Originally published July 18, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
Ricky Church reviews the seventh episode of Hannibal season 3…
Hannibal’s adventure through Italy came to a close in ‘Digestivo’ as Hannibal and Will were brought to the waiting hands of Mason Verger and his demented nurse/cook/personal sociopath Cordell. This storyline was wrapped up very satisfactorily, tying up any lingering plot threads left for the Verger family and the threat Mason posed. In fact, ‘Digestivo’ could have even acted as a series finale as many of the characters gained some level of closure by the episode’s conclusion.
The reunions between Hannibal and the people at Muskrat Farm were tense from start to finish. There was a palatable sense of dread as the fates Mason had in mind for Hannibal and Will were given in extreme and gory detail. Hugh Dancy expressed a lot of Will’s anxiety through just his facial expressions; in the dinner scene, once Will learns his face is to be carved off, Dancy conveys the worry and fear solely through his eyes. He later contrasted this with his final goodbye to Hannibal in a lengthy monologue, delivering the sadness and resolve very well.
Conversely, Mads Mikkelsen seemed like he was enjoying himself as Hannibal didn’t seem to give a damn he was captured and planned to be eaten at all. He was more bemused with the whole situation. Even the branding didn’t seem to phase him one bit. This only heightens Hannibal’s danger as he was clearly biding his time for an opportunity to escape and kill Mason and/or his men. It shows Mason’s mistake that when you have an ample chance to kill Hannibal Lecter, you should kill Hannibal Lecter.
The Verger storyline concluded much the same way it did in the Hannibal novel as Margot planned to kill Mason and blame it on Hannibal, something the doctor was perfectly okay with. This development also showed just how much Alana has slid into a morally grey area as well. The previous season’s Alana would never condone murder, no matter whom it was against, yet she not only approves of Margot’s plan, but helps plan it. Caroline Dhavernas continued to excel as a darker Alana.
It was also interesting that Will called out Alana’s alliance with Mason, asking her what exactly she thought was going to happen if she helped him. Though she had an endgame in mind, she clearly improvised many of the steps to get there in her haste for vengeance.
One story element that was rather disappointing was Chiyo’s involvement. Ultimately, she was used somewhat as a deus ex machine, swooping in at almost the last-minute to save Hannibal from Muskrat Farm. Her reasons for helping Hannibal these last couple episodes wasn’t really clear, even with her explanation that she was doing it for Mischa’s memory. A bit more time should have been devoted to the relationship between Hannibal and Chiyo just to flesh out her motivations more and give her a better role than last-minute savior. Perhaps with so much going on in this episode Bryan Fuller just couldn’t find the time to utilize her properly.
Overall, ‘Digestivo’ was a great conclusion to this half of Hannibal’s final season. It really had the air of a series finale as everyone got closure with the famed cannibal. The final scene between Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen was great as Will finally put his foot down and said goodbye to Hannibal… for about five minutes when Hannibal decided the best way to stay close to, and torment, Will was to surrender. Chiyo should have been developed a bit more as her relationship with Hannibal didn’t have quite as strong a resolution as the other characters. Even this criticism though wasn’t able to fully detract from the story’s tense excitement and great acting. Now that the Hannibal portion is done, get ready next week for Red Dragon.
FYI as well: Hannibal was moved to Saturday nights for the remainder of the season, but apparently this is only for the States as it still aired Thursday for Canada and some other areas. Depending where you are, you may get Hannibal sooner or later than others.
Ricky Church
https://youtu.be/IWWtOQOZSTI?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
