History Recap / HannibalS01E08

Of course, Lecter invites him into the dining room; of course, there's settings for two, but Budge is nowhere to be found, having excused himself in the interim. "This benefits you," Lecter observes, "because I have dessert for two." As he prepares it, Graham confesses that he's wanted to kiss Alana since he met her; Lecter observes that there then must have been some other factor to prompt his [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove Anguished Kiss Of Love]]. Graham explains that it's because Alana knew: "There was no animal in the chimney, it was only [[{{Hallucinations}} in my head]]. I sleepwalk, I get headaches, I am hearing things... [[SanitySlippage I feel unstable]]." "[[WhatAnIdiot That's why you kissed her?]]" Lecter asks. "A clutch for balance?" Will concedes this, and Lecter, after a moment's thought, drops the bombshell: he reveals "Franklyn"'s "suspicions" about Tobias Budge. Will, despite his clear emotional instability, agrees that perhaps he should call upon this string shop in future. [[LetsYouAndHimFight This will end well.]]

Next we zip over to "Chordaphone," a store in downtown Baltimore. Here Tobias Budge, Franklyn's friend from the last episode, teaches cello and sells strings. His student struggles through the melody of [[JohannSebastianBach Bach]]'s "Minuet In G" (playing it in C, too!), complaining that the strings are harder to play on. Budge tells him that if he learns to play on authentic strings, he'll be a better musician even when he switches back to modern wire and nylon strings. "Are they really made from catgut?" the young man asks. "Not always," Budge replies. His face still looks frozen, and as we see a HardWorkMontage, we find out that he is right: Budge's strings, in particular, come not from catgut but from human gut. The pre-teen plays on, oblivious to the truth.

Speaking of which, here is Graham now, asking if Budge knows anything. Budge doesn't blink, the way he does when he detects challenge. Budge explains that he heard that the trombonist was cut open and his vocal cords played as though they were an instrument, and Graham responds that [[INeverSaidItWAsPoison those details were withheld from the press]] (raising the question of [[PlotHole how Franklyn knew]]). But now Graham's growing problems get the better of him: standing here with two Baltimore PD at his back and a serial killer in front of him, he thinks he hears the squealing of tires and the last cry of a run-over dog. He steps outside to investigate, finding nothing but still hearing all manner of chaos... and when he returns, Budge is gone and the two officers are down. Graham tracks him to the basement where Budge makes his strings... and where Budge gets the drop on him. But Graham manages to blow a chunk out of his ear, and Budge disengages and escapes with Graham in pursuit, both of them deaf from the roar of the P226.

Next we zip over to "Chordaphone," a store in downtown Baltimore. Here Tobias Budge, Franklin's friend from the last episode, teaches cello and sells strings. His student struggles through the melody of [[JohannSebastianBach Bach]]'s "Minuet In G" (playing it in C, too!), complaining that the strings are harder to play on. Budge tells him that if he learns to play on authentic strings, he'll be a better musician even when he switches back to modern wire and nylon strings. "Are they really made from catgut?" the young man asks. "Not always," Budge replies. His face still looks frozen, and as we see a HardWorkMontage, we find out that he is right: Budge's strings, in particular, come not from catgut but from human gut. The pre-teen plays on, oblivious to the truth.

Dr. Lecter opens his door for Franklin's next session. Franklin takes yet another step down the path of creepy-ass clown by claiming that, since he and Lecter cannot become friends, he has begun psychoanalyzing his own friends as he believes Lecter would. However, the amateur-psychologist DumbassHasAPoint: he found the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist Hare Psychopathy Checklist]] online and was a little alarmed at how much Tobias Budge fit the description. "He's been saying very dark things, and then saying, '[[FalseReassurance Just kidding!]],' a lot; it started to seem kind of crazy." Lecter seems intrigued, to the point that Franklin asks if he himself is getting boring.

Lecter is having another session with Dr. Du Maurier, in which he confesses that he feels Franklin is becoming inappropriately fixated on Lecter and that he should refer him to a different psychiatrist. Du Maurier returns that ''she'' referred him to a different psychiatrist after she retired, but he refused to go: "I feel protective of you. ... I want to support you, after what happened." "I'm not the only psychiatrist who's been attacked by a patient," Du Maurier returns with brittle politeness.

Franklin's next meeting pours more fuel on the fire: he confesses that Budge made jokes about using human vocal cords as violin strings. By now the murder of the Baltimore Philharmonic trombonist has become public knowledge, and Franklin is starting to get freaked out... especially when he realizes that Budge may have said it solely because he knew Franklin would then tell Lecter about it. Well, the message is received: next we see Lecter, he's paying a visit to the Chordaphone store. He and Budge trade barbs like two animals circling, though they both agree on one thing: at least the trombonist's death will [[TakeThat improve the orchestra's brass section]].

Evidently Lecter likes Budge, because the two are dining together. Having said that, it's a business dinner, and Lecter comes right out and asks if Budge killed the trombonist. Budge confesses the crime, and then declares that he is not afraid of the FBI's investigation: he feels he can kill anyone they send after him, and then kill Franklin, and then be on his way into flight and anonymity. In fact, he was thinking about killing Lecter. Lecter takes this in stride until Budge explains why he changed his mind: because he followed Lecter on one of his own excursions. He then, of all things, makes an offer of friendship; it's pretty obvious he'll kill Lecter to protect his own secret, but it's just as obvious that he'd prefer not to. Lecter declines, explaining that he invited Budge over because ''he'' intended to kill ''him''. The two of them stare each other down, neither blinking: two serial killers locked in a room together. How's this going to end?

Of course, Lecter invites him into the dining room; of course, there's settings for two, but Budge is nowhere to be found, having excused himself in the interim. "This benefits you," Lecter observes, "because I have dessert for two." As he prepares it, Graham confesses that he's wanted to kiss Alana since he met her; Lecter observes that there then must have been some other factor to prompt his [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove Anguished Kiss Of Love]]. Graham explains that it's because Alana knew: "There was no animal in the chimney, it was only [[{{Hallucinations}} in my head]]. I sleepwalk, I get headaches, I am hearing things... [[SanitySlippage I feel unstable]]." "[[WhatAnIdiot That's why you kissed her?]]" Lecter asks. "A clutch for balance?" Will concedes this, and Lecter, after a moment's thought, drops the bombshell: he reveals "Franklin"'s "suspicions" about Tobias Budge. Will, despite his clear emotional instability, agrees that perhaps he should call upon this string shop in future. [[LetsYouAndHimFight This will end well.]]

Speaking of which, here is Graham now, asking if Budge knows anything. Budge doesn't blink, the way he does when he detects challenge. Budge explains that he heard that the trombonist was cut open and his vocal cords played as though they were an instrument, and Graham responds that [[INeverSaidItWAsPoison those details were withheld from the press]] (raising the question of [[PlotHole how Franklin knew]]). But now Graham's growing problems get the better of him: standing here with two Baltimore PD at his back and a serial killer in front of him, he thinks he hears the squealing of tires and the last cry of a run-over dog. He steps outside to investigate, finding nothing but still hearing all manner of chaos... and when he returns, Budge is gone and the two officers are down. Graham tracks him to the basement where Budge makes his strings... and where Budge gets the drop on him. But Graham manages to blow a chunk out of his ear, and Budge disengages and escapes with Graham in pursuit, both of them deaf from the roar of the P226.

At Dr. Lecter's office, there's a painful break-up scene: Lecter has referred Franklin to another psychiatrist. "You focus too much on your therapist and not enough on your therapy," Lecter explains. But the unhealthy meeting is interrupted by Budge's arrival, who has come to say goodbye before he goes on the run. Franklin, to his credit, attempts to talk Budge into giving himself up. Lecter suggests Franklin run, but Budge insists he stay, and Franklin is too intent on convincing his friend to leave in any case. "You're probably scared... You probably feel like you're all alone..." "I'm not alone," Budge growls, and [[HeKnowsTooMuch something changes behind Lecter's eyes]]. It's all too easy for him to step up behind Franklin for a NeckSnap.

Lecter is tending his wounds when Crawford and Graham arrive, some time after the other authorities. "I was worried you were dead," Lecter says to Graham, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes possibly sincerely]]. Crawford is naturally suspicious that a serial killer, immediately after slaying two Baltimore PD and almost killing an FBI Special Agent, would stop at Lecter's office, but Lecter explains that he was after Franklin. He manages to look sufficiently haunted when he admits to killing Budge. Graham apologizes for dragging Lecter into his own field, but Lecter dismisses it: "I got here on my own. But I appreciate the company."

The final scene is of Lecter in session with Du Maurier. They now have something more in common, having both been attacked in the line of work. Du Maurier cautions Lecter not to [[ItsAllMyFault blame himself]] for Franklin's death, that he cannot take on responsibility for Franklin's life. Lecter asks if ''she'' took responsibility when she was attacked, and she replies, "Yes. But I don't take responsibility for his death."