When we last left off on Hannibal, Graham was in neck-deep, with the good doctor admitting to him Abigail’s involvement in murder. Graham agreed to keep the secret, a personal obligation toward keeping her safe from harm given that he was the one who shot her father. This time around, the story moves away from Abigail’s story, bringing Graham face-to-face with a new young woman who needs his help.
As the story begins, we witness a girl get murdered in her home. When Crawford’s team shows up, they find a girl whose face has been mutilated. Graham, while examining the crime scene, goes a little haywire and ends up covered in the girl’s blood. This begins a long chain of people doubting his sanity and wondering if, perhaps, he has slipped over the edge and is now committing his own killings.
Graham, still trusting Hannibal enough to open up to him, engages him with his own misgivings about the Abigail situation and his own declining sanity. The doctor takes it in stride and even suggests that Graham may want to think of finding another job. Thinking that his loss of time may be physical, Graham heads off to have his brain scanned by a doctor. The doctor finds some serious damage going down in Graham’s head but, at the urging of none-other-than Hannibal, keeps the information from Graham so that the two may continue to study him.
Graham, in his incessant curiosity, heads back to the crime scene to see if he can figure something out. He finds waiting for him the girl who committed the killing. As it turns out, she has a host of diseases, both mental and physical, and believes that she is dead. She also has an inability to see people’s faces. Graham reaches out to her, understanding her mind in the way that only he can do, and trying to convince her that she isn’t dead.
The girl, deciding that Graham may be a friend, follows him to his next brain scan appointment. She also apparently murders Hannibal’s accomplice, though later scenes reveal otherwise. Once again, the doctor is playing a strange game with Graham at the center.
Graham’s descent into madness is well played. The missing time gimmick works well for moving the character from place to place while at the same time creating doubt within both the character and the viewer as to what is going on.
Also of note is the increasing contrast between Hannibal and Graham. We see in Hannibal a person who has accepted his sociopathic nature and embraces it. In Graham, we see someone who is very much aware of their condition but instead chooses to restrain it and use it for the greater good. Graham is like a version of Hannibal without the filters of self-control. He says what’s on his mind and speaks honestly to both others and himself in all things.
The most startling revelation of this episode was Hannibal admitting that he has been using Graham as a test subject all along, pushing him into madness in order to determine the effects. He is, most likely, studying Graham as a way to understand himself, to determine more about his own condition. So much for their growing friendship.
Once again, Hannibal has produced something remarkable. The focus on Graham takes us to the opposite side of Hannibal’s coin, and we now begin to see how the two are connected. It feels as if their stories are finally converging to some point, whereby Hannibal must choose whether to keep Graham around or let him slip off the deep end. And though the doctor has the upper hand, Graham’s victory in saving the girl this episode may be just enough to restore his strength and allow him to continue his fight. Where Fuller takes us during the final three episodes will no doubt be a very dark place, and I’m looking forward to the finale (and season 2). For a look at what next week is bringing us on the show, head here.
Graham under the bed still courtesy of fanpop.com
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