HANNIBAL — “Secondo” Episode 303 — Pictured: Hugh Dancy as Will Graham — (Photo by: Brooke Palmer/NBC)

Was it nice to see him? — Bedelia

It was nice, among other things. He knew where to look for me — Hannibal

You knew where he would look for you. You’re going to be caught. It’s already been set in motion — Bedelia

Is that concern for your patient, or concern for yourself? — Hannibal

I’m not concerned about me. I know exactly how I will navigate my way out of whatever it is I’ve gotten myself into — Bedelia

This is the opening scene of tonight’s episode, and in so many ways it’s perfect, especially since one of the primary themes in “Secondo” is the unraveling of Hannibal Lecter. He had the chance to start over, to live a peaceful life, and to escape punishment for dozens of murders spanning several decades, but Hannibal just couldn’t leave it alone and had to find a way to see Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) again. He’s started spiraling and tonight, his actions pretty much sealed his fate in my opinion. The secondary theme is the chilling revelation that Will has truly changed and surprisingly enough, has become a lot like Hannibal himself. And just like with Hannibal, he is being drawn back in, almost like a drug and something that he really can’t control.

HANNIBAL SEALS HIS OWN FATE

Let’s start with Hannibal. Killing Anthony Dimmond was a stupid mistake, and posing him in such a horrific fashion in the Cappella Palatina was just insane — assuming your top priority is to stay under the radar and not get caught. Self-preservation used to be the primary, and sole, directive of Dr. Lecter, which was the entire point of the bloodbath in the season 2 finale. What Hannibal didn’t count on was the emptiness he would feel once Will Graham was gone, which has made him get to the point where he really doesn’t care anymore about being apprehended and in fact, take steps to insure that Will *does* find him.

Tonight, Professor Sogliato (Rinaldo Rocco) is back as a dinner guest of Hannibal’s, and if you remember the sordid character from the season premiere, you probably can guess this doesn’t end well. We know how Hannibal feels about rude, disruptive people, and Sogliato is just intolerable. But, Hannibal puts on his charm and a big smile, serves Sogliato a special cocktail (which ironically is supposed to be the same drink served to the guests of the Titanic at their final meal), and before he has a chance to take the 1st bite of the meal, Hannibal stabs him in the temple. Totally unexpected, totally shocking, and a little disturbing given that Sogliato doesn’t die immediately. I’m not sure if he really understood what had just happened to him, because while the injury blinded him, he just casually laughs it off. Fortunately, Bedelia has enough compassion to get up and pull the knife out, which then, of course, kills him (the latter which Hannibal has quite a bit of fun with since technically, Bedelia is the one who killed him).

Technically, you killed him — Hannibal

You’re no longer interested in preserving the peace you found here — Bedelia

You cannot preserve entropy. It gradually descends into disorder — Hannibal

You’re drawing them to you, aren’t you? All of them — Bedelia

With the high-profile Dimmond murder and now with the disappearance of Sogliato, red flags are going to go up, ones that Hannibal can’t hide or run away from. Trust me, it’s only a matter of time now.

WELCOME TO LITHUANIA, MR. LECTER — I MEAN, MR. GRAHAM.

Where do you think he’ll go to next? — Bedelia

A place where I never can go to again. Home — Hannibal

Cut to Lithuania, and there you have Will Graham approaching the imposing Lecter Castle. Grand from a distance, but as you get closer, it’s unkept and actually appears deserted. And, if it weren’t for the woman on the property who fires a shotgun to kill a bird, Will may have assumed no one lived at the Castle any longer and left.

So, who is this woman and why is she the only one living at the Lecter Castle? As it turns out, she’s Chiyoh (Tao Okamoto) who keeps the grounds of the Castle and given that she’s Japanese, it’s probably a safe guess that she’s somehow connected to Lady Murasaki, a character that the fans of the Thomas Harris novels will recognize as Hannibal’s step-aunt. Lady Murasaki is likely the only person (besides Will Graham) to truly understand Hannibal and to try to help him as a young man. It remains to be seen if we will actually see her this season or whether she is even still alive.

Besides being a keeper of the grounds, we learn that Chiyoh has also been tasked, presumably by Hannibal or Lady Murasaki, to watch over and care for the only other inhabitant of the Castle — a prisoner who supposedly had killed and eaten Hannibal’s little sister, Mischa. Chiyoh explains all of this to Will, and I absolutely loved these scenes because the 2 seemed to be alike on so many levels. Will is often ambivalent about Hannibal, wanting to hate him one minute but at the same time, being drawn back to him the next. Just like Will, Chiyoh seems to be somewhat supportive of Hannibal and says she understands him. Yet, there is an air of disdain around her that also suggests she is disgusted by everything that Hannibal has done.

This is made clear when Will makes the decision to set the prisoner free, who then returns and attacks Chiyoh. To fend off the man’s attack, Chiyoh is forced to kill him, which is exactly what Will expected and wanted. Ironically, this is also what she thinks Hannibal would have wanted, and she quickly points out the obvious — that Will is just like Hannibal, whether he wants to believe it or not.

You’re doing what he does. He’d be proud of you, his Nakama — Chiyoh to Will

Ouch. Well, Chiyoh is absolutely right, and if that final scene doesn’t confirm it, I don’t know what does. Will could have just left the prisoner there or he could have buried him, but he just couldn’t resist himself. He holsters the man up in the air, covers him with snails and acorns, and attaches wings to his back. In my eyes, this is a gesture that the man is now free and can fly away after being bound there for no telling how long. Definitely something Hannibal would do, and yes, he would be very proud of his protege.

THE VERDICT

I liked this episode, perhaps not as much as the first 2 episodes of the season, but I liked it still the same. The evolution of Hannibal and Will
Graham is very important in understanding why these 2 characters feel so compelled to run back to each other and into this dysfunctional relationship that almost got both of them killed. It would make no sense to have it just happen, which is why this episode was needed. Yes, it didn’t have much action which fans have grown accustomed to with this show (although that scene with Sogliato was a hell of a humdinger), but it told a great story, and Bryan Fuller did it to perfection just like he always does. Kudos and plaudits.

The only thing I can definitely say I didn’t like about the episode is how Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) was re-introduced. It needed to be done someway, but using Inspector Pazzi as the mechanism for doing it just seemed odd and off. I know that Pazzi plays a major role in the source material but how he was introduced in last week’s episode seemed a bit intrusive and disruptive, and it certainly seemed that way in tonight’s episode as well.

So, what’s next for Hannibal and Will now that the wheels are now in motion? Chiyoh leaving with Will definitely will speed up the process of these 2 intersecting again since Chiyoh seems to know Hannibal so well and will likely know how to find him. But, what will happen once they do come back together again? We will have to wait and see, but that very last line in the episode sent chills down my back, and I sure hope it was not designed to serve as an omen.

If past behavior is an indicator of future behavior, there is only 1 way you can forgive Will Graham — Bedelia

I have to eat him — Hannibal

Hannibal  airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.

Critic Grade — B+

Also, be sure to check out my Preview of next week’s episide, “Apertivo.” It is here that we get a first look at not only Dr. Chilton, but also Alana Bloom and Mason Verger, following each of their attacks and learn of their plans of revenge, which no doubt will prove to be futile.

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