Episode 11 was by far the best narrative episode for me in the season so far. This episode follows Will’s descent into madness escalates to a literal fever pitch, culminating in his and Dr. Gideon’s parallel storylines. This episode also begins to stitch together a lot of loose ends that build toward the epic climax of Episode 13. This episode opens with Hannibal serving a highly symbolic meal of mutton curry to Dr. Chilton, who has come to him for reassurance about his behaviour in reference to his “psychic driving” of the murderous Dr. Abel Gideon to “break down his personality.” Chilton’s narcissism really shines through here which is highly evident in the books and movies and is masterfully done.
With Gideon bringing charges against Chilton and blaming his actions for the death of the nurse, Hannibal encourages him to deny everything in order to protect himself which Chilton does which drives him straight into Gideon’s vengeful arms. The fact that the supplicant Chilton in this scene will one day be Hannibal’s psychiatrist and that his hatred for his charge (hard not to hold a gutting against someone) will be palpable in his later consultations about Lecter is ironic, revealing, and for those in the know, deeply pleasurable since we understand that Chilton’s fate in such a turnaround is already sealed by Harris. While Hannibal’s last words in the scene are tied to Will Graham visually, we understand that they apply equally to Chilton. “The subject mustn’t be aware of any influence.”
We see Gideon being transported ready for court only for him to escape murdering everyone in the vehicle, leaving their organs wrapped up like gifts and his trademark dark humour really shines through, enhanced by Eddie Izzard’s performance. Gideon is attempting to sort out who he is and the possibility that he is the Ripper, while Will struggles to differentiate himself from the murderous Hobbs. The difference is that we know that Gideon is not the Ripper. But each episode has shown us the line in Will’s mind between himself and Hobbs is becoming less and less distinct.
While Gideon continues his killing spree which includes kidnapping Freddie Lounds and Chilton and using her to keep him alive which he essentially guts the man before escaping, we see Will is on the verge of a complete breakdown. Izzard’s performance as he kills those he feels his responsibility for his current situation is brilliant, using wit and humour, as well as intellect as a conduit for his depraved and dark personality, is beautiful to watch. Meanwhile, Gideon has been trying to draw the real Ripper out as he is trying to prove to himself that he isn’t the Ripper. While the real Ripper doesn’t make an appearance he leaves a message for the F.B.I. telling them where they can find Gideon only for him to have fled.
It turns out he hasn’t gone far as we see Gideon watching the F.B.I. scrambling to save Chilton’s life. Will, on the other hand, seems to know where Gideon is but he doesn’t see Gideon he sees Hobbs. He instructs Gideon to drive to Hannibal’s home and he asks Hannibal whether or not he is seeing is real, rather than giving Gideon away he tells Will that he arrived alone, and he is hallucinating. The stress reaches its fever point causing Will to have a mild seizure, which doesn’t seem to faze Hannibal at all. He then tells Gideon where he can find Alana, one of the psychologists responsible for his treatment. When Will awakes Hannibal tells him that he is worried about Alana and to wait at his home as he has already called Jack, however, he leaves Will’s gun and car keys on the table. Seconds later Hannibal re-enters his home and finds Will gone.
We jump to outside Alana’s home where Gideon is watching her through the window. He and Will have a brief conversation that ends with Will shooting Gideon before collapsing in the snow. It turns out that Will has had a very high fever and is being treated in hospital. Bedelia also plays a huge role in this episode as she is constantly discouraging Hannibal from crossing professional boundaries with Will but at the same time encourages him to make friends. Based on the sessions we’ve seen, we know that Du Maurier has been attacked at some point in the past by a patient. This then led her to stop seeing all patients other than an insistent Lecter. Despite a rather incestuous show, she has no contact with any of the other characters, and in fact, none of them seem to know she exists. She is obviously able to go tit-for-tat with Hannibal, sharing the kind of insights that are potentially threatening to him, yet he seems completely unthreatened by her.
We also see in a session with Du Maurier, she and Hannibal are posed as mirror reflections of each other: their legs crossed, their outfits similarly formal, hands clasped the same way in their laps, and their overall posture identical. It’s easy to forget that Hannibal isn’t just a serial murderer: he’s a highly functioning sociopath and psychotic. This makes me question whether she could be a delusion despite her being a very real character in the books. I also have the feeling that she is going to play a much larger role in the coming episodes of this season and she and Hannibal have quite the history that at the moment is completely hidden from the viewer, but we can feel there is something more than doctor/patient going on here.
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