#this is my further elaboration and also me finally disagreeing bc back when I joined the fandom I would hear the claim I’m talking about

[puppydoggraham]

I have seen a lot of people discuss Hannibal x Will in s1. I’ve seen claims that Hannibal did what he did to Will just to see what would happen. I’m finally speaking my truth and I disagree. Hannibal is an incredibly deliberate and intentional person. We see this with the words he chooses, how he goes about murdering/cooking/setting up his tableaux, etc. Will is the most important thing to Hannibal. From the second he laid eyes on him, he saw something in him and that was before he even got to know him. There’s a reason we call it love at first sight.

You think he really induced so much pointless suffering in him for… nothing? Just to see what would happen? No. He knows what kind of man Will is early on. He realizes he has this righteous anger. So how can he get Will to embrace his darker nature that he suppresses? By tapping into that righteous anger. So what does Hannibal do? He frames Will for murder. It’s the easiest way to achieve this. Hannibal is a good manipulator. He could’ve disguised this better if that’s what he really wanted. But he wants Will to know. That way his righteous anger can be activated. We also joke about how Hannibal likes Will’s murder fantasies and yes part of it is because Hannibal is Just Like That. But also it means Will is coming into his himself. With each murder fantasy about Hannibal, he gets closer to embracing himself which is what Hannibal ultimately wants.

It’s important to remember that the show is through Will’s perspective which is why I think a lot of people have this takeaway. When Hannibal and Will are having the confrontation in the finale of s1 where Will has a gun pointed at Hannibal, Hannibal says “You said it felt good to kill Garrett Jacob Hobbs. Would it feel good to kill me now?” This is insight to the fact that what he’s done is not pointless. That he’s trying to call on the same righteous anger that Will felt over killing Garrett Jacob Hobbs now.

Will says further into the encounter “You were just curious what I would do. Someone like me. Someone who thinks how I think. Wind him up and watch him go.” From his perspective, that is what is going on. He doesn’t realize what Hannibal is actually trying to do. Of course he has a surface level read on the situation. It seems like fans have internalized this since like I said, the show is from Will’s pov.

#hannibal #hannigram #nbc hannibal #will graham #hannibal lecter #hannibal analysis #Hannibal meta #I was swayed into this by reading a Hannibal analysis I so vehemently disagreed with #and I was thinking about Will’s righteous anger #this is my further elaboration and also me finally disagreeing bc back when I joined the fandom I would hear the claim I’m talking about #and be like 😶😶😶😶 #I never really agreed but I went along with it and was like ok ig #not anymore we take a stance like men