S02.E07: Yakimono

[Tara Ariano]

Forgot to post this yesterday: here's Sarah's post on the episode!

[DittyDotDot]

Chilton proposed essentially the same treatment, which he had used on Will.

Yes, Chilton did propose the same treatment, but he said it wasn't an accepted procedure and it's basically the same procedure that Hannibal used to place false memories in Will's head. I'm more annoyed that Jack took her to confront the guy that he thought had kidnapped her and traumatized her and then allowed that same suspect to use an unaccepted procedure on Miriam. She's not only traumatized, but if he really suspected Hannibal then it was rather foolish since Hannibal could have further messed with Miriam's head making her even more useless and unreliable with the investigation.  It's one thing to put Miriam in the same room as Hannibal to see if it knocks something lose, it's completely another to have the guy suspected of cutting off her arm and holding her captive for years perform a mind screwy procedure on her.

[Snookums]

Chilton, ye shall be avenged! Seriously:

1) Chilton's well documented graphic and extensive injuries should prove to anybody, let alone professional forensics/law enforcement people, that he's physically incapable of these crimes. There is no way he could haul Gideon around, or hoist the guard up and use the fishhooks to pry him open, or put a grown man sewn into a TREE in a parking lot, or...

2) I don't care how brilliant and long game Hannibal is, it is impossible to frame Chilton for every Ripper murder. These killings have been going on for years, in a wide geographic area. Chilton must have alibis for many if not most of them, unless Hannibal has been tracking him for the last decade and waits for Chilton to have a "popcorn and movies alone at home" evening every single time he goes hunting.

3) On the surface, yeah, Chilton looks good for it--he's got the background medically, etc. Plus, everybody hates him. So let's assume nobody, NOBODY in the entire FBI decides to look any further into this and signs off on Chilton being the Ripper, leaving Will babbling to his nightmare stag on the banks of his imaginary river or whatever.

Well, how long do you think Hannibal's going to wait before killing again? He's not going to stop, and the murders he commits in future are going to be pretty damn hard to pin on a dead man. He really can't go much further afield then he's been doing--what, he's going to fly to Alaska or Albequerque every time he gets the ol' filleting urge? And even if he does, the fact that they are Ripper murders will become readily apparent. And he can't reframe Will after exonerating him for the Ripper murders and at the same time showing there was no copycat. And there's really nobody left to frame, even assuming it would work a THIRD time. There just aren't enough people at the level of skill and knowledge and etc. that can plausibly stand in for Hannibal and his deeds.

Hannibal pulled his ass out of the frying pan with this stunt, but the fire is moving closer.

[arc]

he's physically incapable of these crimes. [...] On the surface, yeah, Chilton looks good for it--he's got the background medically, etc. Plus, everybody hates him

Plus, he runs the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The place that employed at least one psychopath in hiding, and he's used unorthodox quasi-brainwashing techniques.  Sure, we the audience know he didn't employ a gang of murder disciples to create those Ripper tableaus, but it's at least slightly plausible, right?

[niven]

Well, Hannibal needs to frame someone to help exonerate Will before he rots in there, and Chilton is the most plausible option of them all because of his involvement on the CR case. Fuller was kinda stretching it I guess.

[annlaw78]

1) Chilton's well documented graphic and extensive injuries should prove to anybody, let alone professional forensics/law enforcement people, that he's physically incapable of these crimes. There is no way he could haul Gideon around, or hoist the guard up and use the fishhooks to pry him open, or put a grown man sewn into a TREE in a parking lot, or...

 

The rather goofy thing is, though, the same can be said about Hannibal's being able to haul TreeMan and Gideon around the way he did, with freshly sutured wrists.  Perhaps Hannibal is one of those people who don't feel pain, but I don't see how he would not have pulled open his sutures doing all that heavy lifting.  This show requires suspending a lot of disbelief. 

Chilton has a basement guest room that looks like a surgery suite, complete with subway-tiled walls and multiple institutional light switches?  I really do enjoy this show, but I wish it could ratchet back the stylization at times.  I can buy Count Lecter having $120,000 watches, and Bentleys and antique harpsichords, etc.  He has means beyond what he earns in his practice.  But Chilton also has some sort of show-room worthy home?  I know this may be a nitpick, especially given this show's playing so fast and loose with reality and believability, but, like Sarah said in her recap, EVERY character has a $12,000 designer sofa? 

Likewise, I'm assuming Miriam is being kept in some sort of FBI-provided housing (presumably she's under protection, and no longer has a place of her own), and it's hard to believe that the FBI hired a decorator to kit out such a place -- all the wood paneling, mod lamps, hand-crafted benches/chairs.  In her scene with Jack, I could only think the girl needed a nice overstuffed, chintz chair or sofa to lounge on.  That room would make me depressed!

2) I don't care how brilliant and long game Hannibal is, it is impossible to frame Chilton for every Ripper murder. These killings have been going on for years, in a wide geographic area. Chilton must have alibis for many if not most of them, unless Hannibal has been tracking him for the last decade and waits for Chilton to have a "popcorn and movies alone at home" evening every single time he goes hunting.

 

Especially Cassie Boyle and the other girl whose name escapes me -- any of the murders that were done in Minnesota.  Minnesota is not an "easy" distance from Baltimore, and either requires a lengthy drive, or plane travel.

 

 

Plus, he runs the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The place that employed at least one psychopath in hiding, and he's used unorthodox quasi-brainwashing techniques.

I don't think anyone besides Hannibal and Gideon know that, though.  Maybe Alana does???

Edited April 14, 2014 by annlaw78

[Nutjob]

I don't think Jack thought Chilton was The Ripper. I truly don't.

First, when he was discussing it with Price and Zeller, and supposedly "realized" Chilton was their guy, Alana was there. She jeopardizes Jack's entire case against Hannibal because she is personally entangled with him and tells him things she shouldn't. IMO, that was some misdirection on Jack's part aimed at Alana so she couldn't go tell Hannibal that he was still a suspect.

Second, I don't think Jack ever had any intention of killing Chilton. He was trying to stop him from running, possibly so he could more effectively exonerate him, but I think Will called him because he knows Jack is on board with his Hannibal theory now and would take Chilton in for the purpose of clearing him.

Third, I also think Jack now believes that Hannibal is capable of many things, including expert misdirection, i.e. the use of Chilton's voice that he probably stole from Chilton's files. We know Chilton records everything, so how hard would it be to get some audio of his voice? What Jack couldn't expect was Miriam shooting Chilton the way she did.

In other words, I think id'ing Chilton was all a ruse on Jack's part to give Hannibal a sense of security and complacency. I don't believe for one second Jack thought Chilton committed those murders.

[annlaw78]

First, when he was discussing it with Price and Zeller, and supposedly "realized" Chilton was their guy, Alana was there. She jeopardizes Jack's entire case against Hannibal because she is personally entangled with him and tells him things she shouldn't. IMO, that was some misdirection on Jack's part aimed at Alana so she couldn't go tell Hannibal that he was still a suspect.

 

 I don't know why Jack hasn't jettisoned Alana from this investigation.  She's a top Ripper suspect's alibi.  She simply should not be participating in the investigation in any way.

Second, I don't think Jack ever had any intention of killing Chilton

 

I agree; I think Jack came to the realization that Chilton really could not be the Ripper, given how he was running and crying and fearful of Jack.  That's just not the Ripper.  Also, it looked like Chilton had left the gun in Will's house before he fled, showing a lack of intent to shoot his way out, and an unwillingness to kill to save himself (which Will also realized).  Would Chilton like to slink away and avoid being arrested?  Yes, but he's unwilling to kill to do so.  Which is a far cry from the man who elaborately killed two FBI agents in his kitchen to avoid detection. 

In other words, I think id'ing Chilton was all a ruse on Jack's part to give Hannibal a sense of security and complacency. I don't believe for one second Jack thought Chilton committed those murders.

Miriam's IDing Chilton as the Ripper certainly ties the frame job up in a nice bow, though.  Hopefully Jack will have some reservations, and will keep an eye out for other Ripper-type murders that may occur.

Edited April 14, 2014 by annlaw78

[MacGuffin]

  Which is a far cry from the man who elaborately killed two FBI agents in his kitchen to avoid detection. 

And why would he kill them like that and flee? Not very good at avoiding detection with blood everywhere like that.

[lulee]

Especially Cassie Boyle and the other girl whose name escapes me -- any of the murders that were done in Minnesota.  Minnesota is not an "easy" distance from Baltimore, and either requires a lengthy drive, or plane travel.

Good point, annlaw! The Minnesota murders being linked to the Ripper should have only implicated Will and Hannibal, who were known to have been in MN around that time. Now that WIll is cleared, that should leave a pretty short list.

I hope you're right about Jack's approach, Nutjob - that would be pretty smart and it jibes with his final line from the teaser for the next ep.

[annlaw78]

And why would he kill them like that and flee? Not very good at avoiding detection with blood everywhere like that.

Exactly.  And why kill them like that, and then, rather than shower up and leave from his house, drive himself all bloodied over to Will's to bum a shower?  He'd just have done his work, cleaned up at his home, and gone on the lam. 

It's sort of getting to the point where it's straining credulity the FBI (and the Freddie Lounds-incited public) has any patience left with Jack, and Jack remains in his post at the FBI in general, and in charge of this investigation specifically.  Jack's looking increasingly inept, and there are a lot of people getting killed, both by the Ripper, and by FBI.  If I've learned anything from "Justified," it's that federal agents are generally discouraged from killing people in the line of duty, and I can think of at least three people killed by FBI personnel (Hobbs, Will's hitman, and Chilton -- assuming he's killed), four FBI agents and several other law enforcement officers/guards/hospital staff killed (as well as a judge), and at least three FBI consultants fingered for being serial killers.  I think we need a shake up at the FBI!

Edited April 14, 2014 by annlaw78

[MacGuffin]

 I can think of at least three people killed by FBI personnel (Hobbs, Will's hitman, and Chilton -- assuming he's killed),

By Will's hitman, you mean the orderly?

This may be a spoiler, but I read somewhere (AV Club Walkthrough?) that

he might still be alive. Shot, but alive, probably like Chilton

.

[arc]

About Hannibal framing Chilton to Miriam... I guess he might have had recordings of Chilton's hypnosis techniques, but he also told her he would take her arm. I think he would have had to say that himself, at best with a disguised voice.

[annlaw78]

Yes, Will's hitman = the orderly or nurse, whatever he was.

Re: Chilton's voice, didn't Hannibal copy Chilton's voice when responding to the FBI at the door?

[MyrtleGroggins]

Re: Chilton's voice, didn't Hannibal copy Chilton's voice when responding to the FBI at the door?

The identification of the Ripper was one general concept that I found interesting, because Mads Mikkelsen sounds like nobody else on the show; though maybe he has linguistic powers to mimic other accents and intonations that they haven't shown us thus far (I didn't think he sounded any different when he spoke through the door to the FBI).  Didn't Chilton accuse Hannibal of saying very little during their discussions about psychic driving (implying that Chilton spoke a lot) - perhaps Hannibal took the opportunity to record Chilton saying the exact words that he would later use on Miriam!

Also, as to the Homicidal Space Wizardry Whilst Wounded, Hannibal's wrist wounds, while likely painful, should just need to be bandaged well to keep the sutures intact during heavy lifting.  The skin of the forearms doesn't move much during the motion of lifting/carrying/setting up beautiful tableaux of dead persons, as long as you can avoid torquing the skin through friction on the objects being carried.  Wounds over joints or in other high motion areas (along the sides of the chest or abdomen, for instance) are areas much more likely to be prone to increased tension on sutures through more routine motions or exercise.  Try it - pinch the skin on your inside forearm and then flex your elbow, then do the same thing with the skin over the back of your hand and wiggle your fingers see the difference in force! 

Depending on the extent of Chilton's wounds, however (particularly on how much damage was done to the abdominal muscles during his abdominal exploration or the subsequent repair), he might not actually have the strength to lift heavy objects if his abs are still healing. 

[Snarkette]

I've just accepted that the world of Hannibal is as magic-realism-ish as Pushing Daisies. Just as beautiful but slightly less technicolored. Hannibal is a man born with the power of murderous art, but is alone, misunderstood, unloved. Only Will can see through the veil of mystery to the twisted genius that stands behind it. 

Well, that an an army of electric carts and maybe some robotic oompa loompas. Hannibal is basically the Master Imagineer of Sociopathic Disney. Between keeping Miriam as a pet for a few years and moving that tree, the man is a marvel of bending time and space.

I refuse to recognize that if Jack or any other FBI agent had thought for perhaps as long as 5 seconds they would have recognized that Chilton was physically and mentally incapable of Hannibal's magic feats.

[MyrtleGroggins]

Hannibal is basically the Master Imagineer of Sociopathic Disney.

Aw, I would totally visit Sociopath Disney World!

So, I wonder whether they're going to leave the Is Chilton Alive Or Dead Door open.  There's a few ways in which they could slam it shut: if he undergoes an autopsy (unless this turns into the X Files when Dr. Du Maurier reappears), or if people just come right out and say "Oh, hey, he's still alive...should we send him a card or something?"  Will had a line of dialogue that was not hopeful for his survival, but not conclusive, I suppose (something along the lines of "Miriam had to take his life in order to reclaim her own," though he could be speaking conceptually rather than definitively.  I suppose if they just don't say anything one way or another for a while, it might be a surprise if he pops back up again, but it would be weird to me if Chilton were the subject of a pretty serious investigation and nobody mentions whether or not he's, you know, breathing.  Maybe they'll just stick him in a Convenience Coma until they decide whether they want to keep using Chilton in the story.

I can buy the Homicidal Orderly still being alive and just not coming up in conversation, since his story was mostly clear by the time he was shot.

ETA: I read "Hannibal's Magical Feats" as "Hannibal's Magical FARTS" twice now, and it has made me giggle inappropriately both times.  Maybe that's how he subdues everyone prior to hacking them to bits! :D

Edited April 14, 2014 by MyrtleGroggins

[MisterGlass]

Given the nature of Chilton's latest injury, I think death is preferable.  If he were to return as a shadow in Will's mind, I would be okay with that.  An autopsy would allow Price and Zeller to see the extent of his injuries, and perhaps draw conclusions that lead away from Chilton.

I like Nutjob's theories about Jack, and would certainly like to see some added suspicion on his part.  Will cannot act alone forever in this interplay with Hannibal.  He and Jack need to start rebuilding their mutual trust somewhere.  Interestingly, Jack seems less disturbed by Will's attack on Hannibal than Alana.  Showing up at the institution upon his release was a surprise, but showed that Jack was again asking questions.

Didn't Chilton accuse Hannibal of saying very little during their discussions about psychic driving (implying that Chilton spoke a lot) - perhaps Hannibal took the opportunity to record Chilton saying the exact words that he would later use on Miriam!

That was my assumption.  He and Chilton clearly had several meals together after Will's incarceration, so depending on when Hannibal decided on Chilton for his patsy, he could have recorded a considerable amount of dialogue.

[Snookums]

 

Aw, I would totally visit Sociopath Disney World!

Ah, but would you ever return? 

[DangerousMinds]

Given the nature of Chilton's latest injury, I think death is preferable. If he were to return as a shadow in Will's mind, I would be okay with that. An autopsy would allow Price and Zeller to see the extent of his injuries, and perhaps draw conclusions that lead away from Chilton.

I like Nutjob's theories about Jack, and would certainly like to see some added suspicion on his part. Will cannot act alone forever in this interplay with Hannibal. He and Jack need to start rebuilding their mutual trust somewhere. Interestingly, Jack seems less disturbed by Will's attack on Hannibal than Alana. Showing up at the institution upon his release was a surprise, but showed that Jack was again asking questions.

That was my assumption. He and Chilton clearly had several meals together after Will's incarceration, so depending on when Hannibal decided on Chilton for his patsy, he could have recorded a considerable amount of dialogue.

However, Hannibal has had Miriam for at least a couple years, right? Hannibal and Chilton's conversations were fairly recent, weren't they?

[iamdog]

And why would he kill them like that and flee? Not very good at avoiding detection with blood everywhere like that.

I put that down to the last little bit of psychic driving Hannibal used on Chilton. As he put the ether soaked hankerchief over Frederick's face he said; "When you wake up, your only choice will be to run". And run he did!

And when Chilton was being pursued by Jack in the snow, did anyone else get a flashback to the "He didn't run fast enough" comment Hannibal made when serving Jack rabbit back in season 1?

Edited April 15, 2014 by iamdog

[lilmissprefect]

Wow, so many good points brought up, I can't even keep up with it all!  

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.

 

Agreed. I’ll admit that I was very concerned about how their first meeting was going to go, considering that she fully believed him capable of murder even as he insisted he wasn’t, along with the whole “sleeping with the enemy” thing. I loved that he was almost gentle in his bitterness – everything he felt for her isn’t just going to go away because she thought that he was capable of murder, and I’m sure on some level he is fully aware of how well the evidence was stacked against him – and I was relieved that when he figured out what was going on between Alana and Hannibal he didn’t immediately start chastising her for being an idiot (something I was very afraid was going to happen). It makes me have a lot of hope for when the truth finally comes out. I really don't want Will and Jack vilifying Alana for believing in Hannibal.

 

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?

I am now convinced that this is exactly how it happened. Or maybe the suit hypnotized them. Or at least made them pause long enough that he could get the drop on them. I mean, think about it. Imagine if some dude opened a door to you in a snazzy plastic murder suit. There would have to be a moment when you and your partner look at each other all “Seriously, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Plenty of time for super ninja Hannibal Lecter to take at least one out.

 

And Will calling Jack on him was quite the calm and calculated action.

This was glorious. There was absolutely no way for Chilton to hide, he was right about that, and calling Jack meant that it looked like he might have accepted that Chilton was the Ripper after all. Even if Hannibal doesn’t buy it, it’s a fair bet that everyone else will.

I don’t think that Jack believed it either. Oh, maybe for a minute, but I think once he’d calmed down enough to think, he realized that Will was entirely correct – all the evidence did point away from Hannibal, almost too perfectly.
 

What I worry about is Alana pulling “I told you so’s” with everyone. It would be understandable if she did – in her view she’s the Will Graham of this situation, believing in the innocent guy while all the people around her turn on him – but I think it would make it a little easier to look forward to her inevitable realization of just what Hannibal really is. I don’t want that to happen.

 

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

That was one of my favorite parts of this episode. His wide, utterly happy smile at seeing them again pretty much killed me. More happy Will Graham, please!

 

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.

 

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.

 

YES! Both of these things bothered me so much that I screamed at the TV. Jack KNOWS Alana and Hannibal are romantically involved, so what the ever loving hell is he doing putting her in an interrogation room with him when they are trying to determine if he is the Ripper or not? WHAT? And when he took Miriam to Hannibal I started throwing things. I don’t even care if he’d ruled him out as a suspect by that point. He shouldn’t have brought Miriam anywhere near him after he’d practically accused him of being the one who’d held her for over two years. Honestly, even if Hannibal were innocent that would be ridiculous.

We do know that Jack has a bad tendency to forget his people in his pursuit of the Ripper, but. It still makes me rage. I say again, even if Hannibal were completely innocent of everything, it is not smart to take a traumatized woman to visit one of the people that you suspect might have held her captive for two years, and then allow the same person to poke around in her mind.

I can't believe I am going to say this, but I will really miss Chilton. Even this episode he managed to amuse me - his expressions at the dead FBI agents had me rolling, even if they weren't supposed to. If anyone had been there to see him looking ready to faint at all that carnage, they never would have believed him to be the Ripper.

Though to be perfectly honest I'm not so sure we won't be seeing him again. With this show, there is no death unless there is a body to go with it (probably artfully displayed somewhere for flair). Until I see his body, I'm holding out hope for Chilton.

ETA: Also, count me in as one who is looking forward to future Hannibal/Will interaction. Now that Will is healthy and aware of just who Hannibal is, everything they say to each other has two meanings. I can't wait to see where this goes, especially as it looks like Will and Jack are going to have a different type of relationship now too. In short, why isn't it Friday yet?

Edited April 15, 2014 by lilmissprefect

[attica]

I would totally visit Sociopath Disney World!

 

Ah, but would you ever return?

 

Heh. Like Hotel California: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...

Edited April 15, 2014 by attica

[lulee]

Heh. Like Hotel California: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave...

Well ... part of you might leave.

[MisterGlass]

However, Hannibal has had Miriam for at least a couple years, right? Hannibal and Chilton's conversations were fairly recent, weren't they?

Yes, they were fairly recent.  But that would mean that the Chilton-voiced Ripper is foremost in Miriam's mind.  She had almost certainly heard Hannibal speak before, but if she could be made to remember Chilton's voice more then Hannibal's, she might be convinced it was the only voice she heard.  If it were firmly ingrained in her mind, she might even re-imagine what Hannibal had said to her in Chilton's voice.  She doesn't seem to have much sense of time.

[millahnna]

Or she's totally in on it due to some weird kind of brainwashing by Hannibal.  Maybe we'll see some flashback where he explains to her that he saved her but can't let the FBI know.  I wouldn't be surprised (though in my imagination it seems overly complicated).

[iamdog]

In an episode last season there was a scene in which Hannibal and Chilton discussed psychic driving and I got the impression that Hannibal was thoroughly familliar with Chilton's technique.

I think Hannibal had been using Chilton's exact methodology on Miriam, it seemed to be not so much the voice but what he was saying, specific phrases, that set her off. I'll have to watch it again, I was too blown away by, well, Chilton being blown away.

And I'm fairly certain the bullet went through the side of his cheek and out the ear, so as someone else suggested he may well survive to return with a wicked scar - and probably deaf in one ear. That, along with his limp and lack of kindey, will make him quite the sight - not to mention his mental state!

Edited April 16, 2014 by iamdog

[lilmissprefect]

I believe that Miriam didn't react until Chilton said that he was finished talking about the Chesapeake Ripper until his lawyer was present. Something in those words set her off, I think. Could be wrong, though.

[Happytobehere]

Another fabulous episode! I knew the frame up was coming and I was afraid Jack was going to be the patsy (putting a different and even more potentially dangerous spin on the opening scene of the premiere episode). This fear was heightened with the Miriam memory of the stag until I saw Jack knifed up in her vision and then I knew that the show was either foreshadowing something or Miriam subconsciously believes Jack to be in danger (perhaps Hannibal has said things to her to evoke this fear). I am going to feel so bad for her when the truth is revealed. I think she will be broken permanently.

As some of the other posters noted, I don't think Jack is convinced that Chilton is the Ripper (I love the analysis provided by you guys as to why a full review of the evidence must clear Chilton). The fact that Jack keeps thinking back to Hannibal means that something in his subconscious won't let the thought of Hannibal go. Just like Abigail, something instinctive and intrinsic in his status as a person, an investigator, and FBI supervisor is telling him that something's not right with the good doctor. This tells me that perhaps the person who needs to be hypnotized is Jack, so we can find out what's eating at him with regards to Hannibal, and he can finally put all the pieces together.

I am so beyond tired of Alana, she is just perpetually wrong, and so arrogant in her wrongness. First, her attitude to Jack about Abigail. Then her attitude to both Will and Jack regarding her belief in his guilt. Now her thoughts on the awesome that is Hannibal. I want to see her reaction most of all when the truth is revealed. Perhaps she will finally go away.

I hope Chilton isn't dead, because that is a huge sea-change from the books and of course SotL. Besides, I like Esparza's take on Chilton as a smarmy little man trying to achieve glory through others because he lacks the ability to be the man of merit he so longs to be. I also loved his SotL ending and how dislikable he was to make you root for his horrific demise at the hands of Hannibal.

Does anyone know if Gillian Anderson's character will be returning to the show? She was awesome.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Happytobehere

[Demig]

Didn't Chilton accuse Hannibal of saying very little during their discussions about psychic driving (implying that Chilton spoke a lot) - perhaps Hannibal took the opportunity to record Chilton saying the exact words that he would later use on Miriam!

 

I was totally suspicious and I just thought he was going to use it to blackmail Chilton, but never as a frame job!

I believe that Miriam didn't react until Chilton said that he was finished talking about the Chesapeake Ripper until his lawyer was present. Something in those words set her off, I think. Could be wrong, though

Perhaps she was conditioned to only recognize and react to 'I am the Chesapeake Ripper' by Chilton.  Because of her conditioning and perhaps induced hysterical deafness she did not recognize the fullness of the sentence "I am done discussing the Chesapeake Ripper until ...."

Edited April 16, 2014 by Demig

[MacGuffin]

I put that down to the last little bit of psychic driving Hannibal used on Chilton. As he put the ether soaked hankerchief over Frederick's face he said; "When you wake up, your only choice will be to run". And run he did!

I wasn't pointing that out to explain why Chilton ran (most anyone would). More that why would a meticulous and intelligent killer like the Chesapeake Ripper (as Chilton is assumed to be) suddenly be so messy and chaotic? 

[jeansheridan]

I see Jack's behavior differently.  I think he believes Will but needs to lull Hannibal.  So he does obvious things like have Miriam try to I'D Hannibal .  I think he knew it was a long shot.  So then he uses Hannibal to hypnotize her just to lull Hannibal again.  Jack is playing a long game too.  He has always been much smarter than he seems.  Hannibal & Will are geniuses but Jack is sane & smart.  His goals are more normal.  He wants a clean arrest.  He wants this all legal.  He is not above the law.  I think that is the point of seeing his wife.  Jack is very conventional.  

He will use the law to stop Hannibal.  If Hannibal is a force of nature then Jack is civilization's attempt to control/contain that force.  

Edited April 25, 2014 by jeansheridan

[cheyz]

Didn't Miriam flash to the sketch of the wound man when she saw the stack of sketches on Hannibal's desk?

 

Alanna didn't so much think that Will was a murderer, she thought he broke by getting too close. She and Jack had that conversation several times last season. Also I haven't tried to look this up, but isn't there some kind of transference theory that could explain Will accusing Hannibal? She knew Will was unstable but thinks Hannibal isn't, that's why she's so willing to believe it of Will but not Hannibal.