Hannibal “Mizumono” Review (2×13)

“This is the clearest moment of our friendship.”

There’s no more hiding. There are no more facades. We see Hannibal Lecter for who he truly is, and we see a brutal sequence of violence that’s terrifying in its reality. “Mizumono” is, quite simply, one of the best television episodes I’ve seen, and it’s a horrifying and shocking end to a stellar sophomore season of Hannibal.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. The perpetual sound never leaves our ears, finding its way into the myriad conversations that populate the first two-thirds of the episode. There’s a driving force behind each character interaction: a sense of inevitability, a sense of uneasiness, a sense of danger. For, we’re at the point in these characters’ journeys in which the walls start crumbling down, crushing them as they reach the ends of their collision courses with each other.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. That’s the sound we hear as two different faces of the same person morph into one, leading us to the question: What side is Will really on? Will he be Jack’s man, or will he be Hannibal’s? The two deliver their appeals in the same ways they approach the fight later on, and each reflects a different version of Will Graham. Again, the question becomes: will he be the elegant, cunning killer, or the simple, driven law enforcement agent?

The answer, it would seem, is neither. The episode is a nightmare and a horrifying dose of reality all at once, really emphasizing just how lost Will’s become over the last twelve episodes. His confidence certainly grew as the season progressed, but he went too far, and while he was trying to play both sides and hone his fishing skills, this type of ending became more and more inevitable. The way the entire sequence is shot evokes a nightmarish sense of unreality, but a bloodbath is very real in this case.

Unfortunately, seeing Alana dying and Abigail alive is the only thing that wakes him up, that brings him back down to Earth before he ends up stabbed in the gut, laying on the floor next to a daughter he’s lost for a second time. All those fantasies, those dreams of destroying Hannibal through both mind and body, evaporate, and he is left helpless. He was holding onto Abigail throughout the season–which explains her appearance in his fishing dream–as much as it haunted him, but in this episode, he sees her die in front of his eyes. This is an even worse fate than being trapped in a prison cell, because there, he at least had a chance of getting out.

Not only that, but his relationship with Hannibal is fractured; it’s put into motion in this episode when Hannibal smells Freddie’s perfume on him, but in reality, the fracturing started a long time ago. Will truly has nothing left, does he? As Bella states, “forgiveness is such a profound, conscious, and unconscious state of affairs. You can’t actually choose to do it. It simply happens to you.” Hannibal wants to choose, and he does so with Will at the end; he asks him if he forgives him back. As twisted as it was, this was a true connection between the two, and just like that, it’s gone. The teacup is still mended, though. Bedelia is next.

“They know.” It’s such a powerful sentence that packs a large amount of resonance; it holds the history of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, the idea of a man being pulled apart by a desire to protect both Jack and Hannibal. He feels real emotions either way–as much as he’d like to believe he’s superior to the doctor–and as everything gets clearer, it only gets murkier.

Amidst the murk, we see the end. There’s a sense of finality to the proceedings. Hannibal sums it up with his “final transformation” comment, and that applies to many of the characters’ situations. He wants Will’s final transformation to be completed with Jack’s death, while Jack believes this is the final thing he must do before Prurnell shuts him down. Bella’s final request is that Hannibal takes care of her husband. Seeing Abigail is the final thing Will needs to wake himself up. What happens to Abigail, however, may very well be final. We’re coming to an end, and as Jack, Alana, Will, and Abigail lay dying at his house, Hannibal is flying away. From death springs Hannibal.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. That’s the sound of Hannibal Lecter doing what he does best.

GRADE: A

SEASON GRADE: A-

OTHER THOUGHTS:

–All that’s missing from the final scene is Chilton walking in, laughing, and pushing Hannibal out of the plane (followed by a gorgeous shot of him floating down through the sky). Speaking of, what a beautiful shot of Alana falling through the air, glass shards falling down around her.

-If there’s one thing I wish we had seen more of, it would be Alana and Jack’s storylines. I would’ve liked to see more of their emotional turmoil, as things felt a bit rushed at times due to their under-usage early on. Also, if they’re gone, I will miss Caroline Dhavernas and Laurence Fishburne immensely, and will always view the former as a talented and beautiful actress whose character could’ve been so much better written. Looking forward to more Gillian Anderson next season, though!

-This might’ve actually been a satisfying series finale. Shades of the Lost finale with that plane; also, Winston should’ve showed up.

-The police took a hell of a long time to show up.

-Oh, Abigail. When she showed up, I was all “FUCK YOU ABIGAIL FOR PUSHING ALANA OUT OF THE WINDOW, BUT I’M SO HAPPY YOU’RE BACK, AND KACEY ROHL’S AWESOME.”

Then, “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WE HAD HER FOR LIKE 5 MINUTES.”

But anyway, Kacey Rohl is stellar during the five minutes of screen time she has, as expected.

– “In the pantry.” What a delivery by Mads Mikkelsen there.

-Hannibal might as well go and dispatch Zeller and Price, too. Just don’t touch Winston.

-Sorry, Game of Thrones, but I think that left me more stunned than “The Rains of Castamere” did.

-What a finish to one of the best weeks of television I’ve seen. “The Strategy”, “Buridan’s Ass”, “Elevator Parts 2/3”, “Echo”, and now, “Mizumono”. Next up, summer TV.

-If Jack’s gone, I hope they just don’t show him again until the series finale, when someone (assuming there’s anyone still alive), goes “Oh, wait, didn’t we leave Jack in the pantry or something? Completely forgot about that.” *Smash cut to black*

Or, maybe Jack finds a way to stay alive, and it turns into a Huell situation. Still sitting in that pantry after the series ends.

-Man, I will miss this show over the break. I’m so happy we’re going to get a season three, though, and I look forward to writing about it. It’s been a blast covering season 2, and look for a retrospective in the next few days; it’ll be a cross-talk between Louis O’Carroll and I. You can find him here:

louisoc.wordpress.com

Thanks for reading!

Photo credit: NBC, Hannibal

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