For a show with many to choose from, Hannibal season 1 episode 8 might contain it’s most outlandish death. On the big screen, the Hannibal franchise was essentially done following the lackluster critical and financial response to 2007 prequel Hannibal Rising. Thankfully, the NBC series offered the titular cannibal the reinvention he desperately needed. Hannibal explored the relationship between Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), the FBI agent who captured him in the novels. Throughout season 1 they develop an odd friendship, which is obviously tested when Hannibal frames Will for his crimes and they spend most of season 2 in a bloody game of cat and mouse.
Hannibal became well known for its fantastic performances, unique reimaginings of familiar characters and story arcs, and it’s artful murder scenes. Disturbing and gory as many of them were, the showrunners also sought to bring a certain artistry to these setpieces too. The show came to an end after three seasons in 2015, and while there’s an upcoming CBS show following Clarice Starling after the events of The Silence Of The Lambs, it won’t be connected to NBC’s Hannibal.
The show became somewhat (in)famous for its creative deaths but Hannibal season 1 episode 8 “Fromage” might just be the most outlandish. This sees Will investigate the murder of a trombone player who has been converted into a human cello, with his throat cut open and his vocal cords using as “strings.” It’s a bizarre, creepy visual and even if “Fromage” isn’t one of the show’s strongest episodes overall, it’s memorable for this sequence alone.
Hannibal season 1 episode 8 returns to the subplot of Hannibal’s clingy patient Franklyn (Dan Fogler, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them), and his friend Tobias (Demore Barnes). It’s quickly revealed Tobias is the killer and he owns a music shop where many of his strings come from the intestines of other victims. He quickly pegged Hannibal as a fellow killer when they met and murdered the trombonist as a message to him. While he’s interested in a partnership, Hannibal is not and invites him to dinner with plans to kill him, though Tobias meets his escape before this can happen.
Elsewhere on Hannibal season 1 episode 8, Will is hearing noises of animals in distress and even breaks open part of his chimney to free one - only to find it empty. This does lead to a surprise kiss between him and Alana, though she quickly breaks it off, realizing it would be a terrible decision for them both. On a tipoff from Hannibal, Will later investigates Tobias’ shop, leading to two dead cops and Will surviving an attempt on his life. The finale finds Tobias confronting Hannibal during a therapy session with Franklyn; Hannibal kills his own patient to deny Tobias the satisfaction and the two engage in a nasty fight.
Hannibal season 1 episode 8 “Fromage” shows Hannibal to be a formidable fighter too, and he kills Tobias in “self-defense.” He’s later relieved to see Will is fine following his encounter with Tobias, and Hannibal opens up to his therapist Bedelia (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files) about his growing feelings of friendship towards Will.
Next: Is Silence Of The Lambs On Netflix, Hulu Or Prime? Where To Watch Online