Review: Hannibal: Season 1, Episode 11 – Roti

(Spoilers!)

Top quality drama and brilliant characterisation in this week’s episode of Hannibal, as manipulation and madness take its toll over Will Graham and escaped convict, Dr. Gideon (Eddie Izzard). 

It’s another snowy evening in Baltimore and what better way to enjoy Dr. Lecter’s sheep curry, than over an unethical conversation regarding the manipulation of mentally unstable patients. That’s right, the lovely Dr. Chilton (Lecter’s dinner guest) has been manipulating the mind of his most notorious inmate at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Dr. Gideon. A man whom believes himself to be the Chesapeake Ripper, thanks to Chilton’s mind warping ways. Although Chilton has been less covert than the likes of Lecter in his method of manipulation, causing Gideon to realise he is not the Ripper after all and therefore sue the hospital for improper practise. 

Mid-journey to court however, Gideon escapes and through Graham’s empathetic ways, we see he does so in a clever combination of one handed combat and hand-cuff weaponry. As if that wasn't enough, he decides to disembowel the accompanying guards, hang their organs off tree branches (some even tied with a little bow) and scramble their brains. All of this, before heading straight back to Baltimore. Why you say? Well upon realising he’s not the Ripper, Gideon is on a quest to rediscover his identity - first by unscrambling his brain, seeking revenge on the psychiatrists that made it so. Then, by using this organ-tree as his first calling card, seek out the true Ripper (who we know is Lecter) as a means of regaining his sense of self. Apparently there is method in Gideon’s madness.

Gideon’s quest to regain sanity this week is a brilliant piece of characterisation. On the one hand, we see him dally through sequences, possessing an air of malicious playfulness and downright brutality. From giving Dr. Carruthers what is referred to as a Columbian Necktie (but packaging the blood to be sent to Red Cross) or performing a complete organ excision on Chilton (whilst he is still awake), we for the first time see what he is truly capable of. Ripper or not, this man has issues. Thus his trail blaze through Baltimore is also the perfect vehicle for Hannibal’s titular gory sensibility. Roti has arguably provided the most graphic imagery yet, with scenes of surgery and a twitching tongue to boot, undoubtedly adding an extra layer of joy to those with a strong stomach. 

On the other hand, before the seemingly black and white binary of good and evil becomes too concrete, Gideon’s madness and brutality is soon contrasted in a sequence of utmost serenity. Standing outside Alana Bloom’s house, preparing to commit his next act of obscenity, he wonders; how did I get to this point? Who was I before all of this? How did this all happen? It’s a tranquil moment of contemplation that subtly elicits sympathy toward the character, providing a well written slant on the serial-killer-of-the-week typology Hannibal frequently uses - it’s also a testament to Izzard’s great performance. Nevertheless it seems Baltimore is a little too over-crowed with the mentally estranged this week, or Graham seems to think so, as this tranquil moment of self-reflexivity is cut short when he shoots Gideon dead. There’s only enough room for one mental breakdown this week, and boy does Graham take the trophy. 

Each week Graham’s mental state has increasingly dilapidated, the cause for which was discovered last week as encephalitis. Yet in his continual overpowering manipulation, Lecter has kept the medical diagnosis a secret, causing Graham to believe his worsening condition is resultant of mental instability. Graham admits, “I feel like somebody else... I feel crazy” and it’s no wonder given his sweaty and un-lucid demeanour, worsening hallucinations and nightmares - including a recurring water motif that is abound with metaphorical implications of his mental state. It is worth noting that said nightmares, despite representing Graham’s breakdown, are seamless, stunning and further proof that this show is one of the most beautiful serials presently broadcast on our television screens. 

In the episode’s most intense sequence, showcasing Hugh Dancy’s strongest performance yet, Graham holds Gideon at gunpoint believing him to be Garrett Jacob Hobbs. Both turn up at Lecter’s office, Graham in frenzy over the apparent resurgence of a man he shot dead. However Lecter worsens the situation by pretending no one is there, causing Graham to completely breakdown and have a mild seizure. It’s a shocking reminder of the monster Lecter truly is and an indication to the lengths he will go, to scramble the mind of his beloved ‘friend’. The question is, how much more can Graham take? 

Roti has been one of the strongest episodes of this season of Hannibal. Brilliant performances from Izzard and Dancy, teamed with excellent characterisation and particularly graphic imagery, collectively provided an almost hour-long piece of thrilling drama to once again prove that this is dark television of the utmost quality. 

What were your thoughts on this week's episode? Post a comment! 

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