Hannibal Wiki
Register
Advertisement

"Contorno" is the fifth episode of Season 3, and the thirty-first produced hour of Hannibal. It aired on July 2, 2015.

Plot[]

Jack and Will along with Chiyoh arrive in Florence with different agendas for Hannibal while Detective Pazzi gets close.

Synopsis[]

Graham and Chiyoh travel by train to Florence, discussing her relationship with Lecter. In Florence, Du Maurier and Lecter discuss Graham and the fact that Lecter is lying in wait to kill him once he arrives. Crawford releases his wife's ashes into the river as well as his wedding ring, and has dinner with Pazzi and his wife, who are newly married. Pazzi says that he'll tell his subordinates that he's investigating Lecter when he knows for certain it's him; Crawford tells him he already knows. Bloom reveals to Verger that a blonde woman has been shopping for Lecter. Graham and Chiyoh continue to have conversations. Pazzi goes to meet Lecter, probing for information about the two murdered professors. Pazzi ultimately decides to sell Lecter to Mason Verger, a fact of which Lecter is already aware. Graham awakens to find Chiyoh outside, where she tells him that she knows Lecter is in Florence; doubting their alliance, she throws him from the train, and he is forced to continue his journey on foot. Pazzi has a video contact with Verger, who lays out the terms of his bounty, which includes a fingerprint. Pazzi goes back to Lecter with a gift for his exhibition. Lecter in turn presents an heirloom for Pazzi, an illustration of his ancestor's murder. As Pazzi goes for a knife with Lecter's fingerprint, Lecter overpowers him. Lecter has tied Pazzi to a hand truck, and while preparing to hang him with an orange power cord, he ascertains that Pazzi is working with Verger, and asks if any other authorities know. As Pazzi answers, Lecter is interrupted by a call for him from Bloom, which he answers. Before he hangs Pazzi, he cuts his belly, allowing his bowels to spill as in his ancestor's death. Crawford arrives, looking for Pazzi. A fight ensues, during which Lecter taunts Jack about the death of Bella and is brutally beaten as a result. Jack attempts to push Lecter from the same balcony window, but he arrests his fall by grabbing onto Pazzi's corpse, and having survived the fall, stumbles away.

Extras[]

  • The warrant for Hannibal on Pazzi’s computer lists “Dr. Roman Fell” as a known alias. Unless Pazzi has just added this information himself, which seems unlikely given his subsequent actions, this is a prop error, as law enforcement are unaware of this alias at this point.
  • The warrant lists Hannibal’s birth year as 1965 (which is also Mads Mikkelsen’s birth year). 

Book to Show[]

  • The episode continues the show’s loose adaptation of the novel Hannibal.
  • This episode introduces Rinaldo Pazzi’s wife, from the novel Hannibal. She was named Laura in the book, but the 2001 film adaptation changed her name to the more lyrical Allegra. Although her name on the show is not mentioned in dialogue, the script and promotional materials name her Allegra in tribute to the film.
  • Chiyoh’s description of the aroma identification game comes almost verbatim from narration in Hannibal Rising.
  • Chiyoh and Will’s dialogue describing Hannibal as a cub comes from the novel Hannibal, where Barney recounts Hannibal describing Clarice this way.
  • Chiyoh’s backstory, being sent by her family to serve as Murasaki’s attendant in order to learn from her, comes from Hannibal Rising.
  • Will’s line about Hannibal coming in the guise of a mentor comes from Dr. Doemling in the novel Hannibal, where he describes Hannibal’s relationship with Clarice this way.
  • Pazzi’s dialogue about his “young and lovely wife” comes from narration in the novel Hannibal. She is cast in a somewhat less favorable light in the book, described as having an “ever-open beak,” with her expensive tastes portrayed as at least partly responsible for Pazzi betraying his duties and selling Hannibal to Mason. In the book, the twelve pounds ground off Pazzi’s frame are due to him overworking to provide for her demands, whereas in the show this weight loss is implied to be due to a healthier lifestyle after marrying her. 
  • Allegra says, “La Vita Nuova,” the title of Dante Alighieri’s first collection of sonnets. In the novel, Hannibal says this to Pazzi upon noticing his new wedding ring.
  • Jack mentions meeting Bella in Italy in backstory from The Silence of the Lambs, last referenced in the episode “Coquilles.”
  • Pazzi and Jack’s dialogue about Pazzi’s feelings for his wife, his present role in the Questura, his former subordinates enjoying his fall from grace, and about being “disgraced and out of fortune” and inclined toward “a dangerous game outside the law” all comes from narration in the novel Hannibal.
  • Alana has a place setting from Hannibal’s home, just as Clarice has laid out in her headquarters in the novel Hannibal, when trying to track Lecter. The 19th-century silverware from Christofle, the Gien French china from Tiffany, and the damask table linens from Christofle are what Hannibal buys in the book when settling into his new place in Maryland. Alana’s line that Hannibal likes to shop also comes from narration in this part of the novel.
  • Mason’s line that Hannibal likes music, wine, food and Alana comes from a similar thought Clarice has, substituting herself for Alana. Alana’s line about taste comes from Clarice’s thoughts in the same part of the book.
  • Hannibal’s Vera Dal 1926 order, last referenced in “Antipasto,” comes from the novel Hannibal. In the book, Clarice does not conceive her plan to locate Hannibal by his tastes until after he has murdered Pazzi and fled Florence. Although Clarice tracks sales of Bâtard-Montrachet in the book, Hannibal is ultimately traced to the Baltimore area through the purchase of a different wine Clarice was also tracking, Château d’Yquem.
  • Will’s line, “In the gnawing sameness of your days, did you look at the shape of things?” is taken from narration in the novel Hannibal describing Clarice’s mood during her search for Hannibal.
  • Pazzi and Hannibal’s first meeting is adapted from Chapter 19 of the novel Hannibal (the first half of this chapter was already adapted in “Antipasto”). In the book, Pazzi had not met Hannibal before, and the scene takes place at the Palazzo Vecchio, following a debate over Hannibal’s appointment. The show eliminates a lengthy exchange about a surgical scar on Hannibal’s hand (from the removal of his distinctive sixth finger, a character trait that the show, like all prior film incarnations, dropped). The show adds the dialogue about the death of Sogliatto, who is alive and well in the book. The references to the curator’s presumed fate, to Pazzi “sifting the circumstances for profit,” and his summing-up of the curator’s circumstances and assets come from narration in the same chapter. The dialogue when Hannibal recognizes Pazzi’s resemblance to the figure in the chapel comes directly from dialogue in the chapter. 
  • The dialogue about the real-life 1478 assassination plot by Francesco de’ Pazzi comes from narration in the novel, as does the reference to the Pazzi family being “brought low.”
  • The exhibition of Atrocious Torture Instruments comes from the novel Hannibal, where it is housed not in the Palazzo Capponi, but rather in the Forte di Belvedere. In the book, Pazzi spots Hannibal for the second time at the exhibition, and it is here that he realizes Hannibal’s true identity.
  • Pazzi’s pay phone call is adapted faithfully from Chapter 22 of the novel. However, in the book, he flies to Paris to make the call. 
  • As in the novel Hannibal, Hannibal plays Mozart’s Sonata in B-Flat Major. In the book, he plays it on harpsichord in his Maryland residence. Hannibal’s explanation for his preference for the harpsichord is abridged from narration in the same chapter.
  • Hannibal’s dialogue about standing close enough to smell Pazzi and the elements of epiphany being present come from his thoughts in the novel. Bedelia pondering Pazzi’s potential deadly fates comes from Hannibal mulling his options in the same chapter.
  • The line about Pazzi having to lurk and think and it being too soon to flush his quarry come from Pazzi’s thoughts in the novel, as does Hannibal and Bedelia’s dialogue about what Pazzi’s honor is worth, up through Hannibal’s line that it is better to sell him.
  • Hannibal’s line about the bounty comes from the gloating letter he sends Mason in the novel after fleeing Florence.
  • Mason’s dialogue informing Pazzi about the reward and the advance is spoken by the Geneva attorney over the phone in the novel.
  • Mason and Pazzi’s dialogue about not wanting to alarm Hannibal comes from Pazzi’s thoughts in the novel, as does Alana’s line about Pazzi having no illusions that he is selling Hannibal into torture and death.
  • The closing dialogue lines from Pazzi’s video chat with Mason (about when Pazzi will get the rest of the money, and Pazzi not wanting him near Florence) is also how their phone call ends in the novel. 
  • The show eliminates a lengthy plotline from the novel Hannibal where Pazzi conspires with several Gypsies to get Hannibal’s fingerprint on a bracelet for Mason. Also gone are a small subplot about Hannibal meeting the Pazzis at a concert and flirting with Pazzi’s wife, and Carlo and his crew (who are already dead in the show) assisting Pazzi in the capture attempt.
  • The restoration workers in the Palazzo Capponi call to mind the workers constantly present in the Palazzo Vecchio in the novel, during the debate over “Dr. Fell”’s appointment and his Studiolo talk.
  • In the book, Hannibal kills Pazzi in the Palazzo Vecchio after his lecture to the Studiolo, as adapted in “Antipasto.” This episode picks up Chapter 36 of the novel where “Antipasto” left off, beginning with Hannibal showing Pazzi the carving of Francesco de’ Pazzi’s hanging (in the novel, he shows him a slide he “missed” from the lecture depicting the same subject matter). Their dialogue roughly approximates the book, although Hannibal’s description of the archbishop comes from narration much earlier in the book, and the show adds the reference to thirty pieces of silver, driving home the biblical parallel to Judas Iscariot. Since the show eliminates the Hannibal/Laura subplot, Hannibal’s book line, “I’m giving serious thought to eating your wife,” is changed to a threat against Pazzi himself. All of the dialogue after Pazzi regains consciousness is almost verbatim from the novel, although again with the threats toward Pazzi’s wife redirected at Pazzi himself. The show eliminates dialogue where Lecter extorts Pazzi’s access code for the VICAP system at Quantico, and also cuts a lot of Pazzi’s begging. In the book, Hannibal has Pazzi use blinks rather than nods to communicate. Pazzi’s death occurs exactly as in the book. The aftermath is completely different, however; the fight with Jack replaces the capture attempt by Carlo and his men.
  • Hannibal answering Pazzi’s cell phone was an addition of the 2001 film adaptation, which the show keeps. In the movie, Clarice was on the other end; as with much of this stretch of the show, Alana assumes Clarice’s role. The call is roughly as it occurs in the film, and Hannibal’s “awkward moment” line comes almost verbatim from the film. Pazzi’s fall also pays tribute to the film adaptation, with several shots and the editing style being almost identical.
  • Hannibal saying night and day must have been much the same for Bella comes from narration describing Mason in the novel Hannibal.
  • Hannibal’s line about Jack being capable of giving any medication Bella might have needed comes from narration in The Silence of the Lambs (in the book, he practiced injections on a lemon rather than an orange).

Cut Scenes[]

  • The script includes a scene of Jack and Pazzi scanning CCTV footage of the Florence train station looking for Will, and instead spotting Bedelia. They run to capture her, but when they get to the platform she vanishes into the crowd, leaving only her Vera Dal 1926 bag. The shooting of this sequence can be glimpsed on the DVD/Blu Ray feature Hannibal on the Run.
  • On the audio commentary for “Digestivo,” Bryan Fuller says that this episode originally involved Will and Chiyoh hunting for a Verger henchman on the train who had been sent for Will, but this subplot was dropped due to time and budget restrictions. Hints of what this story entailed can be glimpsed on an outline on a whiteboard in the writers' room seen in the DVD/Blu Ray feature Getting the Old Scent Again. The outline was written before the decision had been made to replace Murasaki with Chiyoh this season. In the outline, Will and Murasaki casually encounter a "passenger" on the train. Subsequently, the police search the train and arrest Will and Murasaki (presumably for the murder of the Caged Man: it is said earlier in the outline that Hannibal sees the "Icarus" tableau in a newspaper and says Will left him a Valentine). A sniper kills the police, allowing Will and Murasaki to return to the train as it leaves. The "Deadly Guardian Angel" then sits down beside them and Will asks who he is working for, then kills him, and they dispose of the body.

Navigational[]

Season 3 Episodes

AntipastoPrimaveraSecondoAperitivoContornoDolceDigestivoThe Great Red DragonAnd the Woman Clothed With The SunAnd the Woman Clothed In Sun... And the Beast From the SeaThe Number of the Beast is 666The Wrath of the Lamb

Advertisement