Hannibal 2.03 “Hassun”

If this episode is any indication, Season Two of Hannibal is going to blow the previous one out of the water. This third episode, “Hassun,” is near perfect. It’s dramatic, but still retains a sense of off-kilter humor at just the right moments. It’s got some of the most quotable lines since last season. And with the majority of the show took place in a courtroom, it was arguably better than most shows in the courtroom drama genre.

Hannibal has really kicked it up a notch.

It’s the first day of Will’s (Hugh Dancy) trial, where the prosecution tries to prove he’s faking his alibi, claiming viral encephalitis caused him to kill unknowingly. The evidence is laid out, victims are named, killings described, and a killer profiled. Little do they know that it’s actually Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) they’re talking about, and not Will. The courtroom scenes throughout the episode are great. They’re nicely shot and thoroughly tense. The audience gets all the right hints, like the camera focusing on Hannibal’s sly smile as the prosecution calls the killer “the smartest person in the room.”

Laurence Fishburne in particular really shines this episode. From his turn as witness where he confesses his feelings of guilt for pushing Will too far on the job, to a quiet scene featuring just him and Hannibal. In it, Crawford discusses his wife, Bella (Gina Torres). At this point, he’s “content to let the chips fall,” and lose his job. Hannibal surprisingly talks him out of it, saying, “When Bella is lost to you, the FBI will still be there.” It’s an emotional scene that harkens back to the first minutes of the season opener. To see these two characters interact so calmly and friendly makes their future fight scene that much more poignant.

Things are looking pretty grim for Will in the courtroom until some unexpected mail arrives –containing a human ear. The ear eventually leads to the bailiff’s house with explosive results. With another victim found in much the same state as Will’s alleged murders, there are only two possibilities: Will is innocent and the real killer is still loose, or there is a new killer to find. Hannibal obviously hopes everyone will believe the latter is true, as he’s very clearly upset that his toy has been locked away.

Hannibal takes photos and evidence to Will, in an attempt at further manipulation. It’s never explicitly shown, but it’s implied that Hannibal is responsible for these murders as well. He’s trying to have his cake and eat it too. If he can spring Will from prison, he can continue with his morbid obsession of playing with him. Of course, it could be interesting if this actually is a new killer. Only time will tell which is the case.

This is when we get the very much missed “this is my design” scenes back in full, complete with some gore. If last season of Hannibal should have come with a warning of “you may not want to eat during this show,” then this season should come with “don’t even think about making that sandwich or popping that corn.” Between the nicely dried out severed ear earlier and the gruesome hacking in this scene, any thoughts of food should be adequately dispelled. Even though there were no table settings this episode, the gross-out factor is still strong. The effects team has clearly stepped up their game this season as well.

Will notices discrepancies between the killings and calls Hannibal out on it. This is not the same killer as the one that murdered his victims. These two will continue to play their game of mental chess with one another. Hannibal, ever the charmer, tells Will, “This killer wrote you a poem. Are you going to let his love go to waste?”

Unfortunately for Hannibal, his manipulations don’t quite win the judge over. Hannibal takes the stand in place of Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas), whose affections for Will are so apparent the prosecutor will “smell it on you like you stepped on young adult and tracked it into the courtroom.” Once questioned, he does his best to spin everything his way. After all, he wants his toy back. The judge strikes the new evidence from the record and Hannibal (?) gets his revenge in the only way he knows how.

It’s fitting that hassun is the second course in kaiseki, a Japanese dinner. “Kaiseki” was the title of the first episode this season and it was spectacular. This episode, “Hassun,” is just as good, if not better. It’s an episode that shows just how worthy Hannibal is of the critical praise it’s gotten. So far this season looks as if it will be twice as good as the previous one. Viewers not tuning in to this gory gem are missing out on some delectable TV.