10 Things You Learn Rewatching Hannibal

Much of the drama in Hannibal comes from the relationship between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, who are often portrayed as being two sides of the same coin. Show runner Bryan Fuller enjoys reversing the roles on us; Graham as the incarcerated psychopath and Lecter as the FBI consultant, with Lecter learning a few tricks from Graham himself.

Season two gives two perfect examples of this. As Graham is behind bars, in the Baltimore State Hospital For The Criminally Insane, he asks Jack Crawford, “What needs does he serve?” of the Chesapeake Ripper (Lecter all along). This is the exact same line Lecter asks Starling in The Silence Of The Lambs when discussing the Buffalo Bill case. Who exactly is quoting who?

Lecter is invited to assume Graham’s role of criminal consultant for the first time immediately after Graham himself is incarcerated. Further still, Graham manipulates Matthew Brown, an orderly in the hospital, into an attempt on Lecter's life, a trick Lecter himself tries in Red Dragon by attempting to have The Tooth Fairy murder Graham's family.

Lecter is constantly learning and adapting to his surroundings, his obsession with Graham is another opportunity to immerse himself in whatever role suits his particular needs or whatever face he needs to wear, literally or metaphorically. Hannibal learns from the best and in this case, it's from Will Graham himself.