What a ballsy season of TV this is shaping up to be – Hannibal has done away with three of its most intriguing characters (Beverly Katz, Abel Gideon, and tonight, Dr. Chilton), all in the span of seven episodes. Even Game of Thrones doesn’t rack up a body count like that. Chilton’s death is a huge moment for the series, not just because Raul Esparza’s performance will be sorely missed, but because it shows that Hannibal isn’t slavishly devoted to Thomas Harris’ source material, where Chilton was a major figure all the way through The Silence of the Lambs.
“Yakimono” begins with Will’s relase from the pyschiatric hospital, having been exonerated by the discovery that Miriam Lass is still alive. “The Chesapeake Ripper has set you free,” Chilton tells him. “Mazel Tov.” Except Will isn’t really free, and neither is Miriam. This is further illustrated though a scene that has the two of them talking about their experiences with the Ripper, and how they will carry the scars – Will’s are emotional and psychological, while Miriam is missing an arm – for the rest of their lives. This is the first time that Will and Miriam have been on screen together, but Hugh Dancy and Anna Chlumsky are so good at playing damanged survivors that they have an immediate rapport, albeit one steeped in sadness.
Chilton, on Will’s suggestion, goes to offer his help to Jack Crawford. This turns out to be his undoing, as Hannibal is able to steer Jack’s suspicions away from him and point them at Chilton (despite Will’s warning that there would be evidence at Miriam’s prison that directed their attention away from Hannibal). Hannibal knows the noose is tightening, and Will’s freedom is a variable that he can only hope to control, as seen when Will shows up in his house to point a gun at him. Hannibal is usual cool, mellifluous self, but look at him when Will sticks the gun’s barrel against his throat: he flinches. Will is barely controlled chaos.
Hannibal sets up Chilton to be the Ripper in spectacularly gruesome fashion. He makes an operating theater out of Chilton’s guest room, leaving the amputated remains of Abel Gideon as damning evidence. He then tranquilizes Chilton and kills the two FBI agents who show up to arrest him. And finally, when Chilton is in the interrogation room with Alana, Miriam positively identifies him as the Ripper, based on his voice. She breaks down crying, grabs Jack’s gun, and shoots Chilton through the head. Poor bastard. For a “side character,” Chilton went through an amazing transformation. He will be missed. Raul Esparza better show up on another great show, soon.
A Few Thoughts
– Man, I want to be a psychiatrist in Baltimore. Have you seen Chilton and Hannibal’s houses? Good lord
– Chlumsky is so good as Miriam. After Beverly’s death, it’s great to have another strong woman on the show
– Anybody catch the Hannibal reference on last week’s Veep? Chlumsky’s Amy is made to surrender her phone at a wedding, and she remarks “It’s like losing a limb. I can still feel a phantom phone ringing.” Remember that in season one, Miriam’s severed arm was discovered holding a ringing phone
– The Wound Man, the drawing that confirms the FBI’s suspicions about Chilton, was a major factor in the events leading up to Red Dragon. It was how Will Graham caught Hannibal Lecter in the first place
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