Hannibal 2x01: "Kaiseki," part two

[cleolinda]

PREVIOUSLY ON: PART ONE OF THE PREMIERE: Everything was terrible and nobody had any boundaries; the episode began with an already-infamous mutual ass-kicking; Hannibal Lecter is the New Will Graham, and the Old Will Graham wants him to step on all the Legos and die. Also: sushi.

Comments

[cleolinda]

Yeah, it's interesting that Will's loneliness while incarcerated is such a thing, because... it's not really a whole lot different from his regular life, in terms of whether people are in the room with him or not. I guess it's not so much the quantity of personal interactions so much as the quality; he's getting visits from his former coworkers, but they're all very painful, as opposed to the positive interactions he would have with, say, Beverly at the lab. And he doesn't have his dogs, of course. To me it seems more like he's lost his physical freedom, which is why, in his mind, he goes fishing in this big, open, natural space. I mean, you'll notice he's not imagining happy, comforting interactions with people or dogs when he goes there. He's still alone, and that seems peaceful for him.

That said, my original draft of that section was really defensive and apologetic, because I've seen a lot of people who are really into the Hannigram ship and truly believe that it's two-sided. Not that they want to write a version that is (which I totally get), but that they watch the show and see it already in the text. And... I'm just not seeing that. Like, I feel like I'm telling people that Santa isn't real, and I truly don't want to rain on their parade. But I feel like that one-sidedness explains why Hannibal so persistently disregards Bedelia's warnings, and how Will has to fake emotion to run a con on him. Honestly, it reminds me of Shakespearean-era poetry about an older man's love for a younger one--or specifically like The Merchant of Venice, where Antonio is so devoted to Bassanio that he'll put everything on the line for him, and meanwhile Bassanio is... courting someone else.

[vivian_lake]

You don't need to feel apologetic for that, really.

I do believe that before the fallout Will needed him in *some* way, but Lecter was the more, um, emotionally involved party.

[ivy_b]

Yeah, it's interesting that Will's loneliness while incarcerated is such a thing, because... it's not really a whole lot different from his regular life, in terms of whether people are in the room with him or not. I guess it's not so much the quantity of personal interactions so much as the quality; he's getting visits from his former coworkers, but they're all very painful, as opposed to the positive interactions he would have with, say, Beverly at the lab. And he doesn't have his dogs, of course. To me it seems more like he's lost his physical freedom, which is why, in his mind, he goes fishing in this big, open, natural space. I mean, you'll notice he's not imagining happy, comforting interactions with people or dogs when he goes there. He's still alone, and that seems peaceful for him.

Well, I think a big part of it is the physical limitation- he can't go anywhere, he's caged, people dictate to him every part of his day, he can't exactly walk away if he doesn't want to interact with anyone and he's stuck with Chilton, fumbling around in his head. And yeah, add to that the loss of his dogs and the fact that his coworkers and friends all believe he's a murderer and other than Alana, people who visit him do so because they want something from him, I can see how he'd be lonely. And I liked what you said about him imagining a big, open, natural space and not even imagining his dogs there. He just wants to be left alone and have his space.

That said, my original draft of that section was really defensive and apologetic, because I've seen a lot of people who are really into the Hannigram ship and truly believe that it's two-sided. Not that they want to write a version that is (which I totally get), but that they watch the show and see it already in the text. And... I'm just not seeing that. Like, I feel like I'm telling people that Santa isn't real, and I truly don't want to rain on their parade.

Haha, I get that, though I do think it wasn't a completely professional relationship on Will's end (Hannibal made sure to blur the boundaries so it wouldn't remain professional)- going over to Hannibal's house first thing in the morning or in the evening and just letting yourself in aren't things you'd do with your therapist. Plus Will's answer of "yes" to whether he's his patient or they're just having conversations is very telling about how muddied their relationship is- Hannibal sees it as friendship, Will sees it as somewhere in between therapist and friend. But I really like your take on it, that Will saw Hannibal as this father figure (or his gauge for reality) and relied on him- it's helping me see Will's side of their dynamic more clearly.

But I feel like that one-sidedness explains why Hannibal so persistently disregards Bedelia's warnings, and how Will has to fake emotion to run a con on him. Honestly, it reminds me of Shakespearean-era poetry about an older man's love for a younger one--or specifically like The Merchant of Venice, where Antonio is so devoted to Bassanio that he'll put everything on the line for him, and meanwhile Bassanio is... courting someone else.

Merchant of Venice is a great example, I see what you mean. I do think their relationship may go through some changes this season, from general spoilers and interviews, which should be very interesting and obviously this is the breakup season, which should be epic and painful (and maybe even... Gutting). Hannibal is definitely the insistent one, the one chasing Will and trying to basically force friendship on him.

But nothing makes me LOL like Jack calling himself Will's friend in S1- because he's a pretty crappy boss, but he's a terrible friend and he and Hannibal need to both leave Will the hell alone, because he doesn't need their version of friendship.

[islandofwords]

Re: Will's loneliness: I think a lot of it is space and restriction of movement, but I also think it has a lot to do with choice. I mean, if you're the loner type (as I am, so I speak from experience a bit here), there's a big difference between being alone because that's what you want and you enjoy your company and being alone because you have no other option. Introverts really need to have that choice or it can be really lonely. Will's lost a lot of his support structure/his friends/his dogs, and that's probably very lonely feeling, but having the option to seek out company that's wanted (even if it's not the company you originally intended) can go a long way toward abating loneliness that's forced on you or the loss of specific people.

The lack of choice over when to be alone versus when to be with people is incredibly draining. Add in Frederick's mind fumbling (especially when company of any kind isn't wanted, nevermind Chilton's), and that's a recipe for disaster.

[ivy_b]

Re: Will's loneliness: I think a lot of it is space and restriction of movement, but I also think it has a lot to do with choice. I mean, if you're the loner type (as I am, so I speak from experience a bit here), there's a big difference between being alone because that's what you want and you enjoy your company and being alone because you have no other option...

The lack of choice over when to be alone versus when to be with people is incredibly draining. Add in Frederick's mind fumbling (especially when company of any kind isn't wanted, nevermind Chilton's), and that's a recipe for disaster.

As another loner, I completely agree. Most of the time I just want to be alone at home, doing my own thing, sometimes I want to be around people, go out, have a drink, etc. But it has to be by choice. I was in the IDF and did Reserve duty for a while and nothing gave me mini-panic attacks like the thought of going to the closed base and being forced to stay there for several days at a time, doing 12 hour shifts, having my schedule dictated to me and sharing my space with people I don't even know.

Will is being stripped of any choice- his movements are restricted, Chilton basically dictates his whole life to him now (when to eat, when to sleep, who can visit him) and Will's only escape is his mind palace.