she has not stopped searching heart first for some way not only to save Will, but redeem him. When Will hallucinated during their session, he saw her as an inky mermaid--threatening in color but soothing, sirenlike in voice, in attitude. It's the only hallucination he's had that I can recall where someone touched him.

So for Alana, who's been used as our emotional passageway into this world from the beginning, to be the one to "fall" for Hannibal is something we take very, very personally. She's, through both her character and her gender, supposed to be our safety, our warm hand guiding us away from any real danger. To see her seduced or tricked leaves us bereft of a Good Mommy to help us cross the street and send us safely on our way and the resentment of her "abandoning" us, and Will, for Hannibal (even though she's got no more reasons to suspect him then Jack does) is very instinctual. Woodcutters may be fooled, stepmothers may be evil, but the Good Fairy is supposed to see and defeat the Big Bad Wolf before he eats us, not go to his house for dinner and sex.

 

I'm going to put it on her thread too.

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Tami Taylor's hair was a glorious thing! I suspect Freddie's hair color come from a bottle -- that purple-red shade is not one found in nature! Between the dye and the perm, she must be a slave to hot oil treatments. .

The annoying redhead on Under the Dome also has fabulous 80s perm hair.

This was my second favorite episode of the series after the episode where Dr Scully gives Hannibal the slip. The bloody sink part was a miss for me, but the rest of it was spot on.

I think the deliberate avoidance of showing Hannibal's eyes when asked if he killed the judge is another clue that there's a copy cat, copy cat killer who isn't Hannibal.

It will be interesting to see if Jack/Alana/Hannibal tell anyone that Will tried to have Hannibal killed. If they do, it seems like they'd have to tighten up security and reduce his contact with other people to try and prevent another attempt.

The Beverly kidney pie was definitely one of the less appetizing looking items from the Soylent menu.

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The Beverly kidney pie was definitely one of the less appetizing looking items from the Soylent menu.

I haven't had trouble watching Hannibal eat his human-meat creations until this. I think it's just because we got to know Beverly so well, so it made me a little queasy to watch.

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Since there has been no mention of the judge missing organs, I am still not sure it was Hannibal. Maybe they (the FBI) just overlooked it and it will come up later. I can't see the showrunners making that kind of mistake, though.

When Hannibal first saw the judge all trussed up, didn't he say "mindless and heartless"? I took that to mean part of the judge's brain had been taken, and his heart.  

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