Eddie Izzard stars in this week’s Hannibal, in
an episode that overtly nods to the cannibalistic canon from which it is part of. The Harris
novels and The Silence of the Lambs have been referenced through and through adding
extra enjoyment to viewing. It forms a somewhat bizarre game of Dr. Lecter bingo – from Baltimore
State Hospital for the Criminally Insane to the not-so-pleasant Dr. Chilton, Jack
Crawford’s former student, Miriam (aka Clarice) to Dr. Gideon, a slightly more
playful version of Anthony Hopkins. Before you know it you’re shouting ‘HOUSE!’,
whilst Dr. Lecter serves up a delightful plate of... tongue. 
We first join Gideon in the Baltimore State Hospital for the
Criminally Insane. After two years of being the most well behaved sociopathic
patient (serving time for murdering his family), he faked an illness to end up
in the hospital infirmary. Gideon then proceeds to brutally murder his only accompanying nurse, an act we see via Will Graham who cast himself as Gideon to
relive the murder - a particularly effective sequence forming the first time
we see Graham commit such levels of brutality. The way in which the nurse was
murdered (ya know... throttling, eye-gouging and impalement by hospital
instruments) equated Gideon with the infamous Chesapeake Ripper, providing
comfort to the likes of Dr. Chilton who firmly believes (or forces himself to
believe) he is the true culprit and locked away forever. However, one major
difference in the pattern of killing (organs - bingo!) puts fear in the heads of Graham and
particularly, Crawford, that the Ripper is still at large. Queue
various psychological evaluations in a danky cell incredibly reminiscent of the
Clarice interviews from The Silence of the Lambs.
Flashback two years and we have the second piece of evidence
to prove that Gideon is not the Ripper - Miriam. As a prime student Crawford nominated her to be part of the investigative team when the Ripper was
at large. This however, went horribly wrong. So much so in fact,
that Miriam died – the guilt for which plagues Crawford to the present day as
he is continuously haunted by voicemail messages from her. Who is
leaving the voicemails? Is it actually Gideon? Or is he just an adversary? If
so, for whom? Whilst we know the inevitable answer to such questions, this
narrative enigma strand is so wonderfully written, the
intermittent teasing throughout the episode is somewhat enthralling.
In one last desperate attempt to encourage the Ripper to
show himself, Graham and Crawford contact their favourite journalist, Freddie
Loundes. She publishes a piece assigning Gideon as the Ripper in order to
enrage the true culprit. It works – Dr. Lecter’s rage overtly exudes from his
eyes as he slams his laptop shut. His shining moment arrives at the end of the
episode though. Throughout he has been manipulating as ever, teasing the guilt over
Miriam out of Crawford. Whilst both drink by the fire divulging thoughts on
her loss, the episode reaches its final flashback – Miriam’s meeting with Dr.
Lecter. It ends in a violent and throttling manner as the shoes come off and the
throat grabbing begins.
Bar one or two impaled bodies, this week was relatively gore free. Instead we were treated to a more enigmatic storyline,
intermittently teased whilst we revelled in the hyperdiegetic world of Harris’
novels. Performances were strong as usual although in comparison to previous
weeks, Graham remained in the background. Instead it was ‘Socio-path Idol’ in
which finalists Dr. Lecter and Dr. Gideon were proverbially pitted against one
another. Dr. Lecter won out however for having the most potential. His weekly
increase of violence and intensity (exemplified in this episode) continues to heighten every
bit of anticipation for his next move... and his next dish.
What were your thoughts on this week's episode? Post a comment!
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