Hannibal season 2 episode 3 saw Will on trial for Hannibal’s crimes - which is understandably stressful. TV reboots of hit movies can be hit or miss affairs, with recent years yielding new takes on Lethal Weapon, Scream, and Heathers. Hannibal is one of the best examples, taking a franchise that suffered from several mediocre entries - including critically slammed 2007 prequel Hannibal Rising - and reinventing it for a new audience.
Hannibal focused on the title killer’s relationship with FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), with Hannibal acting as therapist to Will but also secretly being the killer behind many of the murders he investigating. Mads Mikkelsen’s (Casino Royale) chilly, restrained take on Hannibal Lecter was the total opposite of Anthony Hopkins’ fun but hammy performance, while the show practically turned gore into an art form. The series became an addiction for fans - dubbed Fannibals - but despite the praise heaped upon it, Hannibal came to an end after three seasons in 2015. Rumors persist of a Hannibal season 4, though it has yet to come together.
The first season finale of Hannibal had Will learning the truth of Hannibal’s crimes - and being framed for them. Season 2 finds Will coming to grips with everybody thinking he’s cracked and is a cannibalistic serial murderer, with Hannibal doing a thorough job of setting him up. His trial begins in Hannibal season 2 episode 3 “Hassun,” which opens with Will having a vision of his own execution until an orderly gets him ready to attend court. The prosecution lays out his “crimes,” complete with gruesome photos, while Hannibal almost seems to admire his own handiwork from the audience.
Hannibal season 2 episode 3 also finds Jack (Laurence Fishburne, The Matrix) being pressured to throw Will under the bus during his testimony to save the FBI’s reputation. While Jack believes Will is behind the killings, he places blames on himself for his constant pushing of Will during their investigations. The trial is interrupted when somebody sends a severed ear in the mail to Will, and its soon discovered a bailiff has been slain in the same way of Will’s “victims.” Hannibal isn’t behind this killing, meaning a mystery new killer is on the loose. Hannibal takes the evidence to Will in the hopes it will convince him the “real” killer is still out there and isn’t him; Will doesn’t buy it.
Hannibal season 2 episode 3 “Hassan” finds Will’s lawyer and Hannibal trying to swing from an insanity defense to convincing the judge the bailiff’s killer also murdered Will’s supposed victims. The judge refuses to allow this, and his body is later found in the courtroom, with a scale holding his brain and heart. The identity of the killer would soon be revealed in later episodes - and Hannibal would find himself in big trouble.
Next: Hannibal Season 2 Episode 5 Saw Hannibal At Another Killer’s Mercy
