O Hannibal! My Hannibal!

Our fearful trip is (almost) done.
 Hannibal has but eight episodes left to air.

And this leaves me sad. Not since Twin Peaks has a shows entire makeup made me smile so broadly in satisfaction. The visuals, the writing....that score! And soon, it will be over . To quote another Bryan Fuller creation...."Why can't I have nice things?"

Still, three seasons are nice things to have, rather than nothing like it at all. And just like David Lynch's show, what future programs will be inspired by this work? What new wave of programs are being dreamed up in the minds of someone out there obsessing over every last frame of this work of art?

And still..........what will we see before the end?
We know that the storyline of Red Dragon will be touched upon..the casting of Francis Dolarhyde has unfortunately been leaked.Yet another surprise stolen,thank you internets.Though how deep it is indulged in is now really suspect, as this show likes to introduce threads that are payed off one or two seasons later. How soon did the writers know of the shows demise? And are they writing or rewriting a Season 3 finale that gives enough viewer closure, or will the many questions be left untouched like that weird green jello salad side dish at a tacky Thanksgiving dinner?

And what of Bedelia? So much we do not know of her.So little time to discover. Why is she so compelled to be complicit in Hannibal's cannibalism? Does she really enjoy living in terror as Hannibal's "wife"?Even with her background in psychology, she does not seem afraid to , and almost seems to get some pleasure out of, verbally poking the bear.Hannibal certainly enjoys making her relive that which troubles her thoughts by constantly taking lives in front of her and then serving them up with a good wine.
What of that Carmen Sandiego outfit she favors?Is she sending a signal to whomever might be watching? Her pattern purchases a silent cry for help? Or does she secretly hope that one day Hannibal will take her to dinner because she can not live with what she has done, but can not do the deed herself. Sadly, even if the show were to continue, we would have likely to have lost Gillian Anderson to the revival of the X-files.

The capture of Hannibal is sure to be upon us in an episode or two. With a final confrontation on the home soil of our ...umm, heroes?...as Hannibal is dragged back to the good ol' U.S.of A.

Will there be a time jump after the capture of Hannibal and "rescue" from Mason Verger's hungry pigs ? A rescue that I suspect Alana Bloon is planning all along despite her conspiratory engagement with Mason. I am beginning to believe that she has chosen to use Verger and his money to do that which the FBI could not , and bring Hannibal home.

This leap in timeline would allow for our characters some time for their wounds to scar over and for certain events in their lives to occur off screen so we may get to the drama and red stuff quicker.

I'm picturing that in this fade to black, cut to the future edit we will emerge on the other side with Hannibal behind the glass on display, Will Graham married with child and a host of survivors occasionally picking at their scabs.

This would give time for off screen events leading up to the Tooth Fairy introduction.Time for him to leave his (bite) mark and draw enough attention. Time enough for Will Graham to try to move beyond the ends of the last three seasons.GRRR ARRGH!! We have so little time left!

 With the emergence of The Tooth Fairy, this would allow us as viewers to witness Will Graham in "action" one more time, observing Dolarhyde's design.Would we also see a return to the Hannibal /Will Graham "therapy" sessions, this time separated by glass? And a few years.

It would also allow for us to see our old crime scene investigator friends as they work over a Dolarhyde diorama.While these death tableuas would lack the visual punch of a "Minnesota Shrike" ,they would at least afford us an opportunity to see these actors in action before the curtain falls. And what of Freddie Lounds? What trouble has she been up to since we last saw her fake corpse on fire?Has she been in hiding? How has Hannibal said "Welcome back to the land of the living" to her?

I  would love to see an entire episode in Hannibal's "Mind Palace" as he passes the time while imprisoned. The potential of that playground in this shows visual and writing standards gives me shivers .

One aspect that I have always admired of this show is the manner in which they take very well known storyline,character and visual beats and manage to create a completely new song. This is no cover version.In a entertainment world where the remake and sequel are king,and even though this entire story has been told twice before, the unwillingness to rely on what went before is a testament that not all imagination and creativity are dead.

Even though the Silence of the Lambs storyline is off limits due to copyright issues, I wonder how close they will come to Clarice in the end? Will they use the Sterling homage in the form of Miriam Lass? I would love to see Miriam on the out side of the glass , confronting Hannibal in his cage.The last time Lass thought she was across from her kidnapper, she shot the side of that mans face off.The dynamic of that potential dialogue gives me goosebumps..

Honestly, part of me hopes the last scene is a frontal shot of Hannibal's face as he stands, prim and proper, and waits to greet an offscreen Clarice Starling .We hear a female voice introduce herself ( and would it be an awesome get , if it was voiced by guest voice actor, Jodie Foster?) and Hannibal smiles and says " Hello, Clarice..." fade to black.