Season 2, Episode 4:
Takiawase
In an attempt to distance himself from Hannibal, Will manipulates Dr. Chilton into signing him on as his exclusive psychiatrist, exploiting his unorthodox psychiatric techniques to further help him regain his memories. Meanwhile, Bella Crawford continues to see Hannibal for psychiatric help to deal with her cancer, and the FBI begin hunting a killer who turns their victims into living bee hives.
Tropes:
- And I Must Scream: Lloyd Road's fate.
- Body Horror: Both the dead man turned into a human bee hive, and the living one who is found in the very early stages of it.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Will realizes Hannibal eats his victims.
- Eye Scream: Katherine Pimms puts an icepick through a patient's eye just offscreen.
- Graceful Loser: Katherine Pimms, who openly confesses to killing Duncan Holleran and Lloyd Road and explains her reasoning without almost any prompting or resistance.
- Hypocrite: Katherine Pimms. She turned humans into living beehives out of a misguided sense of duty and care, but couldn't bring herself to try the honey because it was 'too morbid'.
- Impairment Shot: Hannibal appears in a hazy circle through the eyes of an overdosing Bella.
- Manipulative Bastard: Hannibal continues the trend like never before, talking Bella Crawford into committing suicide, but then for some unknown reason, saves her when she chooses to die right in front of him. His motive for this string of actions is completely unknown.
- Mercy Kill: Played with in a few ways. Acupuncturist Katherine lobotomizes and kills her patients, although the second victim winds up a nightmarish walking vegetable. Hannibal talks Bella into ending her suffering, but he saves her life, presumably as a way to manipulate Jack.
- Shout-Out:
- Just before he stops her suicide, Hannibal flips a coin Bella had given him in a manner similar to Two-Face from the Batman franchise.
- Katherine Pimms is named after Chuck's (another beekeeper) fake identity of Kitty Pimms, which she first used in the season 2 opener, whose murder of the week involved bees.
- Wham Shot: The lights in Hannibal's basement turning on...and HE'S STANDING RIGHT THERE.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Bella gives one to Hannibal, after he fails to honor her death wish.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Katherine Pimms, who believes she was giving her victims a dignified death.
