SS3EP4 of Hannibal the Series (2015)

Season 3 episode 4 of Hannibal the series (2015)

So far, I'm surprised because starting season 3, I can see a dramatic change in tempo of the storytelling. It's lyrical and poetical compared to full of action, cold blooded season 1 and surprisingly daring season 2. Don't take me wrong, when I say surprisingly daring, because I don't mean it like that. I mean I was surprised that the creators let one of their main male leads be imprisoned for quite a few more episodes than I would have guessed they would dare.

If the mood was like SS03 since season 01, then I wouldn't have anything against the tempo and the lyrical poetic flow of season 3. But here it seems to be a bullet to the head. As if they never planned on season 4. But as well (I don't know the narrative since back then, but I guess many people who enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 would complain much about season 3) it seems to me as if they wanted to discourage many of their already gained audiences. What is this change and slowing down of the storytelling? Loosing vital part of imaginary from SS01 and 02 to change it for so much poetical, slow yet kind of meaningless SS03 tempo/image/pace?

 

On the other hand, I appreciate the message that I have taken from episode 4 season 3. I initially thought that it is all about showing how Hannibal being the… antagonist, killer, murder, cannibal, bad person, monster, creature of the dark, impersonation of someone who would have traditionally be seen as embodiment of Evil has a very human like qualities and attributes of character – being compassionate, patient, having a sort of elegance and sophistication that many of the so-called normal people does not possess, and is as well able to love, feel sorrow, sadness, regret... Quite an introduction of the opposite side to the cold blooded, manipulative, toxic, hard to read, hard to relate first season Hannibal, right?

…or not?

 

What I realized by the end of this episode is that this episode and this season is much less about how we discover human-like qualities of Hannibal, it is much more about how we discover, how the normal people, the good people become under the circumstances and very much voluntarily evil (a.k.a. our own very nonhuman qualities). If at the beginning the bad one is 100 % and absolutely Hannibal, then starting with this season the ones who used to be normal and good-natured turns to be the creatures of evil.

Whose fault and creation are then Hannibal, comes back to the question. And who and what has the power to create and recreate human’s nature?

In all this mess the only one who stays the most unreadable is none other but Will Graham. In the case of Hannibal, we can predict some things for sure – he's going to stay being manipulative, he's never going to end the lifestyle he had, he's never going to stop killing people, he's never going to be redeemed from what he has done and from what he is going to do. He is always going to be unpredictable. And he is always going to be painted in black colours – he's never going to be the good one in society's eyes.

On the other hand Will Graham, who started as being painted as the good character, the good person, the positive one, the one being painted in white light, and for that reason he could be used by the FBI to help against the evil (and just like that he was opened to manipulation from the evil forces, and from there it's all a rabbit hole). Now no one can predict on what side is Will going to end, and I guess not even Hannibal can tell what Will is – it is for sure dream within a dream, but if what he is going to do is going to be based on Hannibal's manipulation or if it is going to be Will’s own free will, no one can tell or predict anymore. Not even Hannibal, but I guess it was not even his intention to start with, based on whose will Will Graham is going to decide.

Fortunately for me, I have seven episodes to go and then it's going to be over. Or maybe it's never going to be over, who knows.

By the way, I had a small complaint about the development of the MML’s relationship line. But I want to speak about it separately.

So, until then… let's speak up for 4^th season, I guess. 😁