Hannibal - Recap: I Love Your Work
Hannibal continued tonight with a second episode to Season 2 that served up a conclusion to the human mural case and introduced us to a more cunning Will Graham.
Episode 2 opened with an epic chase sequence reminiscent of an old school slasher flick. First, the surviving victim of this “human mural” case whom we were introduced to during the close of last week’s premiere had to weasel his way out of the water tower of doom he’d been sewn into. That is correct. This man had been stitched limb by limb to the dead corpses around him, all of who played a part in this sadistic killer’s artwork. Eventually, he’d literally torn enough pieces of flesh free to fly the coop, only to find himself on the tail end of some bullets courtesy of the unhappy artist. The chase sequence was sufficiently suspenseful, and the outcome was characteristically grim. The man ended up leaping to his death, off a cliff into the rapids below, rather than to suffer the fate of being re-added to the mural. The next day, Crawford’s team got to analyzing.
It was interesting to see Hannibal at work, as he was physically out of place and somewhat of a nuisance to the naked eye. We know better, however, as Hannibal is always a step ahead of the game. There was no way that Hannibal simply believed this man was discarded like the murderer’s other failed additions, though he did attempt to convince the others of this. Later, however, we learned what he was actually looking to do. Hannibal’s gifts are usually not for the feint of heart. I’m not quite sure Crawford and Beverly would have appreciated the moment when Hannibal whiffed up the scent from the crackled skin of the victim’s body, immediately detecting notes of freshly grown corn that would subsequently lead him to the very cornfield in which this psychopath held his creation. That is the point, of course. It's worth it for Hannibal to play dumb among the peons if it means he gets to experience new "art."
Meanwhile, Will Graham took a new approach to slowly reeling each of his former friends over to his side; he’s feigning defeat. We watched as Hannibal and Dr. Bloom (Caroline Dehavernas) attempted to console a sobbing Will from the tight confines of a "dunk tank" interrogation cell at the hospital as though Will had given up all hope of ever escaping. It was as though Will had given in to the fact that he’d lost his mind and committed the crimes he’s being accused of, crimes we know Hannibal is responsible for; however, when Will was returned to his own cell, a confident smirk revealed only to us told the truth. He’s manipulating them by allowing Hannibal to continue to play the role of his psychiatrist, and they’re falling for it.
It's also important to note that Kade Prurnell (Cynthia Nixon) visited Will this week in an effort to prevent this from going to trial. If Will pleads guilty, she'll ensure him a decent and comfortable life at the hospital for the criminally insane. If he refuses, he'll likely get the death penalty. Will, needless to say, will not comply.
It wasn’t long before Hannibal managed to deduce that Beverly had visited Will. The theory of a human palette obviously came straight from the mind of a man with that special kind of gift, though Beverly tried to casually pass the theory off as her own. Though Crawford wasn’t pleased that she went behind his back to ask Will for help, there was no doubt that he was grateful. In truth, he probably wanted desperately to do the same thing, and Beverly was covertly coaxed to return for more information. This is where things continued to get interesting regarding Will’s plot. He’s not about to offer these people who refuse to trust him free expert advice anymore. Instead, he cut Beverly a deal; he’d analyze the photos more carefully if she could promise to give him a clean slate in her mind. If Will was found guilty of new evidence, evidence we know doesn’t exist, he’d simply be guilty of the crimes. If not, then maybe there is actually more to this predicament than meets the eye. Beverly agreed to wash the old evidence from her mind, and Will filled her in on the fact that the man had ripped himself free and ended up dead in the water after some sort of fight.
NBC "Hannibal"
One of the best scenes during Episode 2 occurred when Hannibal took it upon himself to visit the killer’s work prior to alerting the team. It’s likely that Hannibal figured out just as much as Will, but we also know that Hannibal has a self-serving side that’s almost entirely driven by his affinity for “art.” Hannibal discovered the tower housing this heinous display of human bodies and peered down from the ceiling. At this point, the killer walked in unaware, though Hannibal, for one, was not afraid to reveal his presence.
NBC "Hannibal"I love your work.The next day, the entire scene was evaluated by the team, thanks to tips from both Will and Hannibal, who’d found a way to lead the others to the corn molecules he’d so easily detected on the uncovered body earlier. As Hannibal explained to Crawford, this “eye” was an attempt at peering into the heavens and revealing a certain reflection back, man’s reflection. What did the eye see? The center, of course, was empty due to the fact that the last victim had escaped the creation; however, a new body was sewn into its place.
This is how we know Hannibal is a special kind of psychopath. The man sewn into the center was the killer himself, though nobody was aware of this but Hannibal. They simply couldn’t make rhyme or reason as to why someone of such a vastly different skin tone replaced the original target. Was this eye a reflection of this man’s existential crisis? According to Hannibal, an empty center would have reflected that, though it seemed Crawford and his crew had a bit of trouble comprehending all of this, as they eventually had to settle on that "existential crisis" conclusion. In truth, only Will and Hannibal came to understand the final meaning of the piece. Beverly and Hannibal took the final outcome to Will. At this point, we traveled into the crime scene along with him, where he quite easily reasoned that someone else, specifically Hannibal, had stepped in to finish this piece for the killer, planting him in the center. We can take Will’s vision for the reality, I believe, and we can assume that this man willingly put his work and life into Hannibal’s hands, though he chose not to reveal this little detail to Beverly or Hannibal as they listened to his reasoning. You see, the eye is both a tool to gaze up to God, and also, a reflection back of a vision of man. This tied in to the age-old belief that man is created in God’s image. Thus, the “artist” was placed at the center of his life’s work, a reflection of man and, essentially, of “God,” at least to him. If you’re wondering, Hannibal snatched a leg for dinner as a sort of trophy.
To close the recap and review of Episode 2, it’s important to note that we might be saying goodbye to Gillian Anderson as Bedelia. Dr. Du Maurier made her rounds this week to bid the world of Hannibal Lecter adieu. First, she stopped into Hannibal’s office in a scene that nearly brought the psycho out of the man. There, she very professionally informed him that she’d no longer be seeing him, and that she finds him to be, essentially, dangerous. At one point, she even hinted that Hannibal likely had more to do with her original attack than we’d previously known. Next, she ventured over to Crawford’s office to inform him that she will also be removing herself from any of this chaos going on with Will or future issues with Hannibal. This is interesting because it served as one of several little red flags that have been sent up to Jack as Season 2 kicks off. As Beverly pointed out earlier, he seems to think Will is innocent, though he doesn't admit that. Also, Jack is heading to therapy now as well, attempting to work through his issues with guilt. Does he solely blame himself now that he sees his friend as a psychopath? Lastly, Bedelia visited Will at the hospital for one simple reason; to inform him with a whisper that she believes him.
Episode 2 of Season 2 ended with Hannibal walking into Dr. Du Maurier’s vacant house. There, it seemed she left him a bottle of her perfume.
What did you think of Hannibal Season 2 Episode 2, “Sakizuki”? Is Jack growing closer to learning the truth? What will Beverly discover? Will Hannibal find a way to free both himself and Will?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Hannibal Season 2 Episode 2, “Sakizuki”!