‘Hannibal’ season 3, episode 6 review: Mason Verger leaves Will, Hannibal hanging

“Hannibal” has been a visual and emotional showcase through the first six episodes of the season. We don’t exactly think that there is a single interpretation to how every character is feeling. For example, Will Graham’s hunger for justice is at times superseded by his hope for understanding. The same goes for Jack Crawford, who wants to capture Hannibal but not kill him. That is why he did not take his life last week.

Did that decision come back to haunt him in a significant manner tonight? It definitely looked as though it did at times tonight. It started to appear as though Lecter was getting the upper hand at times tonight, seemingly trapping Jack and rendering him unable to do much of anything other than chew and talk. However, Hannibal did not see the push from Mason Verger coming.

Mason somehow managed to figure out a way to bribe quite a few authorities in Florence, doing just enough to ensure that he could get both Will and Hannibal captured in his own way. Margot attempted capture in her own means, in between forging a connection with Alana Bloom like we have not seen before. This connection was an interesting contrast to the one with Will and Hannibal as a bullet wound was extracted after Chiyoh put it there; Will and Hannibal are not sexual, but the visuals could have made it appear so. Also, how nice was it to get Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy in the same room again tonight? Their chemistry is one of the reasons why this show is so electric and has been since the beginning.

There are still some issues with the story now that Mason is executing his plot. We still don’t really understand Jack’s motives fully, and we cannot say that Chiyoh or the Italian authorities are bringing much to the table. However, at the same time this was another visually stunning episode, and the real MVP here perhaps is Gillian Anderson, whose Bedelia is trying to come up with many a unique way to escape the confines of her relation to Hannibal. Pretending to be another victim worked for some, but clearly not others. Another MVP is Joe Anderson, whose Mason is just as creepy as Michael Pitt’s. Those are not easy shoes to step into. Grade: B+.

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