Hannibal - Recap: The Ink From Which Flows My Poem

Episode 3 of Season 2 of Hannibal, “Hassun,” added an interesting new depth to the battle between Will (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen). Will is, of course, Hannibal’s closest companion, yet Lecter’s only means of protecting his own life as the actual Chesapeake Ripper was to peg Will as the culprit. In an odd way, we knew this was an honor for Hannibal to bestow upon anyone as a psychopath who takes his own work and credibility incredibly seriously. Now, however, the goal seems to be to spring Will Graham without truly incriminating himself. Can Hannibal save Will Graham from a fate with which he burdened him in the first place? Here is the Recap and Review of Season 2 Episode 3 of Hannibal, “Hassun”!

NBC "Hannibal"

To kick off this week’s recap, Episode 3 focused mainly on the proceedings of the trial of Will Graham. One by one, the familiar faces of Hannibal episodes past showed up to either back Will’s plea of insanity or to further dig his grave. Either way, it seemed Will was out of luck. One person we never expected to see as a witness was Hannibal, though by the close of this week’s show, it’s possible that his testimony changed the game entirely. Then again, would that be a good thing for the truly innocent Will Graham?

A significant portion of the beginning of Episode 3 surrounded Jack Crawford’s (Laurence Fishburne) attempt to quash the guilt he carries for having played a roll in Will’s alleged snapping. Of course, only Will, the viewers, and Lecter know the whole truth. Jack, for what it’s worth, would rather burden himself with the blame than to admit that this ripper was under the nose of his team the entire time they chased him during Season 1. At least, that’s how Kade Prurnell (Cynthia Nixon) sees things. Her job, of course, is always to protect the team over the individual. What she needs is for Will’s trial to simply go away as swiftly and as cleanly as possible. Crawford, on the other hand, wasn’t about to let something like his job reputation or security get in the way of testifying to help Will. On the stand, Crawford spoke his truth, admitting to pushing Will too far. Anyone who worked with Will, as we remember as well, knows that Will Graham loathed that kind of work. He loved to save lives, but he despised the actual process of navigating through crime scenes. It wouldn’t make sense, in that case, for Will to be a psychopathic killer on the side. Later, Crawford met with Hannibal in Lecter’s office. There, he opened up regarding his possible final days with his wife, Bella, and the dream of someday soon returning to Italy to enjoy some of her final moments while the cancer runs its course. Basically, Crawford’s mind is no longer on protecting his job. As Hannibal put it, though, Jack is not dying. If and when his wife passes, the work could essentially become his sense of fulfillment.

In a show that is simply brimming with serial killers and sadistic psychos, two snakes in the grass seem to stick out more so than others. Freddie Lounds (Lara Jean Chorostecki) made her grand entrance into Season 2 tonight by promptly taking the stand to incriminate Will beyond belief, exaggerating her business relationship with Abigail Hobbs and placing as much emphasis as possible on the fear Will brought down upon her. Luckily, Will’s attorney is sufficiently stellar, and he shot down Lounds’ claims with a quick reminder of the fact that she has her own legal woes that stem from her complete lack of honesty and integrity in her journalism. Next up was Dr. Chilton (Raul Esparza), who also lacks any sort of fondness for Will but was quick to note that Graham most likely falls somewhere close to Aspberger syndrome on the autism spectrum scale; however, any sort of mention of Will’s particular kind of mental state was used to make him out to be an unbelievably arrogant killer who took equal joy from solving crimes as he did from committing epic murders. Essentially, Chilton argued that Will saw catching other psychopaths as a means to prove he’s smarter.

Something very interesting kicked off Will’s trial along with Episode 3. An anonymous source sent a severed ear resembling that of Abigail Hobbs to Will’s attorney post-court. After some tracing, it was made clear that this ear was severed from the same knife Will allegedly used. Furthermore, the ear was traced back to the bailiff of Will’s trial, a connection that initially sent Crawford’s team into this week’s first gruesome crime scene. Upon opening the door to the man’s home, a trap ignited a serious of explosives that set the entire house ablaze. Inside, the bailiff’s scorched body was laid on top of the typical stag head we’re used to seeing the Chesapeake Ripper select as a means of showcasing his work. Again, a severed ear marked a snatched trophy. Basically, it was very clear that Will had an admirer to those who studied closely. To others, however, it would merely seem like the killer was still at large.

NBC "Hannibal"

This changed Will’s entire game plan in court, as advised by his lawyer and Hannibal. Upon analyzing the crime scene with some given information, Will was able to tap into the mind of the alleged admirer, and we went along for the trip back in time with him. Will, however, couldn’t lie to save his own skin. This man was killed with a bullet wound and then mutilated. The Chesapeake Ripper killed his victims through mutilation. Hannibal appeared legitimately upset to hear Will’s revelation, as though a new killer in their midst could mean an out for Will and a means of clearing his reputation with Graham, who still doubted Lecter’s intentions entirely. There are several things to consider here. First, we know that Hannibal’s work is everything to him. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that some part of him absolutely refused to use legitimate pieces to help Will. He wouldn’t add innocent victims to the chain of his legacy, hence the murder by bullet. Additionally, it’s simply important to point out that he is trying to finagle a way out for Will. At least, he’s trying to do something.

One person who was not on-board with changing Will’s argument in court from a plea of unconsciousness to innocence was Dr. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas), who loves Will as a friend, though their romantic arc has obviously been put entirely on hold. Alana had planned on taking the stand to defend Will’s lack of sanity at the time of these murders, even going as far as to prep with his lawyer to perfect the process. She was, needless to say, flabbergasted when Hannibal was called to the stand instead. Hannibal is fantastic at profiling killers, though that isn’t necessarily considered actual evidence. Unfortunately, he was forced to admit the truth when the prosecution called him out; the bullet wounds were a dead giveaway. The judge, though he was initially entertained by Hannibal’s explanation, struck the conversation from the records. Had Hannibal failed and essentially sealed Will's fate with a guilty verdict?

Episode 3 of Season 2 closed with another grizzly murder scene. This time, the judge was put on display in the courtroom. The top of his head was sliced off in order for his scooped brain, in addition to his heart, to balance on a scale. In addition, his eyes were nowhere to be found. Hannibal was, of course, the one to point all of this out to Jack, reflecting what we know were actually his own intentions in murdering this judge. The law is blind, heartless, and brainless. With the judge thrown out, the entire proceedings would need to start all over again. Though, Kade Prurnell was certainly upset that what was meant to be a quick trial now escalated into a freak show of epic proportions. She blamed Crawford’s empathy and apparent inappropriate affection for Will. Though Hannibal might not have saved Will’s skin entirely, he certainly bought his friend a decent chunk of time.

Something else that is important to bring up is that Will is still having visions of the stag. He sees both the "stag man" aka Hannibal and an actual enormous deer. This week, a dream sequence found Will leaving his cell and following the animal, only to then be escorted back inside by the human Hannibal. What does this mean? Perhaps it means that following his intuition could lead him to freedom, while following Hannibal’s lead will land him in a permanent cell at this hospital for the criminally insane.

What did you think of Hannibal Season 2 Episode 3, “Hassun”? What do you think are Hannibal’s actual intentions? Do you think Will will walk free? Will someone uncover Hannibal’s secret? Is there still hope for Will and Alana following that final scene between the two? Is Abigail Hobbs actually dead?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Hannibal Season 2 Episode 3, “Hassun”!