User Reviews

Truly stunning television. This episode introduces us to the Dr Able Gideon played perfectly by the wonderful Eddie Izzard as well as the iconic Frederick Chilton and the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. This is also the episode that starts the Chesapeake Ripper and Miriam Lass story line which would eventually have repercussions through the entire show. Not really anything bad to say about this one. Does it's job and it does it with style, 9/10

Eddie Izzard stars in this week's Hannibal, in an episode that overtly nods to the cannibalistic canon from which it is part of. The Harris novels and The Silence of the Lambs have been referenced through and through adding extra enjoyment to viewing. It forms a somewhat bizarre game of Dr. Lecter bingo – from Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane to the not-so-pleasant Dr. Chilton, Jack Crawford's former student, Miriam (aka Clarice) to Dr. Gideon, a slightly more playful version of Anthony Hopkins. Before you know it you're shouting 'HOUSE!', whilst Dr. Lecter serves up a delightful plate of... tongue.

We first join Gideon in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. After two years of being the most well behaved sociopathic patient (serving time for murdering his family), he faked an illness to end up in the hospital infirmary. Gideon then proceeds to brutally murder his only accompanying nurse, an act we see via Will Graham who cast himself as Gideon to relive the murder - a particularly effective sequence forming the first time we see Graham commit such levels of brutality. The way in which the nurse was murdered (ya know... throttling, eye-gouging and impalement by hospital instruments) equated Gideon with the infamous Chesapeake Ripper, providing comfort to the likes of Dr. Chilton who firmly believes (or forces himself to believe) he is the true culprit and locked away forever. However, one major difference in the pattern of killing (organs - bingo!) puts fear in the heads of Graham and particularly, Crawford, that the Ripper is still at large. Queue various psychological evaluations in a danky cell incredibly reminiscent of the Clarice interviews from The Silence of the Lambs.

Flashback two years and we have the second piece of evidence to prove that Gideon is not the Ripper - Miriam. As a prime student Crawford nominated her to be part of the investigative team when the Ripper was at large. This however, went horribly wrong. So much so in fact, that Miriam died – the guilt for which plagues Crawford to the present day as he is continuously haunted by voicemail messages from her. Who is leaving the voicemails? Is it actually Gideon? Or is he just an adversary? If so, for whom? Whilst we know the inevitable answer to such questions, this narrative enigma strand is so wonderfully written, the intermittent teasing throughout the episode is somewhat enthralling.

In one last desperate attempt to encourage the Ripper to show himself, Graham and Crawford contact their favourite journalist, Freddie Loundes. She publishes a piece assigning Gideon as the Ripper in order to enrage the true culprit. It works – Dr. Lecter's rage overtly exudes from his eyes as he slams his laptop shut. His shining moment arrives at the end of the episode though. Throughout he has been manipulating as ever, teasing the guilt over Miriam out of Crawford. Whilst both drink by the fire divulging thoughts on her loss, the episode reaches its final flashback – Miriam's meeting with Dr. Lecter. It ends in a violent and throttling manner as the shoes come off and the throat grabbing begins.

Bar one or two impaled bodies, this week was relatively gore free. Instead we were treated to a more enigmatic storyline, intermittently teased whilst we revelled in the hyperdiegetic world of Harris' novels. Performances were strong as usual although in comparison to previous weeks, Graham remained in the background. Instead it was 'Socio-path Idol' in which finalists Dr. Lecter and Dr. Gideon were proverbially pitted against one another. Dr. Lecter won out however for having the most potential. His weekly increase of violence and intensity (exemplified in this episode) continues to heighten every bit of anticipation for his next move... and his next dish.

This is probably the point of the Show where it becomes less of a contained episodic production and more of a inter-linked episodic production.

The plot is seemingly simple with Eddie Izzard's character of Dr. Gideon , a psychopathic killer who is incarcerated at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, killing a night nurse in a gruesome manner similar to that of the notorious serial killer known as the Chesapeake Ripper, causing the press to start wondering if Gideon IS the Ripper. However, the plot rapidly grows complex as it is steadily revealed that Gideon is lying and the Real Ripper is still out there, and he's tormenting Jack Crawford with his failure to catch him.

This is an important episode, not just because of the plot, but also it introduces two key characters in the series: Dr. Frederick Chilton and Miriam Lass, an FBI trainee who gets to close to the Ripper case. Chilton, who many of the movie fans will remember as being one of the biggest slime-bags out there, is just as slimy in this production, if not more so. Miriam Lass is a clear composite of Clarice Starling, but with a different fate at the moment.

Great atmospheric episode that doesn't rely too heavily on the gore-art as the previous ones.

#stayscared!

This Episode begins with Dr. Gideon, he has been brought to the medical unit. Will and Jack have a conversation with Chilton about Gideon. A woman has been killed by Gideon on a very cruel way. Alana has a conversation with Gideon. Jack got called by Miriam, she is in danger. Freddie speaks with Gideon. Hannibal invited Chilton and Alana for diner. Jack and Will found Miriam, she has been killed. It gets clear that Hannibal killed Miriam. Nice Episode of Hannibal Season 1, such a good storyline. Hannibal his life gets more complicated every Episode! Now let's see how the ripper story continues!

My Reaction / Review for Hannibal Season 1 Episode 6: Episode 5 was good and I gave it a rating of 8/10. The Chesapeake Ripper is by far the most interesting of these killers. Is Hannibal the Chesapeake Ripper? Probably. It will be interesting to see if the Chesapeake ripper will kill after reading the article by Freddie Lounds. Hannibal doesn't like the article, interesting. Wow Hannibal gives to his guests human tongues to eat? Disgusting. Love the way the episode ends, we finally get some Hannibal action. Hannibal is such a good liar, I love it. Great episode overall and also great ending. My rating is 8.5/10.