'Hannibal' Review “Primavera”

Adam Reynoso ’15 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
As the season premiere made it clear, this show has abandoned the procedural format in favor of a more serialized drama. Underlining this, “Primavera” has established that Hannibal is only going to get trippier as it delves deeper into the psychological aspects of these characters and the dreamscapes the show loves to explore.
The episode answers one of the questions from last season’s finale as it is revealed that Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) survived the gutting from Hannibal (Madds Mikkelsen), and as he’s found recovering from the attack, he’s visited by another survivor, Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl). The episode continues like the previous, in that it’s a character driven episode, and focuses solely on Will and Abigail.

The two follow clues that lead them to Florence, where they believe Hannibal is hiding. They have conflicting responses to the events at Hannibal’s home, and argue about what they will do once they find him. In their investigation, they cross paths with Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Fortunato Cerlino), a character from the Hannibal novel. He’s investigating the murder from last week, and Will recognizes it as Hannibal’s work, a literal broken heart meant for him. They learn Hannibal’s history in Florence, how he was once the “Monster of Florence.” Even in his youth, he arranged his victims in a way that mimicked works of art and had evaded capture by a younger Pazzi.
As the episode comes to an end, it’s revealed that Abigail did not survive the slit to her throat, and she’s simply been a figment of Will’s imagination. This leads Will to almost come face to face with Hannibal, but instead, lets him know he forgives Hannibal. It’s unclear if Hannibal will in turn forgive Will, but it is made clear that even Will doesn’t know whose side he’s on or what he’ll do when he finally finds Hannibal.
“Primavera” is an excellent example of how Hannibal puts its characters first and uses them to truly tell their own story. It’s not the plot that advances the story, it’s the characters and their actions. The show also did a great job of making the Abigail twist believable, but not cheap. She’s already escaped death once, but her explanation of how she survived seemed plausible. If anyone could make that precise of a cut, it’s Hannibal and his surgical skills. But Abigail also represents Will’s own regrets and feelings about what happened that night. Abigail talks about how she wants to return to Hannibal and that he wanted them to continue on as a family, but Will didn’t take that offer. No one had to die, and they could’ve had this life, together. It reflects the argument going on in Will’s own mind and how unsure he is about Hannibal. It’s what leads to his forgiveness.

Will’s ability to get into the killer’s mind and see its design is back, as he envisions the victim’s body unfolding in a grotesque image that’s disturbing, but makes it impossible to turn away. It’s the imagery so familiar to the show that it has become a staple. And in this scene, the stag-beast is back, haunting Will yet again. The scene shows how close Hannibal is to Will, and it scares him. He knows what Hannibal’s capable of, yet, he’s going after him again. It foreshadows the inevitable confrontation to come between these two men. They have a complicated relationship, to say the least, and they had a chance at a family with Abigail. She was the one they wanted to protect. But Hannibal took her away. The scene where Abigail is being cleaned in the morgue was poignant and heartbreaking. It was well executed and contrasted the two outcomes for two important people to Hannibal. It finally showed the reality of the situation.
This second episode of the season provided another study of the characters of the show. It allowed Will to examine how he’s handling the events of last season and his own questions of what he will do when he sees Hannibal again. The scenery of Florence was, yet again, stunning and fit into the vivid, beautiful aesthetics the show has already established. And it’s brought in another character that will play an important role in apprehending Hannibal. While it’s still left the fate of other characters up in the air, the show has brought back its unstable hero and established a transformation happening within him.
Overall Episode Grade: A