Hannibal Season 3 Episode 6 “Dolce”
Directed by Vincenzo Natali
Written by Don Mancini
Created by Bryan Fuller
Starring Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Anderson, Fortunato Cerlino, and Tao Okamoto NBC
Air date: Thursday, July 9th, 2015, 10pm
I should have known better that Hannibal wouldn’t be so easily caught. History repeats itself and all. “Dolce” is an episode that I’m hoping will play better in retrospect, but for me was just too much place setting for what will be the end of Hannibal season three’s first major arc. as we see Will (Hugh Dancy) and Jack (Laurence Fishburne) come close to achieving their goals, only to have them stripped away at the last moment.
I was disappointed with “Dolce,” mostly because of the pre-convinced notions of where I thought the plot was headed. So much of this third season has been about setting Will up to be the one that catches Hannibal (Mads Mikkelson); Jack even states that he might need Will to be one that kills Hannibal. In a show based upon reversal of expectations, I should have seen that Mason (Joe Anderson) would end up with the upper hand. But the leap of faith that the episode takes in the final moments just felt unearned to me – especially because we’d only just now seen Hannibal and Will together on screen together. The interaction between Dancy and Mikkelsen is electric; their rad bromance (and it very much is a romance) is one of the show’s strongest aspects and to see them only get a little bit of time together before being strung up made me wish things didn’t have to move so quickly.
However, if I’m frustrated about the dynamics between the show’s males, I’m happy to report the women of Hannibal had plenty of juicy material to work with this week. Bedelia’s plan to cleanse herself of all the men pursuing her gives Gillian Anderson plenty of scenery to chew, especially as we learn the complexity of her plan – which is enough to make Jack blush and acknowledge how brilliantly it’s unfolded.
Furthermore, I totally bought that Margot (Katharine Isabelle) and Alana (Caroline Dhavernas) would fall into bed with one another (it’s written all over Margot’s face when Alana first arrives at the house). It’s also satisfying to see that the two women have a plan to try to lure Mason into a trap of some sort, as Mason’s proposal had me worried that Margot will somehow be putting Alana directly into Mason’s path.
Another strong mark for “Dolce” were some truly otherworldly visuals courtesy of Vincenzo Natali, who has proved to be a perfect collaborator for creator Bryan Fuller. Will and Hannibal’s truly ethereal, drug-induced visions would have been an episode standout, but Margot and Alana’s sextracurricular activities manage to tantalize without feeling the overwhelming pressure from the male gaze; this is not an easy feat.
“Dolce” was a best a mixed bag for me, but a lot of this comes from a place of reading the show wrong and getting disappointed in the expectations I’d established for myself.
Quick Thoughts:
– “You and I have begun to blur” is clearly the world’s sweetest and most sincere pick-up line.
– Dolce is Italian for sweet (although it’s typically used as an adverb or in relation to the tone and pacing of music). Was this supposed to be our dessert?
What did you think of this week’s episode? Sound off in our comments below.
Video
Hannibal – Next: Hannibal on the Run (Preview)
Bedelia and Hannibal feel their time in Florence is coming to an end; Jack questions Will’s loyalty.
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