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.
