And the Woman Clothed with the Sun
Will goes to visit Hannibal at the Baltimore State Hospital, but things are strained between them. Hannibal is obviously pleased to see Will until he realizes that Will has completely distanced himself from him. Will insists on calling him Dr. Lecter, saying that the more formal things are between them the more comfortable he is. Hannibal pries at Will before finally agreeing to help with the case. Everyone has an agenda for Will and Hannibal. Alana wants Hannibal to stay away from Will, Jack wants Hannibal to get inside Will’s head to help solve the case, and while Will wants as little contact with Hannibal as possible, he’s also probably secretly compelled by him. Meanwhile, Dolarhyde meets Reba (Rutina Wesley), a blind young woman at work who catches his attention, momentarily distracting him from his personal evolution. Freddie Lounds follows Will, snapping pictures of him leaving the Baltimore State Hospital and printing a story about the FBI seeking help from a notorious killer. Dolarhyde sees the story, discovering that Will is on his trail, and calls Hannibal to chat with him about his work and his becoming into the Great Red Dragon.
Will and Hannibal
While its only been a week for us since Will and Hannibal last met, its been three years for them and feels just as long to the viewers. Their relationship has changed drastically, with Will having excised Hannibal from his mind while Hannibal remains just as avidly fond of him. Their interaction now is so one sided – which Hannibal is deeply disappointed by – but with a sense of rigidly controlled restraint coming from Will. He knows how easy it would be to let Hannibal in and fall for him all over again. And Hannibal won’t be easily deterred, having surrendered in the first place in order to make his relationship with Will a continued possibility. He tells Will that he’s family to him and pries at his personal life to discover the family with which Will has replaced him.
Will and Molly
We’ve seen very little of Will and Molly together so far, but already we get a good sense of their relationship. It’s incredibly rare to see Will smile, let alone laugh, so when a phone call to Molly has him giggling up a storm, we get the sense that she really is good for him. What’s more, they can be honest with each other and talk about things that Will might usually keep to himself. She offers him unconditional support and actively participates in his passion for rescued dogs. They really are adorable together and I look forward to seeing more of them.
Alana
We learn that Margot and Alana have remained together since their time at Muskrat Farm, that they have a son together which Alana carried, conceived with Mason’s harvested sperm – the Verger heir they needed to inherit the farm. Meanwhile, Alana apparently became the director of the institution specifically to become the keeper of the keys, safe in the knowledge of the precautions being taken to maintain Hannibal’s incarceration. While she allows him several unusual amenities – including books, art materials, food and wine – she is ruthless when it comes to her threats to ensure his good behavior with Will. She promises that he will suffer indignities – his worst fear – if he wrongs Will. She will take his books, his art, and his toilet if he causes Will distress.
Jack
Meanwhile, Jack visits Hannibal to encourage the opposite, wanting him to get into Will’s head to make him a more effective profiler. Hannibal will likely find a way to play them all in some wonderfully perverse way, somehow giving them what they all want.