S03.E05: Contorno

[Crossbow]

I like Hugh Dancy, but his portrayal of Will Graham is the one that I think falls short of the original portrayal by William Peterson. He comes off way to fragile for me. Laurence Fishbourne and Mads on the other hand have totally owned thier roles and Crawford in particular is now far more interesting.

 

I think that's more Fuller's decision than Dancy's. Personally I think it works well for the plot. You can never really tell when he's really helpless and when he's just acting helpless as part of his plan.

[penguinnj]

Am I the only one wondering how much more ridiculous Will's awesome adventure will be? One could reasonably infer that he had to sail from Baltimore to Europe and now has to walk from Lithuania to Italy. That is part of the pacing problem this season- IMHO. It feels like we are just waiting for Will to get to Hannibal and they have to make it is tough as possible to stretch it out- I mean Jack managed to board a plane- one assumes- and you know- fly to Italy. I just want to scream- it's NOT THAT HARD.

Edited July 3, 2015 by penguinnj

[Crossbow]

Yeah, but remember Season 1 where they kept teleporting back and forth to Minnesota? That's a 24-hour drive or a 4-hour plane flight but they just popped in and out all willy-nilly.

[saber5055]

I thought of all the Mads fans here with the gratuitous shirtless scene. And yeah, I think that reinforces the idea that he and Bedelia are "a couple."

 

Verger wants a FINGERPRINT when a photo snapped with a cellphone would work? Oh, please.

 

If it's possible for someone to jump a foot into the air while lying on the couch  under a blanket, that's exactly what I did when Chiyo flipped Will off the back of the train. I totally did not see that coming. I also shouted a random swear word at my teevee.

 

Before then, I thought they had some real chemistry, so was not surprised by the kiss. I was expecting that. Just not expecting the after shock.

 

I can't put into words how HAPPY I felt during Jack's beatdown of Hannibal. I could have watched an entire hour of that show. Well done, Jack. FINALLY. And loved Jack's answer when Hannibal asked how he would feel when Jack killed him: "ALIVE!"

 

Alana, who is not a police investigator, is the only person around who can figure out how to find Hannibal. And then uses Skype. Unbelievable no one else has thought of that.

 

Poor Italian police guy should know better than to approach Hannibal when they are the only two in the room, or building for that matter. I'm surprised he lived as long as he did.

Edited July 3, 2015 by saber5055

[attica]

But could you maybe add a little light to scenes where Hugh Dancy is shirtless?

 

Hah! I just figured the shadow was a way to forgo bothering with surgery and scar makeup for HD's torso. Which, sure, this wouldn't be the first show to not bother with that kind of thing (ER, I'm so looking at you), but I appreciate the nominal effort.

 

The expression of satisfaction on Fishburne's face during the beatdown made me so so so happy.

 

Who knew that all that time in physio made Alana a crack fine home goods researcher?

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Will must be related to Louis from Interview With with the Vampire.

Because he had me like, dude just slit your wrists already.

So of course, I was LMAO when ole girl tossed his sad sack ass off the train.

[Bcharmer]

When Jack dropped the ashes in the water and actually said, "Ciao, Bella,"  I thought to myself, they really used that line? Yes, of course, that was her name, but that's one of the most over-used lines in Italian (especially by non Italians). I just had to laugh.

[Dot Com]

Bella wasn't her actual name. When they first met while working in Italy Italian men would always call her Bella. So Jack called her Bella as a nickname. Her name was actually Phyllis.

Edited July 4, 2015 by Dot Com

[MisterGlass]

Yes, and I thought it was sweet he told the inspector and his wife that her name was Bella, because for him it is and always will be.  As far as tossing his wedding ring in the water, I thought it might be because the river had specially meaning to them as a couple since they met in Italy, especially since he scattered her ashes there.  I think Bella remains in his heart, ring or no ring.

 

 

Verger wants a FINGERPRINT when a photo snapped with a cellphone would work? Oh, please.

 

It's interesting you mention that.  In the book, given its time period, the fingerprint made sense.  With the conversation with Mason and Alana's warning that Hannibal would kill the inspector, it felt like Mason was deliberately giving Pazzi a task that couldn't fail to provoke Hannibal.  Pazzi's death or disappearance would be a clearer indication of Hannibal's presence that a fingerprint.  Given how Hannibal chose to display the inspector, I'm sure Mason's mercenary will be on site by dawn.

[Helena Dax]

What a glorious beatdown! I really loved it, not only because Hannibal totally deserved it, but also because the music and the unrealistic violence (I mean, I doubt anyone could survive to that in RL) made me think of those old cartoons... Merrie Melodies?  I think I've felt the same glee I used to feel when I was a kid and Bugs Bunny was kicking Elmer's ass.

 

I don't know if Alana wants Hannibal dead, but her attempt to warn Pazzi shows she isn't willing to pay any price. Imo, she's just pretending and  her plan includes calling the police the moment Hannibal is in Mason's hands. By the way, I hadn't realized Mason could move one hand. He's in better shape than poor Gary Oldman.

 

"Spitters are quitters", LOL.

 

What's going on with Chiyoh? Was she trying to kill Will? Did she want to help Hannibal? I don't understand her and tbh, I don't understand Will  anymore, either. Anyway,  this was my favourite episode from this season so far. 

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Thanks for the correx, Merricat. Also, the first urn is actually a lamp, which I failed to see before because I...failed to see a lot of things thanks to the murky "lighting."

[Tippi Blevins]

Hannibal: "I haven't had a bite to eat all day."

Me: "You just ate an apple."

 

I couldn't enjoy the fight scene because I was cringing at all the collateral damage. Antiques! Antiques everywhere!

[DeadlyEuphoric]

The way Hannibal's hand was all over Bedelia's neck, any other couple and it may have been seen romantic a love gesture, but as it is Hannibal it just gives me the creeps.

 

Oh Bedelia, "a shepherd dog doesn't slaughter the sheep" - she keeps trying to get anything from Hannibal that is a confirmation he will not kill her and he just creepily (and I think slightly bemused) gets his arms around her, draws her closer and lets her know the dog still very much wants to kill the sheep. Sorry Bedelia, he totally will in the end and enjoys seeing you squirm like that.

 

Doesn't matter if he is sleeping with Alana or Bedelia, Will remains Hannibal's favorite subject of pillow talk...

 

Is Will the snail or the firefly? Or is he (and Hannibal) both depending on the situation, on where they are in this little dance of theirs. Hannibal wanted Will to transform and be true to his "nature" like the firefly and looks like Will thinks he needs to kill Hannibal to avoid that transformation (so he doesn't want to be the firefly), though him committing murder for himself would be how he is indeed transformed into what Hannibal wants him to be (so, in that, situation where he kills Hannibal and is thus transformed, Hannibal is the snail and Will is the firefly, no?).

 

I didn't have  a problem with Jack tossing the wedding ring, it was just part of his goodbye to Bella, he had brought her to Italy - the place they met- to say goodbye and tossing the ring seemed part of a symbolic "this is where our story started, and this is where it ends" ritual. I also sensed some anger when he was tossing the ring, anger at her being taken from him. Anger which he channeled in his fight with Hannibal, I think, and Hannibal sure helped with all that talk about Bella.

 

 

When Alana said "a table setting from home of Dr. Hannibal Lecter" it was as if they had opened a Hannibal Museum and she was the tour guide... "On your right is a reenactment of the dinner night when Hannibal served Mr X to his esteemed dinner guests. The silverware is 19th century Dutch from Christofle... The plate is Gien faience china from Tiffany... "

 

 

If Bedelia was indeed shopping for Hannibal's requests all this time (and using the opportunity to attract some attention), I am a bit disappointed as it seems she has been buying the same thing over and over and over each week. Mix it up a bit Hannibal, that seems a tad uncreative even if the truffles were used for different dishes.

 

 

Chiou asks Will if they are obligated to talk, he says no (and really shows no inclination of wanting to talk in the first place, didn't even acknowledge her when she came in), and then she becomes chatty... *sigh* and she is all "I am not maleable like you are, I was just standing still exactly where he left me, like taxidermy"... Ehh, I think I will take maleable over taxidermy.... But basically from what I understand, Will feels he needs to kill Hannibal if he is to avoid being like him, while Chiou is all "don't kill him, there are other ways of doing things than violence". And to make her "violence is bad and gets you nowhere" point ends up throwing Will off the train? Whatever, Chiou...She is not searching for Hannibal, she is simply going to Hannibal I think and wanted Will out of the way...

 

Speaking of Chiou, what was with her fascination with the fabric of the curtains in the train windows? I love how Will's eyes went "what, what is she doing?" and then fixate on the curtains too...

 

I just love how amusing Hannibal seems to find Mason's hunt for him, and was all "of course Pazzi should try to sell me to Mason". And Bedelia seems like the unapproving, annoyed mother. Good thing she doesn't know about Hannibal calling Mason's site just for fun.

 

 

My 3 favorite Jack moves in Hannibal beat-down:

1) the initial "oh just shut up already Hannibal" throwing of Hannibal through the glass

2) "this is sparta kick" that sends Hannibal through the glass

3) stabbing Hannibal's leg with the torture achor-looking thing and dragging him across the floor with it

 

I thought Jack broke Hannibal's arm at the wheel but I guess he didn't?

 

 

I think Jack did intent to kill Hannibal, given the fall would have most probably killed Hannibal. It is just that he forgot about Pazzi and probably didn't think Hannibal could hold on to him to slow down the fall and escape. He did seem most disappointed when Hannibal made his escape. Though I would at least throw that anchor-thingie at Hannibal rather than watch him go....

 

 

Hugh Dancy's Will Graham is my favorite Will Graham. He does the tortured, in his own world, unsociable, "odd" thing so well, as well as the snarky bits too. I get more of a feel from his character than other Will Grahams... I think Mads' job was the most difficult though as making a character so associated with Anthony Hopkins his was going to be difficult - I know I had doubts- and he did an incredible job of it. And Laurence Fishburne's Jack is the best Jack ever, definitely.

[jeansheridan]

I will enjoy rewatching the fight now I know how it ends.

Dancy is my favorite Will. He might be frustratingly fragile sometimes. He has to play a locked in character, a man who rarely gets to be charming. But he has his moments. Not in THIS episode alas. But pretty minimal damage overall. I call him lucky for just having some cuts and bruises.

Women are always trouble for him, poor Will.

Edited July 4, 2015 by jeansheridan

[GreyBunny]

My crackpot idea regarding Hannibal's striped suit:  Abel wore a striped bathrobe when he was being systematically amputated and dined upon.  Now Hannibal is wearing something similar because now he's the one losing himself a piece at a time.  

Edited July 4, 2015 by GreyBunny

[LittleIggy]

I was thinking "does anyone in this 'verse ever Google anybody?" when Pazzi googled Hannibal. Why had no one ever seen an image of Dr. Fell online? Just saying...

[Anela]

I wouldn't blame Will for making his own hit list, at this point, like a certain character from Game of Thrones (just because people keep screwing him over). I thought that scene was odd, in that the train was moving fast, but their hair wasn't flying all over the place. My hair goes nuts if I open the window in the van. 

 

JACK!!! Love him. 

 

I kind of liked Mason, too. Just a bit. But I was glad that Alana wasn't ready to have anyone die, outside of Hannibal himself. 

Edited July 4, 2015 by Anela

[jeansheridan]

I just realized Hannibal and Will both did backflips in this episode. Two shirtless scenes. Both imagined killing their partner.

And that Jack and Hannibal were in matching colors during their fight. White shirt, black vests. Jack even pushes up sleeves all bad ass. I do worry about his socked feet and the glass.

And Mason might win for best tie/shirt combo.

[Tippi Blevins]

Hannibal's terrible shirt in the piano scene was mentioned earlier. What in the hell was that thing? It looked like camouflage. It looked like he got it at Academy Sports.

[jeansheridan]

 

I kind of liked Mason, too. Just a bit. But I was glad that Alana wasn't ready to have anyone die, outside of Hannibal himself.

He is enjoyable for his total evil glee. Plus his resilience is impressive. He is still dangerous despite being paralyzed. Margo could smother him yet doesn't. Why not?

[saber5055]

Mason's "spit/quit" comment was disgusting. But in character for the character. He's just not someone I'd like to be around. Or even meet. Even before his face thing.

 

Jack's beat down on Hannibal I vote for Best Fight Sequence EVER. For once, the beat-ee doesn't just jump up and fight back after getting socked with a roundhouse. While it didn't actually kill Hannibal as it would have some "normal" person, for once Jack had the upper hand without all the fakery that goes along with other tv or movie fights, where the person beaten up is running around next scene like he didn't incur anything worse than stubbing his toe.

 

I was hoping, when Jack stuck him in the leg with that grappling hook, that he would have hoisted him up in the air and hung him upside down for a punching bag sequence. Oh well. Next time.

 

I still love Will Fancy Dancy. Maybe the fall off the train killed him and now he's dead like Abigail.

Edited July 4, 2015 by saber5055

[Snookums]

Margo could smother him yet doesn't. Why not?

 

 

She's thoroughly enjoying having power over him, considering a) the years of torture at his hands and b) careful programming by an amused Hannibal. When Hannibal dislikes somebody but they're too high profile to eat, he turns the people that person has tormented against him/her, thus punishing the person and putting the seeming victor in a position of paralysis and helplessness. In the last scene with the Vergers last season, when Margot appears to gloat over her now helpless foe, she is literally wearing a metal collar-like necklace, missing the irony that is clasped like hands about her throat.

[Dot Com]

I think that when Mason dies his money/estate goes to charity or something instead of going to her. Neither Mason or his father wanted a woman to inherited it.

Edited July 4, 2015 by Dot Com

[greenbean]

The fight scene really saved the show, it was a bore to watch but at this point I'm in completist mode.

 

I don't like what Will has become. His scenes are just awful. They're so meandering and pointless. There's no urgency to his actions, and his motivations are unclear, but not in a good way like S2.

 

I'm glad the Italian police officer died. Sorry but I just didn't care for him. I want them back in Baltimore, I'm sick of this fugitive in Europe plot. It will be episode 6 next week, and almost nothing has happened!

 

I think the show has become too self-aware, especially with Will.

[Anela]

I missed the "spit" comment. 

[MisterGlass]

Seconding Dot Com, Margot has very little on her own because their father willed everything to Mason, and it is in a trust for Mason or a biological male heir, and otherwise goes to charity.  That's why Margot wanted a child.

 

 

If Bedelia was indeed shopping for Hannibal's requests all this time (and using the opportunity to attract some attention), I am a bit disappointed as it seems she has been buying the same thing over and over and over each week.

Part of me thinks that she sits in front of the train station cameras every week then tosses each bag in the river so Hannibal doesn't know she's creating a pattern.

 

 

When Alana said "a table setting from home of Dr. Hannibal Lecter" it was as if they had opened a Hannibal Museum and she was the tour guide...

People would go to that.  People like us.

 

 

I couldn't enjoy the fight scene because I was cringing at all the collateral damage. Antiques! Antiques everywhere!

Well, they were instruments of torture, so I think they were probably more durable than Hannibal.  The Catherine wheel was still spinning.

[roomtorome]

Good grief this thing has got so pretentious with the "art" stuff - I'm sick of it.  Bored by it and I loved it the first two seasons.  

 

I tried when I watched this episode to imagine the dialogue and scenes without all the extraordinary cinematography and realized it would be total dreck - to me (speaking for myself of course) - 

 

Because, really, without the visual to make this and the music, it wouldn't even be remotely interesting to me - they have this guy in their sights, they know who he is, what he's done and he's traipsing around Florence like he owns the bloody place - so stupid.  And, filmed as other shows are, it would be intolerable to me. 

 

Worse of it all?  A shameful waste of extraordinary talent by all the performers by giving them this less than mediocre crap.  

 

But good heavens, MM makes the entire show for me.  Will bores me to tears - Did anyone on planet earth thing that guy was going to make it out alive and why would someone be so stupid to be in the same room alone with Hannibal?  Everyone is so stupid that it makes it frustrating when you realize Hannibal has no real actual adversaries of worth to his talent and threat so you kinda always know where it is going to end up - except for whatever ending they have in store.  

 

But - my goodness, what a bunch of stupid people - all of whom know what this guy is but keep letting giving him a pass so he can kill someone else and munch on their internal goodies.  Jack not killing him is now, for me, fully responsible for anyone else this freak kills.  

 

Yea, yea, I get that Hannibal and Will are connected in some karmic way but right now, I just think they are all just a bunch of loons, thanks to the crummy writing. 

 

Gosh, I hate when shows I love get turned into this sort of mess - oh well.  At least I enjoyed two seasons to the fullest.  They were extraordinary.  

 

Stupid.

[LittleIggy]

 

 But good heavens, MM makes the entire show for me.  Will bores me to tears -

 

Word. Mads is the man.

[GreyBunny]

I'll give you that Jack made a mistake not killing H.  He seems to want to leave Hannibal for Will to kill but how many people is H going to kill until then?  If it were me, I would have taken that huge anchor hook thing, jammed it in H's neck, and chucked him out the window to hang like one of Mason's pigs next to Pazzi.  Will would deal with his own existential crisis without confronting Hannibal.

[rozen]

Oh yea, The Lion as back on his A game. I feel like part of Jack's chucking of his wedding ring was like shedding his last bits of humanity. He didn't need Phyllis's guilt weighting him down while he was deciding whether to end Hannibal or not. Have we ever seen Hannibal be on point, so ferocious, as when he's fighting Jack? They really are two old alpha predators. That fight choreography was awesome, though I'm not sure how realistic. Does Jack really have that much weight on Hannibal that he can overcome the latter's youth/spryness? Super happy to see him get his licks in, regardless. 

 

Even if Chiyou did want to kill Hannibal, why would she hand over initiative to some upstart who suffered for what, two years? At least Alana understood her rage needed to play second fiddle, at least superficially. She's still boring though. The stilted acting for Abigail was at least interesting because you knew how much messed up stuff she'd gone through. 

 

Hmm, I think Jack presumes killing/capturing Hannibal will be cathartic for Will. Otherwise there's a good chance one of his top FBI profilers is going to go full serial killer, and pretty much everyone's screwed then.

[Slovenly Muse]

Man, I wish I could have enjoyed that fight scene! I wanted to, but I was legitimately terrified that it was going to end in Jack's death. Hey, so many people survived last season's finale, the show's about ready for a major character death, and my money is never on the combatant whose name is NOT the title of the show! I am glad they both survived, and I think Fishburn's "alive" is potentially his greatest line delivery of the entire series.

As for the train, I'm not sure what Chiyoh's motivations are, but I'm hopeful we'll find out soon. (My one major complaint with this season so far is that it is creating a lot of mystery, but not really any certainty to hang it on. What is Bedelia doing with Hannibal? How much of a prisoner is she, and what is her agenda? Does Will want to catch Hannibal or kill him? Or join him? Is Jack pursuing Will to help him or to stop him? Is this trip Bureau-sanctioned, or are Jack and Will burning serious bridges by doing this? Has Alanna really gone dark, or is she only using Mason, and if both, to what degrees? What is Chiyoh's agenda?... I'm sure there are more. There's too much that is unclear and uncertain. If we knew some of these things for sure, then the mystery surrounding the rest would have some stakes for us to get invested in! I suspect this season will be MUCH better upon second viewing, when we finally get all these answers and then go back and rewatch it all masterfully unfold.) My impression of the train scene is that Chiyoh, during her brief time with Will, has seen that he has incorporated too much of Hannibal into himself, has been moulded too much into Hannibal's image, and decided to ditch him because she didn't feel any safer with him than she would with Hannibal. I don't think she's loyal to Hannibal, I think she's afraid that Will is, and believes she can't turn Will away from him. But the first real appearance of the Ravenstag I choose to take as a clue that Will is beginning to find himself again, and is being led now by his own instincts rather than the damage that Hannibal did to him.

Man, I am REALLY looking forward to the end of this season so that I can go back and enjoy it properly!

[GreyBunny]

Does Jack really have that much weight on Hannibal that he can overcome the latter's youth/spryness? Super happy to see him get his licks in, regardless. 

For the season 2 fight, Mads said that Laurence outweighs him and is stronger than him so Hannibal had to cheat in order to win against Jack.

 

Edited July 5, 2015 by GreyBunny

[unworried well]

From Takiawase:

 

Hannibal: You are considering ending your life?
Bella: Suicide seems like a valid solution to my problem.
Hannibal: How does that make you feel?
Bella: Alive.

 

[saber5055]

I missed the "spit" comment.

 

 

I wish I had. I'm still trying to cleanse my memory of it.

 

Does Jack really have that much weight on Hannibal that he can overcome the latter's youth/spryness?

 

 

Jack got in a good, solid roundhouse first, taking Hannibal by surprise. That's why I posted above how much I enjoyed the fight, it was more real than those fake tv fights where the person getting beaten up can jump up and fight back like he was never struck at all. I bump my head on a door jam and I'm all about doing nothing for a few hours afterward.

 

I think Jack DID mean to kill Hannibal, he's not "leaving him for Will." Tossing someone out of a window usually means you want that person dead. It was just convenient for Hannibal that he had the Italian cop's body hanging there to grab on to and break his fall. I'm sure that irritated Jack in a big way.

Edited July 5, 2015 by saber5055

[Actionmage]

I'm sure that irritated Jack in a big way.

 

Another example of Hannibal making, as it were, his own luck.  As Jack kept advancing on Hannibal at the window, I kept yelling at the TV, " JACK, NO! HE'S GONNA THROW YOU OUT! " So I was a whole mess of feels at the actual end of the meeting, the combatants' positions changed and mirrored, if not in the same physical condition.  I'm with you, saber5055; the fight was brutal and felt very real. 

 

I've always heard TV folks talk about how fights are supposed to also further the story, but I haven't always seen how that was so. This fight? Yes.  It was Jack, with practically nothing to hold him back, going after the person(suit) that had done so much damage to so many people: colleagues, friends and Bella.  It was, by the majority response here and in my house, a wonderfully cathartic, cleansing rage unleashed. That Hannibal had barely a response/ way to get any equilibrium was a testament to the force Jack was wielding.  Hannibal looked lost, as if not believing what was happening.  At least, not until the hook.

 

Does Jack really have that much weight on Hannibal that he can overcome the latter's youth/spryness?

 

Being curious, I IMDb'd the actor's ages.  There are only, roughly, four years difference.  I never read Hannibal as younger than Jack, in any meaningful way. The difference is in how Jack has weight to him ( apparently all muscle) and Hannibal is relatively lithe for what Americans expect for someone who's fifty-something. ( At least that is why, I believe, the continuing trumpeting of how someone over fifty still looks desirable  goes on in magazines and TV shows.)  Anyway. Yes, as the above noted, Jack has weight to him that Hannibal has to account for and had no time to plan on how to take Jack down efficiently.

 

This is why I don't want Jack to meet Hannibal again. Hannibal will kill him if he sees Jack again, or try. Their fights are breathtaking, though! Kudos to the fight  choreographer(s) and the stunt team. Another wonderful meeting of this series' badasses.

[roomtorome]

I do think it's true Jack meant to kill him by tossing him out the window - but, as it did not, why was the next few minutes not filled up with police cars and police swarming everywhere - Hannibal was a mess - Florence is not that big - I couldn't even manage to get lost there and I actually tried.  I suppose he could jump into the Arno but even then, security cameras would have seen at which point he went into the river - oh, I don't know - I can't believe I'm even trying to make sense of this thing.

 

The disappointing thing is we all never hear the truth from anyone involved about what they thought of this season has been because if they are unhappy with it, it's just not ever done to say so.  But, as a performer, had I been in the first two seasons, this would be extremely disappointing to return to after those two seasons - 

 

I was talking to someone about it last week who also loved the first two seasons and both of us kind of feel like the over-dramatic cinematography is almost a joke now as it is so over the top.  Nothing like taking something wonderful and beating it to a bloody pulp- and, no, I don't mean Hannibal the character himself….

Edited July 5, 2015 by roomtorome

[Captanne]

I've stopped expecting this show to make any sense whatsoever -- so I've stopped commenting on it.  I agree with you roomtorome and would add only that I was never so disappointed as when Chiyo throwing Will off the train made me laugh out loud.  Talk about unintentional hilarity.  I couldn't help myself but thinking the whole scene was comical.  Then I realized, when the Ravenstag showed up, it wasn't meant to be funny.

[raven]

 

I couldn't help myself but thinking the whole scene was comical.

Is it that easy to throw someone off of a train?  It sure looked easy.  Yes and looked very silly, esp with the slo-mo.

 

I hope Jack intended Hannibal to live if the fall didn't kill him.  Hannibal is beaten up, wounded in the leg so that he's bleeding and limping - Jack could easily chase him down and finish the job.  Jack just looks foolish if he didn't intend to let Hannibal go (which is a different kind of foolishness!)  It was great to see Hannibal get his ass kicked - and I don't find that surprising, Jack is a big guy, muscular - but ultimately pointless unless it results in his capture.  We know he's not going to die.

 

Not impressed with Chiyo either.  Someone for Will to exposit to?  We know she's not going to kill Hannibal.   

 

I miss Will's humanity.  I find the struggle of good to not give in to evil to be far more interesting than the study of evil for its own sake.  I think it's harder to resist impulses than give in to them, and I would rather see Will in that struggle and playing cat and mouse with Hannibal then watch Hannibal indulge his impulses.  FWIW I think we're seeing the true Hannibal, one who surrounds himself with the trappings of humanity but they don't mean that much to him.  He has a wide breadth of knowledge, can talk about music, literature, etc, make his surroundings physcially comfortable so that others will underestimate him but he doesn't feel it the way others do.  It doesn't mean anything to him, he doesn't really understand human feelings; he can mimic them and can assess actions/consequences based on his own history and dealings with patients but he's a psychopath who lacks empathy.  Then it's oops! someone crossed/annoyed Hannibal!  Gonna cut him up and eat him!  Just another serial killer (to me).

 

I don't think whatever is going on with Bedelia all that fascinating either; I think Mads is unattractive and they're giving Gillian Anderson such a brittle, stressed look here that she looks almost unnatural.  I assume that's what they're going for, she's living on the edge but it doesn't make me sympathize with her.

 

So this season isn't working for me, not just the endless snails and loud music, but the endless conversations that don't mean much of anything - at least Alana & Mason are talking about what they want to do, that's almost a relief.    I was happy that Jack did something but it was annoying to see him calmly watch Hannibal limp away, knowing he could dash down the stairs and finish him off (then no more show but artistically a poor choice IMO).

Edited July 5, 2015 by raven

[Brattinella]

Ye Gods what an amazing episode!  That fight was SO enervating and ALIVE!  The train-toss thing was really out of the blue, but to tell you the truth, any scene with Chiyo I just kinda tune out.  I don't understand her part AT ALL, I think she needs to be the Entree of the Week.

 

Hubby actually dozed off before the Pazzi scene, so he has to watch the whole episode again!  He missed EVERYTHING!

 

 

The spit/quit thing?  I blush to admit I agree with the sentiment.

[Crossbow]

Chiyo bores me too. It's like she was only there for exposition. Maybe she'll get more interesting.

 

I've been watching every Mads movie I can get on Netflix and Amazon. I'm starting to suspect he LIKES getting beaten up. And dislikes wearing shirts. Fuller did say Mads wanted more nudity this season.

[penelope79]

My reactions, watching the show, in chronological order:

 

-Please, please, please, turn the lights on!

-Enough with the damn slugs already!

-Rallenty. How refreshing!

-Ok, Hannibal and Bedelia are officially doing it. There's no way they are not.

-Now that I think about it, enough with the philosophical talk, too! Here and there, I appreciate it, but WHO does really talk like this all the time? Seriously. Sometimes I would really appreciate some normal dialogue.

-Mia Maestro!

-Alana is rocking that look, as well as Bedelia, but why most of the women in this show look like they're living in the 40s?

-Distracted by the literal translation "Voluto per Omicidio" ("Wanted for murder") instead of "Ricercato Per Omicidio". First time I hear "Voluto per Omicidio" and in Italian is quite funny.

-Chyio is going to hit on Will Graham, because you can't share the room with a guy as cute as Hugh Dancy without let your mind going there. I wouldn't, but only because I love Claire Danes! ;)

-Rinaldo Pazzi is totally going to be killed. Don't turn your back on Hannibal...

-...RIP, Pazzi.

-Chyio actually hits on Will. No, wait... seriously?

-Go Jack, go! I was soooo afraid Hannibal could kill him, but seeing Jack kicking his ass was deeply satisfying. And Hannibal, I know you're a cannibal and all, but it's f*ing Morpheus you're dealing with!

 

 

Does Italy have different rules and regulations about where you can scatter ashes? I know here in California, we had to rent a boat and go offshore a certain distance in order to scatter a friend's father's ashes.

 

On a related note, if I die first I hope that Mr. EB doesn't immediately remove his ring and fling it into the first body of water he sees.

 

Hannibal and Bedelia must be Doing It now, right? I mean, shirtless Hannibal is feeding her and touching her hair and neck neck in the sexiest way possible while she's lounging about the house in a silk nightgown and robe. There's no way they're hanging out like that but just being platonic!

 

Hannibal always prides himself on being so sneaky and having the upper hand, so I loved that Jack took off his shoes to sneak up on Hannibal. Even though Jack was in control for that entire scene, I kept worrying that Hannibal was going to grab something and knock Jack out or toss him out the window. Sometimes the arty close up/slow motion "I love film making for the sake of film making" shots can be a bit much for me, but I loved the shots of the glass shattering. I also loved Jack and Hannibal reversing positions (Jack initially looking up from the piazza at Hannibal in the window after killing Pazzi and then Hannibal down in the piazza looking up at Jack in the window). I also cracked up when Jack reached out to spin that giant wheel before walking over to the window.

 

RIP Pazzi - at least Jack got to have a nice dinner without any people parts before Hannibal tossed you out the window!

 

I like fireflies and all, but enough with the fireflies and the snails, damn it.

 

I agree with your entire post! :)

Now, on the specific question about Italian rules, ashes can basically be scattered anywhere (but in sea, lakes and rivers, only in areas free from swimmers and handworks) as soon as it's a choice of the deceased.

[Crossbow]

 

-Please, please, please, turn the lights on!

 

This.

[pasdetrois]

 

Fuller did say Mads wanted more nudity this season.

 

Well, my goodness, let's all grant him his wish.

[Tara Ariano]

ICYMI, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode! 

 

'A Wonderful Heirloom' / Vintage visuals from the latest Hannibal.

[roomtorome]

Oh, yes, the lights!  Maybe they have blown their entire budget on all the artsy stuff that they forgot to include some money for lighting. 

 

I too laughed when he went off the back of the train; reminded of an old Chaplin or Buster Keaton bit - she barely touched him and off he went - very funny.

 

The one thing I never anticipated when I first began watching this show was that it would begin to register more on the humorous side of the spectrum than the horror side (for me).  

[Crossbow]

Oh, yes, the lights!  Maybe they have blown their entire budget on all the artsy stuff that they forgot to include some money for lighting. 

 

First season they said they were intentionally using backlighting as a theme. Apparently they've gone from backlighting to no lighting. If I hadn't just bought a larger TV, I don't think I would even know WTF is going on .

[Crossbow]

I have to have the room completely dark because any light at all reflecting on the screen makes it worse. Sometimes I wonder if they're intentionally invoking Clarice Starling bumbling around that basement in the dark.

[saber5055]

I was happy that Jack did something but it was annoying to see him calmly watch Hannibal limp away, knowing he could dash down the stairs and finish him off

 

 

Once Hannibal was out the window and on his feet, Jack no longer had the element of surprise on his side. If he had run down the steps to attack Hannibal in the street, i have no doubt Hannibal would have been MORE than ready for him, and that would be the end of Jack, not of Hannibal.

 

Not impressed with Chiyo either. We know she's not going to kill Hannibal.

 

 

I don't know that. Not sure anyone but the writers know that.

 

So I'm in the minority being shocked at Will getting tossed off the train. Like I posted, I jumped a foot in the air and shouted a reactionary word at the tv. Maybe it's because I'm one of the few who actually likes the character?

[raven]

 

If he had run down the steps to attack Hannibal in the street, i have no doubt Hannibal would have been MORE than ready for him, and that would be the end of Jack, not of Hannibal.

Hannibal was weaponless, wounded, limping and fleeing.  Jack had various weapons to choose from and had barely broken a sweat.  Perfect time to get rid of Hannibal once and for all, except no Hannibal, no show.

 

 

I don't know that. Not sure anyone but the writers know that.

Well, my opinion comes from the show being called "Hannibal" and though it's currently cancelled, there were longer term plans.  So the writers aren't going to kill Hannibal now, hence my comment regarding the fight with Jack and Chiyo's possible role.  It's not a tense situation to me to put Hannibal's life in danger knowing that the show won't kill him now.  YMMV as always.

[AstaCharles]

 So I'm in the minority being shocked at Will getting tossed off the train. Like I posted, I jumped a foot in the air and shouted a reactionary word at the tv. Maybe it's because I'm one of the few who actually likes the character?

I still like Will :)

I just caught up with the last three episodes and I'm still enjoying the season. Just some thoughts after my mini marathon: I think part of that conversation of Will and Jack was about Will admitting to Jack that he is a killer ( a monster) just like Hannibal ( a monster) and he left that out there for Jack to decide on what to do about their friendship.

As for the artsy pretentiousness , it doesn't bother me too much. To me it's like an acid trip horror film , the kind I watched on the late late late Saturday nights when I was kid. There was also a Japanese horror film that my friend showed me , and it was about a science team stranded on a strange island and the plants slowly took over their bodies. Creepier than the American Body Snatcher films. Every time I see the snails I think of that weird horror film.