Hannibal - 2.13 - Mizumono - Review: "Lucifer always wins"

Directed by: David Slade
Written by: Steve Lightfoot & Bryan Fuller
Thomas Harris

Dr. Lecter cordially invites you to a dinner party. With candles, wine, people and blood. And there was certainly enough to give us a five-course meal.
The finale left almost all protagonists in a state of near-death. Chance of survival? Minimal at best.
Obviously we won't enter the next stage of revenge (season 3) without Will's "capacity to deceive Hannibal", but this round goes to our "hero" of the story.

Let's talk about Will Graham first. One could come to the conclusion that he's become apathetic to everything, predicting the hopelessness of this situation he's had found himself in, but not succumbing to it yet. Remember how driven by revenge he used to be? How wild and unpredictable he became after losing his friend? This Will Graham marched right on with a broken spirit. He wasn't blind. He wasn't unaware and he certainly had an anchor to hold onto with Garrett Jacob Hobbs' words in his mind. But how do you deal with someone who's already gazillion steps ahead of you? Courtesy of Eau de Freddie Lounds. Will doesn't believe in a survivor's story yet and whatever hope he holds onto quickly breaks with an increased rational and defeated approach to his fate. This episode was full of personal introspection even for the devil himself.

Hannibal feels a twisted sense of disappointment, but it's not like he doesn't have any chess pieces left to move. Whether it's Abigail as a reminder of what he's lost in the past or Bedelia who's not Clarice, but someone he can connect with on a similar level. He's not surrounding himself with objects he detests. They are and will always be a connection to people he cared about or people who left an impression on him. He's simply taking matters into his own hands. As for Bedelia, we probably shouldn't forget that she's also using all available tools to protect herself to the best of her ability. Fuller was right in the sense that she has the ability to control someone who is all about control.

However, we are also witnessing a story of transformation and rebirth and the actual loss of control during these processes. The finale allowed certain key players to evaluate the situation, showing their most hidden feelings. We could say they were meant to confront their personal demons and their suspicions. The story faithfully delivered what everybody knew all along. For Hannibal it meant betrayal, but also forgiveness and the potential to enact poetic justice in ways that aren't just "evil manipulation". We would misinterpret the source material if we decided that a man like him can't possibly act in ways that are easy to relate to. Because it was scary how much the audience actually could. And disturbing considering how many people he left bleeding to death. I think that Bella's comment about forgiveness supports that argument. We don't always choose the most sensible course of action. We change. We just let it all go.

Notice how the music in the background constantly referred to time. Whether it was time in reverse or speeding up the overall flow. The broken teacup reference comes to mind. The characters are either stuck in their positions or are simply meant to walk on and lose everything/gain something. They are meant to reunite in death or in life. A life that is remarkable different from their previous one.

Where does that leave characters like Abigail and many others who were cut out of the story? There were issues in previous episodes that made it almost impossible for B stories to reach their full potential. Abigail got the chance. Others never underwent their own metamorphosis. And Alana is unfortunately the most prominent example.

She's ironically drowning in exactly the same way as Will used to drown. It's a tragedy and a parallel that should have at least allowed her more time for self-discovery. Overall I just feel that her agency was ripped away during the season and she never got the chance to overcome the poisonous taint.

Then we have the Vergers who represent a micro storyline for Will's and Hannibal's conflict. And our devil is firmly pulling the strings of two people who are essentially stuck together. The question is who is pulling Will's and Hannibal's strings?

If Hannibal is meant to echo Milton's Lucifer who rejected authority and control over him, then we might just be looking at season 3 from the perspective of someone who sees Hannibal as the persuasive mastermind of this entire game, but knows that changes are possible. Bryan Fuller hinted at Bedelia's potential. I'd really love to see that change. The "hero" of the story can't always win after all.