*SPOILERS*
[pullquote_left]po·tage [poh-tahzh; French paw-tazh] noun [French, Cookery]. soup, especially any thick soup made with cream.[/pullquote_left]
Creepy title for an uber-creepy episode. Abigail Hobbs, daughter of Will Graham’s first on-duty kill in Apertif, has come out of her father-induced coma. Evidence points to the fact that her father wasn’t working alone and suspicions have arisen regarding her involvement.
So team Graham-ibal is sent along with Dr. Bloom to speak with Abigail and monitor her mental state. Was she a psychotic killer helping her dad? If not, will she become one now that she’s experienced such horrors? It all leads up to an extremely messed-up confrontation in the Hobbs house, where Abigail is forced to kill the brother of one of her father’s victims. Hannibal swoops in and sees potential in the young lady and knocks out the lovely Dr. Bloom from behind so he can have a little private chat with the budding serial killer.
Boy, this show isn’t pulling any punches. Each episode finds new and original ways to make you uncomfortable and a bit on edge. I have to applaud Fuller and his team for crafting one of the more unique dramas on TV. Nothing quite has the visual style and artistic creep factor of Hannibal. The revelations that Abigail kept discovering about her dad up, to realizing he had been feeding them human parts, was spine-tinglingly horrible.
This episode actually made me think of the Clarice Starling character in Silence of Lambs and how Dr. Lecter might have seen the same thing in her that he sees in Abigail, only he didn’t have the freedom or leverage to try and recruit her to the dark side. I’m loving Mads Mikkelsen’s restrained take on Dr. Lecter but I am starting to yearn to see some of the glee and fun that was infused in the Anthony Hopkins version. Perhaps that’s yet to come as the character and his murderous plots continue to grow.
Hannibal continues to shine as an excellently crafted suspense shocker. My only complaint is that I hope they let loose the reigns just a tad bit and unleash the characters of Graham and Dr. Lecter, because you can literally feel the pressure cooker level rising in every scene.
The Good:
Keeps finding new ways to get under your skin. Hannibal seizing every opportunity. Graham’s continual Bruce Banner-ing.
The Bad:
Still can’t wait for Hannibal to eat Freddie. The victim’s brother was lame. No Hannibal cooking this week? No resolution on Abigail’s involvement with her dad.
The Verdict:
Another excellent episode that builds on the first two stories and really digs deep in the psyche of killer or a potential one.
★★★★☆