TV Review: ‘HANNIBAL Season 2, Episode 10: NAKA-CHOKO’

Oh my gawd, where to begin with episode ten? I’m gonna get the elephant out of the room first and talk about that sex scene. This may be the most ambitious sex scene in network television history. Even though it was on NBC, that sequence would compete with HBO, just you know, with out the nudity. The way it seamlessly blended the Margot-Will and Alana-Hannibal trysts to make it seem like one strange threeway, with Will imagining Margot as Alana, and the two of them in bed with Hannibal was very well executed. The thing about the sex scene though is that it wasn’t inherently sexy. It is dark and moody, the music is sinister, and the lighting is grim. And then of course Will imagines Alana being plowed by the Wendigo, so that’s pretty messed up. It feels like something straight out of the David Lynch playbook.

Next order of business, the beginning of the episode. It seems like Will is in full on Ripper mode. Last week, we see that Will killed Randall and brought the body to Hannibal. This week we are shown just what transpired as we watch Will brutally beat Randall to death with his own hands, as Will sees him go back and forth between Randall, Hannibal, and the Wendigo, ending when Will snaps the Wendigo monster’s neck. Will then takes the corpse of Randall and reassembles it into a horrific display at the museum, making him into a bizarre beast. As the FBI team investigate, Will and Hannibal discuss the killer’s motives right in front of an oblivious Jack. Then it turns nightmarish as Will and the taxidermied Randall have a conversation in Will’s head. Never before has Will’s “This is my design” mantra held so much meaning.

Now for the gravy on the potatoes: The arrival of Mason Verger. I knew that he was going to be making his debut in tonight’s episode, and I knew that he was going to be played by Michael Pitt, one of my favorite actors, and yet I still was not at all prepared for his appearance. First we hear his voice asking Margot if she had a good ride as she enters the stable. Next we see his outline come into focus, his silhouette tells us so much about his character. His crazy, unkempt hair, the way he carries himself, the fact that he’s holding a pig, and then he walks into the frame as he repeats “What do I want?” to Margot, we finally see his face. It’s a terrifyingly great entrance for a terrifying character. He tells Margot that he wants to share something with her, revealing he’s breeding and training pigs to eat people alive to make his papa proud. I have a strong feeling he’ll come to regret this decision. Then comes the scene where Hannibal and Mason finally meet and it’s just ripe with tension. Hannibal explains that due to doctor patient confidentiality that he can’t tell anybody what Margot has told him, so he’s safe, which Mason laughs at and then offers Hannibal a pig. It’s a short scene, but I’ve got a feeling it’s a scene we’ll be coming back to in the next three episodes.

And then there’s Freddie’s story. She presses Will’s buttons by insisting that Chilton wasn’t the Ripper and she won’t accept that he killed Abigail Hobbs, but Will is adamant that the story of the Ripper ends with Chilton. After unsuccessfully pressing Alana for answers, she takes a trip to Will’s barn where she finds Randall’s remains and Will finds her. It’s very reminiscent of Beverly discovering Hannibal’s basement lair. After a brief struggle that ends with Freddie being dragged out of her car and Will lying to Jack about Freddie showing up to his barn, Will and Hannibal make their first meal together: A meat that doesn’t taste like pork with “sliced ginger”. Did Will kill Freddie or is there more to be seen? Much like the beginning of today’s hour, all shall be revealed next week! At least I hope so…