Season 2, episode 7 review - Yakimono

Well, like with all seasons of television shows there comes an episode that changes the stakes for everyone. In the seventh episode of Hannibal a huge surprise happens, and it involves Miriam Lass.

The episode starts off essentially where the last left off, Miriam is whisked off to medical treatment and is then given to opportunity to identify the Chesapeake ripper. Is it hannibal? She can't recall or remember.

Will Mr. Graham be set up yet again. Now, and that is where the twist in the episode comes from. It builds on the fact that Will is not the ripper and he is now being set free. Will gives Chilton a warning to come out into the light and away from Hannibal (who hides in the shadows). He tells something similar to Alana. But she is in love with her old friend and won't be swayed by the fact that Will tried to have him killed.

What Will convinces Chilton to do is confess that he and Hannibal did the same thing, they manipulated their patients to become something they were not.

Sadly, Chilton continued to blame Hannibal, and yet in offering his services to uncover Miriam's memories Jack said that she is not his patient.

Will is now back to essentially where he was in season one, just not so dysfunctional. He is helping Jack on the case, and informs him that the ripper has been caught before and is only letting himself be known so that he can slip away again. In other words, everyone was playing into Hannibal's hands, and Will I think comes to realize this.

(Spoilers ahead, highlight if you wish to know)

Dr. Fredric Chilton, runner of the institution for the criminally insane. This is the twist, the big shocker. Hannibal goes from framing his best friend Will so that he does not get caught to realize he can't so he figures out a way to set him free, be revealing himself and framing Chilton for his crimes. Along with the murder of Abel Gideon and two officers. Chilton won't have any friends fighting for him in his corner, everyone discredits him, and to add to all the shockers when Miriam sees him, she breaks and shoots him with Jack's gun. Chilton, Dead!?

Yakimono is the game changing episode for this season. The moments that occurred here will affect the outcome of future episodes. The opening season's fight scene between Hannibal and Jack will continue to become more powerful as the season progresses. For now, things are back to the way they were. Will and Hannibal have resumed Will's therapy.

Episode rating: A++ (gore-ific episode and so tensely thrilling)

Futamono

Tonight's episode of Hannibal is a defiant game changer. Since the previous episode, Will had sent his own admirer after Hannibal. Both Jack and Alana are disgusted with Will. But Jack is being swayed back to believing Will may not be who he was said to be, a killer. And he is not the only one!!

Yes, it's happened. Dr. Chilton has begun to believe Will may be innocent as well. He tapes all conversations and got wing of Abel Gideon having been in Hannibal's home and that Hannibal convinced Abel to kill Alana. Though when Chilton brings it to Jack, Abel denies all. This leads to Chilton becoming angry with Abel and has his guards break Abel's back (a lie taken as Abel fell down the stairs.)

The interesting part of this episode is now Hannibal is closing himself off. After just almost being killed by someone who he thought he was his friend he goes on to have a party, while also getting closer to Alana, even using her to cover up his schemes. He does learn about Abel's loose tongue and kidnaps him, killing the guard. Does Hannibal want to be found? He is giving everything seemly to Jack and his people, even when he makes it out that he is innocent.

Alana is sadly on Hannibal's side. She tells Jack that she has known Hannibal longer than anyone. Jack does tell her that even people you have known longer can still turn out to surprise you. I was shocked that Alana has sided with Hannibal but it is hardly debatable. In her eyes Will tried to kill Hannibal, and almost succeeded. She does not see Hannibal as a killer. So the connection of loosing Will brings her and Hannibal together. It was also very excellent to get an episode that really pushed her character and really got into how she was feeling. Her relationship with Hannibal is a real interesting turn, and a nice touch by writers to really drive the show in interesting ways.

Now, Hannibal's motives in this episode could possibly be to lead Jack off his scent. As the ripper he is giving him all the clues, he may actually be leading him away from himself, until Jack really finds out its him. Though Jack may have his hands full as an old agent who disappeared about a year ago has now been found, alive!

While the ending I had found out about it was still amazing. As I said this is a real game changer.

Alana dumps Will for Hannibal, Jack and Chilton may be siding with Will, Abel Gideon may officially be killed and a surprise missing agent will cause quite a stir.

Rating: A -

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Takiawase / Mukozuke

Hannibal's second season has gone beyond brilliance, and these two episodes really shape up this new season. The main basis for these episodes is Beverley Katz. Her character holds main importance in these episodes and causes consciences for the rest of the season.

In episode 4 (Takiawase) Jack and his people find a human body used as a bee hive, the most creative killer in this series. It is a very interesting story, finding out who is responsible and the preceding victim. The actress who plays the killer is Amanda Plummer (Catching Fire, Pulp Fiction). She was honey gold, beyond brilliant. When they meet, one of them clearly points out she is the killer but Jack puts it down, not that he doesn't agree, but that she feels she helped them. 

Another part in the story is Jack's wife goes through a critical point in this episode. It was great to see Gina Torres return. With the departure of Gillian Anderson after the first two episodes it was great to she her come back. Her character goes through a critical moment and we see how curious Hannibal gets about the subject of suicide.

Abigail Hobbs (played by returnee Kacey Rohl) makes a welcome return in a dream sequence with Will at the beginning of the episode. This is the first time we get to see her character again since her death at the end of season 1. 

But the real plot here is Beverly's discovery of who Hannibal really is. She confronts Will about her findings, the killer was stitched into his own muriel. Will says its Hannibal but warns Beverly to just find evidence, don't involve Hannibal. But she does and discovers hidden stitches under stitches, a moment of thought that occurred during the honey bee case in which the bee stings covers up the needle marks. She informs Will of what she found and he gets upset when she mentions Hannibal's involvement. She asks what Hannibal does with his trophies, if he is the killer, and this is the pinnacle point where Will discovers Hannibal has been feeding him human parts. 

The episode ends tragically as Beverly discovers the truth and her and Hannibal have a shoot out. 

The next episode, Mukozuke, follows the tragic events that follow. Beverly's murder is done in a hugely creative way, she is cut into slides as to show that the killer was slowly breaking down her layers to find what lies in the centre, in a sense she went digging and got too close. They also find a way to truly give Beverly's death justice, with Jack proclaiming there would be a true memorial for her. 

Freddie Lounds finds her body, in the space telescope seen in the first season. Jack is informed after Freddie takes photos for her site. He is now having a belief that Will may be more innocent than he might of thought as the site of the murder makes him realize the chesapeake ripper may still be on the loose. 

And this time Will wants revenge. He convinces Dr. Chilton to bring in the undead Abel Gideon (returning Eddie Izzard) to convince possibly Jack at to who the real killer is. But Abel convinces Will to just kill Hannibal. Will concocts a way to kill Hannibal. He uses Freddie's site to get his admirer who killed the bay-liff during his trail. After some conversation as to how the killer (Jonathan Tucker) came to hide in the mental house and that he did not kill the judge. 

Jack and Alana get wind of the plan and find Hannibal and the killer at the point that the killer was going to kill Hannibal (stocking him at the pool, drugging him, and then putting up like jesus on the cross with a rope around his neck. The killer goes for the kill, but not before realizing Will is not the killer he was led to believe and planned to take the role of the Chesapeake Ripper as his own. 

Hannibal was saved, but not before finding out that Will tried to kill him. 

Friendship now surely dead, what does Hannibal do as a come back? 

P.S 

Will did learn in Episode 4 that Hannibal was actually drugging him, causing his illness. He even remembers how he lied about Abel Gideon not being in place when he was, more doubt on Hannibal. He found this out through manipulating Chilton.  

In the end, I think Will in the end will believe he is becoming a serial killer (though not in the casual sense.) 

The season is going strong, with the death of a major character, this series is going on great. 

Both Episodes - A+