‘Hannibal’s Series Finale Is Still Top-Tier Television

The Big Picture

• The
  Hannibal
  series finale is more about the intense relationship between Will and Hannibal, rather than catching the season’s killer.
• Will and Hannibal’s connection is complicated by loyalty and codependency.
• The tragic but satisfying ending of the series reflects the intense bond between Will and Hannibal.

With Bryan Fuller‘s Hannibal recently having celebrated its tenth anniversary, there’s never been a better time to remember the series and its spectacular finale. If you haven’t yet had the chance to watch this extraordinary show, Hannibal follows Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), a teacher-turned-FBI profiler with a case of extreme empathy, and his psychologist, Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson). Will is brought on to assist in the investigation of the Chesapeake Ripper. Here begins a unique relationship that forms within their weekly therapy sessions, a duo that can understand each other greater than anyone else in their lives. From here, codependency is planted, and it ties the pair together, even when they don’t want to be. The relationship between Will and Hannibal becomes the heart of the show — beyond the gory crime scenes and cannibalistic serial killers. By the finale, we are not watching to see if they will catch their final target, Francis Dolarhyde, aka the Great Red Dragon (Richard Armitage) — we are watching to see where Will and Hannibal’s relationship will end up.

The ‘Hannibal’ Finale Is About Its Main Duo Above All Else

The finale, “The Wrath of the Lamb”, opens with the attempted murder of Dolarhyde’s lover Reba (Rutina Wesley). In the scene, Dolarhyde sets fire to the house with Reba inside, before allegedly shooting himself in front of her. Reba is able to escape and then spread the message that the Great Red Dragon is dead. At this point, Hannibal is imprisoned within the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, and Will is reluctantly assisting the FBI for the last time in search of the Dragon, whose newest target is Will’s very own family. The Great Red Dragon was the hook that brought Will back into the FBI and back into Hannibal’s orbit. Therefore, his death allows Will to leave again and return to his new normal life with his wife and stepson. Will says a final goodbye to Hannibal, a second rejection leaving him somberly watching Will walk away. Turns out, Dolarhyde is alive. He manipulated Reba’s blindness into tricking her that he had shot himself. Will returns with a plan — but he needs Hannibal’s help. Hannibal agrees to become the bait to reel Dolarhyde out from the shadows, but wants Will to ask him himself — and to say “please.” Will has to make a humble return, and the scene is tense.

The plan is pursued, to an extent. They feign the great escape and disappear to Hannibal’s second home. Throughout the show, we see that Will has an undying loyalty to Hannibal. He is with the FBI and has worked closely with Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) to catch the Chesapeake Ripper, and now the Dragon; however, when with Hannibal, Will seemingly develops a tunnel vision for him and him only. Even in the end, with a wife and child at home, and the FBI behind him, it all becomes secondary.

They pour wine and talk of compassion as they await the Dragon. A violent and bloody fight scene then ensues. The introduction to “Love Crime” by Siouxsie Sioux begins, and they move almost in perfect unison as if they are predicting each other’s actions perfectly, maintaining intimate eye contact as if they are fighting each other — Dolarhyde just being caught in the middle. Finally, the Dragon is defeated, but as the viewer, it seems as though he is not even there. The tension that had been harbored between Will and Hannibal has reached its peak in this final scene. Injured and bloody, the pair hold each other on the edge of the cliff, their codependency and attachment proving too strong to live with and impossible to live without. The scene is intimate and heartbreaking, the actualization of their insatiable need for one another.

The finale of Hannibal works so well because, in this story, there could have been no alternative ending to their relationship. At least, no satisfying ending. Will and Hannibal cannot be at peace apart and return to their heteronormative partnerships respectively. Alternatively, they are too self-destructive, dangerous, and unpredictable to run away together as proven at the end of Season 2. Though heartbreaking, the end was satisfying — tragic but very in theme with the lengths they went to regarding the murders, mutilation, and theatrical cannibalism that Hannibal is built upon. They embraced each other on the edge of the cliff without the restraint that they maintained since they’d met. The third and final option — death.

‘Hannibal’ Ultimately Is a Romance

Will has failed in his attempt to leave the FBI and effectively leave Hannibal. Season 3 as a whole begins with Will in search of Hannibal, who has fled to Europe as a result of the Season 2 finale. After episodes apart, they finally reunite in arguably one of the most beautiful scenes of the show. Hannibal is at the Uffizi Gallery in Italy, sitting before the painting “Primavera” by Sandro Botticelli. Will sits down beside him, the instrumentals of “Bloodfest” by Brian Reitzell in the background, sharing poetic dialogue — a purely heart-wrenching moment between the characters. The show is worth watching completely for this moment alone.

It is an interesting dynamic to watch, as, on one hand, there exist beautiful and intimate scenes like this that prove their undeniable connection and addiction towards one another; however, it is in this addiction that they fear and try to combat through violence. Will actively conspires against Hannibal with the FBI, and even moments after the scene previously mentioned ominously pulls out a knife as though to use it on Hannibal, a juxtaposition against the heartfelt moment before. Moments after this, Hannibal hosts a dinner party with Jack, whereby Will’s brains are the main course. Despite their efforts, neither can ever truly go through with their intentions. This is the beauty of Hannibal — watching the lengths the pair will go to escape each other, but also the lengths that they will go to stay together.

Midway through Season 3, post-escaping Muskrat Farm, Will effectively breaks up with Hannibal. In response to this rejection, the Chesapeake Ripper turns himself in, looking at Jack but talking to Will: “I want you to know exactly where I am and where you can always find me.” This is the ultimate romantic gesture in Hannibal’s universe — self-sacrifice, to surrender his freedom instead of separation. Hannibal still remains effective and important all these years later. The performances of Mads Mikkelson and Hugh Dancy are to be forever commended, and their chemistry on-screen allowed for the relationship between Will and Hannibal to go to extreme places that make the show worth watching.

Hannibal is available to stream on AMC+ in the U.S.

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