Still attempting to process the utter perfection that was the Hannibal finale!

[frelling_tralk]

I'm really not sure what I can say about it at this point, except that it was the perfect ending for me to see Hannibal and Will kill together for the first time, and then fall to their deaths in an embrace. I'm really wondering now what's going on with the show being cancelled and all of the attempts to get a fourth season, because everything came SUCH full circle that I really don't see how the third season wasn't written and filmed with the intention of being the conclusion of their story? I guess you could have it so that they both survived somehow, but that's just not the vibe I got from it, it very much felt like the end to me. That was a huge relief quite honestly after I was dreading a possible cliffhanger along the lines of season 1 or 2 where you can kind of see how it would work as an ending, but it would still leave you frustrated and wondering where the story would have gone next. Whereas this felt like as much closure as we could have ever hoped for. I'm really curious to hear what Bryan Fuller will have to say about it all, and where he saw a fourth season as having gone. This does make me look at a few things differently tbh, like Bryan Fuller not seeming *that* desperate to work to work out a deal with amazon in the time allocated, presumably he was satisfied with season 3 as a conclusion to the story?

It seems that the post-credits is open to interpretation as I know that the most popular theory is that Bedelia has captured by Will and Hannibal, but my immediate assumption was that she was actually cannabilising herself? (Lol how this entry must be coming across to someone who has never watched the show!) I guess that I was already so convinced that Will and Hannibal were both dead, so I saw that scene as Bedelia having completely lost her mind and acting on her own fears of Hannibal coming for her... Idk, that's again something that I would be interested to hear from Bryan Fuller on. I'm wondering about Will's plans now as well, towards the end when he was talking with Hannibal it seemed like he was making it fairly clear that he planned for all three of them to end up dead, but earlier with his warning to Bedelia about the meat being back on the menu it seemed like he was originally planning to let Hannibal escape for real? It makes more sense to me though that his plan was always to take Hannibal out with him in a final gesture of self-sacrifice, it was really only the talk with Bedelia that suggested otherwise?

And wow, am I feeling bad for Chilton! I know the show kind of made a running joke of the injuries that he would walk away from each season, but man what were they going to do for an encore in season 4, gouge his eyes out!! I really felt that it would have been better if they had just killed him, he definitely got the worst fate of any character. At least with Mason there was black comedy to be had in him feeding his face to the dogs, and it's not like he didn't deserve it, but seeing Chilton's lips eaten off his face first of all was the most gruesome thing I have ever seen (forever marvelling at how American networks will allow that, yet give Bryan Fuller a hard time about possibly showing a butt crack), and then being as horrifically burned as he was. Poor Chilton, he really got screwed over and used by everyone :( I did appreciate that they changed the canon for that incident from Freddie to Chilton, IMO that was definitely the right call, but I think it would have been kinder if Chilton hadn't of survived it quite honestly. If there had been a fourth season, I wonder how they would have used his character...

The show did do a great job of having it both ways though, so that you're just as sickened as Will when he's confronted with the video and what he's done, and yet at the same time you can't help smiling at Hannibal's sheer glee and the 'tragedy' putting him in excellent humour. And that was a nice touch to use the line originally used for Will in Red Dragon, with Hannibal instead hoping that Chilton isn't too ugly now. (And my heart almost stopped when Will first got the knife through his face, at first I wasn't sure if they were going to kill him right there and then, but it certainly seemed like the show was going to use some of the RD ending in having his face ripped apart and horrifically scarred. Thank God his face wasn't too messed-up in the end!)

Oh and Will's "mic-drop" moment with Hannibal shines a new light on episode 308, because it seems to suggest that Will calculated that whole speech on not wanting to see or think about Hannibal any more knowing how Hannibal would react, rather than it actually being about him wanting to cut all ties with Hannibal? Although I suppose that interpretation still works as it was about Will wanting to end the chase with Hannibal, but at the time of 308 I didn't realise that Will was manipulating Hannibal and actually wanted him to turn himself in

And finally I have too many favourite moments to mention, but just a few would be Bedelia calling Will a 'twitchy little man' and going off on him, Hannibal's holding the door open for Will with 'going my way' (Awww), Hannibal's face when Will is attacked by ~the red dragon~, and finally their eye contact just before they *ahem* penetrate him and take him out together. My actual favourite moment is of course:






My only wish is that it was easier to find some discussion on the episode! I did attempt to navigate the tumblr tag and found some nice gifs, but I was mostly left utterly baffled at Supernatural fandom making parallels with Dean/Castiel, even though I don't see that they have anything in common at all with how Bryan Fuller saw and developed Will/Hannibal? But oh well, it's a case of YMMV I guess :P

Comments

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Now I've seen it! And I'm quite breathless. I shouldn't have liked this show because I find blood and bodies hard to watch, but even if it squicked me at times in those terms. (Well, fairly often) the rest of it was so worth it.

I really liked the ending. It's open, yes and if they do Silence of the Lamb it would be easy enough to get Hannibal back into jail with an explanation of finding him "nar death" in the water and bundling him back. In that case I'm fairly certain Graham is dead. I know he isn't in the books, but then he and Hannibal didn't have this relationship. I don't think this Hannibal could ever be interested in anyone else as long as Graham is still alive, but I could imagine he would latch on to Clarice if he has lost Graham. I can't say I feel a particular need to see more of Hannibal, though. I'm sure they could do something amazing with Clarice as they have managed that with so many other characters, but I would be afraid it would be something of a letdown.

I do feel Graham finally went over the edge, so if they have survive, then I'm sure Hannibal is getting what he wanted all along.

I saw the ending as Bedelia having mutilated herself. She has proved before that she has excellent survivial skills and she's very likely not completely sane anymore. She's well aware of Hannibal always fulfilling his promises and offering him her leg would mean he could eat her and let her live (if he wanted to). Which I think she is counting on. It's also very possible, IMO, that she has done this as a way to try to call Hannibal back from the death. The scene can very much be seen as an offering; a "I give you what you want only you come back to life and to me." I'm pretty sure I spotted oysters on the table, so I don't think she has cooked herself for herself, but for Hannibal and Graham.

Of course, it could be read as she has been captured by Hannibal, but somehow I don't think so. Though someone must have assisted her into cutting off her leg and preparing the food of course... In that case the scene could very well be a way of saying that Hannibal and Graham has survived and Bedelia is with them. I'm not so sure she would be counted on as a captive in that case, though. With the previous possibility of Hannibal/Graham/Abigail living in some sort of menage trois, I think Hannibal/Graham/Bedelia is as well.

I still prefer thinking of them falling to their deaths, though.

I read this article about the ending that I quite liked: http://www.tor.com/2015/08/31/hannibal-series-finale-why-you-should-watch/

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that link :)

I shouldn't have liked this show because I find blood and bodies hard to watch, but even if it squicked me at times in those terms. (Well, fairly often) the rest of it was so worth it.

Heh same, I'm mostly okay with the show because of how arty the violence is, the main time I have to look away is with anything involving eyes!

I can't say I feel a particular need to see more of Hannibal, though

At the moment I'm happy either way. At first I was completely satisfied with this as an ending, but the more Bryan Fuller talked about his future plans, the more I feel my need growing for more of the story *g*

And that's how the ending with Bedelia struck me as well, but apparently Bryan Fuller was surprised that so many of us interpreted it that way, it was supposed to come across as she had been captured and was terrified, although I really don't get that from Gillian's performance

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

And that's how the ending with Bedelia struck me as well, but apparently Bryan Fuller was surprised that so many of us interpreted it that way, it was supposed to come across as she had been captured and was terrified, although I really don't get that from Gillian's performance

It really was the first thing that Went through my mind- she has cut off her own leg!

I followed your link in the comment and read the interview. I never thought about Bedelia being captured by someone else, but that is of course a possibility. I know Fuller wanted to include Hannibal's uncle but he wanted Max von Sydow who wasn't available right then.

I know Brian Fuller is going to make Neil Gaiman's American Gods now, and I look forward to it. I love the book and after watching Hannibal I really want to see what Fuller makes of it!

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Heh yeah, the way the scene was set up (well ignoring the extra place settings) made it seem like it was all Bedelia lost in her own delusions. I'd have got what they were going more if we had seen her shaking and a tear running down her face or something, instead she came across as way too zen to me for a scene that was apparently supposed to represent her getting a fork out ready to attack. And hmm it sounds to me like maybe Bryan Fuller's intention was for the audience to first assume that it was Hannibal who had captured her, and then instead introduce some new characters from Hannibal's past in the fourth season and have them be the culprits?

I haven't read American Gods and have very little idea of what it's about, but I'll probably check out an episode or two and see what I think! I'm hit and miss on his shows though tbh, I LOVED Hannibal and Dead Like Me, but I couldn't get into Wonderfalls or Pushing Daises at all. I guess that I prefer his darker stuff

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

It worked even with th eextra setting, I think, if one is delsuional enough. :) I thouht she did look very sad, but I connected it with grief, not fear.

American Gods is one of my favorites and it isn't exactly sunny. The prmise is that every god that has ever been worshipped in America, stays there for ever, even with their powers diminished. It starts with the main character getting out of prison and looking forward to see his wife. Only she dies in a car accident before he gets home. And then he is offered a job by the mysterious Mr. Thursday who tells him the gods are going to war and they start to travel across USA meeting various gods and other entitites, some who are not very nice at all. For example there is a town where a child disappears every winter since forever.

So I think Brian Fuller can do something good. (I'ce actually never seen Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies).

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Hmm that sounds interesting, I'll definitely give it a go

Pushing Daisies is an acquired taste I suppose you would say as many people seem to really love it, but I just found it very whimsical and saccharine quite honestly! The visuals were very beautiful and it was certainly well-done, but I found that I couldn't connect to it on any kind of real level because it came across as such a storybook sort of show, even the narration for it would really pull me out of the story

I liked Wonderfalls a little more than Pushing Daisies actually, I found the main character there a lot more relatable, but I guess that the plots were just a little too quirky for my taste.