10 scenes from Hannibal that made us cry

Bryan Fuller Hannibal (2013-2015) is undeniably dark and violent, which isn't a huge surprise coming from a crime drama centered on a cannibalistic serial killer. This psychological horror series features complex character arcs, beautiful cinematography, and lots of heavy themes, as well as murder and cannibalism. Based on the first novel in the series by Thomas Harris, Red Dragonthe show remains largely faithful to the source material, with only a few major deviations (like the choice not to explore the backstory of Mads Mikkelsen's Dr. Hannibal Lecter).

While it may be unexpected that a program of this nature is also exciting, the NBC Hannibal the series hit fans right away on many occasions, and not just because the series was canceled prematurely before Hannibal season 4 could happen. Now, a decade later, key players like Mads Mikkelsen have indicated that there may still be an opportunity for a Hannibal reboot season 4, but most fans are still reeling from these emotional moments.

10

Will begs Hannibal to tell him the truth

Season 1, Episode 11, “Roti”

Criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) suffers from an insidious case of encephalitis throughout the first season, causing him to waste time and experience hallucinations, seizures, and violent nightmares. Late at night, a visibly distressed Will appears at the home of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), feverish and disoriented.

He tells Hannibal, “I'm having trouble thinking. I feel like I'm going crazy, I… I don't know what's real.” Will begs Dr. Lecter to tell him if the appearance of the late Garrett Jacob Hobbs (Vladimir Jon Cubrt) sitting at Hannibal's dinner table is actually there. In fact, the man at the table is Dr. Abel Gideon (Suzy Eddie Izzard). Despite Dr. Gideon's presence, Hannibal denies that anyone is in the room with them, telling Will, “I don't see anyone. We are alone. You came here alone. Do you remember coming here?

This blatant gaslighting drives Will to the edge of hysteria, and he makes a frighteningly desperate plea to Hannibal: “No, please don’t lie to me!” This moment sums up Will's feeling of total helplessness as his own identity and sense of reality are swept away by Hannibal's manipulation. Moments later, Will is struck by an encephalitic seizure.

9

Bella tries to commit suicide

Season 2, Episode 4, “Takiawase”

While battling terminal lung cancer, Bella reveals to Hannibal that she overdosed. She tells him, “I didn’t want to die at home. I didn't want Jack to find me. I didn't want him to make that call, or be in the room with my body, expecting it to become some ceremonial object, separate from him, separate from who I was. Someone he can only keep in mind. Hannibal disagrees with his decision; in previous therapy sessions, he had tried to dissuade her from that choice. Bella responds, “I denied him a painful goodbye… and allowed myself a peaceful goodbye.” Hannibal then flips a coin to decide whether to allow Bella's death.

While Jack (Laurence Fishburne) and Bella's relationship in Hannibal is a powerful representation of what it's like to watch a loved one fight cancer – or fight it yourself – this scene in particular hits the mark. Bella's reluctance to allow her illness to further traumatize her husband by displacing the fond memories he had of her is both admirable and deeply sad. In addition to the already poignant topic of lung cancer, this scene also touches on some deeper ethical concepts such as bodily autonomy, assisted suicide, and euthanasia, and the mental health struggles that often result from terminal illnesses.

8

The FBI Mourns Beverly Katz

Season 2, Episode 5, “Mukozuke”

Less than 24 hours after his wife Bella attempted suicide, Jack Crawford arrives to investigate the murder of his colleague, Beverly Katz (Hettienne Park). His face is filled with dread as he approaches the scene at the observatory, but this quickly turns to heartbreak and overwhelming sadness when Jack spots Beverly's remains.

Beverly's corpse was staged in one of the most gruesome Hannibal frames of the Chesapeake Ripper's murder, his body dissected sagittally and pressed between anatomy slides. Laurence Fishburne gives a harrowing performance in this scene, nearly breaking into sobs.

Crawford breaks the news to his friends Brian Zeller (Aaron Abrams) and Jimmy Price (Scott Thompson) during a spooky montage of his abandoned desk and personal objects. There is a palpable sense of sadness and loss in this scene. When told that his friends should not perform the autopsy, Price insists: “We’re not going to run away from what happened, Jack. Beverly wouldn't do that. When Will is informed of his friend's death, no dialogue is audible. There is only the sound of running water as Will disassociates and struggles to find his mental calm.

7

Peter Bernadone's animals are freed

Season 2, Episode 8, “Su-zakana”

Undeniably one of the series' saddest episodes, “Su-zakana” follows Peter Bernardone (Jeremy Davies), a kind-hearted animal lover with a traumatic brain injury who has been framed for murder. It is later discovered that his social worker Clark Ingram (Chris Diamantopoulous) is the real killer who orchestrated a plan to frame Peter for their crimes.

After coming very close to revealing the truth, Peter makes the heartbreaking discovery that Ingram Freed All His Beloved Pets and even shot the same horse that caused his TBI, leaving him in a state of overwhelming sadness and panic. Ingram took advantage of Bernardone's vulnerable state and staged everything down to the smallest detail. Later, Peter is found stitching Ingram to the horse's corpse (mirroring Ingram's own crime) in one of the most shockingly brutal and bloody scenes. Hannibal scenes.

Will identifies strongly with Petertelling him, “What was done to you was cruelty for cruelty’s sake.” Peter responds, “I think he deserves to die” and Will tells him, “But you didn’t deserve to kill him.” Bernardone's loss of innocence and stability is not only devastating to watch in such a wholesome character, but it also shows Will's rapid decline as he succumbs to his violent impulses.

6

Forced sterilization of Margot

Season 2, Episode 11, “Ko no Mono”

Throughout the show, Margot Verger (Katharine Isabelle) suffers constant physical and psychological abuse from her troubled brother Mason (Michael Pitt), and childhood sexual assault is heavily implied. The most disgusting incident occurs when Mason arranges Margot's forced sterilization to prevent her from producing a Verger heir.

The abject horror of Margot lying on the exam table, disoriented and hyperventilating, is the most chilling scene in the series. Mason tells Margot, “They’re going to find something wrong with your lady parts, Margot. Or so the record will indicate. The doctor will advise me that it is better for them to take… everything.”

Psychological abuse, as well as the loss of autonomy and identity are central themes to the series as a whole. Most complete draws parallels to Will Graham's own character arc on several supporting characters, including the character Margot Verger, who was changed for the TV show, for an important reason. Witnessing Margot's frightening loss of control over her own body (not to mention her claim to her family's inheritance) is one of the darkest scenes in this already twisted show.

5

Hannibal is exposed as the Chesapeake Ripper

Season 2, Episode 13, “Mizumono”

In Season 2, as he begins to succumb to Hannibal's influence and emerge as a killer in his own right, Will Graham murders Randall Tier and then-tabloid journalist Freddie Lounds (Lara Jean Chorostecki) upon discovering Tier's remains. After Lounds' death, Will calls to warn Hannibal of his impending capture, which leads to a bloodbath at Lecter's residence, as well as Will's horrified realization that Hannibal didn't run away. THE Hannibal The Season 2 finale is the most heartbreaking – and difficult to watch – of the series, capturing the heartbreak and fatal confusion that follows Dr.

Releasing his feelings of rejection, Hannibal stabs Will, telling him: “I let you know me, see me. I gave you a rare gift, but you didn't want it.” As Will bleeds, Dr. Lecter says: “You can make everything disappear. Put your head back. Close your eyes. Enter the silence of the stream.” This indirectly references Hannibal in Red Dragon (2002), when he says, “I don't want you to feel pain (…) It's so gentle, like stepping into a hot bath.” This dichotomy between concern and violence highlights Hannibal's frightening but failed attempts to maintain his humanity.

4

Bella's assisted suicide

Season 3, Episode 4, “Aperitivo”

Following her long battle with terminal lung cancer and resulting suicide attemptJack Crawford finally decides to honor his sick wife's wishes by filling a syringe with morphine and injecting it into Bella's serum. There's a tender moment when he climbs into bed next to her and kisses her forehead as she passes by. Later, while Dr. Alana Bloom (Catherine Dhavernas) is in her room helping to choose Bella's funeral attire, Jack tells her, “Bella is dead. This should change the view from these windows. It is not right if the vision remains the same. It's not right.

The most moving part of Jack and Bella Crawford's relationship is a montage of parallel scenes following her death: Jack dressing for Bella's funeral while her body is simultaneously seen being prepared. There is a cut to the wedding day, an allusion to the white dress in which he buries her, and another parallel is drawn when Bella walks down the hall to him and Jack kisses her on the forehead.

3

Hannibal and will reunite

Season 3, Episode 6, “Dolce”

After 3 seasons of death, psychosis and suffering, viewers finally get a Will and Hannibal reunion scene full of wholesome (and romantic) content. This whole scene is worthy of a water job, as it marks their first conversation since the big fight scene in Hannibal Season 2 finale, “Mizumono.” Upon seeing Will sitting next to him in the gallery, Hannibal says: “If I saw you every day forever, Will, I would remember this time.” Later, Hannibal asks Will, “What is the difference between the past and the future?” to which Will responds, “Mine? Before you and after you.”

As an honorable mention: the following Hannibal quote did not make the final cut, but in the original script for the gallery meetingHannibal tells Will, “I believe some of our stars will always be the same. You entered the hall of my mind and stumbled into the hall of my beginnings.” It's unclear if this conversation is a true representation of his feelings, given that he pulls a knife on Hannibal soon after. However, with Will's history of trying to kill Hannibal, this doesn't necessarily preclude genuine affection.

2

The red dragon's great attacks

Season 3, Episode 13, 'The Wrath of the Lamb'

Season 3's arc is drawn directly from Thomas Harris Red Dragon. It follows Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage), a serial killer obsessed with William Blake's Red Dragon, who he believes is possessing it. Dolarhyde has fallen in love with his co-worker Reba McClane (Rutina Wesley), but kidnaps her when he suspects she has discovered his secret. Francisco tells McClane, “I wanted to trust you. You felt so good. She responds, “You too, D. I loved it. Please don't hurt me now. Dolarhyde finally has mercy on Reba, staging his own death before setting the house on fire.

After her escape, Reba tells Will Graham, “He shot himself. I put my hand in it,” but as she was blinded at the age of 2 by diphtheria, she did not know that the corpse from which she removed the key was not Dolarhyde's. Although Francis Dolarhyde's crimes are undoubtedly horrific, his character can be interpreted as a very disturbed individual struggling with severe childhood trauma and unmanaged Dissociative Identity Disorder. Francisco's arc with Reba is harrowing as it shows the humanity he was capable of and how things could have been if he had received help.

1

Reichenbach Falls from Hannibal and Will

Season 3, Episode 13, “The Wrath of the Lamb”

Having worked together to attract serial killer Francis Dolarhyde (also known as the Great Red Dragon), Hannibal and Will escape to a beach house. Despite knowing that Dolarhyde is tracking them, they share a peaceful moment over a bottle of wine – the calm before the storm. Aníbal jokes, “Save yourself, kill them all?” To which Will responds, “I don’t know if I can save myself. Maybe it's okay.

Moments later, Will and Hannibal are brutally attacked. After defeating the Red Dragon together, there is a final reference to Garrett Jacob Hobbswhile Hannibal hugs Will and says: “See?” Dr. Lecter goes on to say: “This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us,” to which Will responds, “It’s beautiful.”

Both share a blood-soaked hug before falling off the cliff in the still unresolved season 3 Hannibal end. This final scene signifies the depth of the transformation that Hannibal perpetrated on Will. Graham evolves from moments like those seen in Season 1 Episode 5, “Coquilles,” when Will says “It's getting harder and harder to make myself look like,” now find beauty and exhilaration in killing – and perhaps even in his own death.