Season 3, Episode 1:
Antipasto
Hannibal escapes with Bedelia to Florence, Italy, where he takes on the identity of Medieval Italian scholar Dr. Fell and meets someone who knew the real Fell.
Tropes:
- Alone with the Psycho: The opening features Hannibal cornering Dr. Fell at his home (after noticing his rudeness at dinner), eating him at his own dinner table, and greeting his wife when she comes in watching Hannibal finish eating her husband. It's all but stated what came next.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Hannibal to Bedelia:"Are you, at this very moment, observing or participating?"
- Blackmail Backfire: Hannibal ultimately bludgeons Dimmond to death rather than allow himself to be blackmailed.
- Call-Back: The museum exhibits in Hannibal's office clearly evoke the cages in Dr Chilton's facility.
- Bedelia's dream of drowning is reminiscent of the water imagery surrounding Alana in season 2.
- The Cameo: Zachary Quinto plays Bedelia's dead patient, although future appearances are promised.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The flashbacks to Hannibal feeding Gideon to himself are shot in black and white.
- Idiot Ball: Anthony Dimmond realized that Hannibal killed and replaced his mentor...yet thought it was a good idea to go to his apartment alone.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Flashbacks depict how Hannibal fed Gideon to himself.
- Mythology Gag: Hannibal's lecture on Biblical artwork is lifted directly from the Hannibal novel.
- The conversation that led to Hannibal agreeing to give that lecture is lifted straight from the novel as well. The same dialog also featured in the movie and one of the few lengthy exchanges delivered by both Mikkelsen and Hopkins.
- Hannibal and Bedelia's conversation about the death of Dr. Fell is adapted from one of Hannibal's internal monologues in the novel.
- Neck Snap: How Hannibal ultimately kills Dimmond, after bludgeoning him with a paperweight and letting him drag himself toward the doorway out.
- Nightmare Sequence: Bedelia experiences a particularly vivid nightmare of drowning while taking a bath.
- Pun-Based Title: This episode's title of "Antipasto" is particularly appropriate, as it is largely set in Italy, and it is a starter in the sense it sets the scene before showing Will's pursuit of Hannibal.
- Shout-Out: The motorcycle and bath sequences are both very reminiscent of similar scenes in Under the Skin.
- Time Skip: Roughly a year has passed since the Season 2 finale.
- Toplessness from the Back: Bedelia while she's undressing for her bath.
- Villain Episode: The episode consists entirely of Hannibal and Bedelia's goings on since the Season 2 finale, and flashbacks related to that.
- What Is Evil?: Discussed Trope.Hannibal: Morality does not exist. Only morale.
