S03.E08: The Great Red Dragon

[Snookums]

Shoot, I'd have changed my name and moved to Antarctica if he'd ever looked at me and said that.

 

 

And even then you'd be panicking every time the supply plane landed.

 

I think that Nutjob had a good point: Hannibal had plenty to use against them both if they actively helped the prosecution try for the death penalty. Just like everyone else who's had Hannibal in their lives, they will never be free of him--always the thinnest of gold chains; one end dangling lazily from H's elegant fingers, the other wrapped around your throat.

 

Plus, in as much a practical sense as this fever dream of a series ever deals with, it would be more difficult then it would seem at first glance to get the death penalty because of the floridness, intimacy, nature and quantity of Hannibal's crimes. It would be relatively easy to get death for a killer who's shot a cop (but not always; see Charles Monfort's recent life prison sentence here in Washington for deliberately hunting police officers) or committed a terrorist act, because of the easily graspable nature of the hatefulness of the crime.

 

Hannibal's sins, however, while arising from the deepest contempt for humans and their filth and idiocy and bumbling and blind stuntedness, are so bizarre and elevated as to come across as loving, or at least an inverted form of worship. Basically, while being in full control of himself and his actions at all times, he comes across crazier then any dozen of the rest of the wretched locked in Chilton's asylum. Any jury facing down Hannibal would vote him insane simply because the alternative is too damn terrifying, too damn horrifying, to contemplate.

 

And Hannibal is not down with submitting to the needle; he'd cheerfully play up the Mad Cannibal angle as much as need be to secure his continued existence. Chilton and Alana know this, and if the trial goes all the way through and the court has control of his sentencing, who knows where he'd end up? Some Supermax facility in the Middle West, which for Hannibal Lecter might as well be made of Tinkertoys and staffed by the three blind mice? No, best to make the best of a bad job. Let him plead out, lock him up in our own backyard, never take an eye off him for a minute. It's the best solution in this worst of worlds.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Snookums

[kmm49]

I'd rather see their relationship reconfigured every season than have to make room for Clarice Starling, no matter how awesome Fuller may make her.

Totally agree. I hated Jodie Foster's interpretation of Clarice Starling (that accent!) and can't think of Fuller making her more interesting. He doesn't write female characters very well so I'd have no hope in his reimagining!

 

While I wouldn't have chosen to spend half the season in Italy and felt it meandered a bit too much, the Italian episodes didn't bother me as much as many viewers.

I enjoyed the first episode mainly because of Dimmond but it just didn't go anywhere. Too bad the possibilities weren't explored more. Wasted opportunity in my opinion. And there's the crux of my problem with Italy. Wasted opportunity! Especially now we know this is the last season.

 

I think that Nutjob had a good point: Hannibal had plenty to use against them both if they actively helped the prosecution try for the death penalty.

Hannibal totally would've gotten the death penalty if he was tried in Texas where I live! He wouldn't be sitting in a big cozy cell either. His attempted killing of FBI agents would've been more than enough.

 

Dolarhyde is. He believes he's turning into the Red Dragon.

He would definitely have a better case for insanity than Hannibal. Hannibal knows exactly what he's doing.

Edited July 28, 2015 by kmm49

[paramitch]

I am not sure about those last two, but Gacy, Bundy, and Dahmer were not psychotic. They were not disconnected from reality. Dolarhyde is. He believes he's turning into the Red Dragon.

 

I have no trouble believing Dolarhyde is able to tamp down the crazy in public. Like so many serial killers, he's had to spend a lifetime pretending to be normal on the outside. It's only inside that he allows the crazy flag to fly free, and I find that believable. I also like the uncomfortable edge it gives to what we see so far, because, despite the terrible things he does, I do feel a tiny bit of reluctant sympathy for this obviously crazy and abused guy who is just completely not in touch with reality at all.

 

On Gacy, Bundy, Dahmer, et al, I'll just agree to disagree -- I definitely think they meet the general definitions of 'psychotic.' What Bundy did to those he murdered was every bit as privately ritualistic (fulfilling a specific fantasy and series of elements) as what Dolarhyde is doing. And in some ways, as what Lecter has been doing (more on this farther down).

 

Side note: I grew up in Bundy country -- it was very strange, and kind of creepy actually. I ended up feeling a little haunted by him. I went to FSU about 7 years after Bundy and used to pass the Chi Omega house all the time. Our sorority had sleeping porches (they all did) specifically because of the Bundy attacks on Chi Omega. Then Bundy was captured and actually executed while I was still at FSU, and one of my professors was even able to go in and interview him. Everything went nuts when Bundy was executed -- people were picketing the prison screaming "fry him," people were picketing to save his life, the local cafes were serving "Bundy fingers" and "Bundy fries," etc.

Then I moved to Seattle only to realize that it was the other major "Bundy area," and I eventually went on to meet homicide cops who worked on some of his cases (and who worked with the late Ann Rule). He was definitely one of those who was just absolutely unhinged inside but was able to present a normal and even charming exterior.

 

And even then you'd be panicking every time the supply plane landed.

 

I think that Nutjob had a good point: Hannibal had plenty to use against them both if they actively helped the prosecution try for the death penalty. Just like everyone else who's had Hannibal in their lives, they will never be free of him--always the thinnest of gold chains; one end dangling lazily from H's elegant fingers, the other wrapped around your throat.

Hannibal's sins, however, while arising from the deepest contempt for humans and their filth and idiocy and bumbling and blind stuntedness, are so bizarre and elevated as to come across as loving, or at least an inverted form of worship. Basically, while being in full control of himself and his actions at all times, he comes across crazier then any dozen of the rest of the wretched locked in Chilton's asylum. Any jury facing down Hannibal would vote him insane simply because the alternative is too damn terrifying, too damn horrifying, to contemplate.

 

And Hannibal is not down with submitting to the needle; he'd cheerfully play up the Mad Cannibal angle as much as need be to secure his continued existence. Chilton and Alana know this, and if the trial goes all the way through and the court has control of his sentencing, who knows where he'd end up? Some Supermax facility in the Middle West, which for Hannibal Lecter might as well be made of Tinkertoys and staffed by the three blind mice? No, best to make the best of a bad job. Let him plead out, lock him up in our own backyard, never take an eye off him for a minute. It's the best solution in this worst of worlds.

These are all excellent points -- and oh, man, I just can't imagine ever resting again if Hannibal has you on his agenda. Ever. I don't know why I find him so much scarier now, caged, than I did when he was loose. Maybe because then, he was still sort of conforming to some sort of loose series of "person-suit" rules, and now all bets are off? He doesn't have to pretend anymore. He never has to pretend to be normal again. The "person-suit" is gone.

 

And I hadn't thought about the leverage Hannibal would have over Alana and Chilton, so that too of course would play into his privileges and serene environment.

 

I do think you make a vital and important point: That Hannibal is insane. He really is. He's brilliant enough to rationalize and intellectualize what he does, but once you get past all of his reasons for doing what he does, the fact is, he kills and eats people.

 

That's what I think is so brilliant and sad about the show (and the book, and Manhunter) -- Will is totally able to imagine what it's like to be insane, to be evil, to be one of these killers he hunts. But they themselves (Hannibal included) really cannot imagine the reverse.

 

One of my favorite bits of dialogue ever is the exchange between Will and Hannibal over this very fact in Manhunter (has Fuller used this yet?):

 

Will Graham: I know that I'm not smarter than you.

Hannibal: Then how did you catch me?

Will Graham: You had disadvantages.

Hannibal: What disadvantages?

Will Graham: You're insane.

 

He would definitely have a better case for insanity than Hannibal. Hannibal knows exactly what he's doing.

 

I suspect though that Hannibal's incredible knowledge of psychiatry would also make him formidable at achieving the insanity plea he desires. He would know exactly how to reply, how to behave, what to say. And ironically, I do believe he's batshit crazy insane. But I also think he's so brilliant that he can certainly fake sanity if he ever cared enough to do so (as he did for so many years before capture). 

[MisterGlass]

Hannibal's pride in his work his feeds into an insanity defense.  And he can say with honesty that he thought of his victims as cows and pigs.

 

 

I have no trouble believing Dolarhyde is able to tamp down the crazy in public. Like so many serial killers, he's had to spend a lifetime pretending to be normal on the outside.

That was Hannibal's focus in his psychiatric practice: helping other disturbed people to blend in.  I agree that Dolarhyde could control some of his behavior in public.  If paranoia is part of his condition it would make since for him to hide himself while he is still transforming.  And he doesn't need to hide every aspect of his behavior, just enough to appear functional.  If people think he has a less severe mental illness it would not prevent him from continuing his mission.

[crowswork]

 

 

Look at it this way: we all do things at home alone that we wouldn't do while others are watching. Luckily, for most of us who are not real-deal literal psychopaths, those things are stuff like walk around naked, have complete conversations with pets, eat a Cheeto off the floor, pee in the shower

OK! Where did you hide the camera?

 

Shoot, I'd have changed my name and moved to Antarctica if he'd ever looked at me and said that.

 

I liked Movie Will's idea of a sail boat. Not sure about the dogs going. First season I wondered why the dogs didn't raise cane when crap happened at Will's... then realized a lot of it was in Will's head. The dogs were always sitting around the bed with that "Oh no, Will's gone around the bend." look on their faces.

Edited July 29, 2015 by crowswork

[Captanne]

The more I let this episode percolate, the more I realize how much I liked it.  Espsecially the idea of Will returning to the fold.  That bedroom scene with Molly and the subsequent letter-reading by the fire was just phenomenal.  So many layers to those five minutes of airtime.  As opposed to 30 seconds wasted on anti-gravity blood drops and hyperbolic visions of Hannibal in ceiling tiles.  Jesus, what a waste.

 

There are still things that annoy - like the stupid Pendulum o' CGI -- but they are familiar and make me smile because I think it's so amateur compared to the WAY elevated pompous state of all the other "designs" in the show.  

 

But, I'll tell ya what, I'd rather be smiling at the old techniques and their return rather than getting all pissed off watching Fuller waste the limited time this show has left on what I consider film school fluffing.

[saber5055]

I am not sure about those last two, but Gacy, Bundy, and Dahmer were not psychotic. They were not disconnected from reality. Dolarhyde is. He believes he's turning into the Red Dragon.

 

 

With the exception, of course, that Dolarhyde is fictional and those others named are/were quite real. So Dolarhyde can be whatever and whomever Fuller wants him to be for this show.

[Crossbow]

With the exception, of course, that Dolarhyde is fictional and those others named are/were quite real. So Dolarhyde can be whatever and whomever Fuller wants him to be for this show.

 

Well, good point. I was just saying it's not believable that someone who believes they are a dragon could pass for normal in society, but I guess in this show that's pretty low on the unbelievability scale.

[TattleTeeny]

it's not believable that someone who believes they are a dragon could pass for normal in society

 

 

 

Heh. Look up "otherkin" if you want to see what some people believe themselves to be while also doing normal everyday things. (Warning: it may lead to a Google spiral and a prolonged "WTF?" face.)

Edited July 30, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[Crossbow]

I don't even know I'm debating what kind of crazy Dolarhyde is, since he's fictional.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Crossbow

[JennyMominFL]

I'd like to point out that Insanity is a legal term. There is no DSM diagnosis of Insanity. Insanity is mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior. A person who is legally insanse cannot distinguish right from wrong. Insanity is a concept discussed in court to help distinguish guilt from innocence.

Hannibal would not be legally insane, unless he played it up in ways we did not see after his arrest. Hannibal knows right from wrong. He chooses wrong. The Red Dragon would  more likely be legally insane. 

[Crossbow]

One could argue Hannibal doesn't know right from wrong because even though he knows what's legal or illegal, he doesn't feel he's DONE anything wrong. He thinks his actions were justified. However, the legal definition of insanity isn't just distinguishing right from wrong, it's distinguising fantasy from reality. Lecter doesn't have that problem, but Dolarhyde does.

 

From http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=979

 

insanity

n. mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior. Insanity is distinguished from low intelligence or mental deficiency due to age or injury. If a complaint is made to law enforcement, to the District Attorney or to medical personnel that a person is evidencing psychotic behavior, he/she may be confined to a medical facility long enough (typically 72 hours) to be examined by psychiatrists who submit written reports to the local superior/county/district court. A hearing is then held before a judge, with the person in question entitled to legal representation, to determine if she/he should be placed in an institution or special facility. The person ordered institutionalized at the hearing may request a trial to determine sanity. Particularly since the original hearings are often routine with the psychiatric findings accepted by the judge. In criminal cases, a plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity" will require a trial on the issue of the defendant's insanity (or sanity) at the time the crime was committed. In these cases the defendant usually claims "temporary insanity" (crazy then, but okay now). The traditional test of insanity in criminal cases is whether the accused knew "the difference between right and wrong," following the "M'Naughten rule" from 19th century England. Most states require more sophisticated tests based on psychiatric and/or psychological testimony evaluated by a jury of laypersons or a judge without psychiatric training. A claim by a criminal defendant of his/her insanity at the time of trial requires a separate hearing to determine if a defendant is sufficiently sane to understand the nature of a trial and participate in his/her own defense. If found to be insane, the defendant will be ordered to a mental facility, and the trial will be held only if sanity returns. Sex offenders may be found to be sane for all purposes except the compulsive dangerous and/or antisocial behavior. They are usually sentenced to special facilities for sex offenders, supposedly with counseling available. However, there are often maximum terms related to the type of crime, so that parole and release may occur with no proof of cure of the compulsive desire to commit sex crimes,

[Fen]

I suspect though that Hannibal's incredible knowledge of psychiatry would also make him formidable at achieving the insanity plea he desires. He would know exactly how to reply, how to behave, what to say. And ironically, I do believe he's batshit crazy insane. But I also think he's so brilliant that he can certainly fake sanity if he ever cared enough to do so (as he did for so many years before capture). 

 

Edmund Kemper was able to do something along those lines.  He killed both his grandparents and was sent to the Atascadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.  He was apparently very intelligent, and the staff inexplicably allowed him access to several of the assessment tools they used.  He memorised the appropriate responses to 28 of them, used this when the time came for his own assessment, and was subsequently released on his 21st birthday.  He went on to kill eight people as an adult.

 

I'm a little confused as to what exactly has happened that has made Hannibal decide Alana is on the kill list.  Is it:

 

1. Refusing to walk away when he offered the option?
2. Teaming up with Mason to hunt him down?
3. Only releasing him in order to allow him to save Will?
4. Choosing to be his jailer?
5. Ensuring he got the insanity diagnosis/preventing him from getting the insanity diagnosis (I was unclear as to which).

 

Or is it all of the above?

 

S3 Alana's character is general is a little confusing, for me.  I understand that she's likely to be very changed by her experience, and there's the whole bone marrow in the blood thing (although I'm not sure exactly what kind of changes the bone marrow would bring about in the brain to create a wide-scale and long-lasting change to the personality).

 

However, I do feel that her characterisation seems 'gappy' and that I have to work to fill in those gaps.  That's fine - but I'm not always sure whether the impression that I'm getting is the one that's intended.  S1 and 2 Alana was professional, caring, warm.  She was loyal as far as she could be in a difficult situation.  In terms of how she was presented, it was fairly traditionally female, long hair, colourful wrap dresses - and this served as a visual reminder of what we were meant to take from her character: 'traditional' female qualities - nurturing, protective, etc.  She was consistent and coherent.

 

S3 Alana.  I can take that she's defensive and angry about what happened to her - so we've dropped the flowy dresses and hair, and we've gone for traditionally masculine tailoring and harsher makeup.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to read this as a victory or a defeat.

 

Her relationship with Margot, well - OK - but this is the same woman who said she didn't want to date Will because she would see him as a patient.  Margot was seeing Hannibal because she had tried to murder her brother.  I can maybe take that she's changed her policy on that. 

 

Helping Mason find Hannibal?  I bought that she did it because she was completely out for revenge.  If I'm supposed to believe her later rationalisation to Will - that she did it to get to Hannibal before Will could, then I just don't.  If she's talked to Margot or Mason, then she must know that Will was heavily implicated in Mason's disfigurement, and that Mason would be more than willing to include Will in his plans.  Even if she doesn't know that, then she might assume that a sadist like Mason would not balk at the opportunity to torture and kill an innocent bystander.  She's also had it forcibly demonstrated to her time and time again that Will knows Hannibal better than she does.  The chances of her finding him - even with Mason's help - are not as good as Will's  Her explanation seemed poorly thought-out and implausible - and I felt she came up with it because she felt shamed by Will's judgment of her.

 

Which takes us to this episode, and Alana has given up her old job in order to be Hannibal's jailer.  For me, at this point, Alana seems both damaged and trapped.  Key ideals she held have fundamentally shifted (she's a co-conspirator with Chilton now?  Chilon - who she despised?).  She's sitting behind glass, staring at Hannibal, even though he told her she could never have understood him.  For me, I read her motivations to be:

 

• I recommended Hannibal to Jack, and thus to Will, and feel guilty for the part I played (irrational as it may be).  As such, I will now act as Hannibal's jailer
• I am betrayed and angry that a man I was in a relationship with played me for a fool and I apparently didn't know him at all.  I want to be able to understand him to prove him wrong.
• Professional anger - I didn't see this, and now I feel foolish.

 

But I have no idea whether this is what I'm supposed to be taking from it.  She seems damaged and angry and trapped - and I'm not really buying her as powerful because she's acquired a few suits.  Even Chilton didn't feel the need to keep Gideon in his hospital, Alana.  When Chilton is winning the personal growth contest, something has gone badly wrong.

 

I'm not entirely convinced that Molly and Walter aren't Will's own version of a 'people suit'.  It seemed surface to me, butI'll need to see more in the next episode.  The risk is that any new relationship Will has is going to look 'less' when you consider the huge amount of time that's gone into building up his relationship with Hannibal, which itself is presented as being incredibly intimate.  Keen to see how this will be addressed.  Molly's encouraging Will to go back to the field, and apparently not knowing what Will would be like afterwards didn't do much to alleviate my impression that the relationship lacked real depth and knowledge

Edited August 1, 2015 by Fen

[DeadlyEuphoric]

I'm a little confused as to what exactly has happened that has made Hannibal decide Alana is on the kill list.  Is it:

 

1. Refusing to walk away when he offered the option?
2. Teaming up with Mason to hunt him down?
3. Only releasing him in order to allow him to save Will?
4. Choosing to be his jailer?
5. Ensuring he got the insanity diagnosis/preventing him from getting the insanity diagnosis (I was unclear as to which).

 

Or is it all of the above?

 

 

It was #1. He told her if she left, he would leave her alone; but if she stayed he would kill her.  And he keeps his promises. She stayed and tried to kill him so she made her choice. And now, he intends to keep to his promise, as he boasts of being "honest", in that regard.

 

The other stuff, I think just adds fuel to his desire to kill her and how imaginative and brutal he will be about it. Except for the "save Will" part, don't think he has any problem with that, and was not at all expecting her to save him...  And he also has no problem with the insanity plea, it works in his favor, he gets to live. He may not like people calling him crazy and oppose the idea, but he is fine with taking advantage of that. He wouldn't make an insanity plea in the first place if he had a problem, IMHO.

 

 

S3 Alana's character is general is a little confusing, for me.  I understand that she's likely to be very changed by her experience, and there's the whole bone marrow in the blood thing (although I'm not sure exactly what kind of changes the bone marrow would bring about in the brain to create a wide-scale and long-lasting change to the personality).

 

S3 Alana.  I can take that she's defensive and angry about what happened to her - so we've dropped the flowy dresses and hair, and we've gone for traditionally masculine tailoring and harsher makeup.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to read this as a victory or a defeat.........

 

She is the character that has been most changed and traumatized by what Hannibal did, and I am sure we are too see it as a "defeat". I think what really changed her is what happened to her, the trauma of it rather than the bone marrow stuff. I think she feels lots of anger and guilt and shame. There is guilt because she is the one who brought Hannibal into Will's life - Will's safety and people leaving him alone has always been one of the things Alana cared much about, and unwittingly she is the one who caused him much "damage". Not only that, Will warned her about Hannibal, and she didn't listen. She chose Hannibal over Will. Heck, even Chilton was warning her about Hannibal but she continued to be blind till the last minute. And I think she feels like a fool for all that and feels ashamed. Then there is the fact that Hannibal used and abused her and then almost killed her. There must be so much anger and hatred about that. Her heart is broken. Hannibal was someone she trusted, a lot. He was a mentor, a friend, a lover. Someone she defended fiercely, and alienated other friends for. I felt that is why she asked her if she could ever understand him, that felt as if she was asking him if there was anything real in their relationship or not, and his "no" confirmed that she was nothing more than a "thing" for him, something for his amusement, a means to an end, he had no real investment in her as a person, she is not on par with him, never was. Which is in part why he was willingly to let her go initially, I'd say, he never saw her as a real threat of any kind, she is just nothing  to him.

 

 

Her relationship with Margot, well - OK - but this is the same woman who said she didn't want to date Will because she would see him as a patient.  Margot was seeing Hannibal because she had tried to murder her brother.  I can maybe take that she's changed her policy on that.

 

Alana wanted to be Will's friend, to have a "personal" relationship with Will so she tried her best to not cave into the "professional curiosity" she had about him. That is why he never was her patient and why she doesn't take advantage of their closeness to study him. And the reason she avoided being in a relationship with Will was when Will finally made his move, he was at a time when he was rather unstable and she was aware of that, she needed him to be in a saner, more stable place before they could have a relationship. So I would say the reason she and Will didn't get to date was bad timing more than anything, she wasn't really completely opposed to the idea... Margot wasn't Alana's patient either, and I don't think she is that mentally unstable or anything, nor do I think she arouses much professional curiosity in Alana. So don't think Alana's polict changed.

 

Helping Mason find Hannibal?  I bought that she did it because she was completely out for revenge.

 

Based on her conversation with Will and her other actions I would say "I am out for revenge" is the front she put for Mason and what Alana really wanted was to get Hannibal brought back into USA so FBI could go ahead and arrest him. She doesn't even want Hannibal dead, in that regard she is still the old Alana with her "killing is bad" stance.  From what I understand, Alana figured Mason, who is not afraid to go outside the law and has lots of resources was the best bet to catch Hannibal and bring him to USA and once Hannibal was in USA, FBI could just come and arrest him (FBI couldn't really do much about Hannibal when he was still in Europe). She even mentions that she expected Jack and FBI to come to the rescue once they were in USA. That is why on the surface she appeared to be OK with whatever Mason was doing, but we know she has been plotting with Margot against Mason and we saw that she tried to warn Pazzi behind Mason's back. And regarding Will,  Mason's plans were always all about Hannibal, he never said anything about Will and Will is not the person he put a bounty on, the hotline was for Hannibal only - Will just happened to be a bonus-, so don't think she had much reason to worry about Mason having bad plans for Will. I think she did worry about Will going after Hannibal, which is why she wanted Jack to go after him, as I guess she figured, Will would be safe with Jack to look after him. But things just didn't work out the way she expected.  I am not entirely sure why she wanted to find Hannibal before Will though, was she afraid Will would be tempted by Will? Was she afraid Will might be killed by Hannibal? Or was she afraid Will might murder Hannibal and thus become a murderer? Probably all three, I think she didn't want Will to have anything to do with Hannibal..

 

 

 For me, at this point, Alana seems both damaged and trapped. 

 

 

For me, I read her motivations to be:

    I recommended Hannibal to Jack, and thus to Will, and feel guilty for the part I played (irrational as it may be).  As such, I will now act as Hannibal's jailer

    I am betrayed and angry that a man I was in a relationship with played me for a fool and I apparently didn't know him at all.  I want to be able to understand him to prove him wrong.

    Professional anger - I didn't see this, and now I feel foolish.

But I have no idea whether this is what I'm supposed to be taking from it.  She seems damaged and angry and trapped - and I'm not really buying her as powerful because she's acquired a few suits. 

 

 

That is exactly where her character is IMO too, and I think that is clearly what the show is trying to say too. Don't think the show is claiming Alana is empowered now, no, Alana is damaged and is still allowing Hannibal to ruin her life. She can't shake him off. Even Will, who is supposed to be rather more fragile and unstable and has had Hannibal "inside" his head to mess with it, has done a much better job at shaking Hannibal off and moving on with his life than Alana has. Which is a tragedy. 

 

Alana lost her innocence and her optimism and her light. She has become a hardened and cold woman. Other than that, lots of things with her are the same actually. She has always been a noteworthy academic and someone not afraid to speak her mind and stand her ground on her opinions, and that continues. She always had "strength" that way. Her "killing is bad" and "must save Will/keep Will safe" stances are still there too. But when it comes to Hannibal, she is still out of her depth and she is still unaware of that little fact.

 

I'm not entirely convinced that Molly and Walter aren't Will's own version of a 'people suit'. 

 

 

That is a very interesting take on the relationship, and I am really wondering what your take on the relationship will be after watching the next epi... I will take this part to the discussion there...

[Bruinsfan]

Tippi Blevins to be honest if Will told me "oh yes; I worked with Hannibal Lecter" without mentioning the whole sublimated homoeroticism bit I'd be running to Canton, Ohio or wherever to hide. Because any fool can see he's going to escape.

My choice would be Las Vegas: it's tacky and vulgar on a monstrous scale, which would act like garlic and crucifixes to Hannibal, and the entire Strip is under constant video surveillance with security guards everywhere.

 

I have to wonder if we'll find out exactly why Hannibal got off so lightly. To me, it would make sense for both Chilton and Alana to have helped him, because he has information on both of them that could also send them to prison--Alana being an accomplice to Mason Verger kidnapping and torturing Hannibal, and Chilton's unethical practices with Abel Gideon and others.

I don't actually think that would necessarily have been a problem for Alana given her traumatic past with Hannibal and her brush with death--certainly if I were on a jury I'd have voted to acquit her of any wrongdoing. Conspiring to kill Mason given that she's now raising an heir to the Verger fortune with Margo would be rather harder to dismiss/forgive.

[Finis Terre]

Alana has given up her old job in order to be Hannibal's jailer.  For me, at this point, Alana seems both damaged and trapped.

 

Great observations. To me Alana is now like Chiyo in this respect.