Review: ‘Hannibal’ Season 3, Episode 4, ‘Aperitivo’: Revenge Society
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Appetizer
Previously this week, the
show got canceled. The good news is that NBC will be airing the remainder
of the third season, and pickup by a streaming service does not seem out of the
question. But still, if this is the final season of “Hannibal,” at
least we can all rest easy knowing that this show lasting three seasons on
network television is nothing short of a miracle.
Previously on “Hannibal,” Mason Verger fed his own
face to Will’s dogs. Remember that? That was nuts!
No One Dies On This Murder Show
Okay, obviously a ton of people die on this show. How else
to fill the requisite number of corpse tableaus? But with the revelation that
Dr. Chilton is still alive, there seem to be a lot of take-backsies when it
comes to the death of major characters. I can’t complain too much, though,
since Raul Esparanza was and continues to be great as Dr. Chilton. It’s just
that, poor Beverly Katz excepted, this show is really wishy-washy when it comes
to actually leaving dead people dead. Dr. Chilton’s apparent demise last season
was a bold move, and a clear indication that while the show is inspired by
Thomas Harris’s novels, they weren’t beholden to them. (I know Fuller and
company have always played fast and loose with the source material, but
Chilton’s exit seemed to take it to the next level.) Having Chilton survive
just seems like the safer decision. Not to mention that all these unsuccessful
murders just make Hannibal seem particularly sloppy, when he’s supposed to be a
master manipulator/super-villain who’s always three steps ahead of everyone
else.
Alana Bloom Is Mad As Hell
Turns out Alana survived last season’s finale, too, and we
see the fallout from her injury and the realization that Hannibal’s a monster.
She thought she and Hannibal were in a real, human relationship! While Will is
tortured and Jack is pensive, Alana’s just straight-up pissed. Will can
make pouty faces all he wants, but it’s not like he ever actually had sex with
the guy (Tumblr posts not withstanding). Early on, she says that doctors told
her that a lot of bone marrow had leaked into her blood and that she should
expect to find herself thinking differently. Apparently that different thinking
includes believing that full-on biblical revenge on Hannibal is a-okay, and she
aligns herself with Mason Verger to achieve her goal. Cool, they’ve got a Revenge
Society! Alana’s got a cool cane and a blood-read coat now to compliment
her transformation. I am fully on board with righteously pissed Alana. She
should prove a fine counterpoint to Will’s sad-sackitude.
I should mention that Michael Pitt apparently left the show
between seasons and has been replaced by Joe Anderson. I’ll miss Pitt in the
role, but Mason’s face is in such a sorry state by this point that the
transition isn’t particularly jarring.
Willucinations
We only get Flashback Will this episode, so there’s plenty
of sulking and more Abigail hallucinations. He also imagines he and Hannibal
gleefully murdering Jack together, and admits to Jack that he warned Hannibal
that the FBI was on to him. Cue more moaning about Will and Hannibal’s magical
friendship that the rest of us just can’t understand. I’ll be glad when we get
back to Present Will. Flashback Will is a chore. I really wanted Alana to run
over his toes in her wheelchair.
Jack Attack
In the aftermath of last season’s finale, Jack is forced to
retire from the FBI and focuses on taking care of his wife Bella, rather than
pursue Hannibal further. But when Bella finally succumbs to her cancer, Jack
receives a hand-written condolence card from Hannibal. As far as “come and
get me” taunts go, it’s a pretty good one. The game’s afoot again. Team
Jack all the way.
Grand Guignol
This episode takes a real “Three Kings”
approach to its violence, giving us super-close-ups of bullets bursting through
cheeks or knives slicing through flesh. Alana even gets a full skeletal x-ray
as she’s falling out the window, like she’s in a Mortal Kombat sequence.
We also get a close-up of Mason’s carved-up, noseless face. Hey, Hannibal’s
not even in this episode — we have to take our grossness where we can find it!
Grade: B-
READ MORE: ‘Hannibal’ Canceled by NBC, But Bryan Fuller Hopes to ‘Dine Again’
