Episode 5 really start to delve into the states of mind of all the characters as they try to catch the Angel Maker. The first thing we see is a beautiful dream sequence which leads to Will waking up in the middle of the road and he realises he has started sleepwalking. During a conversation with Hannibal, he explains that this is a physical manifestation of his lack of control and Will needs to consider whether what Jack has asked of him is too much for him to cope with. However, before Will can consider this too seriously a new case needs his attention.
A new killer is skinning his victims and turning them into angels to watch over him as he sleeps. However, he isn’t very careful as he leaves sweat, hair, and vomit at the scene which tells the F.B.I. a lot about him including that he has a brain tumour. Will quickly realises that the killer is afraid of dying in his sleep which is why the angels are there, to protect him. However, it quickly comes to light that all the Angel Maker’s victims are evil people and that he is transforming them. By the time the third victim appears the killer leaves behind more evidence, this evidence leads Will to believe the killer is starting to transform himself into an angel, symbolising his impending death.
By the time they get an I.D. on the man and track does his former wife, more things come to light. We learn that Jack’s wife Phyllis, whom he calls Bella has lung cancer and that she hasn’t told Jack, she is also having a therapy session with Hannibal. During a conversation with the killer’s wife, where she talks about her husband’s behaviour before his disappearance, Jack comes to the realisation that this is the exact behaviour of his wife and connects the dots. This leads to a huge emotional crisis for Jack and he turns to Hannibal for advice. At the same time, Will has confessed to Jack that he isn’t sure how much longer he can be of use as things are really starting to get to him. This leads to him taking medication to try and stop sleeping walking.
We also learn in this episode about Hannibal’s very keen sense of smell, which is how he discovered that Bella had cancer before she even told him, and he evens drops the hint that he found this talent as he smelt a teacher’s stomach cancer before he was diagnosed. The episode focused heavily on the relationship between Jack and his wife which was a nice change of pace even with the Angel Maker case going on in the background. We see in this episode Hannibal’s master manipulation at work, but we are also beginning to see the ethics he lives by and how cold he can truly be even when faced with situations that would emotionally drain another person, Hannibal is unaffected. By the end of this episode, I was eager to up into the next one when the Chesapeake Ripper is mentioned, another key feature from the books.
Comments