Season 1, Episode 13:
Savoureux
I know who I am... I'm not sure I know who you are.
—Will Graham
The pieces are in place; Hannibal's plan to frame Will Graham has finally come to fruition. As Will takes the fall for Hannibal's crimes, the FBI reels from the revelation that one of their own could be the Chesapeake Ripper...as does Will himself. With his encephalitis-induced insanity reaching its peak, Will must put the pieces together in the midst of his madness in order to find the devil hiding in plain sight.
Tropes in this episode:
- The Bad Guy Wins: Hannibal successfully frames Will for all of his crimes and ends the season greeting and smiling at him from outside his cell.
- Chekhov's Skill: Will is able to escape FBI custody thanks to knowledge he gleaned from reconstructing Dr. Gideon's escape in "Rôti".
- Downer Ending: Abigail's dead and Will is incarcerated for Hannibal's crimes.
- Hope Spot: Alana discovers that Graham is suffering from a neurological disorder he isn't aware of. It seems ripe for a Pulling the Thread storyline that will prove Graham's innocence and perhaps expose Hannibal's malfeasance... but no, Hannibal effortlessly spins it to avoid all blame and reinforce the Frame-Up.
- Orgy of Evidence: Will deduces that he was being framed because while he might believe he was capable of killing Abigail, there was no way he'd accept that he was also responsible for the murders of the copycat killer.
- Scary Symbolic Shapeshifting: Will Graham finally realizes that Hannibal Lecter is the Serial Killer he's been hunting, and briefly perceives him as a Wendigo - a Humanoid Abomination with tarry black skin, Black Eyes of Evil, and a gigantic set of antlers. In the season that follows, it's not uncommon for Will to perceive Hannibal this way when under stress.
- Shout-Out: As in many of the Lecter books and films, someone descends into the bowels of the hospital to visit the occupant of the last cell on the left... but it's Will in the cell, and Hannibal visiting him. The composition of the shot and the details of the cell, right down to the ID number on Will's jumpsuit, make it clear what's being referenced.
- The music playing during the scene is "Vide Cor Meum" ("Behold My Heart") which was first composed for the 2001 film Hannibal.
- Survival Mantra
- Wendigo: The creature in Will's hallucinations. What's a wendigo, you ask? Why, it's a human who became a monster as a result of consuming human flesh. Even better: its touch has the power to turn anyone else into a cannibal as well.
- Wham Episode
- Hello, Doctor Lecter.
