Hannibal – “Sakizuki”Review: A Tangled but Wonderful Web is Woven

Is it possible that Hannibal becomes a richer tapestry each week? That certainly may be the case, as "Sakizuki" continues to push the story forward, while shoring up Will's own belief in his own innocence and proving that perhaps Hannibal isn't as crafty as he fashions himself to be. The main focus of the episode is on Will's value to the FBI versus his perceived guilt. As we began to see last week, Bedelia has reached the point where she will no longer be able to pull the wool over her eyes regarding Hannibal's true nature. In a move that seems to almost assuredly guarantee her own death, Bedelia breaks off her professional and personal relationship with Hannibal. It is one of the more brilliantly staged scenes in a series that relies on the visual as much as it does on words to tell the story. Watching Bedelia slowly backpedal away from a sociopathic killer, both physically and verbally, makes for quite the contrast to her interactions with Will at the episode's end. But this is the first time we have seen an outside character (meaning, someone not part of the FBI team) deduce Hannibal's true nature. Granted, Bedelia has spent a great deal more time alongside Hannibal than Jack Crawford and company, but considering this is the FBI's elite profiling team, I'm a bit worried about their abilities. But Bedelia has told Hannibal that she knows he is more than he claims- that he is "dangerous." And she has a finely honed sense of self preservation, more than poor Will ever had. Before masterfully disappearing into the night (and managing to avoid her own place on Hannibal's actual chopping block- at least for the immediate future), Bedelia stops by Will's cell and tells him the one thing he has been longing to hear from someone: "I believe you." Unlike her conversation with Hannibal, Bedelia gets as close as possible to Will, sharing this revelation as if it were a secret (and, considering how Chilton has bugged the cell, it is a smart move). With vindication from the most unlikely of sources, Will now has true hope that he can find some shred of evidence to link Hannibal to the crimes.  And that's where Beverly will likely come in. I mentioned last week how glad I was to see Beverly playing a larger role this season. And she once again proves her worth as a character this week by continuing to use Will (with the tacit approval of Jack) as a source for profiling. She comments to Hannibal that she used part of his profile (the smell of corn) alongside Will's profile (how Mr. Umber died) to find the location of the human tapestry. It did not look like this knowledge pleased Hannibal, as had she put things together a bit faster, there's every chance the FBI might have stumbled upon his meat shopping trip. In addition, her questioning of Will regarding the "missing piece" within the mural brought out more worries for Hannibal- that if Will can deduce that it was he that killed the mural killer, someone with Beverly's aptitude might not be very far behind. Considering Jack's continued ineptitude when it comes to Hannibal, and Alana's inability to see the larger picture, I'm glad there's someone at the FBI who might be able to help Will. In a tip of the hat to The Silence of the Lambs, Beverly is now fully committed to trying to prove Will's innocence by looking back through the evidence for something that might have been missed. I doubt many people can forget Hannibal's "Quid pro quo, Clarice" line from that chapter in his story, and Will ultimately pulls the same twist on Beverly. In order to continue helping her and the FBI, he will need her to continue looking into his case- even though she doesn't believe in his innocence. Who wants to bet that Beverly is ultimately the one to unmask Hannibal? And, considering Jack's violent outburst, I'm leaning more toward the belief that she might become his victim. Final Thoughts: -- Considering Gillian Anderson has two other series she works on (NBC's upcoming Crisis and the excellent British series The Fall) it was clear that she would have to have a limited presence this season. I feared that might mean Hannibal would get to her and take her out. I'm thrilled that my worries were for naught. After all, it's much more exciting to think that there is someone out there who could credibly take Hannibal down in the end. And I fully expect to see Bedelia back next season to do just that. -- I can usually handle the violence on Hannibal fairly well, as it is often infused with such an artistic nature that it dulls the impact. But I could not handle the opening sequence at all. That was truly horrific to watch. -- I believe this was the first time we've seen Hannibal actually process a human body part fully for dinner. It was very interesting to see, even though we never saw who he was dining with. -- Anyone know where Freddie the intrepid reporter is? I would think she would be all over the Will Graham is a killer storyline. -- I think one of the best surprises for the future of the series will be how Jack keeps his job (as we know he's still heading the team come Silence). I just can't understand how the FBI would let him keep his position considering all that he has missed. -- One of the best production touches? Hannibal's see-through suit. Because why let your incredible sense of style suffer while you kill?