Hannibal Season 3 Episode 12 Review: Is Hannibal In Love With Me?

"The Number Of The Beast Is 666" begins with Will in a therapy session with Bedelia. Sure a confirmed killer might not be the best option for a psychiatrist but she's the only person (besides Will) who has been behind Hannibal's "veil" and lived to tell about it. Will is having visions of all the women in his life as murder victims (and he's the killer).

Will and Bedelia discuss the wives of Bluebeard. I dont know much of them but apparently all of them died except the last one who inherited his booty. That's when Bedelia says she WISHES she was Lecter's last wife. Hint, hint. Bedelia finally encourages Will to contemplate what we've all known for three years. He says "Is Hannibal in love with me?" Duh, ya think?

Get A Clue Will!

Jack visits Hannibal in his cell. They trade barbs about Lecter being the Devil and Will being the Lamb of God. Hannibal insinuates that Will is the one Jack should be watching. What are the odds of Will going cray cray and wiping everyone out? I dont think they're high. And while I will agree with Jack that Hannibal may be "the Devil", the dialogue is all a little too mythology heavy for me. Perhaps this is an attempt to set "Hannibal" up for "Silence Of The Lambs" territory-- should the show continue for a season 4 and if they get the rights to the book (which they dont currently have).

You Guys Are Seriously Outmaneuvered (& Outclassed) By Hannibal

Meanwhile Hannibal toys with Chilton by refuting his book in a recent scientific journal. This is after Frederick wrote the book to prove that Hannibal was insane (in order to save him from the death penalty). It is SO easy to get Chilton riled up.

Jack, Will and Alana know they're running out of time. The moon will be full again soon. They have Freddie do a "Tattler" article saying the Tooth Fairy (they refuse to call him the Red Dragon) is sexually impotent and the result of an incestuous relationship. Will believes the Dragon will retaliate against him. Instead Francis kidnaps Chilton and is torturing him when Reba unexpectedly shows up with soup. Uh, very bad timing Reba. Francis locks her in a closet and eventually tells her he is the "Great Red Dragon". Poor Reba. I REALLY hope she survives but it's not looking good.

In the most gruesome scene of the episode, the Dragon bites off Frederick's lips. Ewww! Francis then sends him in a flaming wheelchair back through town. This is the second time the flaming wheelchair has been used. The first was when Jack/Will faked Freddie's death. In the book Freddie was a "he" instead of a "she" and did in fact die as a result of his encounter.

In this telling a crispy Chilton somehow miraculously survives the second flaming wheelchair. As you recall he was almost killed twice previously (both at the urgings of Lecter). First Gideon gutted him. Next a woman shot him the face. Either Hannibal REALLY doesnt like Chilton (or he has the worst luck of any person on the planet).

One set of Frederick's lips are sent to Hannibal (who promptly swallows them). The other set goes to the FBI. Jack and Alana interrogate Lecter about them. He of course enjoys the whole situation immensely.

No Touching Please!

Will visits Frederick (who is understandably a mess). He blames Will for what happened to him. In the photo Freddie took for the "Tattler" article, Will has his hand on Chilton's shoulder. Frederick (and Bedelia) assert this was the signal by Will (perhaps subconsciously, perhaps not) to the Dragon that Chilton should be his next victim. At least Chilton is able to tell Will that the Dragon is holding a blind African American woman named Reba hostage. I hope there arent many people who match that description around.

Next week is the series finale. How should it all end? Hannibal cant die (in case, by some miracle, the show gets picked up elsewhere). My guess is Hannibal will keep his promise to Alana and eat her. He may do the same to Bedelia. What are the odds of Will surviving? I think he has to stay around too... just in case. I personally would like to see a fight to the death between Hannibal and Will in which they both end of dead. That would be a perfect ending in my book.

Favorite Quotes:

"Is Hannibal in love with me?"-Will. "Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you and find nourishment at the very sight of you? Yes. But do you ache for him?"- Bedelia.
"I am not a man. I have become 'other' and am more than a man."- the Red Dragon to Chilton.
"If you play, you pay."- Will to Bedelia.
"You may as well have struck the match. That's participation. Hannibal Lecter does have agency in the world. He has YOU."- Bedelia to Will.
"You could have provided anything that Chilton could have. That would have been your lip I was tasting...again."- Hannibal to Will.
Frederick: "What am I doing here?" Red Dragon: "Atoning, Dr Chilton."
"You set me up. You knew it. You put your hand on me in the picture l like a pet."- Chilton to Will.
"Fate has a habit of not letting us choose our own ending, Frederick."- Hannibal.