We're joined by an out of town friend, fan of the podcast and the show, Raina, as we discuss the penultimate episode of our season (hopefully not series). Raul Esparza gives his best performance of the series, Richard Armitage creates an otherworldly persona through movement and vocalizations as he truly becomes the dragon. We speculate on the end of this season, discussing what will become of Will Graham. And we talk about Meatloaf. Just ‘cuz.
All on this episode of Eat The Rudecast, a podcast about NBC's Hannibal, and the works of Thomas Harris.
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You mention the possibility of Brett Ratner directing season 4. If a single person directed it all, even if that person was Ratner, it would attract some attention. I am now reminded that David Slade hasn’t directed any this season. His were some of my favorites, and his work is missed. I don’t know what he’s been up to that he wasn’t able to come back this season.
Will kept talking to Hannibal beyond any reasonable point, and Jack had a competent psychiatrist in season 2.
Last season, when Will had the dream of the Dire Ravenstag decapitating Hannibal, the dream Hannibal was saying he loved Will in his own bizarre philosophical way. So it’s strange for Will to bother asking at this point. It seems more for the audience than the character, or perhaps an excuse for Bedelia to respond with that quote from “Hannibal”.
Will didn’t end last season by becoming Hannibal. He briefly talked to Alana and put his coat on her (whereas Hannibal just strode past or took that same coat from her), went inside, saw Abigail, got gutted, and failed to stop Abigail’s bleeding in time for the ambulance he’d called. That said, I don’t think he’ll end this season by becoming Hannibal, because that would effectively end the show and they’re still hoping for more.
Jack may officially be focused on catching the Red Dragon, but he’s wasting a lot of time talking to Hannibal for no discernible reason. Nor have we seen him distributing likenesses of the suspect his lead investigator saw (it’s up to Lounds to bring up that) or look into people named “Reba”, as overheard in Dolarhyde’s phone call. Bryan once said he didn’t want the FBI to look incompetent, but I guess that was only in reference to them not knowing Hannibal was guilty.
I never found it plausible that Will had gone to the darkside in season 2, and perhaps that’s a problem in my insisting on some version of the character, but I still don’t think he’ll become a murderer. I should note that I thought it was obvious that he called in Mizumono to save Jack’s life once their backup was gone (since he had declined to come clean when given the opportunity before, when Hannibal would have been at more of a disadvantage), but we saw this season that the show disagrees with me.
I don’t think substituting Chilton for Lounds works. Neither Will, nor even Hannibal, has much reason for animosity toward him. It’s the show, rather than any character, that has motivation to target him. There’s really no good reason for Dolarhyde to select him over Lounds (who does basically the same thing as in the source material) or Will (who supersedes Chilton in offensiveness)
I don’t understand why Chilto saved Hannibal from the death penalty if he wasn’t going to be in charge of the asylum.
Like some of your co-hosts & guest, I thought Will’s statements were attributed to Will. Chilton was there (as was Bloom in the novel) to add some scientific heft, rather than Will just saying ridiculous things on his own.
Where is Kade Prunrell? I miss the injection of realism she added.
The headshot math (which was also in the original) sounds very specific, but I don’t think actually accords with Dolarhyde’s victim count yet.
Dolarhyde kidnaps Reba in the novel after Will Graham shows up at Gateway and freaks him out. In Manhunter it’s because he sees her with an asshole colleague and misinterprets what’s going on (to the strains of “Strong as I Am”, which is aptly about child abuse). In the show there’s nothing logically preceding it. She shows up at some point after he told her they were through, he lets her go, then apparently changes his mind and insists she stay.
One difference between the book and adaptations is that Dolarhyde’s slides for Lounds include “the Dragon rampant” and his activities with the bodies of the women. Manhunter alludes to this while only showing Lounds’ face, and Red Dragon shows slides of eyes with glass but none containing Dolarhyde.
If Will is trying to catch the Dragon, sending him after Chilton is less helpful than putting him in the path of FBI snipers (as the plan was supposed to go).
Chilton didn’t treat Will that badly in the asylum. He did talk to Hannibal after agreeing not to (to get in a final gloat), but was the first to come around to Will’s view. That’s presumably part of why Will tries to protect him from Jack when the latter seems ready to kill him.
I blame Bedelia for Lydia Fell’s death. She would presumably still be alive if not for Bedelia.
Freddy Lounds asks Graham does the Tooth Fairy “do them” like Lecter. I don’t know if Freddy was trying to sound film noir there.
Remember when Georgia Madchen recovered in an oxygen tank, said to normally be used for burn victims? Now Chilton is a severely burned victim in a hospital, but he does not receive the same treatment. Maybe he should have murdered someone in a bizarre manner.
We have no reason to think Hannibal was told about Reba’s blindness.
I don’t think Reba is rationalizing Francis’ behavior. She’s given up hope that he’s a sensible person, just trying whatever she can in hopes of survival.
This season David Slade is one of the executive producers.
IMDB only lists Slade as executive producer up through Mizumono. Although that credit can be misleading: see True Detective season 2 and its continuity with season 1.
As far as I remember his name was in opening credits for almost every episode of season 3