Hannibal “Kaiseki” 

I wasn’t sure how I’d react to seeing Will Graham behind bars. I didn’t know how the show would make Will’s incarceration interesting or compelling. I really should’ve trusted Bryan Fuller and his team. Because even though I hate seeing Will in a mental institution, it’s kind of where he needs to be right now. Everyone (except Will and Hannibal, of course) thinks Will is guilty. Alana knows Will won’t be able to accept his guilt unless he’s able to remember his crimes. Despite the trouble Jack’s in at work, he’s glad Alana questioned his judgement. He thinks it was the right decision and it will help in Will’s defense. 

Will is Frederick’s Most Prized Possession (I Mean Patient)

Will is like the ultimate feather in Frederick’s cap, but Will refuses to talk to him. So he resorts to bugging his cell. He’s able to keep track of all of Will’s visitors and what they talk about. The topic more often than not? Hannibal. Even though Will has no memories of how Hannibal framed him for those murders, he’s convinced Hannibal is truly the guilty party. And after a hypnotherapy session with Alana, Will is able to recover a memory about that human ear. He sees how Hannibal placed a tube down his throat and forced the ear into his stomach. Of course, Jack tells Will his memories mean nothing and won’t help prove anything in court. But they’re important to Will. Even though Jack is tired of hearing it, Will tells Jack he isn’t the intelligent psychopath he’s looking for.

Hannibal is the New Will Graham

With Will out of commission (at least to Jack), Hannibal is called in. With his help Jack and his team are able to discover some things about the six bodies they find near a dam. They are cast-offs by someone who was looking to make human models. The killer put enough heroin into their systems to kill them and injected them with enough silicon so the bodies could retain their shape and look real. But if these are the cast-offs, who ended up being the actual models? They look up missing persons in the surrounding states, but the pattern doesn’t emerge until Beverly goes to see Will. He sorts in the pictures into a color palette. Despite everything, he’s still got it.

Other developments

That opening fight scene. I hope Jack makes it out of Hannibal’s house alive, but that piece of glass to his jugular might prove fatal. I’m really looking forward to watching Jack become suspicious of Hannibal and his motives, especially since he’s so convinced of Hannibal’s innocence in this episode.

Cynthia Nixon‘s investigator asks Alana to recant her report. The FBI wants this entire incident to go away quietly, but that isn’t possible. I like that Alana doesn’t back down and so does Jack, despite what it might do to his career.

Gillian Anderson‘s Dr. Du Maurier continues to fascinate me. I like that she has Hannibal’s number on a lot of things, but not everything. She calls Hannibal obsessed when it comes to Will. He calls himself intrigued. Dr. Du Maurier has no interest in talking to the FBI about Hannibal because she’ll have to lie. They have no idea what he’s capable of. But neither does she.

Jonathan Tucker shows up as an orderly at the mental institution. I had to Tivo back to make sure it was him. I’m really curious to see how this role will develop. Is he a plant? If so, why and by whom? Is he an admirer or Will’s “work?” Is he going to help him somehow? Is it something else entirely? My interest is definitely piqued.

Hannibal airs Fridays at 10/9c on NBC.