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

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

I'm still gawping at that ending scene with them tumbling off the cliff in each others' arms omg. OMG.

I am torn between "Bedelia grabs the fork to defend herself" and "Bedelia sets a table for three but nobody shows up to eat her leg". I can't decide. It's like one of those optical illusions that jumps from one to the other.

If you're okay with anon-meme, FFA has some good discussion, and some good flailing: Hannibal thread (http://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/156144.html?thread=833421296#cmt833421296). But I think that the real discussion will come when it officially airs in the US. It will be great to follow the twitter storm - I love all the tidbits that Bryan Fuller and the rest of the crew bring. (And hopefully cleolinda will eventually recap it, because her recaps are the best.)

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen it yet, but will return when I have. :)

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

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[woodycakes.livejournal.com]

I want another season but I also need to catch up on this one. Wow, that gif though

[tabaqui]

Huh.

I don't watch the show (saw some of season one, and i just wasn't for me), but i have read Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. I had rather thought they were taking this to an ending that fit with the book 'verse?

I guess having Will become a murderer, as well, made it kind of impossible to keep him in the role of CIA/law enforcement after that.... Sounds pretty trippy! :)

There's always a discussion going on at Fandom!Secrets at DW - you can post anon, so if you don't have an account/don't want to be there as you. The second page of every secret post has tons of discussions, so if you started one over there, you'd get people to chat with. Or they will be chatting in the post today/sunday about it. There are fans over there.

http://fandomsecrets.dreamwidth.org/

[kikimay]

The ending was really majestic. Goddamn!

[megan-moonlight.livejournal.com]

I was waiting for this season to end and I'll binge-watch it soon. On the one hand, I really want to, because of all the characters, but on the other hand, I know I will feel bad for Chilton. All the feelings *sigh*

What happens to Price and Zeller?

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

I just watched it.

Freddie Lounds got it right when she called them murder husbands!

The killing scene was great especially the eye contact before finishing Dolarhyde (Mads jumping on Armitage's back was something!), and Francis finally gotting his blood wings as he was dying on the ground was a fantastic visual, but the whole plot that led there didn't work for me. I just don't like it when people are so incompetent...because Dolarhyde, who was alone, killed all those cops to allow the escape (head shots can't be faked). It made Jack look like a fool again.

Also, after what happened to Chilton, this is just much more blood on Will's hand and conscience. His killing the Red Dragon is nothing compared to all the innocents he got injured or killed lately. He didn't self-sacrifice, he sacrificed many people before throwing Hannibal and himself off the Chekhov cliff, and ending his cantlivewithhim/cantlivewithouthim torment. They completely ruined his character IMO. AT the end of the series, I have much more sympathy for someone like Frederic Chilton than for Will Graham.

As for the final scene with Bedelia. All I could think was: Wow that's some cleavage! I could have lived without that scene, though.

She did look completely stoned, so I guess it's supposed to mean that, at least Hannibal survived...in case a fourth season might happen.

[rachg82.livejournal.com]

I literally just posted a question about Hannibal on my Tumblr account, so I might as well ask you here as well:

"So I’ve been thinking of giving Hannibal a chance, but I’m hesitant. Is it worth the nightmares? Because I’m pretty sure it will freak me the fuck out, but I’ve also been intrigued by it from the beginning, and I love all things Gillian Anderson. For the sake of context, a few of my other favorite dramas have been The Fall, American Horror Story, & The X-Files. So I don’t mind horror, but I do have a fine freak-out line when it comes to torture. AHS slid by there because I felt certain that Lana Banana & Sister Jude would be “okay” in the end, and that Bloody Face would get his. Is the torture element on Hannibal gratuitous in your opinion? Or does it simply add to the show’s depth?"

And, frankly, I want to be spoiled re: Bedelia's ending before I watch it (if I do). Is it implied that she's not going to get away in the end then?

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Completely non related to your post - did you know that you are in the top 10 Lj list??

Well done!!

US : Весь НЕ кириллический сегмент : Лучшие посты за вчер

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User ljrobot referenced to your post from US : Весь НЕ кириллический сегмент : Лучшие посты за вчера (http://ljrobot.livejournal.com/723272.html) saying: [...] на 1-м местеАвтор Still attempting to process the utter perfection that was the Hannibal finale! [...]

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I felt incredibly satisfied by that finale. There really was no other way of saying it other than that. They delivered beautifully with concluding the Red Dragon arc along with making everything come full circle in terms of Will and Hannibal. And that final scene, with them joining together to take down Francis, them embracing and clinging to each other afterwards, and then them falling over the cliff. Just. Yeah. ♥

I have to admit, I very much liked the additional scene at the end of the credits with Bedelia, because it left us with enough to be curious about what it could mean. We got our closure, in a sense, for everything else, but there was this little teaser, leaving it open for personal interpretation. Obviously it makes me wonder what Bryan intended for a fourth season and how he would have explained the ending with Will and Hannibal, and whether what we see of Bedelia is a flashforward to sometime in the future where she is accompanied by them. But it does make you question, since I've been wondering a lot about Bedelia's state of mind since she was told that Hannibal would be "set loose", she seemed quite unsettled by the very notion. She knew, much like Alana knew, that Hannibal wouldn't hesitate to kill and eat her if given the chance. So perhaps she went into a meltdown and basically had her leg cut off so she could eat herself? IDK. Regardless though, I do like the air of mystery surrounding just that one post-credit scene. It leaves us much to speculate.

Although I am still kind of holding hope that somehow we'll be getting a continuation of this universe in some form or another, I'm going to miss this show. It was such a treat to watch, with all its grotesquely gorgeous visuals and the writing and the brilliance of the actors.

[silverusagi]

I've already gushed about the finale a lot, lol, but it was amazing. And will manipulating Hannibal in 308 does put a whole new light on a lot of things. One, that he knew how to get Hannibal to turn himself in, but two, that to some extent, everything he said was a lie. Because if Hannibal turned himself in, Will wouldn't be able to avoid thinking about him, as it was sure to be all over the news for months, as well as the fact that he would always know where Hannibal was.

[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/