The Wrath of the Lamb
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| "The Wrath of the Lamb" | |
|---|---|
| Hannibal episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Michael Rymer |
| Written by | |
| Featured music | Brian Reitzell |
| Cinematography by | Michael Marshall |
| Editing by | Michael Doherty |
| Production code | 313 |
| Original air dates |
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| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Wrath of the Lamb" is the series finale of the horror series Hannibal. It is the 13th episode of the third season and is the 39th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series creator Bryan Fuller, executive producer Steve Lightfoot, and co-producer Nick Antosca, and directed by Michael Rymer. It was first broadcast on August 27, 2015 on Canada, and then August 29, 2015 on NBC.
The series is based on characters and elements appearing in Thomas Harris' novels Red Dragon and Hannibal, with focus on the relationship between FBI special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham's most cunning enemy. Throughout the course of the show, the relationship between Graham and Lecter took many drastic turns, from becoming colleagues to enemies. The events of the season involved the capture of Lecter and a new threat, a serial killer named Francis Dolarhyde, also known as "The Tooth Fairy". In the series finale, Graham sets to catch Dolarhyde, using Lecter as a bait to get to him.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.24 million household viewers and gained a 0.3/1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received universal acclaim from critics, who praised nearly every aspect from the episode, including directing, writing, performances, cinematography, music score and final scene. Many deemed that despite the series' cancellation, it was a "satisfying" ending for the series.
Having kidnapped Reba (Rutina Wesley), Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage) instructs her not to escape. She still tries but is caught by Dolarhyde. He then takes a shotgun and starts spilling gasoline over his house. He lights his house on fire, but unwilling to see Reba die, shoots himself in the head with the shotgun. Having already visited the house, Reba manages to escape but is wounded.
Graham (Hugh Dancy) visits Reba at the hospital, where he deduces that Dolarhyde's love for her made him kill himself. He later visits Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) at his cell to inform him of Dolarhyde's death. During their conversation, Graham tells Lecter that he intentionally rejected him, knowing that he would turn himself in. He bids Lecter goodbye and leaves. At his hotel room, Graham is attacked by an alive Dolarhyde. Dolarhyde expresses his disappointment for Lecter's betrayal and Graham suggests that he could "change" Lecter like his previous victims.
At BAU, Price (Scott Thompson) and Zeller (Aaron Abrams) inform Graham and Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) that the body retrieved at Dolarhyde's house wasn't his and that he only used it to deceive Reba. Graham plans to use Lecter as bait in order to attract Dolarhyde's attention by a fake escape attempt. He tells Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), who is shocked at his plans. She is even more stunned when Graham informs her that if Lecter escapes, he won't go after him again. Meanwhile, Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) visits Chilton (Raúl Esparza) at his hyperbaric chamber, and warns him that Graham and Lecter could be the same and she could be manipulated.
Bloom visits Lecter to ask for his cooperation, promising to return his privileges if he helps with catching Dolarhyde. He says that he will only agree on the condition that Graham himself asks him. Graham agrees, but the plan is actually to have both Dolarhyde and Lecter killed. While en route, Dolarhyde crashes all the cars transporting Lecter, killing all the agents transporting him. Lecter and Graham wake up as the sole survivors, spared by Dolarhyde, and flee in a police cruiser. Fearing for her safety and having been threatened by Lecter, Bloom takes Margot (Katharine Isabelle) and their son to escape to a safe place.
Lecter and Graham reach Lecter's cliffside house, which is where Lecter held Abigail Hobbs and Miriam Lass. That night, as they wait for Dolarhyde, they have a conversation until Lecter is shot through the window by Dolarhyde, who then breaks through a window with a silencer. Dolarhyde intends to record Lecter's death while he taunts him. Graham tries to take out his gun but Dolarhyde stabs Graham in the cheek and throws him to the patio. A fight ensues, and they both take turns stabbing Dolarhyde with a knife and an axe until Dolarhyde is dead. Injured with multiple wounds, Lecter and Graham embrace at the cliff’s edge. Lecter tells Graham this is all he ever wanted for them, and Graham replies, "It's beautiful". They continue embracing and Graham leans over the cliff, causing them to fall into the ocean below, their fate unknown.
In a post-credits scene, Bedelia is seen sitting at a table prepared for dinner. The camera reveals that she is about to eat a cooked leg, and Bedelia's own leg appears to have been surgically removed. The table is set for three. Bedelia takes a fork and hides it in her lap as the camera pulls back and the music stops, and the scene cuts to black.
Production
Development
In April 2015, Steve Lightfoot announced that series creator Bryan Fuller, co-producer Nick Antosca and Lightfoot himself would write the thirteenth episode of the third season, with Michael Rymer directing the episode.[1] In July 2015, the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group announced that the episode would be titled "The Wrath of the Lamb".[2] In August 2015, NBC confirmed that the episode would air on August 29, 2015. This was Fuller's 33rd writing credit, Lightfoot's 21st writing credit, Antosca's third writing credit, and Rymer's ninth directing credit.[3]
