S02.E07: Yakimono

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

When Miriam Lass is found alive, evidence at her rescue site exonerates Will; Dr. Chilton tries to confide in Jack but is rebuffed.

[DangerousMinds]

Uh oh, I hope Chilton survives this episode.

[lulee]

That ep description sounds ominous. I am unspoiled, but I think Chilton has such a target on his back after the dinner party and some of the other recent events, and I think Hannibal will be especially tortorous of him. If Hannibal knows someone knows, they don't last long in this world, with the exception of Will.

It will be a shame if he goes. Raul Esparza has been great in the role and to lose him and Hettienne Park within a few weeks means 2 big losses to the cast.

[DangerousMinds]

The wink Hannibal gave Chilton at the dinner party surely means he knows Chilton has doubts about him? I love Esparza and the Chilton character here too but he seems doomed.

[MyrtleGroggins]

The wink Hannibal gave Chilton at the dinner party surely means he knows Chilton has doubts about him? I love Esparza and the Chilton character here too but he seems doomed.

But surely Hannibal must know that Chilton can't keep his trap shut about his theories and thus will have confided his suspicions to Jack. Therefore, he would be wise to lay low and play the psychological game for a while, undercutting Chilton's threat by making him appear (more) foolish and discrediting his theory.  If Chilton were to disappear mysteriously, followed by Hannibal inviting Jack over for steak-and-remaining-kidney pie with a side of feisty tongue, Hannibal would simply be asking for a more thorough investigation of his person and premises. 

If, however, he can somehow convince people that Gideon has escaped with an accomplice (instead of being abducted), perhaps he could craft a story where Gideon seeks his pound of flesh from Chilton for his treatment during his incarceration, and quietly take Chilton out of the picture that way...

[AimingforYoko]

Man, you thought Hannibal did a tight frame on Will. That was a sloppy mess compared to the noose he put around Chilton's neck. I hate Hannibal, but I respect the skills. One thing, though, I don't remember him being quite this ninja-like in the books. Two armed FBI agents?

[FormerMod-a1]

I am so mad they killed Chilton. I'll take my ticket to hell for saying this, but I was so hoping if someone were to die it would be Miriam. When she finds out she killed an innocent man, oh I'll feel so bad for her.

And I know Alana has known Hannibal for a long time, and I know she doesn't know what we know, but she is still annoying me to no end. She's just so willing to believe the worst about everyone else. gah! I *loved* Will gently letting her have it about believing he was a murderer, and everything else he said (wish I could remember it all). I didn't expect her to be friends again since he did try to have Hannibal killed, but if she had even acknowledged that she was SO WRONG about believing Will was a murderer before. I'll feel bad for her too, when she finally does know.

On a more positive note, I can't wait to see what Will's got up his sleeve here. Going back to Hannibal for "therapy". Will had nearly figured it all out when his brain was on fire and now he's well. This is going to be good.

Here's hoping the Ripper strikes again soon How many times can the FBI be wrong, with good reason of course, before they question what looks like solid evidence again.

[lulee]

Man, you thought Hannibal did a tight frame on Will. That was a sloppy mess compared to the noose he put around Chilton's neck. I hate Hannibal, but I respect the skills. One thing, though, I don't remember him being quite this ninja-like in the books. Two armed FBI agents?

I guess I could imagine that he invited them in, quickly subdued one and then the other, but you're right, there must have been some level of ninja action or Magical Murdering Wizard powers going on. Maybe he hypnotized them with his plastic murder onesie.

[Actionmage]

The end of this episode! I kept hearing Aretha Franklin's "Who's Zoomin' Who" and I loved it!

Anna Chlumpsky needs to win all the awards for her Miriam. I feel so for her and want to just protect her.

I was hoping Chitlin would smarm his way into another couple of seasons, but the tailored plastic onesie struck again and I felt Fredrick was going away. I did not anticipate the where. Nice swerve, Show.

The pack is back!  Yay!!

Alanna can fuck off. I'm on will's side and the more folks tell her Lecter is bad, the more she stubbornly tries to prove everyone wrong. Chilton and Will's words are gonna haunt her positive ass. (I like Caroline Dhavernas, it's Alanna that makes me want to Cher-in-Moonstruck her--"Snap out of it!")

Breaking up with Hannibal is so ...messy.

Still just... this show!

[MyrtleGroggins]

Somewhere in the middle of this episode I decided it was wiser to just go ahead and abandon my concept of reality and enjoy the pretty. 

I am now totally convinced that Hannibal is a super ninja time-manipulating wizard from space.  Did he just go ahead and answer Chilton's door all bedecked in his murderin' garb, invite the nice FBI fellas in for tea, and then hypnotize all of them so he could leisurely kill and disembowel them?

Why is Chilton's house so intensely white?  That just invites horrific murders to better highlight the arterial spatter patterns! Why is Chilton's guest room in the basement, and how did he not notice the giant truck outside that must have been present for Hannibal to outfit all the nice incriminating details?  (Wait, space wizard, right.)  But seriously, guest bedroom in the basement, across from the ... wine cellar?  Did he keep his houseguests moderately chilled?

I can understand Miriam's anger towards Chilton, given her implanted memories (nice going, space wizard!), but HOLY HELL that was a one-in-a-million shot, and through glass, no less!  Chilton, you were the unluckiest son-of-a-gun ever.

Meanwhile, Will reuniting with his dogs may have been the sweetest thing ever (at least in the realm of the Hannibal-verse).

[thuganomics85]

Damn, this would be quite a departure from the source material, if Chilton is really dead.  It looked like he was shot through the cheek, but the exit wound looked ugly.  If this truly is the end for Chilton, then damn.  He was a smug bastard, but so much fun to watch.  Raul Esparza was just spectacular in this role.  I will miss his one-liners and snark.

While I was mainly indifferent to her last week, Alana has gotten on my last nerves now.  I know she doesn't know what I know, so it's unfair, but I still hated her judgmental attitude towards both Will and Chilton.  At this point, I can only hope that, when Hannibal is finally revealed, she totally goes "Wow, I was wrong and totally acted like an asshole!" about it.  At least Will's dogs returned to their rightful master.  I just wished Applesauce abandoned Alana at the end as well, all "Fuck you, woman!  Team Will all the way!"

So, Jack really is back to thinking Hannibal is innocent and it was all Chilton?  Damnit, Jack!  You let me down, man!

Hannibal must have had this back-up plan for a long time, because must have imitated Chllton somehow, to convince Miriam that he was the Chesapeake Ripper.  That man has plan after plan, after plan!  You evil, magnificent bastard!

Loved the ending though.  Will is now back in control of his mind, and is going to the "therapy" sessions with Hannibal, because why hide it, right?  I can not wait to see Will vs. Hannibal, and hopefully Will will show those doubters how it's done.

[MyrtleGroggins]

Also, where did Chilton think he was successfully escaping to with only, what $430 in cash?  New Jersey?  I admit, I laughed out loud at the audible disdain with which his personal effects were enumerated during his intake.

Loved the ending though.  Will is now back in control of his mind, and is going to the "therapy" sessions with Hannibal, because why hide it, right?  I can not wait to see Will vs. Hannibal, and hopefully Will will show those doubters how it's done.

I am also looking forward to how these sessions transpire - one giant game of cat and mouse!

[mrsdalgliesh]

 

I just wished Applesauce abandoned Alana at the end as well, all "Fuck you, woman!  Team Will all the way!"

This.

HD did a great job of showing us Will as he realized how far Alanna's trust in Hannibal has gone.  Having made that realization, however, Will did not look particularly anxious for her immediate well-being, and he's right: for now, Hannibal gains so much more by having Alanna in his bed, all her limbs attached.

Jimmy and Brian should thank their lucky stars they are working for the FBI on this show and not for the Las Vegas PD on CSI.  Those folks do All The Police Things, and our boys would have been the ones at Chilton's door.

[MisterGlass]

I never thought I would say I'm sorry to lose Chilton, but that is a measure of how well he has been portrayed by the writing and by Raul Esparza.  His pitiful recital of why he is the perfect patsy to Will, after begging to use his shower, was kind of touching.  And Will calling Jack on him was quite the calm and calculated action.  It's an interesting twist to have him go now; I did not see the frame up coming, or his death.  For a moment I expected Jack to kill him in the woods, until once again he proved to be both pitiable and human, and gave up.

I am not surprised at all that Alana would believe Chilton was the killer.  She has no respect for his methods and holds him accountable for the people Gideon killed.  She knows he is manipulative, and as AimingForYoko said, this is an even more masterful frame up than Will.  And petty as it may be, he was rude to her.  That does not incline her to his side.  Jack believes evidence, and he has more evidence than ever.  He had Hannibal's food tested and proved non-human, he has a dead Gideon in Chilton's basement, and Miriam Lass's breakdown and attack.  Even Price and Zeller accept this, and consider Beverly avenged.  If Hannibal never killed again, or at least not as the Ripper, this would wrap it all up nicely.

As far as the attack on the FBI agents, I think the best stratefy would have been to unlock the door, and hide.  Unless they have legal authorization to enter, they will need to wait to be invited.  He can call for them to come in from another location.  They would enter and see an unconscious Chilton first, and at least one of them would go to check on his status.  The bigger risk was in letting Chilton see more of his methods, like the plastic suit.

Chilton's house, like his wardrobe, is like Hannibal's through the looking glass.  It is white in opposition to the darkness of Hannibal's home.  I am not surprised by the basement guest room; he may use one of the first floor bedrooms as an office, leaving the basement room the spare.

I loved Will in this episode.  Hannibal is right, he is truly empowered - a different person.  He doesn't need to hide himself.  The kitchen confrontation, and the session later on, were intense.  I am very much looking forward to this struggle between equals.

Alana is the third living victim of Hannibal, and she doesn't know it yet.  Will should not judge her too harshly.  She believed that he was a murderer, as everyone else did, but that he was not responsible.  She actively tried to help him by the legal means available to her.  For some time, she was the only person who would come to see him for something other than help on a case.  She is Hannibal's longest con, longer than Chilton or Will.  He has been playing her for, say, a decade.  Miriam suffered two years, and Will for several months.  The manipulation of Alana is more subtle, and goes much deeper.  She is entitled to her opinion that no matter what was done to him, he was not justified in committing murder.

[LittleIggy]

I am so pissed that Chilton is dead! I loved Raul Esparza's portrayal of him. Funny, I could take all the awful things Hannibal did, but now I am so mad at Hannibal and want him caught. BTW, I agree about how it strains credulity to the breaking point that Hannibal could stage all the things he does. I mean, was Chilton away for a few days? Oh, and if he were so scared of Hannibal, why would he even step into his house alone, let alone go downstairs where the alarm was? I love the show but seriously?

[90PercentGravity]

I won't believe Chilton is dead until I see Scott Thompson poking around on his cold, dead body.

I like sloppy haired Will. When he tidies his hair up it looks like he stole it from Shirley Feeney.

[MyrtleGroggins]

I am so pissed that Chilton is dead!

Based on this article and a number of Bryan Fuller's tweets tonight, I'm not writing Chilton off completely.  I am now holding out hope that he will be the Lazarus of the series, coming back sometime in the next season or two (once Hannibal has been caught) with one kidney and a wicked scar on his cheek to twist the proverbial knife while Hannibal is incarcerated. 

FYI, the linked article contains details from today's episode and brief, mild spoilery-type musings about the rest of the season.

[minamurray78]

I missed parts of the episode. Did they offer an explanation as to how Miriam managed in captivity while Chilton was recovering after Gideon messed him up? I'd imagine he spent quite some time hospitalized after that. Was the possibility of an accomplice ever mentioned?

[LittleIggy]

I missed parts of the episode. Did they offer an explanation as to how Miriam managed in captivity while Chilton was recovering after Gideon messed him up? I'd imagine he spent quite some time hospitalized after that. Was the possibility of an accomplice ever mentioned?

No, they didn't! Chilton would have been laid up for awhile, wouldn't he?

[MyrtleGroggins]

Okay, upon first watching this I missed the full glory of the guy on the table sporting every pointy object from Chilton's kitchen drawers:

Also, he managed to get quite a bit bloodier between that shot and the next time we see him:

And why is his hand so bloody? Did Hannibal hide Chilton's car keys next to the transverse colon of the disemboweled agent? o.O

[dramachick]

I did not see the Chilton frame-up coming.  Wow.  I'll miss you, Chilton.

I have no idea what's going on in Jack's mind.

When they finally lock Hannibal up, and if she's still alive, Alana will probably have to find a new profession.  I could tell that Will really felt sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do other than warn her like he warned Beverly.

It's going to be fascinating to watch Will's stealth strategy against Hannibal. 

[Ireth]

It's going to be fascinating to watch Will's stealth strategy against Hannibal. 

Indeed! I have a feeling it's going to be a more equal game between the two of them now. 

Chilton's framing, and being shot by Miriam were both so unexpected. I grew to like Chilton a lot these past couple of episodes, so this really upset me, and so soon after Beverly too. But I'm not considering him dead until they show us his body. 

I don't dislike Alanna since she's someone who's known Hannibal for a lot longer than anyone else so it's natural for her to behave this way. I just want her to wake up and not be so stubborn about Hannibal's innocence though...I felt like shaking some sense into her! Again, it's not her fault since she doesn't know what the truth is, but it's frustrating to watch. 

[millahnna]

A random bit of silliness I noticed while Will and Alana were talking outside of his house; one of the dogs was just kind of merrily running around in the extreme background of the scene.  I saw a blackish fluffy tail darting to nowhere at least once and it tickled me. 

[Bec]

I love how the dogs goes right up to bloody Chilton coming to Will's door as if they're thinking "Ooh! I smell steak!"

No way would I have ever guessed I would feel bad for Chilton of all people. I was yelling at my TV "Don't go check out the mysterious beeping sound in the basement! What are you doing? Run! Run now!" I guess it wouldn't have helped. All that incriminating evidence would still be in his house, and Miriam would still be conditioned to see him as the Ripper.

[Helena Dax]

 

At this point, I can only hope that, when Hannibal is finally revealed, she totally goes "Wow, I was wrong and totally acted like an asshole!" about it.

I think she'll have the worst reaction. She's eaten people, she's fucked with him, she's been deceived by him for years... If she killed herself, I wouldn't be surprised.

Please, Chilton, don't die! I'm not sure why Will called Crawford. Did he want Hannibal to think that his plan was working? 

And wow, that ending! Will  knows how to play the game.

[Ariah]

Awww, I liked Chilton... What an exit. I guess Miriam is broken beyond help at this point and will be shipped somewhere far away... (Or she'll be yet another victim by the end of this season).

Will! Once he got the cool back and had the haircut... The game is on. He's acting on belief that Hannibal likes him - or is at least fascinated by him - and won't eat him (yet). But the way he's talking and acting, it's as if he's not fully there anymore. Like he's one foot in that dream world of his. I still love the calculating Will.

Will Alana even survive the season? I'm not so sure right now. There was a shot in one of the first "all season" promos with her pointing a gun at someone, virtually shocked. Maybe she walks on the season premiere fight between Hannibal and Jack?

A side note: gotta love the happiness Will showed when he was greeted by his dogs.

[FormerMod-a1]

Another thing I loved, how Will so calmly walked away when Chilton had a gun pointed at him, with that wry little "You're no murderer..." I am loving in control and owning it Will.


I'm hoping the following things are discussed and/or uncovered to make the FBI realize Chilton could not be the Ripper. Some have already been mentioned, I'm just consolidating for my own benefit.

• He can't digest animal protein. This should be confirm-able via autopsy.
• Does he have human traces in his stool?
• How did Miriam survive while he was in the hospital after the Gideon encounter
• Is he even physically able to do any of what we saw in his house. Again, his physical limitations are confirm-able.  Just because he was moving around better this episode doesn't mean he could be physically fit enough to do all that was done in his house, or with any of the other recent murders.
• Check out his whereabouts during all the murders. Just because he's been involved in the case the longest doesn't mean he wasn't out of state, or at a conference, or out of the country, etc during some of those times.

[lulee]

Yeah, I want Price or Zeller to have a line next episode like, "We checked video logs from the BSHCI for Chilton's whereabouts and verified his travel schedule ... and there's no way he did some of those Ripper murders."

From Jack's line at the end of the teaser for the next ep, I have to think he's going to realize that they were led down another rabbit hole.

[RapBert]

This show just took my suspension of disbelief and shot it out back. Hannibal either has super powers or access to a TARDIS to get all his stuff into Chilton's basement and kill those two agents, not to mention the numerous ludicrous murders in previous episodes.

Besides that, it's still a great episode. I'm sad to see Chilton go after he grew a lot more likeable in this season. I'm also looking forward to the therapy sessions with Will and Hannibal.

[DittyDotDot]

I love how the dogs goes right up to bloody Chilton coming to Will's door as if they're thinking "Ooh! I smell steak!"

That's how Will knows that Chilton isn't a killer...always trust your dog's first instinct about folks. Always.

 

Please, Chilton, don't die! I'm not sure why Will called Crawford. Did he want Hannibal to think that his plan was working? 

I think he called Jack because there was really nothing else to do. Hannibal did a complete frame job on Chilton, his running was only going to bite Will in the ass and play into Hannibal's game. Chilton should have called the FBI himself rather than doing what Hannibal said he should do, his running only made him look more like the guilty man that Hannibal wants everyone to see..

[niven]

One thing that disappointed me the most in this episode, why didn't they show us the reactions of the 2 FBI agents when they were greeted by Hannibal in his plastic murder suit?! Hannibal's polite "One moment, please" was so hilarious I just had to pause it for a while, lol.

Anyway, it's sad that Gideon and Chilton are gone (well, maybe it's only temporary with Chilton, who knows).

[heyerchick]

I just loved how Will gave himself a makeover calculated to appeal to the discerning cannibal in his life. That haircut slayed me :) He knows the way to a man's heart, all right. In all seriousness, though, knowing how badly Hannibal wants him gives Will a certain power. The fishing metaphor is very apt, with Will deploying himself as irresistible lure, telling Hannibal truths (he has to deal with his feelings about Hannibal and that's best done directly) but not the whole truth. Much as Hannibal did. This new dynamic is a lot of fun.

Will's dogs aren't the most discerning. They liked Hannibal (and his sausages) too.

[RollTheHardSix]

Chilton! Nooooo! That was my first thought.

I had just started finding him interesting! I hope he makes it. He's a keeper.

Another thought on the episode is that Hannibal is so supremely confident in his own abilities. There is not even the slightest element of doubt for him.

Last week I found it interesting how much the presentation of the tree-guy resembled his own brush with death. I'm not sure if that was the result of him actually being rattled by almost dying and being vulnerable or if it was just another "hint". It was a similar crucifixion scene. Though I tend towards him actually being rattled more than it being a simple taunt.

He got over that quickly though. I wish I had that kind of confidence in my own abilities.

[arjumand]

I'm hoping the following things are discussed and/or uncovered to make the FBI realize Chilton could not be the Ripper. Some have already been mentioned, I'm just consolidating for my own benefit.

    He can't digest animal protein. This should be confirm-able via autopsy.

    Does he have human traces in his stool?

    How did Miriam survive while he was in the hospital after the Gideon encounter

    Is he even physically able to do any of what we saw in his house. Again, his physical limitations are confirm-able.  Just because he was moving around better this episode doesn't mean he could be physically fit enough to do all that was done in his house, or with any of the other recent murders.

    Check out his whereabouts during all the murders. Just because he's been involved in the case the longest doesn't mean he wasn't out of state, or at a conference, or out of the country, etc during some of those times.

 

I was so frustrated at Jack during this episode, and at anyone with half a brain - yes, I mean you, Sassy Science Twosome. You let me down this week, dudebros. He walks with a cane, for fuck's sake. What the fuck is wrong with you? And Jack, the fuck? You seriously think that the Chesapeake Ripper, the guy who managed to keep an FBI trainee hidden for two years, and who managed to graft a politician into a tree overnight and plant him into a parking lot unseen, is really going to be caught running in the snow and blubbering? HAVE YOU LEARNT NOTHING FROM WILL?

And I feel really sorry for Miriam etc, but I kind of rolled my eyes during most of her segments. Because she's written as another dumb woman, who never bothered to even leave a fricking note on her bedside table or something. "I found out that the victim saw a Dr. Lecter once - probably nothing, but I thought I'd go there just in case, LOL!" And now she's been brainwashed into carrying out a hit on Chilton, yawn. I seriously hope Jack was pretending to believe her, playing the double bluff for Alana's benefit, as he realised that all that Alana knows, Hannibal knows. Otherwise he's too stupid for words.

Brr, no wonder Jack attacks Hannibal so violently in the scene we saw at the beginning of the season. The contempt he feels for the FBI was almost palpable in the way he killed the agents.

[arc]

Murder Wizards indeed. So not only did Hannibal lug several hundred pounds of delicate Tree Man (the tree by itself isn't so delicate, but the grafting and esp the flower arrangement were) to a parking lot and bust at least 10 sq feet of asphalt there, but this ep revealed he also had it soaking in an underground basement cistern and hauled it both in and out of there.

Also, while Gideon might be lighter now with all those limbs removed*, the hospital equipment that kept him alive would have been unimaginably awkward to haul through those underground steam tunnels that Fuller mentioned. Hannibal also set up all the butchering equipment in that guest room too...

* We know Hannibal cut off one leg first, so how would the rest of him not have been tainted with painkilling drugs?

As for Chilton not being a cannibal... Are they 100% sure the Ripper is a cannibal? We know it, but as far as the characters in the show go, Will is sure only because he's a near psychic with his profiling abilities. I don't think they have much real evidence that the Ripper's trophies are necessarily being eaten.

[FormerMod-a1]

One of the CSI guys mentioned that he'd [Chilton] been eating steaks off of Gideon (paraphrase), so they think he's a cannibal.  

[arc]

Oh yeah. Fair enough. I guess that puts that in fair play to (posthumously?) exonerate Chilton.

[Rapunzel]

I've also really liked the Chilton character in this. The character is so much better and more interesting than the douchebag he was in the Silence of the Lambs. I really hope he makes it through.

Alana, on the other hand, can die anytime now. She is just way too easily manipulated and I hate that she is so eager to defend Hannibal  but was so sure that Will was guilty (though she thought he wasn't necessarily in control of what he did). I know that she and Hannibal go back a ways, but so do she and Will. I hope she takes it pretty hard when she finds out the truth and realizes how stupid she's been - and it's possible that that moment may not come for her unless or until Hannibal tries to kill her.  

Both Alana and Jack need to start realizing that there may be something to what Will is saying about Chilton being framed. The Ripper did it once, why wouldn't he do it again? Not to mention all the reasons mentioned up thread that should have one or both of them at least questioning Chilton's guilt.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Rapunzel

[DangerousMinds]

It must seem absolutely inconceivable to anyone but Will that someone could have set Chilton up by dragging Gideon's body PLUS all of that equipment, etc into Chilton's home. 

[Hootis]

Harrumph. I could set aside the canon up to a point - this story is much more interesting than the original relationship between Graham and Lecter - but killing Chilton? This parallel universe is going to collapse if they knock down too many load-bearing pillars.

[MisterGlass]

They have already pretzled canon, but elegantly.  This could work, but we won't know for a while.

The FBI can only go as far as they can prove.  Chilton, as he said himself, was the prefect patsy.

His physical condition, and ability to perform the tasks required by the Chesapeake Ripper, are a fair question, and I would like to see it come up again.  He did seem to need the cane earlier in the season, but here he dropped it in his basement and went upstairs without it.  He did not have it when he was running through the snow away from Jack.  I feel like the cane became a prop for him and he continued to use it past the point of genuinely needing it.

Chilton doesn't act like a cold-blooded killer, but they expect the Ripper to be someone who can blend into society, and appear non-threatening.  For all they know, Chilton is employing a person suit that is unscrupulous but benign, hiding a monster underneath.  They were made to believe Will was a murderer, so how much more willing would they be to believe that Chilton is one?  He was overtly interested in Will when they first met, and wanted to study him, something that Will's frame up gave him the opportunity to do.  Chilton has been accused of unorthodox practices before, and played innocent when confronted by his misdeeds.  It could be argued that if he were the Ripper, he was looking for someone to frame, selecting first Gideon, and when that did not work, Will, with whom he was fascinated, and as a last resort Hannibal, whom he envied.

Chilton is eavesdropping on every room in his building.  He has no obvious social life, aside from dinners with Hannibal.  He hired the orderly that tried to kill Hannibal, and used him for other less than savory tasks.  He would come to mind as a potential accomplice, if they were looking for someone that could have taken care of Miriam while Chilton was away.  That Gideon's attack left him unable to eat much protein would explain away the absence of long pork in his system.  They might theorize that he still has the urge to kill and remove organs, but has had to find another way to savor the experience.

Gideon even insisted that Chilton had described Hannibal's dining room to him to spite the doctor.  No one likes Chilton, and he feels under-respected.  He was always eager to chatter on about the horror of the Ripper killings, like a Tattler reader. 

If Jack  and Alana were looking at the situation as it stands now with their mindsets of say, two years ago, they would think Lector deserved more scrutiny.  But they have been drug deeper and deeper into his world, and do not have the overview and objectivity necessary to see him.  Jack tried when he had the meat tested.  Each time Hannibal passes a test, or is falsely accused, he seems more innocent and put upon.

[arc]

I don't know the original source, but someone on another forum quoted some Tumblr pictures showing the entry wound (left cheek), exit wound (back right of the neck) and a diagram connecting the two that suggests the bullet didn't necessarily hit any part of Chilton's brain. I suppose any bullet to the head is potentially lethal, but given how cagey Fuller's been playing it this week on Twitter and in interviews, I could accept either than Chilton died or he didn't.

(that said, this does remind me of the Bionic Woman reboot, where the terrible character of Jamie's boyfriend got shot in the shoulder at the end of the pilot, then the second episode opened (?) on his funeral.)

[Slovenly Muse]

Wow, what an episode. The scenes between Will and Hannibal were downright electric. I can't wait to see this play out!

I don't blame Alana for believing the evidence presented to her (especially since it was presented so thoroughly), and I understand how hard it would be for her to side against Hannibal (a colleague and friend she's known for years) when she has so many emotional ties to him that predate the ones she recently began forming with Will. I do, however, find it reach-through-the-TV-and-shake-her FRUSTRATING that she is so closed to the truth, and tosses off serious warnings like a joke. On the other hand, the more thoroughly she believes in Hannibal's innocence, the safer she likely is. The trap didn't close around Will or Chilton until after they'd figured out the truth about Hannibal (same for Beverly, Gideon, and to a lesser extent, Abigail). So maybe it's for the better. I agree wholeheartedly with the poster upthread who enjoyed watching Will express his displeasure with her doubting him in gentle but uncompromising terms. That was lovely and necessary.

As for Jack, well... after opening the episode by apologizing to Will for not listening to him or believing in him, he sure jumped right back on to the train of false evidence speeding towards the wrong man! I think he actually recognized that, at the end. The moment when he's holding his gun on Chilton and appears to want to shoot him... you can see him change his mind. There was something in his face, when he decided not to kill Chilton, that was a little surprised, I think. Like he was ready to shoot and kill the brilliant and psychotic Chesapeake Ripper for all the havoc he'd caused, and then he looked again at his "enemy" and saw feeble, smarmy, intellectually clumsy Doctor Chilton blubbering and begging in the snow, and I was sure I could see the realization register on his face that this did not really add up. I think now that Jack is aware of how deeply and thoroughly he is being manipulated, he is not quite so willing to accept the answer he's been conveniently led to as the truth. Of course, with his emotions running about as hot as they can possibly get, seeing that he's being manipulated and resisting it are two different things. If he finally does start listening to Will for real, though, then those two could seriously get some shit done.

Regarding the difficulties inherent in setting up the physical evidence against Chilton, I can't pick nits. This show operates on dream logic and artistry to weave its stories. Like I believe the AV Club said, you don't watch this show so much as give yourself over to it and luxuriate in it. Hannibal is a Lucifer-type character, and if the general story logic is sound, I have no problem accepting some of Hannibal's improbably supernatural feats. After all, it's his ability to do these things (and the mystery of how) that make him so terrifying and formidable a character.

Just remember: Book Hannibal once talked a man into swallowing his own tongue - something which is physically impossible to do. So his exploits which require suspension of disbelief are actually canon! ;)

[Tabbyclaw]

And I feel really sorry for Miriam etc, but I kind of rolled my eyes during most of her segments. Because she's written as another dumb woman, who never bothered to even leave a fricking note on her bedside table or something. "I found out that the victim saw a Dr. Lecter once - probably nothing, but I thought I'd go there just in case, LOL!"

Jack explicitly encouraged her to go check out this lead she'd found regarding the victim's medical records. It's not some absurd whim she had and never told anyone about.

[DittyDotDot]

And I feel really sorry for Miriam etc, but I kind of rolled my eyes during most of her segments. Because she's written as another dumb woman, who never bothered to even leave a fricking note on her bedside table or something. "I found out that the victim saw a Dr. Lecter once - probably nothing, but I thought I'd go there just in case, LOL!"

But it wasn't just Hannibal she was checking out, he was last on a long list of doctors that would fit the bill, if I remember correctly. Jack knew that she was checking out the medical records of some of the victims in hopes it would lead her to the killer, but he didn't know who she was talking to precisely-that was the "wink, wink" part of their conversation--he couldn't legally follow this line of investigation as the head of the department and all that, but since she was just a trainee she could probably get away with it as long as Jack didn't know what she was up to, hence her going it all alone. She could be seen as being rather clever since she found a way to work around the problem and achieve her goal--problem solving is a sign of intelligence, after all.

I have far less problems with Miriam asking questions on her own than I do with the notion that Alana would have been chosen to interrogate her lover or that Jack would have not only taken a traumatized Miriam to Hannibal's office to face him, but also allow him to do an "unaccepted" procedure on her. Or that Will would confront Hannibal with a gun and not freakin' shoot him in the face, but instead allowed Hannibal to manipulate him once again. For some reason I can suspend my belief about Hannibal's time traveling experiences, but these other things just stretched my hand waving abilities to the limits.

It's a good thing that the show is so pretty to look at--god, it's shot so beautifully and acted so masterfully.

Edited April 13, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[cyan]

What kills me is that after all the accusations that Jack was sorta starting to believe, and after finding Miriam, he didn't check the list of doctors she was talking to. Now there is stupidity that warrants shaking a character by the shoulder. While screaming at him through a bullhorn. 

[annlaw78]

I have far less problems with Miriam asking questions on her own than I do with the notion that Alana would have been chosen to interrogate her lover or that Jack would have not only taken a traumatized Miriam to Hannibal's office to face him, but also allow him to do an "unaccepted" procedure on her. Or that Will would confront Hannibal with a gun and not freakin' shoot him in the face, but instead allowed Hannibal to manipulate him once again. For some reason I can suspend my belief about Hannibal's time traveling experiences, but these other things just stretched my hand waving abilities to the limits.

I think Alana was there just to get Hannibal talking, so Miriam could hear his voice. I don't know why she was in with the crime scene analysis twosome, though. I also think the FBI in reality would probably get a new roster of psychiatrists to consult on this, specifically with Miriam, and not really on the same old bench all of whom are conflicted or have been suspects themselves. All of these conflicting loyalties and agendas are not conducive to the successful solving of the case.

A lot of this show requires hand-waving -- last ep Hannibal did all this crazy heavy-lifting stuff with Tree Man and Gideon, all with fresh sutures still in his wrists.

Edited April 13, 2014 by annlaw78

[Slovenly Muse]

What kills me is that after all the accusations that Jack was sorta starting to believe, and after finding Miriam, he didn't check the list of doctors she was talking to. Now there is stupidity that warrants shaking a character by the shoulder. While screaming at him through a bullhorn. 

But Hannibal was not on the list of doctors she was investigating. IIRC, she went to see Hannibal because he had been on duty in the ER on the same night that someone with an unusual wound was brought in, and since she couldn't track down the doctor on the list that had treated the wound, she went to see Hannibal (a doctor who had absolutely nothing to do with that patient), to see if he remembered the man being brought in that night and had any impressions of him. It was such a long shot that it raises Miriam considerably in my estimation that she was able to find Hannibal this way. First, she had to doggedly track down every nigh-meaningless lead she could find, then investigate every tiny little probably-nothing clue in excruciating detail. Her investigative instincts led her to Hannibal (not as a suspect, but as a potential source of information about a suspect or victim) even though there was almost no thread tying him to the situation, because she couldn't leave a stone unturned. Then, she noticed the Wound Man drawing and put the pieces together quickly enough to figure out what she'd stumbled on, but not quickly enough to get out of the office in time.

She was sent out on something of a fool's errand by the FBI with no help and no backup, but was able to track down and identify the Chesapeake Ripper because she did her job EXTREMELY WELL. Better than most other trainees would have done. Even Hannibal was impressed enough with her to not just slaughter and eat her like any other pig. The potential she gave him for messing with Jack was a big part of that, but that wasn't all. She earned his respect that day.

[DittyDotDot]

But Hannibal was not on the list of doctors she was investigating. IIRC, she went to see Hannibal because he had been on duty in the ER on the same night that someone with an unusual wound was brought in, and since she couldn't track down the doctor on the list that had treated the wound, she went to see Hannibal (a doctor who had absolutely nothing to do with that patient), to see if he remembered the man being brought in that night and had any impressions of him. It was such a long shot that it raises Miriam considerably in my estimation that she was able to find Hannibal this way.

Thanks Slovenly Muse, I knew I didn't recall it all exactly correctly, but I remember at the time thinking that she was sort of a smart cookie for finding Hannibal when so many others couldn't.

[MisterGlass]

I have far less problems with Miriam asking questions on her own than I do with the notion that Alana would have been chosen to interrogate her lover or that Jack would have not only taken a traumatized Miriam to Hannibal's office to face him, but also allow him to do an "unaccepted" procedure on her.

I think Alana was there just to get Hannibal talking, so Miriam could hear his voice.

I agree, Alana wasn't there to ask him any questions of real depth.  Jack probably wanted her because she is someone Hannibal 'trusts', and she probably agreed to be there to show her support and sympathy for Hannibal.  In part, I feel like Alana is digging her heels in to assert Hannibal's innocence because she was convinced of Will's guilt and was wrong.

Bryan Fuller made a comment to the effect that he knew in a real world situation there would be more people involved in the investigations than are shown, that tasks would be more compartmentalized, but that there was a need to conserve characters on the show.

As far as Miriam going to Hannibal's office, she had already declared that he was not the Ripper, so either Jack believed her and wanted Hannibal to examine her, or he was not convinced and wanted to see if further exposure would trigger a memory.  If the latter, he may have had her buy in for it.  I do think it would have been more approriate to take her to the therapist that interviewed Jack when he was under investigation.  Chilton proposed essentially the same treatment, which he had used on Will.  Apparently flashing lights can be used as part of a treatment for traumatic events, in something called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.  Whether Hannibal's treatment is modeled on this concept I do not know.