Su-zakana (Hannibal)

Graham catches a fish and brings it to Lecter so they can have dinner with Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne). Meanwhile, a farmer asks a veterinarian to inspect a dead horse at a stall. When the veterinarian opens the horse's uterus, they are shocked to discover a dead woman inside.

Mason Verger sexually assaults his sister Margot, collecting her tears and stirring them into his martini. She attends therapy with Lecter, explaining how Mason has been abusing her for years, and that she is planning on attacking him. Lecter states that he would have to report her if she plans to harm him, but also encourages her to defend herself. At BAU, Price (Scott Thompson) and Zeller (Aaron Abrams) perform an autopsy and are shocked when the corpse appears to have a heartbeat. When they open her chest cavity, a live bird flies out of her body.

Graham inspects the stable, deducing that the killer inserted her in the uterus in order to be "reborn". They question employee Peter Bernardone (Jeremy Davies), who denies any involvement. His behavior prompts Graham to consider him a suspect, but not the killer. The FBI conducts inspection on mass burial ground after finding soil in the victim's throat, finding up to 15 bodies and an empty grave belonging to the woman found in the horse. Graham privately questions Peter again, who confesses that he had the soil inserted to lead to social worker Clark Ingram (Chris Diamantopoulos), who is probably involved in the murders. Clark is brought to interrogation, where Graham is suspicious of him and even considers that he could manipulate Peter. Due to lack of evidence, Clark is released.

At the stable, Peter discovers a horse that injured him earlier, dead. Clark appears, having killed the horse with a hammer, intending to frame him. A few moments later, Graham and Lecter arrive at the stable, finding that Peter has sewn Clark into the horse. However, Clark is not actually dead, as Peter wants him to suffer like his victims. As Peter and Graham talk, Clark emerges from the horse, intending to kill Peter with the hammer, until Graham appears holding him at gunpoint. Graham intends to kill him for his treatment of Peter, but just as he pulls the trigger of his revolver, Lecter blocks its hammer with his thumb before taking the gun away, sparing Clark. As the episode ends, Lecter notes how Graham's unpredictability got the best of him despite his manipulations, which he finds impressive.

In January 2014, Bryan Fuller announced that the eighth episode of the season would be titled "Su-zakana".^[1] NBC would confirm the title in March 2014, with co-executive producer Scott Nimerfro, Fuller, and executive producer Steve Lightfoot writing the episode and Vincenzo Natali directing. This was Fuller's 17th writing credit, Nimerfro's 6th writing credit, Lightfoot's 9th writing credit, and Natali's first directing credit.^[2]

In January 2014, it was reported that the season would introduce Margot Verger, a character from the novel, Hannibal.^[3] Later, Katharine Isabelle joined the series to play Margot, "a potential romantic interest for Will who also happens to be a patient of The Carnivorous One. [...] Margot has suffered years of abuse at the hands of her serial-killer twin brother."^[4]

A few days later, Jeremy Davies and Chris Diamantopoulos were announced as guest stars. Davies played Peter Bernardone, "an animal rescue worker who becomes a suspect when a bizarre murder is discovered at a stable where he once worked"; Diamantopoulos played Clark Ingram, "Peter's longtime social worker who has perhaps been too influential in his client's life".^[5]