If complaints about the early part of season three have been directed at the lack of interaction between Will and Hannibal then the third episode is unlikely to stop those complaints. What it does, however, is hint at a further back story and the ‘making of’ Hannibal as he exists today. Will’s dark and spiritual journey takes him to Castle Lecter and ends in a confrontation with someone from Hannibal’s past that reveals a level of ruthlessness within Will that has so far been unseen. Secondo explores Will’s increasing darkness now separated from Hannibal, suggesting that he needed very little tempting into the behaviours of the latter part of season two. The final moments at Castle Lecter are incredibly, creating a spectacle out of Will’s fractured psyche and a calling card to Hannibal. The addition of Chiyoh as someone who is aware of Hannibal’s past and has been a victim of him herself is an interesting development.
Hannibal and Bedelia’s life in Florence continues to amuse and bemuse in equal measure. Gillian Anderson’s facial expressions within these scenes are incredible at selling the strangeness of their dinner parties. The power games between the pair are also seen to be ramping up with Bedelia contributing to the hunt for Hannibal and Hannibal attempting to involve Bedelia more within his increasingly erratic crimes. The pitch-black comedy in these scenes set against the soul-searching of the other characters perfectly exposes why Hannibal is such a varied and enticing show.
Secondo revealed the fate of another character from the season two finale, resulting in the furthering of the idea of Hannibal now being hunted. However, his power plays are already in action, with the idea put forward that as much as the other characters are seeking him out, he is also drawing them in. So far, season three is playing out as a drawn-out game of human poker, in which no one has quite revealed their hand, yet. Hannibal is a show that has never seen fit to rush, rather it takes pleasure in nuances of behaviour and intentions, so a fairly slow start to this season is unsurprising. For the moment, this slow burn is resulting in a captivating show, high on vivid, disturbing imagery and low on any resolution – a major positive if you ask me.
The quality of Hannibal makes it all the more sad that NBC have chosen to cancel the series. While the remaining episodes will continue to air on the channel and also on Sky Living within the UK, season four is now in serious doubt, despite Bryan Fuller’s outline for a seven season show. Netflix have all but been ruled out of taking the show on and therefore Amazon Prime seems the most likely home, considering their streaming rights for seasons one and two. If you want to help you can join the Twitter campaign with the hashtag, #SaveHannibal.
