Review: Hannibal ‘Entree’ – I Have To Push

Hannibal steps ever so slightly away from the psychological this week – but it certainly doesn’t let up when it comes to being unsettling, continuing down the path of last week’s episode in unraveling Jack Crawford. And it certainly earns its title, digging into the central multi-season plot of the show (it’s main course, so to speak): the Chesapeake Ripper, otherwise known as Hannibal Lecter.

Now those that have read the books (his nickname may be mentioned in Manhunter, but I don’t remember) or read last week’s review know that Hannibal is the Chesapeake Ripper, so the ending isn’t quite the surprise it should be. But in a way, I think having the knowledge of who Will and Jack are hunting (and who Gideon is impersonating) makes what happens even more fascinating, especially when Hannibal’s ever-so-slightly smirking mug is on the screen.

Of course, Gideon’s impersonations aren’t just an easy way to introduce a bit of plot: Lecter’s facade only starts to unravel on-screen when he mentions to Dr. Chilton (the bearded, arrogant doctor who insisted he had the Chesapeake Ripper, and appears in Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs) that psychic coercion is totally cool on his watch, even if tight-ass Dr. Bloom isn’t down with the non by-the-books material (in other words, she wouldn’t have enjoyed the whole Abigail drinking mushroom tea bit in the episode NBC cut). Dr. Chilton’s arrogance plays right into Lecter’s hand, sending everyone around him in a frenzy over himself, while he can further his ego by disproving of the emotional-driven Gideon (who killed his entire family over a “stressful” Thanksgiving) by teasing Jack Crawford, a man he’s tortured for years, even further.

Will isn’t around much in this episode, especially once it’s generally accepted that there isn’t anything interesting going on with Gideon (he does stick around to take some shots and be bitchy to Freddie Loundes, which is always a fun exchange). We do see him hallucinating again, the massive elk walking towards him in his classroom, the ever creeping loss of his sanity coming closer and closer. Notice how the elk is replaced by Alana and Jack as they walk into his room, wearing dark colors and bearing down on the camera as they head towards Jack. Translation: when Jack sees those two, he should pick up and run in the other direction. Do they ever bring anything but death and murder his way? (remember the last episode, when the elk was following him, showing how Will can’t escape all this death in his mind). It also parallels the scene before it, when Jack insists he knows when he’s awake: he might be confident, but Will’s confidence in reality is slipping, every time he comes back from one of the episodes dumbass Dr. Chilton calls his “gift”.

I’ve really enjoyed how the last two episodes have paid a lot of attention to Jack, who is a central figure in the first two Thomas Harris novels. It adds another dimension to the character having Hannibal be his struggling wife’s therapist: it allows Fuller to humanize Lecter in a way we usually don’t. He’s compassionate towards Jack and his wife, telling him that “the world is a better place with her in it” and telling him not to lose hope in her (SPOILER for people who haven’t read the books: she dies near the end of Silence of the Lambs). Of course, Lecter will plan many, many mind games with Jack over the years, but we’ve seen that already: having Lecter involved with Jack’s marriage gives a completely different angle to their interactions, another example of how genius Fuller’s adaptation of the novel is.

I usually make it a point not to compare pieces of media, but one of the remarkable things about Hannibal is how it re-purposes its source material, adding new psychological layers to something that was already fairly complex to begin with (at least until Hannibal the book, that is). The show is (and will be, according to Fuller’s public comments on possible future seasons) faithful to the novels, but it’s finding new nooks and crannies to explore, something many adaptations fail to do in an interesting way (beautiful cinematography and a terrific cast really help).

The next few weeks should prove to be quite interesting; Hannibal was nearly provoked to kill again in this episode, and digging up old wounds in Jack’s mind is only going to push him (and by proxy, Will) even further to catch the Chesapeake Killer, while Hannibal continues to groom Abigail and tease Jack from a distance. Is it next Thursday yet?

Grade: A-

Other thoughts/observations:

– What would Hannibal call Jack’s behavior? “Desperate coping.”

– casting Anna Chulmsky as Miriam made me sad; if Hannibal had seen My Girl, he’d think twice about chopping off her poor arm.

– Freddie: “we’re a bunch of psychopaths helping each other out.”

– the dark, looming synthesizers in this episode are bitchin’, man.

– Gillian Anderson is coming soon; she’ll be playing Hannibal’s therapist. Can’t f*cking wait.

– I’m starting to get a little nervous about the show’s prospects for a second season. There is a bottom line, yes, but can NBC really ignore how good this show is?

– Eddie Izzard is very Hopkins-esque in his performance as the ‘boring’ psychopath Gideon. The prison cell design (also very reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs) helps to create the atmosphere for the homage-like performance.

– Freddie needs someone to write headlines for her: ‘How the Ripper Rips’? C’mon, girl.

– Will: “your brand of journalism is obnoxious.”