Hannibal: episode 9 "Trou Normand"

***SPOILERS***

We're inching closer and closer to the season finale and tension is rising. We still have 4 episodes to go, and with the way this weeks episode ended, you can bet things are going to get really serious soon.

I wasn't overly impressed with this weeks episode, last weeks was a lot better. This week lacked the action that last week brought, but it makes up for it in the storytelling. This episode had a lot of character development and we got to go deeper into the characters minds. I'm really loving the direction that Will and Lecter's relationship is going. It's going to be a shame when they become rivals.

This episode opened with a rather disturbing image of a totem pole made of bodies on the beach. It really looked like something from the action film "300", with the way there were limbs sticking out here and there. I really liked Will's interpretation of the making of the totem pole. It was a really enjoyable scene. I always find those scenes enjoyable.

Will opens up to Hannibal and tells him that he's sleepwalking and hallucinating. Hannibal gives him good advice as usual, but Will looks to be in awful shape. You've got to wonder how much more he can take.

We see that Abigail Hobbs is in group therapy,working on mental issues and coping with what her father's done. As well her own murder she committed. She talks with Freddy Lounds and agrees to tell her story. Shortly after, Jack Crawford has Rick Boyle's body flown down to headquarters so he can make Abigail face it and hopes for a confession. Although Abigail is sort of obvious by the way she can't look at the body, she sneaks under the radar and avoids being detected as guilty. The whole time this is going on I couldn't help but think that she was going to talk and Hannibal was going to be on the run.

Jack and Will trace the totem pole back to Lawrence Wells, played by Lance Henriksen. He confesses that the totem was his retirement plan. I'm a huge fan of Lance Henriksen! I always enjoy him on screen in whatever he's in. Usually. It's a shame he didn't have a bigger part if you ask me, but he is starting to show his age. I found it really twisted that Lawrence killed his biological son and had him as the freshest body on the totem.

Hannibal confesses to Will that he helped Abigail cover up the murder of Rick Boyle, after Will pieces it together himself. Hannibal is calm, cool and collected and sells his story and Will buys it, agreeing not to tell Jack. I found this to be very impactful because Will is a very straight laced guy and for him to corrupt his personal morals for Hannibal really show his bond with Lecter and exactly how close they're getting. It's showing now that Hannibal has Will in the palm of his hand, and Will is none the wiser.

The episode ends as we find Abigail confessing to Hannibal that she did indeed help her father. She would round up the victims for him. Of course, Hannibal already knew, he was just waiting for her to admit it. We get a black and white flashback of Abigail on a train with her dad, and we see her lore in a girl her father picked out.

THIS EPISODE GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5