Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 13 “The Wrath of the Lamb”
Directed by Michael Rymer
Written by Nick Antosca, Bryan Fuller, & Steve Lightfoot
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Nina Arianda, Rutina Wesley, Richard Armitage
NBC
Air date: Saturday, August 29th, 2015, 10pm

The beginning of “The Wrath of The Lamb,” what is most likely Hannibal’s series finale*, begins with a fire. Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage) convincingly purges himself from the world and lets the oddly restorative power of flames to begin his hunt again. But in the ashes of that fire, there’s still a spark. You can hear it clicking throughout the episode’s score, like the burner on a stove waiting to be ignited.

The real fire hasn’t been snuffed out. Rather, it was just twitching and clicking, waiting to be sparked.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 12 “The Number of the Beast Is 666”
Directed by Guillermo Navarro
Written by Jeff Vlaming & Angela LaManna and Bryan Fuller & Steve Lightfoot
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Nina Arianda, Rutina Wesley, Richard Armitage
NBC
Air date: Saturday, August 22nd, 2015, 10pm

We spend a lot of time in “The Number of the Beast is 666,” thinking about or around the idea of religion; specifically around the concept of who is and isn’t the devil. Jack (Laurence Fishburne), and Will (Hugh Dancy) want to believe that they aren’t the executors of damnation, but Hannibal (Mads Mikkelson) knows his place. Hannibal is the Devil this show deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

That honor falls to Will Graham.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 11 “…And the Beast from the Sea”
Directed by Michael Rymer
Written by Steve Lightfoot
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Nina Arianda, Rutina Wesley, Richard Armitage
NBC
Air date: Saturday, August 15th, 2015, 10pm

The latest episode of Hannibal, titled “…And the Beast from the Sea,” wastes no time in jumping into a signature moment from the Red Dragon novel (I don’t view spoilers from the novels as sacred text, especially considering how fast and loose Fuller and company have played with source material; so I’d ruined this particular twist for myself quite some time ago) and then lets the chips fall where they may as Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen), Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage), and Will (Hugh Dancy) all deal with the consequences.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 10 “And the Woman Clothed in Sun…”
Directed by Guillermo Navarro
Written by Don Mancini, Bryan Fuller
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Nina Arianda, Rutina Wesley, Richard Armitage
NBC
Air date: Saturday, August 8th, 2015, 10pm

“I want to be recognized by you.”

One of our most natural desires as humans is the desire to connect. It’s a special emotion that allows us to form a bond over shared experiences, interests, desires, wants, needs, etc. And it’s something that Hannibal has had baked into its DNA from the very beginning. The very nature of Will Graham’s (Hugh Dancy) profession is to connect, on some level, with the killers he’s hunting. It’s that level of empathy that allows insight into the ‘design’ of these monsters. This is what drove him to thinking he could understand Hannibal Lector (Mads Mikkelsen). Empathy, as Bedelia (Gillian Anderson) tells Will, is what nearly killed him before. And what could very much kill him again.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 9 “And the Woman Clothed with the Sun…”
Directed by John Dahl
Written by Jeff Vlaming, Helen Shang, Bryan Fuller, Steve Lightfoot
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Nina Arianda, Rutina Wesley, Richard Armitage
NBC
Air date: Saturday, July 30th, 2015, 10pm

Often, most of us look into a mirror without thinking twice. We check our hair or our outfit, and then move along with our day. But for some, mirrors often carry a darker and more menacing tone – reflecting back our insecurities. We see the best of us, followed by the worst of us. For Dr. Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham’s (Hugh Dancy) first meeting in several years, they find themselves balancing the reflection of those two exact aspects: the best and worst of them. They can’t hide from their reflections. All that’s left in the mirror is honesty.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 8 “The Great Red Dragon”
Directed by Neil Marshall
Written by Steve Lightfoot, Nick Antosca
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Nina Arianda and Richard Armitage
NBC
Air date: Saturday, July 25th, 2015, 10pm

Hannibal has been so steeped in building out its epic mythology that it’s sometimes hard for me to remember that the show began as a twisted take on the typical crime procedural, enhanced by Bryan Fuller and company’s impressive dialogue and the show’s inventive visuals. However, with the hunt for Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) now complete, the show can return to its roots – which proves surprisingly effective as we begin to dig into the mystery of the Tooth Fairy.

Brought to life through an already mesmerizing performance by Richard Armitage, Francis Dolarhyde makes his grand entrance into the stage created by Fuller and company. Armitage’s physicality is such that he can express volumes without having to say a single line and this week’s script gives him plenty of material for him to dig his teeth into, but already the former Hobbit actor has proved himself a worthy addition to the Hannibal universe and a threat that’s a worthy successor to Hannibal’s abdicated throne.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 7 “Digestivo”
Directed by Adam Kane
Written by Steve Lightfoot
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Anderson, Tao Okamoto and Katharine Isabelle
NBC
Air date: Saturday, July 18th, 2015, 10pm

Hannibal has smartly avoided the trap some shows fall into by separating its season into two distinctive halves. One main story typically comes to a close, with another main story emerging in its wake. It’s a smart pacing decision, as we’re often treated to a pseudo-season finale halfway through the season, bringing with it all the chaos and incredible plot decisions that would come with a typical finale. “Digestivo” rises to that occasion, while setting up a very interesting dynamic for the rest of the season.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 6 “Dolce”
Directed by Vincenzo Natali
Written by Don Mancini
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Anderson, Fortunato Cerlino, and Tao Okamoto
NBC
Air date: Thursday, July 9th, 2015, 10pm

I should have known better that Hannibal wouldn’t be so easily caught. History repeats itself and all. “Dolce” is an episode that I’m hoping will play better in retrospect, but for me was just too much place setting for what will be the end of Hannibal season three’s first major arc. as we see Will (Hugh Dancy) and Jack (Laurence Fishburne) come close to achieving their goals, only to have them stripped away at the last moment.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 5 “Contorno”
Directed by Guillermo Navaro
Written by Bryan fuller
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Anderson, Fortunato Cerlino, and Tao Okamoto
NBC
Air date: Thursday, July 2nd, 2015, 10pm

When I was in high school, I used to go white water rafting down the Nantahala River in western North Carolina during the summer. There was this jumping rock towards the middle of the route that I always terrified to jump off of – it’s fairly high up, and you had to make sure you jumped out into the middle of the river or else you could hurt yourself. It was always a daunting process, until I actually leapt. It’s in that moment where you feel a variety of emotions – adrenaline, fear, excitement – it was always a mix of those things. There’s a boundlessness to a jump like that. It’s an area in which nothing, yet everything, is happening.

They don’t call it a leap of faith for nothing.

Hannibal
Season 3 Episode 4 “Aperitivo”
Directed by Marc Jobst
Written by Nick Antosca
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Raúl Esparza, Joe Anderson and Gina Torres
NBC
Air date: Thursday, June 25th, 2015, 10pm

Hannibal’s trend of using other language to describe the events that are about to transpire has, more often than not, been a good rosetta stone for interpreting the episode in the larger context of the season. Aperitivo is described as the ritual of going out for a pre-drinner drink. It stems from the the Latin phrase “to open” and fully means to “open your stomach.” A taste to get you excited for your upcoming meal.

If this pre-dinner drink is an indication of the meal we’re prepared to receive, it’s going to be a brutal one, as Hannibal Lecter is about to learn the true meaning of the phrase: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”