Something about episode 309 has been bothering me for a while (I saw it on Thursday, but I wanted to wait until tonight to ask about it, to avoid spoiling it for you): Do you have any thoughts or opinions about the way Hannibal was behaving in this episode -- specifically, his use of... crass sexual humour? If it was that? I don't know what to call it. The "pencil lickers" comment, and the "finger wagging" thing. Am I crazy? Is this a manifestation of Hannibal's rage? Or is he unraveling??
(thank you for waiting to message me!)
And Hannibal, I don’t want to say ‘devolved’ but to get the effect of what I mean that is the best word I can use, he devolves in prison. In the sense that he can say what he wants, no consequences. He’s already in prison. He has to enjoy the other freedoms he’s acquired in return for the ones he’s given up. He’s getting his kicks where he can get them.
We don’t notice this in the other media because we never saw him actually free. Never properly saw him and got used to him as being endlessly polite and social and just not creepy. Hopkins was constantly creepy, which is a problem. Mads pulls of casual and social Hannibal effortlessly with no reference to what’s beneath all of that, even when he’s making cannibal puns.
He is deliberately making people feel uncomfortable around him because he’s spent 30 years making them feel comfortable around him. I don’t blame him for getting bored.
So yeah, he’s devolved because he’s bored, he doesn’t get enough of a reaction from anyone anymore, and can’t get his usual sadistic kicks.
