Hannibal EP Bryan Fuller Previews “Aperitivo” 

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Is there anyone who meets Hannibal Lecter and comes out the other side unscathed? Characters we know and love (or hate) seem to be coming out of the woodwork. First it was Will. Then is was Jack. Now Alana, Verger and Chilton return. Are you ready to finally find out what happened at the Red Dinner? Good. Vengeance is coming.

“Aperitivo” synopsis, from NBC:

After surviving a disfiguring gunshot, Dr. Fredrick Chilton is now focused on rallying support to capture Hannibal, using Will as bait. Jack is distracted by Bella’s failing health, but he implores Will to abandon the risky idea of finding Hannibal. Meanwhile, Alana Bloom entertains a different approach, potentially partnering with Mason Verger to utilize his vast resources.

We recently participated in a press call with EP Bryan Fuller. He talked about Episode 4 and what the return of these characters means.

Bryan Fuller: “Episode 4 is actually the episode that picks up after the events of the finale. There were conversations being had [that] maybe Episode 4 should be Episode 1. It’s like no, we really need to do it this way because it’s emotional storytelling as opposed to plot storytelling. I think a lot of the dream-like images on the show and the way stories unfold surreally is really about embracing a post-traumatic shock.”

On Alana

Bryan: “When we get into Alana Bloom’s story in Episode 4, it was exciting for me to, A, have listened to some of the reaction to Alana’s story in the second season and there was a significant amount of feedback in terms of frustrations that she had been relegated to the girlfriend role, triangulated between Will and Hannibal and she wasn’t necessarily following her own story.

I was determined at the beginning of this season to make Alana as interesting a character as any of the characters in this season and her change is perhaps the greatest from the first two seasons and the link that she goes to deal with her own damage from being in that relationship and finding out new things about herself as a result. So I’m thrilled with what Caroline [Dhavernas] has done with that character.”

On Chilton

Bryan: “We reintroduce Chilton to the show in Episode 4 and he has a very big role in that episode. One of the things that was interesting in talking about how Chilton would be changed- we saw him in the first season being gutted by Eddie Izzard’s character. In the second season, he was shot in the face by Anna Chlumsky’s character. So he’s a bit of arcane for this series that we do something absolutely horrible to Dr. Chilton in every season. What happens to him in this season is probably the most horrible.

But the fun of it in doing it with that character is that Raúl Esparza brings such a different energy to the show, a vital energy to the show where he understands his role as comic release in this world and provides a perspective of the madness that is grounded at the same time as witty. So we do some very fun things with Dr. Chilton this season and [Hugh] is always cracking the stage up with his antics. The blooper reel for this season is- he definitely is the highlight of that.

So, yes, he comes back in and plays a pivotal role in both chapters, the first chapter and the second chapter. We will see very clearly how he managed to survive those things, so we don’t just magically have him show up and everything is fine. We see exactly what happened from a bullet’s point of view and how he survived.”

Edited for space and content.

Hannibal airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC. Missed any part of our Q&A with Bryan Fuller? Click here.