Hannibal - Recap: Kick the Bucket

Episode 5 of Season 2 of Hannibal, “Mukozuke,” brought on the consequences of Beverly Katz’s (Hettienne Park) hunt for Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). Let’s just say that Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) had several slices of a crime scene to investigate this week, if only to bid his friend and ally a fond and fiery farewell. Fuel was added to Will’s fire following the untimely passing of Beverly, and it seemed this marked the first time this season when Will’s quest to out Hannibal as the Chesapeake Ripper and the man who framed him was based squarely on revenge. Meanwhile, a deal with Freddie Lounds (Lara Jean Chorostecki) set Will’s latest scheme into motion, though Alana Bloom (Caroline Dehavernas) and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) still refused to play Will’s game. Everybody is a pawn in Hannibal’s, however. While we unfortunately butchered Beverly this episode, this week’s show was also marked by the return of a very alive Abel Gideon (Eddie Izzard). Here is the Recap and Review of Season 2 Episode 5 of Hannibal, “Mukozuke”!

NBC "Hannibal"

Episode 5 opened with a great side-by-side comparison of the gourmet breakfast of Hannibal Lecter, shared with Jack, and the prison slop “enjoyed” by Will Graham. As Jack thanked Hannibal for his act of friendship in rescuing his wife even as her chosen executioner, Will began to plot his next move. From afar, Freddie Lounds returned to the location of Dr. Chilton’s (Raul Esparza) disembowelment at the hands of Gideon after receiving an anonymous tip. Gun in one hand but ready to snap a pic on instinct, it was Freddie who unfortunately found the display of Beverly’s corpse. Before long, Crawford and his team were called onto the scene, and most of the opening moments of this episode of Hannibal became a sort of memorial for Beverly Katz. It’s always great to witness moments of emotional breakage from Crawford, who oftentimes appears cold or rigid. It was also nice to see moments of mourning from Price (Scott Thompson) and Zeller (Aaron Abrams), who, of course, worked with Beverly on a daily basis. Beverly brought so much heart to the team, and it’s most definitely sad for viewers to have to let her go.

NBC "Hannibal"

One person who channeled his mourning through rage was Will Graham, who insisted on seeing the scene for himself. Knowing immediately that she simply got too close to Hannibal, Will was brought to the observatory with the utmost precaution and security; straight jacketed, bound to a wheel chair, muzzled, etc. In the end, Crawford demanded that the rest of the entourage leave the two alone, and Will was released to work his magic. At first, I was surprised that Hannibal even showed us much of Beverly’s demise at all. We hadn’t really lost an active member of the cast before this. Even Abigail was simply gone. Will reenacted the strangling and sawing of Beverly, however, reasoning that the glass displays which intricately housed slice after slice after slice of Beverly’s corpse represented her ability to peel back the layers of crime scene evidence. She’d discovered the identity of the Ripper, and so she had to die. Later, Zeller and Price noted that her kidneys had been switched out for those of the human muralist murderer. Obviously, this meant that the same man who’d sewed him into his work had killed Beverly. If they find her kidneys (which were ground up and gobbled down!), they’d find her murderer.

What was interesting from the start of Episode 5 was that Will added a sense of dirtiness to his game this week. He’s been very cunning all throughout Season 2, but the anger over the death of Beverly pushed him past a new boundary. He’d begun working this Chilton last week, though that sort of backfired when the crooked doctor was the one to initially tip Hannibal off. During Episode 5, Will began to play into Chilton’s true desires. For example, Will knows Chilton would love nothing more than to catch the actual Ripper after failing miserably with Gideon. Later, Will enlisted the help of none other than the psychopathic tabloid fiend, Freddie Lounds. See, playing dirty. First, it’s important to note that Abel Gideon’s unlikely return served a purpose. Will was looking to fill in more gaps in his memory, as was Dr. Chilton, and this was the killer who’d previously tried to take credit for Hannibal’s work. He knows who the Chesapeake Ripper is. As he informed Will, there is no catching him. The only option is to kill him. Thus, Will came up with the brilliant scheme of luring his copycat killer, the man who’d killed the bailiff and judge of his trial, to do the deed. How would he capture the attention of his admirer, though? Through Freddie Lounds’ gossip site, he could form a link through an interview. Will loathes Freddie, but you know what they say about desperate times. In exchange for her help in baiting Will’s alleged copycat in, Freddie asked for the solo rights to Will’s story.

This is where things got truly interesting. Will’s admirer turned out to be his hospital security guard, a man who knew the ins and outs of mental institutions having spent time in one himself. As the man who wired the place for Chilton’s listening, he easily turned off the mics and cameras, giving him the perfect opportunity to speak with Will privately. He reached out to Will in an effort to join forces. Small birds flock together. Hawks fly solo. Imagine, though, what damage could be done with a horde of hawks. Perhaps most importantly, this man did not kill the judge, only the bailiff. Thus, we were led to insinuate that Hannibal most likely tried to perfect the scheme to free Will of the crimes of which he was accused. Will, however, decided this week that he’d had enough of Hannibal’s meddling and requested that this admirer kill Hannibal for him. Unfortunately for Will, Gideon overheard nearly everything.

Before heading into the close of the recap for Episode 5, one great scene that took place this week was between Gideon and Hannibal. While Chilton watched via his monitors, the two conversed covertly at the hospital regarding the motives of Will Graham and their history together. Like with many cases on Hannibal, we don't really know exactly how much Gideon knows or what his true motives are. The concept of serial killer "fandom" always plays such a twisted role on this show that adds wild cards to the mix of the mystery.

Upon capturing Hannibal via tranquilizer during a nighttime swim session, Will’s admirer orchestrated quite the crucifix for the execution of the Chesapeake Ripper. Standing on a bucket with his neck in a noose and his wrists bound and bleeding, Hannibal struggled for his life while the man gloated from below. I loved how Will’s ally used Hannibal’s pupils as a makeshift polygraph test, learning for sure that Lecter was also a psychopath. There was a great conversation about eating the power of another being and Hannibal’s respect for the preciousness of life. Perhaps that is why he cannibalizes his victims. He kills those he finds tainted and ingests their life force. Will’s plan would have been executed perfectly had Gideon not tipped Alana off to it. Hannibal nearly hung to death, but Alana and Jack arrived just in time to put down Will’s friend and save Hannibal. The most important piece of game-changing information garnered from this scene, however, is that upon learning that Will was the one to orchestrate his murder, it seems Hannibal Lecter is not so keen on playing nice and aiding his “friend” any longer. It’s so interesting to see that Hannibal was truly offended and seemingly heartbroken over Will’s decision to plot his death, even considering all that Hannibal has dropped in his lap. Perhaps Hannibal has always had this under control. Maybe he was always on Will’s side, at least in his own mind, and actively working to free him.

What did you think of Hannibal, Season 2 Episode 5, “Mukozuke”? Does this mark the end of Hannibal’s “friendship” with Will? Will Alana and Jack ever truly trust Will again? Are you sad to see Beverly go? Do you want more Freddie? Are you glad Gideon has returned?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Hannibal, Season 2 Episode 5, “Mukozuke”!