Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller asked “who’s ready for seconds?” over on Twitter and my hand pretty much shot up into the air. This new trailer (complete with a somewhat jarring movie style voiceover) expands on the idea that Hannibal is taking over Will’s spot as FBI consultant on the macabre cases. The new promo also features Gillian Anderson’s Dr. du Maurier and it was insinuated last season that she knew more about Hannibal than she was explicitly saying out loud; it looks like she might be one of the only people who isn’t fooled by Hannibal’s charms this season.

The male characters on the show are blinded by Hannibal’s charm and sophistication, sitting at his dinner table and enjoying whatever treats Hannibal has prepared for them (THE FOOD IS PEOPLE). This was the role that Will took on last year, he is now of course very aware of what Hannibal is capable of and he’s going to have a hard time of convincing people otherwise. Dr. Chilton has recovered enough from his non-elective surgery last year to discuss Will over food with Hannibal “He tells everyone that you are a monster.” Hannibal responds mockingly “Well in that case you’re dining with a psychopathic murderer.” It’s all very tongue in cheek (pun maybe sorta intended).

There’s more of the fight sequence that was teased in the first full trailer and seeing Hannibal shift from cool and reserved to cool and dangerous is unnerving and I can’t wait to see this sequence in full. The one person lacking in the trailer is Alana Bloom, though the first trailer revealed that she is part of this confrontation. Alana is very much on Team Will, but she’s also got a very long standing professional and personal relationship with Hannibal so I am intrigued to see what they have in store for her. As long as it’s not an untimely end.

Beauty and horror go hand in hand on Hannibal and the crime scenes are as complex as ever as there’s a brief shot of what appears to be a judge missing the top of his skull, set up to look like the scales of justice. Just because Will is aware of his condition it doesn’t mean there won’t be stag sightings and it’s not just going to be Will in his cell either as you can see from the new promo; there’s the courtroom and his imagination.

I was already beyond excited about season 2 and all the promotional work is raising the anticipation bar even higher. Hannibal returns to NBC Friday, February 28.

Happy 40th Birthday to the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress and Hannibal’s Dr Alana Bloom sported this iconic garment during its first season. The collection von Furstenberg debuted this weekend at New York Fashion Week is called Bohemian Wrapsody – full marks on the pun – and there are several signature DVF pieces that are very much part of the Alana Bloom look on Hannibal.

Caroline Dhavernas looks incredible in red and in terms of costume design on Hannibal it’s a color that is used sparingly, most likely to create a stronger impact when it comes to the crime scenes. Alana is one of the only characters that get to wear red (Freddie is another) and this is most noticeable in the finale after Will has been arrested. Red can symbolize a variety of conflicting and intense emotions – love, anger, passion, strength – with Alana it definitely lays on compassionate end of the scale and I consider her to be the heart of the show.

One other key component to Alana’s costuming is that it is ultra feminine and she almost exclusively wears skirts and dresses. Whether it is intentional or not, Alana is coded in season 1 in way that reflects a strong maternal role with both Will and Abigail – the whole ‘mother’ thing gets a bit fuzzy when you factor in the strong sexual attraction between Will and Alana – she’s a protector and there’s no ulterior motive to her actions. Alana’s costuming reflects this femininity and the DVF rosebud motif is on point with this factor, as are the mix-and-match prints which reflect the chaos of the Hannibal environment.

Below are 7 looks from Diane von Furstenberg’s fall 2014 RTW collection that I could see as part of Dr. Alana Bloom’s wardrobe. There are some other strong gold and star infused pieces from this runway show that will feature later in the week.

Hannibal is one of the most visually arresting shows on TV (if not the most) and season 2 has produced an array of incredible pieces of costume work; from Hannibal’s sumptuous three piece suits to his clear plastic kill suit as he strides around a cornfield looking for a murder mural in the sunshine. In “Hassun” we enter the world of the courtroom and a whole new arena for these characters to show off who they are through their clothes and there is definitely some peacocking going on. Freddie Lounds does this in the most overt manner and this also happens to be her first appearance this year.

Freddie is playing several roles in this scene and her attire reflects this; the image she is trying to reflect is the doe eyed mourner who couldn’t save her friend, instead she’s revealed to be the serial lying opportunist with a vendetta against Will Graham. It’s part wedding/part funeral and Freddie is the star of her own show. The jacket looks like she skinned a reptile representing the dichotomy of Freddie Lounds in this moment as she tries to portray innocence while showing how cold blooded she actually is. Freddie might be a vegetarian (as we discovered last season) but she has no qualms with wearing clothes that resemble animal skin. There is a third likeness and this came up in a discussion on Twitter about Freddie’s amazing hat with my friend Noel Kirkpatrick pointing out how much it resembles Rosalind Russell’s costuming in His Girl Friday and you just know that Freddie fancies herself as a Hildy.

Freddie is not the only woman in blue this week and Alana is wearing a similar shade when she finds out that she won’t be called to testify. Blue is seen as a stabilizing color, as well as one that reflects loyalty and both of these apply to Alana Bloom (Freddie not so much). If Freddie wore the crimson red she prefers she might come across as the agent of chaos that she really is. Freddie and Alana share a costuming color palette as red is one of Alana’s signature colors – Alana’s wardrobe this year has been full of rich hues and geometric patterns once again – but just because they share this, it in no way indicates any similarities between them except they both exude confidence in their professional arenas.

Alana’s feelings towards Will are called into question during a prep session as Will’s lawyer, Leonard Braugher is initially concerned and he’s pretty blunt in his observations “You are smitten with the accused Ms Bloom, and it is adorable, but not our brand of defense. Ms Vega will smell it on you like you stepped in Young Adult and tracked it into the courtroom.” Alana manages to switch into cold behind the eyes mode and out comes the “professional curiosity” line she’s previously referenced. Alana doesn’t even get to testify so this is all for naught really.

In the final scene of “Hassun” Will discusses his new murderous admirer with Alana and while determining why this person is doing it (“He wants to know me”) Will also asks Alana what her motivations are. Alana’s answer works with her current position as the heart of Hannibal and with both the romantic and nurturing roles she plays “I want to save you.” While the silence that follows suggests that it’s going to be a struggle for Alana to achieve this in the long term, there is also the emotional tether aspect and a physical connection as Will reaches out and takes Alana’s hand.

Searching for connections is a strong theme on Hannibal and prior to this scene we have a lonely sadness montage of Hannibal staring longingly at the empty chair Will used to sit in, followed by Will alone in his cell. By the end of the episode one of these men has a moment of comfort with another person and while Alana still believes that Hannibal is completely innocent, Hannibal has still lost the man he calls a friend.

In a couple of days we will find out exactly how Hannibal goes from looking like this

To this

We’ve seen the start of the fight and the bloody mess it turns into, however that’s only a fragment of the story and there’s so much left unanswered at this point. The big question is who will make it out alive – I mean, Hannibal and Will are a given, but we don’t know what state they will be in or how free they will be when those closing credits hit. The outlook is less positive for Jack as he has been viciously stabbed in the neck after the kitchen trashing fight and Alana brandishing the gun Will gave her makes an appearance in the promo (which you can see below). Alana’s been put in a shitty position for the second half of the season and while I wouldn’t say she needs to redeem herself, I would like to see her regain her agency and kick some ass.

Can they also explain Hannibal’s shirt tucking in super powers? Other than the blood and ruffled collar he still looks pretty dapper. He’s going to be so pissed that he didn’t have enough time to fetch his plastic kill suit and now this shirt is beyond saving.

It’s like the most fucked up “will they/won’t they” as Will makes his final choice; whose love will he choose?

Season 2 of Hannibal concluded as it began; with a bloody fight and so I am here to talk about wrap dresses. I say this half jokingly in part because this is a wish list piece on Alana Bloom’s wrap dress, which continues the costume design themes we have seen for this character. The finale is exceptional and devastating on a heart and soul shattering level that a break from the bloodbath with a look at outfit choices hopefully won’t seem too out there. It goes deeper than this and despite this being a truly excellent season, there has been one letdown on Hannibal and I will also be examining the unfortunate path Alana Bloom has been taken down.

Regular readers of this blog will already be aware of how highly I regard Alana Bloom on both a character level – yes, her storyline has been problematic this year – and for style inspiration, which has remained on point all year. Colorful, patterned wrap dresses with a feminine silhouette are a go to item for this character and this sets her apart from the rest of the FBI team who tend to wear more muted and practical clothing. Alana occasionally ventures into the field and her costuming signifies her position as ‘the other’ through the use of print, color and flowing scarves.

I’ve talked in the past about Alana’s muddled role as she shifts from a mother like figure to a love interest and this is even more apparent in season 2 as she becomes romantically involved with Hannibal. In case I haven’t mentioned it before, when they showed the Hannibal/Alana kiss during the “next time on Hannibal” I let out a gasp worthy of a daytime soap opera. This was not a joy filled reaction. Happily switching between character motivations and style within one post is becoming my signature of sorts and in the same article as the mother/lover discussion I take a look at Alana’s penchant for wearing Diane von Furstenberg which is a great segue into this week’s wish list item.

As with last season’s finale Alana is wearing a DVF wrap – it’s the New Julian Two and at the moment is only available on eBay – the pattern is more muted than the bold red/white of season one, but the purple chain pattern is in tune with the direction Alana’s costuming has taken this year. Red has previously been a dominant color in Alana’s wardrobe and there has been limited crimson in her costuming during season 2. The confrontation with Freddie Lounds is the only occasion during the second half of this season where Alana is in red. Replacing red has been purple which bookends the season and blue which represents her period with Hannibal. It’s like she’s Van Gogh or something to that effect.

Ah yes, Alana’s shifting relationship with Hannibal and this has been a contentious storyline in part because of questions of loyalty as she went from Will’s protector to turning to the man he has been accusing the entire time. However, the real issue is reducing a smart and powerful character (and arguably the lead female) into a love interest that loses most of her agency and it’s disappointing that this is done through sex.

There are attempts to course correct this and reinforce the notion that Alana isn’t at fault for blindly believing in Hannibal “In your defense I worked very hard to blind you.” Alana often gets pushed to the sideline which also adds to the feeling that her character is a device to be employed when it benefits either Will or Hannibal’s arc. Jack gets a better go of it and one flaw in the overall withholding plan from the second half of this season is how far it has pushed Alana out of their orbit and into Hannibal’s. Yes, they needed a character to be Hannibal’s champion and yes Alana made the first move on Hannibal in “Futamono” (though he of course was working very hard to make this happen), but I still find Alana’s journey from savior to pawn to be rather unsatisfactory. As the audience knows the truth behind Hannibal it makes Alana look foolish, despite our knowledge that she is an intelligent character who usually employs logical reasoning.

It is probably why when Alana found out about everything I practically stood up and cheered (ok I actually stood up and cheered), even if it came at this very late point and she is clearly crushed by this turn of events. Oh and on a costuming note, the green outfit she was wearing when she finds out Freddie is alive is the one from her season 2 promo photo which I wrote about here. This also made me very happy.

Before I jump down the “what colors represent” rabbit hole again, there are some visual reasons that can explain these choices and the lack of red in Alana’s later costuming could be down to Margot Verger’s color palette featuring an array of reds and blacks. In the season finale Alana confronts Kade Prurnell and Prurnell is the one wearing an orangey/red jacket also showing her ‘other’ status. Unlike Alana who is part of the team, Prurnell is the glaring obstacle. Blue has also been seen on Alana before she stops believing in Will, most notably in “Hassun” the episode in which Alana declares that her intention is to save him. However, blue becomes dominant when she enters a romantic relationship with Hannibal and continues even as she begins to question her faith in Hannibal, as you can see in the shot from episode 11 below.

Back to purple and as I’ve already mentioned this color bookends Alana’s costuming this season – Alana wears a burgundy dress while playing with the dogs in the opener – traditionally purple is for mourning and symbolizes death. Well, considering where we leave these characters broken, bloody and struggling for breath this is rather apt. Every color comes with multiple meanings and on this occasion the use of purple signifies the symmetry between the finale and season premiere. The fight between Jack and Hannibal is of course in both episodes and we are unaware of Alana’s proximity to the fight in the first episode; the thing that unifies the color here is Alana’s belief in Will. This has shifted and so has their relationship due to Hannibal’s manipulation; however I’d like to think this color mirroring shows a deeper connection.

Alana has been deeply violated by being kept in the dark and I’m disappointed beyond her inky black dream – echoing the inky vision of Alana that Will has during his therapy session in the premiere – we don’t get to see much of her reaction to this betrayal. This reduction and lack of screen time is pretty representative of how Hannibal treats Alana and if she survives her fall, I hope she isn’t so marginalized when we return for season 3. Caroline Dhavernas delivers a strong performance throughout and it’s been notably illuminating when she gets to channel the well earned rage, fear and anguish that Alana displays in this season finale as she chooses bravery over blindness.

Welcome to TV Ate My Wardrobe’s “Best of 2014″ costuming series and rather than doing a straightforward countdown we’re going to do a variety of posts that look at which costumes and shows have made a huge impact this year. From items that we want in our own wardrobe to pieces that got everyone talking, we want to look at this year’s TV through the prism of costume.

Will Graham went to some dark, dark places in season 2 of Hannibal as he crossed a very big line in an attempt to reveal Hannibal’s true self. Will Graham started the year in prison as a result of being framed for Abigail’s death and several other murders, which meant a whole lot of jumpsuits. Will’s brain is no longer on fire and he is relatively lucid (the stags still appears to him in various terrifying and non terrifying forms), which means he is far more equipped to deal with Hannibal. I would say the playing field has been leveled but this is never the case when facing off against Hannibal. Even when you kind of dress like him.

When Will is released from prison he doesn’t go straight to the mall or a seller of fine outerwear and scarves. Nor does he venture to a barber of procure contact lenses. First he must lend some clothes to Dr Chilton because Hannibal has framed yet another person for his various criminal misdeeds. Dr Chilton is on the receiving end of Hannibal’s framing gift and Chilton’s costuming has gone to greater lengths this season to mimic his benefactor. Chilton’s suits are bolder than Hannibal’s because he wants to stand out and it is why he continues to use a decadent cane he no longer really needs

Three-piece suits are Hannibal’s signature and Will doesn’t go for a mirror image of this style choice; instead he switches out his fly fishing vests and rumpled jackets for beautiful tailored wool coats and sweaters. I’m still sad there was no shopping montage – like this one – or at least a trip to Hannibal’s tailor.

His hair has been trimmed and while he is still a little stubbly, this is definitely a more polished version of Will. Gone are the glasses as his barrier to shield his eyes from others and this suggests his willingness to embrace whatever has to be done to stop Hannibal.

There are points where he looks more like the season 1 version of Will including this confrontation with Mason in “Ko No Mono” which also happens to be the same episode where we (and Alana) find out for sure that Will did not kill Freddie and this is all part of the grand Hannibal lure.

When Will comes to Hannibal to serve up some (not) Freddie he’s all fancy scarf/tailored wool coat and this is a look he maintains at the start of the next episode as he continues the ruse with a very pissed off Alana. He accidentally mirrors her look, but it’s cold so I’m not going to read too much into their scarf/coat choice of attire. Ah the polar vortex and spotting which shows shot in these conditions.

Speaking of the cold, I couldn’t do a best of Hannibal costuming post without mentioning this magical moment:

Back to Will and at this point last year we knew that prison overalls would be the predominant Will Graham look when we returned for the next season. The picture is unclear at this moment for what state he will be in when season 3 kicks off and even though time has passed that is one hell of a wound so hospital garb might be on the menu. In this brand new phase of the ongoing ensnaring Hannibal saga, this event is going to have a huge impact on everyone who was left bloody and broken including how they present themselves to the world.

Restraints both physical and mental feature prominently on Hannibal this week as the ‘Hannibal on the run’ arc comes to an end with an incredibly satisfying, sometimes horrifying and at times very funny episode. Hannibal has remained pretty unflappable throughout being hunted; even when he was beaten and lying on his ass he still didn’t have the look of a totally broken man despite being a little broken. Throughout his ordeal at Muskrat Farm which includes being stabbed, branded, tied up and teased with how his body will be prepared for a feast he never break a sweat. This is a man who has killed people in more ways than you could ever imagine and even when he is strung up like a pig waiting for slaughter he is always a few steps ahead.

Alana even goes as far as pointing out to a cocksure Mason why you shouldn’t play with Hannibal because Hannibal is always playing. Mason’s hubris is his ultimate downfall because while it looks like his well thought out torture plan for both Hannibal and his sister is foolproof the “finer details” are always evolving and he is not as good at reading people as the trained professionals.

Breaking up can be hard to do and “Digestivo” deals with what are effectively two big rejections. First there is Hannibal and Will; this took a drastic turn at the end of last week’s episode with a bone saw and thankfully Hannibal’s dinner prep was interrupted by the well timed and super corrupt cops paid off with Mason’s millions. Cutting the toxic Hannibal part out of Will’s life was imperative and Jack’s advice almost ended with Will as the one being sliced and diced. Not that this threat doesn’t continue over at Muskrat Farm as Mason’s plan for Will involves wearing his face while Mason eats Hannibal. Delightful.

Will and Hannibal’s fates are entwined and rather than pitting them against each other there is this sense they can only escape alive if they do it together. This can’t be achieved without help and Alana Bloom plays an important role in their escape as well as being somewhat responsible for their capture. Not that Alana is to blame for their predicament as she was simply trying to get to Hannibal before Will did, but Hannibal’s pull is strong and Will’s intimate knowledge of his memory palace meant the hunt would be quicker than tracking fancy foods from an upmarket deli. I do wonder how long it took to sail to Italy and it does seem like there are quicker forms of travel. Sailing does have the benefit of anonymity.

One ship that has long sailed (and a ship I am still kinda on, even if at this point it makes no sense) is Alana/Will. Mason has made plenty of sleazy comments about Alana’s relationship with Hannibal, but it seems he is unfamiliar with Will’s previous romantic overtures towards Dr. Bloom. Mason does question whether he can trust Alana and he is seemingly convinced by her assurance that she had nothing to do with the plan in Italy going array; however I wonder if he would be so chill in leaving Will hanging out alone in the dining room if he knew Alana and Will were friends? He at least has to be aware that they worked together. But once again this can be chalked up to Mason’s inability to see everything that is going on around him.

In the past when Will and Alana have sat down together the wide shot has been used to show them on equal footing and with a level of intimacy even when one of them is in handcuffs. In this scene Alana doesn’t sit directly opposite instead she chooses a chair slightly away from him and the wide shot is replaced with solo coverage. The sense of distance, disappointment and even anger emanates from both characters with Will taking jabs at her moral compass with her role in their capture. Basically he is being a bit of a dick, but considering his predicament and the awkward looking suit he has been made to wear I guess I can give him a pass on his tone. But Alana is not just going to sit there and take it because after all he rejected her when she went to see him at Hannibal’s home, which led her to seek another less savory avenue for capturing Hannibal.

It would be nice if she gave him an update on his dogs (which I assume she is looking after when she is not at the Verger’s) although now is maybe not the time to throw in a PS ‘Winston misses you’ remark.

Going outside the law is one of the things he sneers at her about and he asks what she thought would happen; she believed Jack and the FBI would save the day. For the second time this plan has failed, which is where the all important notion of evolution plays a vital role in how the rest of the action progresses. Will tells Alana “you have to evolve. You have to spill blood. Either by your own hand or someone else’s.”

And who do they have lying around who wants to spill some blood?

This task needs fabulous outerwear with furs and florals being an ideal way to brighten up any pig pen. Also in terms of the Alana Bloom sartorial switch-up this coat harks back to her pre-defenestration wrap dress prints nodding towards an Alana of old. Margot is coming face to face with her former therapist and champion of all things fratricide, for Alana it is even more intense as this is the first time she is seeing her ex since he got a teenage girl to throw her out of a window. They’ve briefly talked on the phone of course, but nothing quite prepares you for seeing the dude you used to date strung up nearly naked. Will’s pep talk has spurred on Alana and not only does she take out the guard with ease using a tranq gun, but she also holds her nerve with Hannibal; she does not cry or yell. Instead she politely implores him to save Will coming down to his level face to face.

This shot and the way they are starring at each other is everything.

The key here is saving Will and really saving Will has always been number one on Alana’s agenda even if she made some misguided choices with her love life last season. But Will is not the only one who needs to break free from Mason’s sweaty clutches as Margot has too long been controlled by her sadistic brother. Their father’s will states only Mason or another heir is the beneficiary of the estate and it is an important reminder when Mason brags about this fact that Margot’s baby plan is entwined with her desire to be free from his influence.

Hannibal is offering his services here, but he wants Margot to commit the act (he sure does like getting other people to kill) and he will take the blame offering up his hair as evidence to place in Mason’s hand. Before Alana rips it from his scalp she asks “Could I have ever understood you?” Hannibal’s reply of “no” is somewhat dismissive of her psychiatrist talents giving her the perfect impetus (along with everything else he has doe) to cause him a little pain. The foley department gets an A+ for this hair tug sound and Hannibal definitely flinches a little.

By promising to save Will, he also delivers what sounds like a threat and a half when he tells her that he always keeps his promises. Should Alana be worried for her own life? Not this week and he even helps them with another not so pleasant task involving a cattle prod and ‘milking.’ I full on snort laughed when Alana coolly revealed Hannibal knows how to use a cattle prod (of course he does). I really want a deleted scene of his this conversation went down – “Just one more thing Hannibal before you carry Will off into the sunset…”

If you were ever under the illusion that Mason Verger is not a twisted sick fuck then “Digestivo” is here to really cement this character trait. Mason has long been toying with Margot from her tear infused martinis to the diabolical act of removing her uterus and aborting her baby. He has a surprise for her this week as he took her eggs and didn’t Humpty Dumpty them (which is a horrifying phrase which also made me laugh) but instead put them in another basket. And there is a baby! But this is not a joyful occasion and the extreme nature of where this baby is being kept hits a new level of ‘what the fuckery?’ horror for this show.

Mason’s all things pigs extends to the torture of his sister and as Will is being prepared for his face removal we see Alana and Margot cutting the baby out of the pig in a heartbreaking and disturbing moment pushing Margot towards the plan Hannibal has been suggesting all along.

On Hannibal there are a lot of unhealthy relationships and this episode explores breaking free of these toxic binds, but one pairing which could change this trend is Margot and Alana. Plenty is stacked against them including the circumstances which brought them together and the baggage they both carry. But who doesn’t have a stuff in their past that they’d rather forget? And I think it is important to see how they both get through this shit and their experiences with manipulators without just coming across as victims. Just look at the way the light frames them in this shot among the darkness.

I’ve talked plenty of times in the past about Alana’s position as the heart of the show, a nurturing role which places her in a position with traits which are traditionally feminine. With Margot she offers up a warmth she is probably not used to and I really hope these two can make it, but maintaining a romantic relationship on Hannibal is probably harder than staying alive on Hannibal if you are in the regular cast. Self-preservation is what Alana preaches to Will when she discusses her recent choices and yet her actions have all been about saving both Margot and Will.

Post baby discovery Margot has mascara streaked cheeks and no time for Mason’s threats; she has what she needs (ta Hannibal) and it’s over. Mason’s blood stained face (courtesy of his not Will Graham mask) and general demeanor adds a farcical element further, heightened by Katharine Isabelle’s amazing line reading (and nod to Mason’s earlier declaration) of “mostly yours” had me cackling. Mason’s end is pretty fitting as he ends up being held down in his fish tank by Margot and Alana – in it together – and his eel ends up swimming into his mouth essentially asphyxiating him (which also symbolically looks a whole lot like another kind of violation). Bye Mason!

Okay not quite time to finish with him as we’ve still got his dude dinner party to discuss – how did they get a chat about penis cooking followed by a shot of sausages by the Standards and Practices people?

Mason also provided some new clothes for Will and Hannibal dressing them up all nice in a way which Hannibal normally does (although the striped shirt is not his usual speed this side of the Atlantic) and the already mentioned slightly out of place Will suit. Will also ruins what was a perfectly lovely dinner (not really) by biting Cordell’s cheek and spitting out the offending part. Which leads me to other shots of Hugh Dancy from this episode looking slightly deranged.

In all fairness to him he did start the episode with his head getting cut open and then he did almost end up faceless. Not a good week for Will Graham and so it is not a huge surprise when he rejects all things Hannibal after he has been rescued. It is his time to evolve; no more mind palaces or chasing the man who has occupied his thoughts for three seasons. All Will wants to do is hang out with his dogs, his dogs that he misses more than Hannibal (burn).

Ending relationships with ties as strong as this is difficult and for Margot she had to get rid of her brother in a definitive way and while Will seems over the whole killing Hannibal notion, it is the only way he will be truly free from his influence (he just can’t help himself).

The bedside dismissal is pretty emphatic and the point of light in the scene gives this serene edge to the end of this affair. Well, Will thinks it is the end, but Hannibal is always playing and like an ex you can’t get rid of he has a plan to keep himself in Will’s life. Even if this means sacrificing his own freedom which he earned in stunning fashion earlier in the episode.  You don’t dump Hannibal, he definitely dumps you.

Another significant hello/goodbye occurs outside Will Graham’s home as Chiyo and Hannibal come face to face for the first time in a long time. Chiyo has acted as Jack Crawford savior with her trusty rifle and I also have to guess that he helped get her into the US after she saved his life. She’s been a character who has been neither here nor there for me in that she has acted as a peek into Hannibal’s past, but with not much else (other than another edition into the fabulous coat collection of Hannibal) beyond being a bit of a plot device and this is a shame.

She does ask the questions regarding Mischa – he didn’t kill her, but he did eat her. In the end she believes some beasts should remain free and she leaves into the night when Hannibal is arrested. Will we see her again?

Oh and you know what’s back at the end? Oh yeah, Will Graham’s glasses! 

Time jumps and Red Dragon are coming! For a 5 minute preview and the Comic-Con panel head here.

One chapter is over for Hannibal this season and the Red Dragon portion begins with a three year time jump. Moving forward by this amount is a wise move as it spares any lengthy courtroom scenes, which weren’t so successful when Will Graham was on trial last season (it did give us Freddie’s hat which I will forever be grateful for). It also means all the players in the Hannibal hunt have been given time to heal both physically and mentally; some have moved on in a big way and others seem comfortable in returning to their jobs with varying degrees of proximity to Hannibal.

The episode opens with Francis Dolarhyde’s transformation and at no point does he speak or do we get to hear his real name (it can only be seen on his uniform name badge). A William Blake retrospective in an issue of Time gives a peak into the beast he becomes obsessed with and this is where the episode gets its title from; “The Great Red Dragon” proves to be so important to Dolarhyde he gets it etched on his back and kneels before this painting in a position of worship.

Blurred butts ahoy! This has been very on trend this season and Bryan Fuller did mention at the Comic-Con panel there would be no blurring on the DVD.

This opening sequence does a good job of highlighting Dolarhyde’s isolation as you can see his co-workers chatting over lunch in the background as he sits alone. His attic dwelling with its broken mirror and portrait reinforces and when we see him picking up the teeth which inspired his tabloid nickname, his hood is up as a way to protect his identity and attempt to conceal his hair lip.

Red Dragon is the only Thomas Harris book I have read so this is the one portion of Hannibal where I know the source material and hopefully this won’t bleed too much into my interpretation because while he doesn’t speak, the way Richard Armitage moves and makes those guttural sounds indicates he is a killer who might just have a monster inside him. One thing we know is that he is a big fan of scrapbooking and as Hannibal predicted he is not so fond of the sensational name he has been given.

Dolarhyde has also been paying attention to ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ and despite Dr. Chilton’s assertions that people have tired of Hannibal’s crimes in favor of the new serial killer on the block, Hannibal is not without fans. While cutting out evidence of his latest endeavors we also see a family photo from Dolarhyde’s own collection and pictures are an important part of this storyline.

Some of those are moving and in a terrifying fantastical moment Dolarhyde is enveloped by the film turning him into the projector.

Transformation is important with the moon cycle acting as a countdown for when he will kill again. When he exits the home of the second family he killed covered in blood it acts like a kind of rebirth and briefly stops whatever is giving him the urge to kill. There are two sides to Dolarhyde; this duality also exists in Will Graham and it is Dolarhyde that causes Will to come back to the crime solving fold.

Photographs act as a prompt to get Will to come back and while it is an emotionally manipulative move from Jack he sees it as a necessary evil to stop another family being murdered. Will doesn’t want to see the crime scene photos using Molly and her 11-year old son Walter as an excuse; really it is him that doesn’t want to see them. Jack borrowed Will’s mind before resulting in the twisted relationship with Hannibal so it is clear how desperate Jack is as he has ventured up to Will’s secluded residence.

By not inviting Jack in, Will attempts to keep his home free from this old life, but the weight of responsibility is too much and Jack ends up staying for dinner. Dolarhyde has infiltrated Will’s peace with his crimes and if the photograph of happy families wasn’t enough to convince Will, well then Jack has his props at the ready to show Molly.

By leaving Jack with his wife, Will is knowingly giving Jack the opportunity to make his case and despite everything telling him to protect the life he now has, he also feels responsible for the fate of whatever family might get torn apart next. So long to the brief moment of happiness we got to see on Will’s face.

Old faces come to visit in several forms for Will Graham and he has a letter from Hannibal (in beautiful cursive of course) telling him “We have all found a new life, but our old lives hover in the shadows” followed by “I would encourage you as a friend not to step back through the door he [Jack] holds open. It’s dark on the other side and madness is waiting.” The newspaper clipping about the Tooth Fairy murders makes it quite clear that Hannibal wants Will to walk through that door and into his new abode.

Will obliges and he’s rather practical about it all as he explains how he might as well get it out of the way now rather than in an act of desperation when the countdown clock to the next full moon is approaching at speed. Will makes it clear he does not care for Hannibal’s note nor the clipping by burning them.

Chunky shawl neck sweaters and beanies for Will are more like his clothing of old and thanks to the shooting schedule there’s always a lot of snow on this show. The “Will Graham Glasses Watch” continues and the only point we see him wearing them this week is when he takes them off as he approaches Hannibal’s fancy pants cell.

Mirroring the end of season 1 and the roles are reversed; the only similarity is Hannibal’s part in creating the conditions for both scenarios as he framed Will and surrendered himself to the FBI. Hannibal’s surroundings both real and memory palace are far more opulent than the cell which housed Will and the memories which haunted him. You might say Hannibal has landed on his feet despite his lack of freedom as now he has everything he needs before him.

Last week Alana warned Mason that Hannibal is always playing; Mason did not heed these words and ended up with an eel down his throat. Now it is Alana and Chilton who are embroiled in a dangerous game of their own making as they lied in court and now Hannibal is considered legally insane.

Alana’s sticking to the fabulous pantsuits and her new power color of bold red in her visit to her former boyfriend and it is a conversation peppered with contemptuous remarks from both parties. It remains rather civil as they drink the wine which revealed Hannibal’s Italian location even as they trade barbs about Alana’s current job, how to categorize Hannibal away from lazy monster assertions – Alana thinks he defies categorization – and why she stopped drinking beer. They also discuss the number of people he was charged with killing, a baker’s dozen if you include Mason (“You’re welcome”) and the thinly veiled threat Hannibal made last week towards Alana’s life comes up again as he reminds her that he always keeps his promises.

Instead of taking this moment to storm out, Alana instead sits back down and while I am sure she does fear that he will come good on this promise at the moment she is protected. The Alana/Hannibal romantic relationship was frustrating because of the position it put her in; however I want to see a lot more of this dynamic because their back and forths are rather fun. Somehow there is still warmth and humor even with what has gone on. Plus she is now part of his Renaissance fan art collection.

In this conversation with Alana we get to see his memory palace in action:

And in reality:

His former Baltimore residence is not the only place he spends time and the church in Palermo is just as vital. Hannibal’s fanciest of suits which are more Baltimore than his European collection appear in the moment where he listens to a choirboy singing. Hannibal is making the jumpsuit work for him, but I am always thrilled to see him in a three piece suit.

This provides the soundtrack for Hannibal getting booked by the returning Price and Zeller (so happy to have them back) and a hint of the work Freddie Lounds has been up to. Lounds is later referred to as an “obnoxious flame haired woman” after she has tried to take photos of the dead woman at the funeral home.

Yes I had to chuckle at the “Kitchen Nightmare” headline.

Alana is not the only one sharing words and treats with Hannibal as Chilton enjoys fine dining and a dessert he has had with Hannibal before. A dessert which includes blood and Chilton asks the question you don’t ask Hannibal if you have sat at his dinner table and gets the answer he was hoping to avoid “The blood was from a cow only in the derogatory sense.” Eat the rude and all that.

Chilton provokes Hannibal with the discussion of the new serial killer du jour – like the show Hannibal is niche – and as is generally the case with Chilton he wants to know the opinion of an esteemed mind on the subject.

Reporting his findings to Alana about their ‘cabal’ confirming their involvement in Hannibal’s trial outcome and why they lied; they are attempting to save everyone else from the ‘monster.’ Yes he would have got the death penalty and yet he would have probably found some way out of it. And as Alana pointed out previously she was up for Hannibal getting tortured, but less so for his death even if it puts her in the firing line. For Chilton fame motivates this choice and with Alana it is more likely a sense of duty. Concern is in her voice as she discusses Hannibal’s presence and she informs Chilton that Hannibal has written “a brilliant piece for the American Journal of Psychiatry” debunking Chilton’s book about him.

They are all walking cautionary tales when it comes to Hannibal and yet they’re all getting pulled back into his influence. Everyone is playing the most dangerous game.

The stag is of course Will’s thing, but it is worth nothing that Alana has one in her office.

Sure is good have the crime solving gang back together and a return to the storytelling format closer to previous seasons. The first half of this year was incredibly ambitious, but at times it did feel weighed down by some of the dialogue and continuous slow mo shots of blood.

Returning to Baltimore and a crime where they don’t know who the killer is, gives a sense of familiarity; Will’s pendulum swinging followed by “This is my design” coupled with a red stringed winged looking form was really good to see. It’s not all old tricks as Will’s flashlight was used to illuminate where the bodies had been and this whole sequence prior to Will’s recreation of the murders is disturbing both because of the crime and the dangerous path he is about to walk down. A path he tries to resist, but he knows he will have to embrace the darkness (and Hannibal) to save another family from this awful fate.

Family and the different kinds that exist has been rippling under the surface of Hannibal since season 1 with plenty of opportunity for ‘my two dads’ references and this comes into focus once again this week in “…And the Woman Clothed with the Sun.” Or rather this is a chance to explore Hannibal’s relationship with Abigail in the period of time between when he framed Will for her murder and when Hannibal did actually end her life.

The first half of this season dipped into Hannibal’s past; not too much so we feel like we know Hannibal, but enough to understand his desire to find a new Mischa through the connections he makes with people like Chiyo, Will and Abigail. The idea of family doesn’t just relate to Hannibal and instead it is a jumping off point to explore what these characters have been doing over the last three years while also reflecting the murders that are being investigated.

Francis Dolarhyde an accidental matchmaker as he has brought Will back into Hannibal’s orbit and immediately the game is afoot (oops wrong crime series) with Hannibal poking and prodding in the back of Will’s brain. He immediately gets under his skin by correctly assessing he has a child in his life by the smell of his aftershave – Hannibal tells Abigail “We have a basic affinity for our family. We can detect each other from smell alone” – and Hannibal has always been one for sniffing Will Graham. There is a touch of bitterness in Hannibal’s tone when he mentions how he gave Will a child; Freddie’s ‘murder husbands’ tag is pretty accurate when related to this conversation as Hannibal comes across as the ex who thinks they tried their hardest and was rejected nonetheless.

In an attempt to protect himself from Hannibal’s mind games Will attempts to stick to the case and only refers to him using the formal Dr Lecter (which also hurts his former friend). In fact Alana is the only one of the surviving house of horrors bunch who calls him by his first name to his face and her interactions with him continue to be dangerously playful (more on that below).

Hannibal taunts Will first with quips about whether he can see himself killing the families and then by making light of his ‘makeshift’ family and how this mirrors what their new killer is doing – “he needs a family to escape what’s inside him.’ Oh Hannibal, you are such a shitbag. Much of Hannibal’s tricks come from drawing out what a person is ashamed of and giving it legitimacy; generally this involves getting them to kill someone. We’ve seen the results of his time with Randall Tier, how he tried to push Margot into killing Mason (which she eventually did) and with Will Graham. The flashbacks to Abigail’s faked death and subsequent sessions focus on this notion of family love stripping away at the shame and hatred she feels toward her father and leaving her with an understanding of why he did those things. Using the ultimate prop to allow Abigail to exercise her demons by confronting her father, Hannibal digs up Garett Jacob Hobbs allowing Abigail to inflict the same wound on him.

This is one of two throat slashes this week; the faked Abigail one mirrors the manner in which both her father and Hannibal inflicted the real wounds and it is very intimate. Whereas Abigail’s turn with the knife is traumatic (and pretty gross) and she is left needing Hannibal’s calming hands on her head as he tells her “never be ashamed of who you are.” Hannibal’s just trying to make everyone feel good about their murderous impulses simmering beneath the surface.

Shame feeds into Francis Dolarhyde’s situation from the way he is looked upon at the dinner table in his brief flashback – maybe it is the eating with two forks thing that does it – to how he feels in the present about his hair lip and his voice. Don’t worry Francis, Hannibal is here to make you feel better about and the two get their first session at the end of the episode over the phone with Francis posing as Hannibal’s lawyer. After a week of no dialogue, Richard Armitage gets to flex his vocal muscles aside from guttural screaming and he continues to mesmerize in his performance of Dolarhyde nailing the ‘Great Red Dragon’ urges along with his crippling shyness.

Reba McClane the blind technician draws Francis out of his shell and this is the first real interaction we have seen between him and someone that isn’t a painting. She instantly likes him because he doesn’t pity her and he’s more comfortable with her because she can’t see what he wants to hide from the world. Don’t try and touch his face though Reba.

Their meet cute goes from the dark room to a bus stop which features an ad for a dental product and the “Open Wide” is so on the nose, but also pretty damn funny. Good work art department. And so much snow! It wouldn’t be Hannibal without piles and piles of snow.

Plus it leads to spectacular shots like this one:

Hannibal’s mind palace is not the only way in which they are playing with location and whereas Will’s cell felt like the walls were closing in on him, Hannibal’s has endless possibilities. From the way they transport Will and Hannibal to the crime scene to discuss the files to the use of Hannibal’s office as a space for them to discuss the case it allows for plenty of settings and costume changes.

It’s not just Hannibal who envisions himself elsewhere and when Will calls Molly he also pictures himself lying beside her chatting about the new dogs they have both taken in. Just look at how warm this setting is in comparison to the locations drained of color.

Hugh Dancy appeared in a stage production of Venus in Fur with Nina Arianda and the relationship between Will and Molly already feels very lived in. Hannibal is trying to infect this happiness (it is lovely to hear Will laugh) with suggestions of impulses and so Molly’s joke about Will having a criminal mind doesn’t go down that well. The conversation ends pleasantly, however the kind of sweat drenched nightmares which plagued Will during season 1 are back and this time he can’t blame them on encephalitis. The lid has been cracked; can Will keep those other urges under control while also successfully cracking the case?

Photographs and mirrors reflect our image, but they don’t always reveal what is really there. Photographs are a snapshot of a moment in time and the emotions expressed from that single image don’t always tell the truth. Will is looking for a connection between the two murdered families who live four states apart and the only thing he can summarize is they were happy. Will watches home videos or rather digital footage on a tablet, which is more likely to capture real sentiment over a snapshot. But these too can lie and digital is far easier to manipulate than actual film. Francis is old school with his choice of filming equipment and we see flashes of the home movie he made.

Broken mirrors distort the image, but what Francis wants to see is how he looks in his victims eyes as if he is part of them. For Will there is one person hovering behind the face of Hannibal Lecter and just as Will didn’t die in the kitchen nor did the stag.

Blood also acts as a mirror when Hannibal is staging Abigail’s death. Oh and isn’t it adorable that Hannibal doesn’t want to cut off one of Abigail’s fingers because he wants to teach her the harpsichord. Such a considerate father figure. I kid of course because isn’t an ear also important when it comes to playing instruments? Plus he was also setting the scene to frame Will, which is not a good way to treat family.

Reflections also appear on the glass of Hannibal’s cell and I can only imagine what a nightmare it is to light these scenes and avoid the crew appearing alongside the actors. But you do get stunning shots like this one and it looks like there is a specter of Hannibal leaving with Will.

While I’m on the subject of stunning let it be known that this is at least the sixth time I have yelped and clapped my hands with glee at the sight of Alana Bloom’s costuming and Christopher Haggard is killing it this season with the lady suits (Alana is so far queen of #ladysuitwatch2015).

Yucking it up with Jay Gatsby could be on the cards for Alana in this getup; a martini and cigarette holder is all that is needed to complete that look. At the same time it is a nod to Hannibal’s Italian striped attired and Alana’s sartorial choices are influenced by her former boyfriend. The last time we saw Alana chatting with Will it was far from cordial and they clearly have not kept in touch. Concern lingers with Alana taking her standard ‘worried about Will’ position and the warmth that previously existed between the pair has returned. He asks if she is still with Margot (she is) and they have a baby son, the all important Verger heir and Alana carried the baby. While Hannibal notes that Will doesn’t want children of his own because certain aspects might get passed on, Alana does not seem concerned that they will end up with a mini Mason. Just don’t let Hannibal anywhere near him.

Will asks the magic question regarding Alana’s motives in working here with Hannibal as her patient and her response is “There are only five doors between Hannibal and the outside. And I have the keys to all of them.” Control is important here as are boundaries, which Alana notes is not Hannibal’s forte. She also knows that her name is top of his kill list if he ever gets out and there is an aspect of keeping close to protect herself. Alana levels of dread when she talks with Hannibal are low and while he claimed she could never understand him, she knows him well enough to pinpoint what he fears the most and that is indignity. This scene between the pair is an interesting look at their shifting power dynamic and he never turns around to look at her in an attempt to outwit her, but she doesn’t back down either. Hannibal, you’re really missing out on an excellent suit here.

Like Mason he is crass when it comes to her relationship with Margot and once again I am amazed that they got something like “I love a good finger wagging” followed by a reference to Margot by Standards and Practices. The camera focus shifts between them as we see them both trying to psych the other out with Will as the object between them. Hannibal snarks about the “moral dignity pants” Alana has him wearing and how Will is always free from fault. He treats her like a teacher telling him off for being a bad influence on a good kid.

Alana gives no fucks to Hannibal’s petulance in this situation, it helps there is a protective wall between them even if that wall is not visible.

She threatens to take away all of his comforts and it is wonderful; “I’ll take your books. I’ll take your drawings. I’ll take your toilet. You’ll have nothing but indignity and the company of the dead.” I’m glad they have stuck with a fearless Alana (and Hannibal’s drawing of Alana last week points to this) rather than a quivering wreck, even if I am concerned that he will get an opportunity to follow through with his promise. I am also happy she is still with Margot and I hope their family unit can escape the shadow looming over every relationship on the show.

One person who has questioned Hannibal’s set up and Alana’s relationship with Hannibal considering she escaped the massacre at Muskrat Farm is Freddie Lounds. Yes Freddie is back and Tattle Crime provides an important service in letting Francis Dolarhyde see Will Graham’s face in relation to his case.

Will’s glasses! They remain off for the majority of the episode when he is interacting with those who know him and they come back on as soon as he leaves the facility.

Freddie is back with her devious methods, insinuations and as a reminder of a long ago plot to capture Hannibal. Thanks to inferences about Alana Bloom and the nickname ‘murder husbands’ Will has no time for her shit even if she is spot on when it comes to how much serial killers love to read about themselves in the press. Freddie would make a good partner in this case despite her lack of boundaries or sense of ethics. She does continue to have an excellent coat collection.

In the same way Will saw turning to Hannibal as a necessary evil, can he come to the same conclusion with Freddie before it is too late? She gets under his skin, but not into the back of his skull as Hannibal does.

The lengths we go to form and protect our families vary; the unique qualities are similar to how Hannibal discusses love with Abigail. Hannibal discusses honesty as he manipulates the shit out of everyone around him by using strong emotionally charges notions of love and family to pivot into a position of power. Francis Dolarhyde is a different kind of beast and yet Hannibal is curious enough to reach out to him and recognize his desire for a happy family. Reaching out to Dr. Lecter can give some benefits as he has experience in evading capture and he is nothing if not honest, but he also has plenty of self interests. Everyone is coming to him, some reluctantly and even though they know he is self serving there is an inevitability to it all. Hannibal will play the game and things are about to get very messy all over again.

Last week I mentioned the very TV Ate My Wardrobe nature of the outfit I would be wearing to a wedding I was attending (of my soon to be brother-in-law) and this tale starts with an episode of Hannibal. Weddings are not the first thing that spring to mind when thinking about this show, but as I have mentioned this really is the most TV Ate My Wardrobe story of them all.

I had been looking on and off for a dress for a while even ordering a few from & Other Stories; sadly they were not quite the right fit and lent credence to my ‘try it on before you buy’ shopping philosophy. This is why online clothes shopping is not my favorite; receiving fun post is always a treat, sending it back less so.

Back to Hannibal and the episode in question is “Dolce” with Margot Verger’s wrap dress catching my eye (to the surprise of no one). Instantly recognizing it was Diane von Furstenberg I went to all the usual sites I check to find out exactly which DVF dress it was; instead stumbling upon a version of Margot’s dress ideal for a wedding and not crazy expensive thanks to it being from The Outnet.

You see Margot’s one has long sleeves and is far more winter/fall (which makes sense considering the cold climate at Muskrat Farm).

This other ‘Amelia’ wrap has a halter neck. A DVF for every season.

Now this is not the kind of thing to impulse purchase (or maybe it is) and as I’d already had to send dresses back because they didn’t fit properly hesitation set in. Also despite having a lot of money off the original price it was still a BIG PURCHASE. Cue an unrelated trip to London and an afternoon drinking in the sun at the Wild Card Brewery (would recommend).

*Setting the scene* Just look how lovely it is.

Here the combination of the sun and beer plus the very easy ability to order from a phone meant the dress was purchased followed by a quick surge of excitement with a hint of buyer’s remorse. Plus a brief panic about clicking the wrong size (I had not).

The wait for it to be delivered was full of anticipation over how it would look on and when it did arrive rather than tearing it out of the box I slowly removed it with trepidation. This was quickly followed by embarrassment from having issues putting it on because apparently I don’t understand halter necks/wrap dresses. However it fit and this was quickly followed by the realization that it was pretty low cut and super cleavy; neither of which are in my style wheelhouse. The pockets which weren’t mentioned on the description did a good job of distracting because my feelings for pockets apparently trump cleave worries.

Cut to the day and my too much boob fears had grown because I was going to be in a cathedral and I like to over think things. It also didn’t help that on the way to the church a creepy dude uttered “nice outfit” while staring at my chest with no subtlety. Way to up amp up the super paranoid feelings while also grossing me out. (insert Liz Lemon eye roll in the direction of this guy here)

Thankfully I didn’t dwell on this moment (well not for too long) and the day was fantastic; the bride was stunning (full on gasped when I saw her dress as it was that good) and the groom was dashing. The company/weather/food/drinking/dancing was all top notch and my fiance did an excellent job as best man (also high on the dreamy stakes) The only minor hiccups involved having a tent to sleep in with no poles (we borrowed another one), a blowup air bed with no stopper and hurting my ankle when I switched out my heels for flip flops. I am nothing if not consistently clumsy.

And now for the awkward photos of me in the dress bit. Despite years of watching ANTM I have yet to master the posed posed shot. In selfies my smile looks good (which sounds weirdly braggy) and for some reason I go all confused face when it comes to other pictures. So with some hesitation here are some shots of me in the DVF ‘Amelia’ crepe and satin-twill halter wrap dress. Oh and adding to the TV Ate My Wardrobe of it all the lipstick is Besame 1946 and is used on Agent Carter.

Sadly this dress was not ideal attire for the bouncy castle in the background. It did make for a good dancing dress (the shoes less so, hence the flip flop switch).

And one with the best man. Even though we’re both looking at another camera I really like this shot (plus you get a glimpse of the bride in the background).

I rock a lot of polka dots.

Now to start planning my own wedding. Eek. Expect updates.

Francis Dolarhyde and his quest to become the Great Red Dragon is a new chapter of Hannibal, but the events which took place for these characters three years previous still loom in a variety of ways and they need to be addressed. Loose ends are tied up relating to Dr Bedelia du Maurier, who when we last saw her was trying to convince the world that she thought she was Lydia Fell. Bedelia was in a unique position with Hannibal as his traveling companion and this week’s Bedelia catch-up reveals what happened leading up to the death of her patient. In returning to this world Will is attempting various forms of self preservation with one method involving a debrief session with Hannibal’s other Bride of Frankenstein.

The past plays a vital role this week for Will, but Dolarhyde is all about the present as he continues to experience inner turmoil and much to his surprise he has a very successful first date. He is at war with himself and while Bedelia’s split state was all smoke and mirrors, Dolarhyde is very much experiencing two very distinct versions. One is sweet and shy, the other devours paintings and has murder on his mind; with the next full moon just 11 days away the Great Red Dragon is awaiting its next kill.

Dolarhyde as we saw is fond of scrapbooking his own murderous achievements giving them pride of place next to the clippings he has collected on Hannibal’s many crimes. An interaction with the man who he holds up in such high regard seems like an impossibility considering Hannibal’s current location and yet last week ended with Hannibal receiving a phone call from his new protege. The episode opens on how Dolarhyde makes this happen and the very familiar location provides an instant connection between the pair while also reinforcing the notion of Dolarhyde’s dueling personas. It is Dolarhyde’s perspective rather than Hannibal’s memory palace and the location is real; Hannibal’s physical presence is imagined, but as this is a guy who is seeing flaming images and tails this is the least out there vision he has had.

The fan adoration turns into a therapy session as the demeaning names the press has given both of them gives Hannibal an instant personal connection to Dolarhyde’s plight; all the better to manipulate him with. This is what Hannibal does as he takes someone’s fears no matter how small or big and bends them to his will. With others he has to put the hours in to make them killers, here the murders have already begun but there are still plenty of strings to be pulled. As one Dolarhyde watches on the other turns into the beast giving Hannibal a glowing sheen.

Hannibal plays the devil on one shoulder, but there is a new positive force in Dolarhyde’s life who threatens the existence of the dragon.

Stroking a tiger is going to be a hard first date to top and this was an inspired idea. Tigers also feature in the work of William Blake (“Tyger Tyger, burning bright“) so he is on point here, but this version of Dolarhyde doesn’t feel threatening. Instead he is the incredibly shy and nervous one as he watches Reba edge closer and closer to the sharp teeth of the animal. Reba stops before putting her hand fully in, much to his relief and instead places her head on the tiger; smiling followed by a single tear.

Positioning Reba as the good in Dolarhyde’s life could lead to the age old Madonna/Whore complex at work especially as he is quite clearly not accustomed to intimacy of this kind – more drinking implements are broken this week – but there is nothing scandalous about Reba’s actions despite her “Hope I didn’t shock you” comment. After a moment of recovery he scoops her up in a sexually charged moment. The painting Dolarhyde worships has a demonic sexuality component (thanks Hannibal for that interpretation) and the vision he has of Reba is instead rather angelic. So rather than Madonna/Whore there is a whole lot of Madonna/Madonna if such a thing could exist.

Rutina Wesley spent years on True Blood in a variety of storylines that didn’t particularly serve her well and her portrayal of Reba is both vulnerable and confident; these delicate flourishes show just how good she can be. Like True Blood the sex scenes on this show don’t play with general conventions so here she is sleeping with a dude who wants to be a dragon as he imagines her bathed in golden light.

Body hangups are common, but for Dolarhyde his perception of his disability is mostly imagined from his hair lip to his speech. He is comfortable around Reba because she can’t see and yet he worries what their co-workers have been saying about him; they are curious about him and they know he is sensitive about his face even though he shouldn’t be. While she is sleeping he places her hand on his face and in this moment he seems content. Content until dreams of teeth, the moon and the dragon wake him from his slumber sending him dashing to his broken mirror and painting.

The copy he has is a mere reproduction; the real one is in Brooklyn where Dolarhyde ventures. Under an assumed name and using academia as a reason to view the real thing he literally eats the painting and has his first encounter with Will Graham. Hannibal has pointed Will in the direction of this work by Blake acting as puppet master from his cell and this is where Will has a brief, but violent interaction with Dolarhyde. All that working out comes in useful when it comes to picking people up and throwing them so you can escape.

The symbol Will discovered last week carved on a tree is replicated in this stunning shot of Will approaching Hannibal’s current abode and it is the Chinese character for “you hit it” used sometimes in gambling. It is also the symbol for “The Red Dragon” on a Mahjong tile and this is where Hannibal steers Will toward William Blake. Hannibal is clearly having fun here pointing out the 11 days countdown until the next full moon – “tick tock” – and talking about Dolarhyde with such fondness claiming that he doesn’t think he is insane.

Hannibal is proving both useful to the investigation and as a mischief maker. In another phone call he manages to get Will’s new address and that is not good for those Will has left behind at home. Thankfully there are plenty of dogs to watch guard.

The set design also continues to create fascinating and striking images such as Will’s reflection merging with Hannibal.

Great danger still exists despite the physical barrier as Hannibal represents Will’s darkest path. A path Will has shared some details of with Molly, but how can he truly explain what occurred between them? And no one tells their current significant other everything about their ex.

I am mesmerized by how mesmerized Will is by Hannibal in this moment and the use of space and light is incredible as it amps up those feelings of intimacy.

Will made a clean break from Hannibal and has got dragged back by recent events; for Bedelia du Maurier she has been using her time with Hannibal to fuel her career, which is troubling because her encounter with Neal Frank (oh hey Zachary Quinto not playing just a corpse this time) shows she’s not a great psychiatrist. Everyone is lying when it comes to Hannibal; Alana and Chilton with the insanity plea, Jack with what really really went down and Bedelia with her fabricated drugged story. To the outside world Bedelia is just another victim and she’s giving grand lectures which directly reference Dante; a cheeky nod to Hannibal’s specialist subject in Florence.

Not wearing adequate armor is how Will puts the events of three years ago and you’re going to need more than just your glasses – once again he wears them out in public, but not private encounters – to stop the spiral.

A hint of smugness peppers Bedelia’s comment that she doesn’t need to see Hannibal because she was behind the veil; how very Wizard of Oz. She does still receive cards from him on Christian holidays and her birthday which he sends via the FBI. He always includes a recipe and this made me laugh so hard. Will’s response is less kind as he tells her it will be what she deserves if she ends up on Hannibal’s plate.

This session plays out in the classic sitting across from each other format with a twist as Will’s present day conversation is seamlessly intercut with Bedelia’s sessions with Neal.

Present day Bedelia. She is rather self-satisfied with her current position.

Flashback Bedelia. The white shirt and hair loosely pulled back (which comes undone during the fisting) gives her a rather innocent and compassionate look, which are quickly betrayed by what occurs.

Neal is understandably annoyed at his experience with Hannibal and the care he is receiving here as his mild symptoms have increased in a dramatic fashion. Bedelia exasperates the situation and is not too concerned when Neal mentions how Hannibal stood over him as he choked on his tongue doing nothing. When this happens again, Bedelia does go to help and instead fists him to death. The aftermath is what we saw in the season premiere.

In a scenario Bedelia asks what Will would do for an injured bird and he replies he would want to help it, Bedelia has the opposite urge and while she claims she wouldn’t actually crush it as we see with Neal when he was in danger she did just this. She’s really failing at the ‘do no harm’ thing. In Bedelia’s school of thought Will is not a killer even though he has killed and instead it is his compassion that led to these righteous acts of violence. I mean I’m pretty sure he is still a killer, but I get her point that he isn’t the monster he maybe believes he is. She also tells him he should use his empathy to crush rather than nurture as it will be easier for him in the long run. You can see why Hannibal let her see behind the veil with comments like this one.

As with Dolarhyde, Will has this internal battle between two versions of himself; the one he fears he is and the compassionate empathetic saver of the vulnerable. Hannibal encourages what he believes are natural urges and someone usually ends up dead and maybe mounted in a artistic tableau as a result of this push. He also doesn’t let the limitations of his surroundings get the best of him and he is incredibly resourceful when nurturing new projects. The pieces are forever moving and I don’t think even he could foresee the chance encounter between Will and Dolarhyde, but I bet he will have a plan formulated as soon as he finds out.

Hannibal is certainly enjoying himself even if no one else is as his “sophisticated intelligence” allows him to forecast many things such as the ‘chance’ encounter between Will Graham and Francis Dolarhyde at the end of last week’s episode. This meddling enters even more dangerous territory as he gives Will’s personal address to his new protege – which he also obtained through nefarious means – imploring him to “Save yourself. Kill them all.” Whispering it in his ear as if it is a sweet nothing.

This is what Hannibal does best; manipulate someone in crisis to kill and Dolarhyde has already crossed the murder threshold and really doesn’t need much convincing. Particularly now Reba is on the scene and he fears his impulses and the Great Red Dragon will turn their rage toward her.

Surrendering to Jack Crawford was Hannibal’s ultimate fuck you to Will; Will wanted Hannibal out of his life for good and this was his way of ensuring his location is known at all times. Jack is who brought Will back into Hannibal’s orbit and because of Will’s special investigative skills, Hannibal had to foresee that their paths would inevitably cross over a tableau of death. All he had to do was bide his time and there has been plenty to occupy Hannibal with papers to write, books to read, sketches to draw and places to hang out in his memory palace. But now is where the real fun is to be had. After all Will isn’t fortune’s fool, he’s Hannibal’s and Hannibal is more than up for wearing this crown.

Despite a change in living arrangements everyone is taking up their old mantles with Hannibal as chief antagonist and mischief maker. Jack is the “fisher of men” borrowing Will’s brain regardless of the consequences as he pushes to get results leaving a trail of misery to be cleaned up later. The Jack we saw in Italy was remorseful, but that was three years ago and he has a serial killer to catch so his priority has shifted. Alana has also resumed her former position of moral compass questioning Jack’s suggestion at pushing Dolarhyde to self-destruct (or rather kill himself). Not that suicide is something Dolarhyde will go for as Will posits that he will be too afraid of unleashing the beast even if he dies as the delusion is this strong.

Hannibal wants Dolarhyde to take an interest in Will and his brief interaction with him has done just this. Dolarhyde is somewhat scathing of his appearance – yes Will looks a little world weary but Hugh Dancy is still undeniably handsome no matter how hard they try – but he finds him interesting in how “purposeful” he looks. Will’s family is the perfect sacrificial lamb for both Hannibal and Dolarhyde as it saves Reba from the beast within while also destroying Will’s happiness. Something Hannibal views as disingenuous and as a temporary facade which Will hides his true self behind. It is why “…And the Beast from the Sea” ends with Hannibal asking Will “Don’t you crave change?” In the same way Dolarhyde is splitting his personality, Hannibal believes Will is doing the same, the difference being that Will is trying to suppress his beast.

This mischief making can only go on for so long before Alana delivers on her promise to remove pretty much everything from his cell. Yes even the toilet. Setting a serial killer on Will’s family doesn’t revoke his privileges, but they still need Hannibal’s help at this point. Alana plays a game with the phone getting his real lawyer on the other line and Hannibal is all ‘well you could have just asked me’ sassing off. Claiming he has always told her the truth in his own way is like saying “oops I thought you realized your beer had people in it” and there is something very Jaye Tyler about the way Caroline Dhavernas delivers some of her lines with Hannibal this week; she has no time for his bullshit. It is amazing and I wish there was more Wonderfalls in the world.

Except now she is wearing killer lady suits of which there are several amazing ones this week. All slightly toned down from previous bold stripe affairs and there is a subtle hint of Hannibal inspired plaid when she strips him of his dignity. Hannibal it would seem is probably even more inclined to keep his promise and even when he is completely incapacitated, face mask and all I still fear for her future. Right now she has all the power, but as we have seen he can get to someone even when he is locked up. And this look he gives her is terrifying.

Really, really terrifying.

But Hannibal was never going to give up his special shy boy and he gives them just enough time to find the location Dolarhyde has been ringing from while also letting Dolarhyde know they are onto him. That’s what will get your toilet taken away from you.

The sea and the moon are intrinsically linked and the Blake painting which gives this episode its title shows what could be both Dolarhyde as the Great Red Dragon with Hannibal as the Beast from the Sea. Hannibal is shown reaching for the sky after he has sent Dolarhyde on his new mission as Will enters his chamber suggesting his beastly motives even further.

Once again the use of space and place is incredible as the dome itself looks like a giant moon with the actual moon forming the center of the image, illuminating Hannibal in the process.

Here are a couple of other really great shots from Hannibal’s cell location from both sides of the glass:

The second one really emphasizes how sparse it is without anything but a very uncomfortable looking bed.

Two romantic relationships are impacted this week because of the Great Red Dragon’s urges. Last week Dolarhyde  felt a living woman for the first time (let’s not dwell too long on the living part) and this has disrupted his relationship with the Dragon. Reba and D have a lovely date night with martinis and snuggling, but Dolarhyde has homework to do and by homework he means watch his stalker movie of Molly, Walter and the dogs.

When cute turns creepy in two frames.

All is going swell between them until his botched murder night out and after beating himself up (like, actually beating himself up while envisioning the dragon is doing it a la Fight Club) he breaks things off with Reba because he is afraid what might happen if he doesn’t.

Dolarhyde’s night time venture doesn’t quite end the way Hannibal would have preferred, but it does lead to difficult conversations with Will’s wife and the boy who calls him dad. The sequence where Dolarhyde walks around the secluded cabin while Molly and Walter escape is full on slasher horror movie terrifying. His all black attire, special set of teeth and the way he pulls the stocking down over his face is super creepy; this is a version of Dolarhyde we have not previously seen as he switches to stalk and kill mode. And he’s gone all out on the leather badass look to top things off. I wonder if this is what he has worn for his previous excursions or if this is a new ensemble. It’s like a twisted version of Netflix’s Daredevil costume. Hannibal is right that Molly’s survival took “a pinch more than luck” and we see her being incredibly resourceful in their escape.

At first I was annoyed at how Molly is put in a position where she walks past an FBI warning about pet mutilation and decides to keep the information regarding the dogs getting sick from Will, but she is later redeemed by her quick thinking regarding the intruder. Molly later tells Will that thanks to Freddie’s article she instinctively knew it was the Tooth Fairy (Hannibal will be so mad that I’m calling him by his tabloid name) and for once Freddie’s writing has helped Will out of a bind. When she chose to not follow her son out of the window I had a brief moment where I yelled “WHY?” at the screen and then realized she needed the car keys to provide a distraction (or perhaps to getaway was the original plan). Molly gets all the smart points, although I do feel bad for the random passerby who got shot in the process as we don’t get a report of what happened to them and on second watch he definitely got shot in the head.

Freddie’s article does open a whole can of worms between Will and Walter as Walter now knows he killed someone and ended up in a mental hospital. Walter also has strong feelings regarding Dolarhyde’s fate and he doesn’t agree with Will wanting to catch him rather than kill him. Hannibal might like Will’s son after all. Walter has just experienced a horrific ordeal so it is not surprising his mind has turned to vengeance rather than empathy.

They do not survive their encounter completely unscathed and Molly is shot in the shoulder as they drive away. She is angry at how these circumstances and Will’s job almost resulted in the death of her son and she has a right to feel this fucked off. Molly lays some of the blame at her own feet as she told him to go, while putting the rest on Jack for coming to get Will in the first place. Really Hannibal is the one who is to blame but Jack, Hannibal and Will are all intrinsically linked in the cause and effect of this encounter.

Molly remarks how it is “tough to hold onto anything good. It’s all so slippery” and this pretty much applies to every relationship on Hannibal (and this is why I’m currently worry for the other happy family unit of Alana, Margot and their son). Hopefully Hannibal’s not done any permanent damage here because the Molly/Will dynamic includes a much lighter Will than we have previously seen. They even manage to have a laugh after this tragedy. Hannibal will of course do everything in his power and with his bag of tricks to disrupt and fracture what is good as he pokes and prods until something breaks. If he can’t have his teacup then Will sure as hell can’t play happy families with someone else.

Curiosity killed the cat or in the case of Will Graham curiosity results in events that are in part expected and are also highly unfortunate for one Dr Fredrick Chilton. Chilton has become something of a Kenny like figure and unlike his South Park counterpart he just can’t be killed. But he can definitely be maimed and now to go along with his missing organs and already messed up face, he is now missing his lips and covered in burns. That is going to take a lot of makeup and skin grafts to cover up. The fate of Chilton and who is to blame for this new trauma is spread across many players from the man who actually did this to him to those who conspired in this plan. The only certain thing is Hannibal’s correct ‘we don’t get to chose our own endings’ assertion.

Hannibal stands behind bars (or rather Plexiglas) but still has agency in the world having orchestrated the attack on Will’s family. When it comes to what happened to Chilton he is perhaps the least at fault even if there are those who blame him. Those strings are being pulled and he is far from innocent in any of this; after all the Great Red Dragon is still seeking his approval through the gifts he sends him in the post.

Will is a lamb, Chilton is a slug and Dolarhyde is the Great Red Dragon. It is a metaphor city on Hannibal this week as Will also employs his favorite fishing terminology to show his disdain toward Jack Crawford for the second episode in a row suggesting Jack has made him the bait and he wants him to reel in a “bigger fish.” The last time they plotted to catch a serial killer they were actually fishing and things were a lot more cordial between the pair. A lot has happened between the Hannibal trap and this one; learning from their mistakes is one thing that has passed them by.

Alana is quick to point out the flaws in this plan and how they believed they were in control last time. Oh yes last time when they all nearly died from various horrific wounds. The bait plan is flawed because it reads like a trap and they need to legitimize the provocative nature of their proposed article with a professional. When Will asks Alana if she is volunteering herself she might as well have said “fuck no” instead she goes for a more eloquent “No. I’d have to be a fool.” Instead she has another more fame hungry name in mind and Hannibal is right when he tells Alana that she pretty much set him up for this fall. Alana might be the moral compass of the show, but this doesn’t mean she is above pulling some sketchy moves to get herself out of danger and it is easier for her to lay the blame at Hannibal’s feet on every occasion.

When she approaches Chilton she might as well be leaning up against an imaginary locker saying “Hey stud.” Instead of a barrage of expected “I-told-you-so’s” regarding Hannibal discrediting his book – Hannibal’s essay is “quantifiably bitchy!” – she is here to offer up an exciting proposition; playing up to his narcissism. And this is why Alana is far from innocent in this set up as she not only came up with the second half of the plan, but she also delivered the person to play the role. So when Hannibal tells her it could have been her lips he was tasting (again) she looks so angry because he is right (and probably because she has just seen him eat said lip – the funniest cutaway this show has ever done).

When watching the Chilton video she is a picture of teary eyed guilt. Costuming sidenote – this is another excellent lady suit week for Dr Alana Bloom with the Hannibal- esque plaid and pinstripes. Both of which are more toned down versions of some the ensembles she has been wearing this season and it is interesting that she has ditched the red attire except for her crimson lipstick.

One person who reacts to the video of Chilton’s message and lip biting off attack in a much more visceral manner is Will as he drops to the ground covering his ears.

By putting his hand on Chilton’s shoulder in the Tattle Crime photo it pointed towards trust and an emotional context; this is something Chilton understands too and blames Will through his distorted speech for touching him like a pet. A variety of animals beyond the stag are symbolic this season and particularly this episode with Will also noting they are pets and not pilgrims. Art, literature and religion are also important to Will and Bedelia’s discussions switching between theology and Dante. He is far more pragmatic when talking to her about recent events, a far cry from his ear covered cowering and instead he uses flowery language to make excuses for Chilton’s ‘punishment.’

Here comes Will’s curiosity and the ability to transfer Dolarhyde’s rage from Will to Chilton; in this scenario Chilton becomes the vulnerable bird and Will has chosen to crush it. Bedelia sure looks pleased with this current version of “You play, you pay” and this is where she notes that Hannibal’s agency in the world is through Will. A lot of cause and effect is going on and pretty much everyone has a reason to feel guilty. Hannibal taught Bedelia the difference between participation and observation in the premiere. This lesson is passed onto Will as she suggests he struck the match that set the Chilton chain in motion.

Will’s choice of a psychiatrist is tied up in Hannibal and Bedelia would not be my first port of call for therapy. A combative element is present as Will is angry his family has been taken away from him while Bedelia has felt no repercussions from her time as Hannibal’s companion. Hannibal does not have the same interest in her other than he would like to eat her (as she points out she is safe from this threat at the moment) and there is something stronger at work here. Ah yes the notion of love and is Bedelia a Hannigram shipper? Will does not answer her question regarding his feelings for Hannibal and ‘it’s complicated’ would be the best relationship status descriptor.

So while Will and Bedelia chat about Hannibal, Hannibal yucks it up with Jack about religion and their current predicament with the roles of God, the devil and the lamb getting dished out (Jack, Hannibal and Will respectfully).

Jack is pretty dismissive of Dolarhyde instead focusing on Hannibal as the real dragon and their back and forth about having a clear conscience reiterates just how close Jack and Hannibal can be at times. The cycle is repeating as the battle for Will’s soul swirls in the background.

The levels of sass Hannibal has been delivering while imprisoned is impressive and he real outdoes himself this week as he notes “the tragedy of what’s happened to Frederick has put me in an excellent humor.” He congratulates them for successfully enraging Dolarhyde and he is having a fantastic time even without the comforts he is used.

The mention of the fake Freddie burning is said with such glee that the inevitable was going to happen to Chilton and Hannibal continues to take the original material and twist it in new and interesting ways. They suggest it was Hannibal who gave Dolarhyde the burning in a wheelchair idea and this could be the case as Chilton’s fears he has been burned when he wakes up; Dolarhyde repeats “burned” three times with a certain hint of ‘oh this is what I should do to him’ memory recognition.

Last season they took what happened to Freddy Lounds in Red Dragon as a way to make the audience believe Will had killed her, which meant it would be hard to repeat this method to actually kill Freddie in the show. Instead they switched Freddie out for Chilton, which in this context makes so much sense. Chilton is a character who is often the comedic relief because he is so pompous and full of himself, but in “The Number of the Beast is 666” it is hard not to feel a great deal of sympathy for him. Yes he has fallen foul because of his hubris, but he does not deserve what befalls him. Even if he is wearing his best Hannibal imitation paisley tie.

Raul Esparza’s performance is terrific throughout and he totally sells just how scared Chilton is. This is a position he has unfortunately been in before and this desperation takes on a new petrified tone this time as he begs Dolarhyde not to show his face. He tries a variety of methods to get on the right side of his captor, but his fate was sealed when he agreed to be in that photo with Will Graham. The real kicker is every time Will offered up a more ludicrous take on why the Tooth Fairy has committed his crimes; Chilton gave a concerned look at how far Will was taking it. Little did he know that Will’s words were going to cost him so much.

Taking the tension levels from last week’s cabin break in and somehow shredding my nerves further; I pretty much sat through most of these Chilton/Dolarhyde scenes pulling a Home Alone face. Because Bryan Fuller has gone off book while incorporating major elements it adds to the intense nature as the lip biting – oh hey Standards and Practices – and body burning take place in Red Dragon with Freddy on the receiving end of both.

As I have previously mentioned this is the only Thomas Harris book I have read and it is fun to see where they are utilizing the source material. For instance Will does pose for a photo wearing a bathrobe behind his desk (I’m so sad this Will Graham said no to that idea) and a lot of what is said about the Tooth Fairy comes from Alan Bloom (“child of a nightmare”) in the book. Alana has very little to do with the Tooth Fairy side of things in this version (plotting aside), instead focusing on the Hannibal incarceration elements. She does momentarily appear to Will as a victim of the Dragon as they discuss the bait plan.

It is an incredibly disturbing image as is the one of Molly at the start of the episode (with his face reflected in those shards) and he does his fearful twitch that no one else ever seems to notice. Is Will concerned for the women in his life? He does not picture either Bedelia or Freddie like this and that might be down to the antagonistic relationship he has with both of them. Or it could be as a symptom of spending too much time contemplating murder as he sees Alana like this as she questions whether he is in control. 

Everything has been tainted by Hannibal and the “abstract curiosity” Dolarhyde has with Will is covered in Hannibal’s in a twist on the classic ‘if I can’t have him then no one else will.’ Dolarhyde is simply the instrument Hannibal chooses to wield his power over Will. The only reason he went after Will’s family was at the behest of his mentor and while Hannibal didn’t lay the trap that got Chilton caught he definitely has a hand in everything which has taken place since those first two families were murdered.

Dolarhyde is isolated from his sympathetic ear and he’s gone rogue as the lip gift is as much for the ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ moniker as it is for the Tooth Fairy lies; the card which came with it reads “With these he offended me” as he did to Hannibal with all the lies he wrote. Lies which helped save his life and yet a thank you note is not in the post. The one person he did not want to hurt is now tied up and trembling. Reba visited while Chilton was being held captive and because she cannot see Dolarhyde did not have to change out of his murder attire (on this occasion he switched out his leather for a silk kimono) nor did he hide his prisoner. Chilton has seen Reba and because they heard her name on the Hannibal call it gives them a big clue in finding out who the Red Dragon is.

With just one episode left – maybe in the series finale *sob* – there is plenty to resolve before the end; will this season end in a bloodbath as last year’s did or is Will Graham going to get some semblance of a happy ending?

A couple of sidenote observations and my continued obsession with how well they use the space in which Hannibal inhabits.

Dragon tattoo scares.

The cover of Tattle Crime and the offending headline – “Tooth Fairy ‘Ugly Impotent Product of Incest.'”

And finally a Freddie Lounds costume which almost rivals THE hat in how incredible it is with a mixture of plaid and sheer all while holding the drawing Will is meant to moon over in his bathrobe.

Plaid for all! If you are lucky Freddie will get you a “Tooth Fairy is a One-Night Stand” tee, maybe in medium but most likely a small.

Boy meets boy, boy understands boy in a way no other person ever has and somewhere in the middle lots of people are maimed, changed and killed. Hannibal is what could be described as one hell of a fucked up romantic comedy and before you click over to another review just hear me out as this season has added to humor levels (albeit in twisted and super dark ways) and really upped the whole Will and Hannibal as a couple notion. Murder husbands might be their cheap tabloid name, but even Bedelia a so-called mental health professional – who by the looks of that closing shot is in desperate need of some serious saving – has been playing up the couple euphemisms going so far as to pointing out Hannibal’s love for Will last week.

Hannibal’s well versed in getting what he wants through manipulation tactics or using his influence to draw out a killer. With Will he has done both and as soon as Will was back in his sphere all he had to do was wait for an opportunity. This Will is very different to the one Hannibal met in season 1 and the game is a lot more complicated this time.

The life Will has been living ended as soon as Jack Crawford went to ask for his help and the attack on Molly and Walter at the hands of Dolarhyde via Hannibal is enough to taint it. This is what Will feared would happen and even though the hospital scene revealed a strength in the couple all Will is going to see is himself reflected as her killer. I am so mad at Hannibal for playing the bitter ex and poisoning this relationship as he tells Will to think about him when his relationship with Molly is so “maddeningly polite” sowing the seeds of doubt. Hannibal is playing a good game even if he comes across as the desperate reject; so sad that Will has replaced the family he gave him with another less fucked up one.

Even though Will knows it hasn’t been good for him seeing Hannibal he still goes along and creates the ‘get Hannibal and Dolarhyde’ plan because ultimately he does want to be rid of both men. Dolarhyde’s downfall means something on a primal level even if Will has championed catching him alive in the past; this man tried to kill his family and therefore he needs to die and if they can kill two serial killers in one then Jack Crawford is all for it. Alana makes up the conspiring squad and as with all their other plans this one has terrible written all over it. Drinking whisky at the same time as sorting out the details is not the way to keep a clear head, but booze is not to blame for their awful ideas and you would think after how it went last time this trio would leave the dangerous schemes to someone else. After all there are no advantages, just “degrees of disadvantage.”

This also happens to be where my one major criticism of this finale comes into play because the sequence of events is somewhat muddled and this is where a two-part episode would have served the story better as the Red Dragon arc and the Will/Hannibal stuff ends up interlinking in a way which makes it feel rushed. The speed with which Reba’s participation is wrapped up is a surprise even if it mirrors the source material and Rutina Wesley is particularly impressive in showing both Reba’s fear and strength in this scary situation.

Don’t get me wrong as it is so much fun seeing the sassing off between Will and Hannibal followed by how they come together to slay the dragon, but other aspects of the story fall far too quickly by the side.

It really does look stunning.

As does this pair of winged images.

In a way the Red Dragon arc mirrors the first half of the season in how it doesn’t leave room for too many other characters; yes Hannibal and Will are the central figures but the supporting cast are just as vital in telling a strong story. Jack’s motivations over this half have presented him in a more callous manner and maybe the loss of Bella and what went down in Italy has left him cold, but it would have been beneficial to see more of this just to get a read on his feelings beyond the ones he doesn’t appear to have.

One love prevails and any regular TV Ate My Wardrobe readers will be more than aware of my strong feelings toward Alana Bloom. As with Jack during the latter part of this season, Alana’s relationship with Margot in those first few episodes could have done with some more fleshing out and this is the first time we see Alana’s wife after the three year time jump. They are leaving their home as a result of Hannibal’s actual escape and he isn’t backing down on the promise he made Alana. He coldly tells her that she died in his kitchen when she chose “to be brave” and that he owns everything that has come since mentioning her wife and child. Yes Hannibal is also a dick to his ex-girlfriend and essentially threatened their lives as well as hers.

Alana doesn’t flinch in front of him and also gets one hell of an entrance; one great thing about their interactions is how she doesn’t let him get to her. Well at least not in front of him. She explains why she is here to offer the deal and not Jack – she knows him better and he would just torment Jack – and he in return tests out his threat powers once again.

Now there are no longer five locked doors between Hannibal and Alana she does the smart thing and gathers all her best lady suits, Margot and their son departing on their own chopper. This is one benefit of being crazy rich; you get a speedy and elegant escape route.

Alana’s back to wearing red and bold prints in this episode after several weeks of muted (but still fantastic) outfits. It’s like she can feel the freedom around the corner as red is definitely her power color. It is interesting that she chooses a flash of this for her hospital trip to see Chilton as he points out that this is the first time she is visiting and how culpable she is. Once again guilty feelings mean deflecting onto Hannibal, but she doesn’t exactly protest when Chilton mentions how she is capable of doing these terrible things too.

Self preservation is something she cited to Will earlier this season and even though she wasn’t thinking of herself when she freed Hannibal, she was definitely doing this when she suggested Chilton last week.

Chilton’s chamber is similar to the one used on Georgia Madchen in season 1 and he’s already burned all over. He mentions getting new skin and how he wouldn’t mind wearing some of Hannibal’s; this feels like a nod to Buffalo Bill and Silence of the Lambs. It doesn’t get much easier looking at Chilton even if he looks less crispy this week and his speech is still distorted, but his anger toward Alana is palpable.

Every great (and not so great) rom-com includes a mid story break up that you know will most likely be resolved with a grand romantic gesture. In this version Will rejects Hannibal and Hannibal immediately goes big surrendering himself so he can assert dominance. Hannibal is playing the long game in getting his murder soulmate back and he can’t let Will get away with referencing their breakup and then returning to ask for help. And yes Mads Mikkelsen’s delivery of the mic drop line had me full on cackling. As did his ‘worry’ about Chilton being ugly. Sassy Hannibal forever.

In the end Dolarhyde is the accidental matchmaker as he takes the Hannibal bait in a manner which results in a lot more violence than intended – see you should never make plans over booze – and a brutal fight to the death. This brings Hannibal and Will together by having them fighting for each other as Dolarhyde shoots and stabs them making them weaker opponents. It is a whole big thing and as he does in the book, Dolarhyde delivers a rather horrific stab would to Will’s face. I have a feeling Hannibal digs scars.

This season has gone all in on the Hannigram factor and taken it to even higher heights; they are together in an embrace as Will leads them over the edge of the cliff. Tumblr is already magical gif heaven. Yes I did yell “KISS HIM” several times during this bloody hug which thankfully did not include Will’s belly getting sliced open. This is what it finally feels like to Will Graham to be free.

Bedelia might need her license revoking, but she is right when she tells Will that he can’t live with or without Hannibal Which is maybe why she has set a third place at the table in the end of credits scene. It is ambiguous as to who did this to her; my take is she did it to herself and she awaits the dinner guests who might never come. Meat is definitely back on the menu in her house.

That ending could be the forever end of Hannibal *sob* and while it doesn’t quite pack the same punch as the house of horrors bloodbath (not that this doesn’t include gallons of fake blood and Dolarhyde’s wounds are very similar to Jack, Will and Abigail’s from that episode) I am not ready for this show to be over. Not that this is my decision and even though it doesn’t look so good for Hannibal and Will their fate is not so uncertain as Jack, Alana or Abigail’s at the end of last year.

Costume wise Hannibal served up another incredible take on his Italian styling in his mind palace with Will in lighter plaid mirroring the pants of Alana’s escape outfit.

In the same memory palace location later on Hannibal sees Will enter in front of a group of mourners; just who is being mourned here?

This is a really great shot from a really fun scene of the pair trying their best to out sass the other. I really want to know what the orderlies say to their friends/family about the shit they see at work.

We’ve barely been there this season, but I am still going to miss the FBI building and hallway chats like this one.

There was definitely not enough of Brian and Jimmy in this episode or this year.

Alana says goodbye to her old life. Wearing killer red lipstick of course.

Hannibal is just as stylish in casual threads and I would love to look through the rest of his secret hideaway closet as he definitely likes to curate a look for a location.

The stag burns and the one we saw unfurling towards the start of the season was so incredibly fucked up, but during the Red Dragon arc the stag has existed only in the background in offices and on walls. Hannibal’s power over Will no longer extends to this beast and Will is in control. Will is the one who chose to take Hannibal over the cliff and letting go in this situation was his decision. This isn’t typically how romantic comedies end, but it is a very fitting emotional climax to this twisted love story.

The Hannibal set looks like a very fun place to work amidst all the operatic horror set pieces and philosophical debates taking place on our screens. In fact I would argue that season 3 has taken us to some new (twisted) hilarious heights as I’ve laughed a whole bunch this season. 

Bryan Fuller’s weekly behind the scenes pictures (including the one below of Mads Mikkelsen from the finale) reveal not only influences, but also the love and care that goes into each episode.  This might be the end, it might not and the DVD/Blu-Ray tend to be special feature heavy (including my personal favorite – episode commentaries) and for now enjoy the sneak peek of the gag reel as gifted to us by Hannibal executive producer Martha De Laurentiis. So many Chilton shenanigans. 

Head here for our thoughts on the Hannibal season finale. 

Sweater and coat weather is coming and even though Hannibal is over (for now) Freddie Lounds is giving us a whole lot of inspiration for the approaching colder months. Fall collections tend to be my favorite and by this time of year knits are calling out after the sticky season; French Connection is one of my go to stores and there are a couple of items on the cover list. And it’s not even that cold yet.

As with pretty much every character on Hannibal, Freddie is incredibly stylish and her look has paid tribute to His Girl Friday while also taking a page out of Hannibal’pattern book. There is a heightened quality to her costuming and she is tailored to perfection at all times.  

Taking the sheer and check from “The Number of the Beast is 666” and twisting it comes this amazing red and black sweater blending dogstooth with check in very Freddie Lounds red. Pretty sure I’ve got my next payday purchase picked out. Freddie’s outerwear game is also strong and it needs to be for all those ambush stop and chats.  While Freddie’s burnt orange, grey and white checks are fabulous so is this red and black Highland wool coat with added warmth from the faux fur collar. Ideal for the snowy days ahead. For more from the new French Connection collection head here.

And take a Get the Look trip to the mid 80s and Halt and Catch Fire with Donna’s stripes and plaid here.

Welcome to TV Ate My Wardrobe’s “Best of 2015” costuming series and rather than doing a straightforward countdown we’re going to do a variety of posts that look at which costumes and shows have made a huge impact this year. From items we want in our own wardrobe to pieces that got everyone talking; we want to celebrate the work of television’s best costume designers.

There is one red carpet trend which has brought so much hand clapping joy this year. Nope it’s not sheer of which there has been far too much once again; instead it is something which led to one of my favorite hashtag alerts – #LadySuitWatch2015. The Emmy pre parties where awash with this and there have been many ladysuit wearers throughout 2015 and yet there is one TV character who reigns supreme when it comes to this style. Step on down, Dr. Alana Bloom!

From the first Hannibal season 3 promo photos which featured Alana in a very Hannibal like getup I knew the show was taking a fantastic turn with her costuming drawing away from the patterned wrap dresses of her pre-defenestration life.

Last year I discussed how Will Graham altered his look when he got of the mental institution and Hannibal certainly does have a certain influence on those around him. It’s not like Alana wants to become Hannibal in order to catch him and yet she has been physically and mentally changed by her experience in the house of horror at the end of season 2; this is all too clear in her wardrobe switch-up. Instead the change in costuming signifies how much Hannibal has impacted her taste and there is an element of him leaving a lasting impression, subconscious or otherwise.

Aesthetically between the stronger curls, red lip and different silhouette there is a somewhat femme fatale vibe and this works in favor when presenting a hardened Alana Bloom. Hannibal is visually stunning on every level and costume designer Christopher Hargadon has outdone himself in season 3 from Hannibal’s European look to Bedelia’s stunning blue ensemble.

The ladysuits work in both the opulent and cold location of the Verger residence and later when she is in charge of the facility housing Hannibal in the second half of the season; it is a look which asserts dominance. There is a shift in the power dynamic and Alana’s fancy attire is in stark contrast to Hannibal’s drab jumpsuit. There are some particularly out there choices, including my own personal fave which resembles both a ringmaster and one of Hannibal’s Florence suits.

It is very much a boys club on Hannibal and whereas Alana once played the nurturing role typically associated with being a woman she has now taken on a more dominant position. This isn’t to say she has ditched her femininity entirely and beneath the surface she is still very much the heart of the show; her new wardrobe mixes both the new and old aspects of her character.

Getting to see Alana in so many different ladysuits is a huge 2015 highlight, even if this was also the year that Hannibal did not get picked up for another season. But I have high hopes/faith we will see these characters again.

For now here are some of the Alana Bloom, Queen of Ladysuits best moments. So many giving none of the fucks expressions also included and one hell of an entrance silhouette.

Plus Alana got the only happy romantic ending as she walked off into the sunset – okay fled for their safety in a helicopter – with Margot and their son. And they did so in magnificent style.

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One final Hannibal costume design shout-out and this one goes to the DVF wrap that Margot Verger wore mirroring Alana’s old style and giving me the ideal dress to wear to a wedding.

Stay tuned for more Best of 2015 posts!