| “ | Next time, bring your wife. I'd love to have you both for dinner.
— Lecter to Jack
|
” |
The relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Jack Crawford. They first met in Apéritif. They both claim to care about Will and want to help him. They often share similar opinion.
Season 1[]
In Apéritif, Jack is hoping
to help Will cope with the stresses of chasing the killer, is referred by Alana to her mentor, Dr Hannibal Lecter, an expert in the field of psychology. Jack brings Hannibal to Quantico to brief him on the case, where Lecter also meets Will.
In Potage, in his office, Jack Crawford speaks to Alana and Dr Lecter about Abigail Hobbs. Jack is up against the clock and needs to start providing answers to the families of victims. He knows Abigail has a treasure trove of information that could wrap the case up once and for all. Alana works to protect Abigail from the investigators. If they interrogate her too soon, she won't
open up. But Alana does concede Abigail was acting suspicious when they talked. Against Alana's wishes, Jack demands Will talk to Abigail.
Later, Abigail wants to return home, but there are conflicting opinions on whether that would be healthy for the still recovering girl. On Hannibal's suggestion, Jack approves of bringing Abigail home - after all, it serves his own agenda of wrapping up the case.
In Oeuf, At an evening meal, Lecter feeds Jack an elegant 'rabbit' dinner where he reveals he suspects Abigail was part of her father's murders. In flashbacks, we see Lecter's 'rabbit', which was actually a man running, panicked, through a wooded area, and Jack innocently jokes 'it should have hopped faster'.
In Coquilles, Jack Crawford and his wife Bella share a beautifully crafted meal at Hannibal's house. When Hannibal
delivers a foie gras course, Bella politely declines on account of her moral stance against the dish's cruelty. Hannibal assures her that he is staunchly opposed to animal cruelty, as it's one of the first signs of a sociopath. No, Hannibal Lecter prefers ethical butchery.
In Entrée, Jack makes an unexpected visit to Hannibal's office. His wife won't open up to him about her struggle with cancer, and Jack hopes Hannibal will help fill him in. But Dr. Lecter must respect his patient confidentiality agreement and reveals little more than a basic comfort - telling Jack his wife still loves him. Jack thinks about her pending death constantly and is broken up about it. Hannibal sees this as a dreading of loss.
When alone with Hannibal, Jack thinks the Ripper is using the bait of Miriam being alive as a means of clouding his judgment with the prospect of hope. Hannibal encourages Jack not to lose hope in his wife - she's lost it, which means he needs to be optimistic all the more.
Dr Lecter then asks Jack to tell him about Miriam, but in a flashback, it's revealed that Miriam once went to
Hannibal during her investigation to inquire about the Ripper. Hannibal may have a connection to a recent victim. When Hannibal offers to check his notes on the second floor of his office, Miriam peruses his desk and notices a sketch that perfectly resembles the victim's wounds in the most recent crime. Realizing Hannibal's the Ripper, Miriam panics as Hannibal grabs her and strangles her.
In Fromage, after the death of both Tobias and Franklyn, Will and Jack question Hannibal as the FBI combs through the crime scene in his office. Will apologizes for bringing Hannibal into "his world," though with each ill-step, it seems Hannibal is getting closer to bringing Will into his...
In Buffet Froid, Hannibal and Jack converse over drinks. Hannibal accuses Jack of knowingly allowing the deterioration of Will's psyche by placing him in harm's way with these investigations. Jack thinks Will's temporary mental health is a small price to pay for the saved lives of many. Regardless, Hannibal knows Will has a psychological tendency to mirror what's around him, and so placing him at these crime scenes doesn't just rub off on him, the terror and macabre absorbs into his entire being...
Jack wonders to Hannibal whether Georgia will make a full
recovery, and more importantly, whether she'll remember what she's done. Dr. Lecter says he hopes she doesn't, for her sake... but it's revealed that Hannibal was the one who killed Dr. Sutcliffe - not Georgia! She wandered into the room that night, and Hannibal handed her the weapon...
In Relevés, Jack goes to Dr. Lecter for information about Will. What is Will's relationship with Abigail Hobbs at the moment? Jack wonders if Will's perceived debt towards Abigail has flooded over into the criminal. But Hannibal suggests otherwise - in the time he's known Will, Lecter's never got the sense of criminality from him. In fact, Hannibal is interested by Will's new theory, as he is Hobbs' copycat and responsible for the murder pinned on Georgia. Will is searching for Hannibal; he just doesn’t know it yet. Jack isn't completely satisfied with his conversation with Hannibal, so he visits Dr. Du Maurier to speak with her about one of her patients... Later, Jack storms into Hannibal's office looking for Will. Crawford is furious with Dr. Lecter's recently handling of Graham, but Hannibal defends his work - he was too busy trying to figure out if Will had a dissociative disorder or if Jack's insistence on Will being in the line of fire was the source of his mental instability. Hannibal utilizes the opportunity to manipulate Jack. Lecter plants the seeds of Will's culpability, mentioning how Graham was the last
person to see both Dr. Sutcliffe and Georgia Madchen. Hannibal wonders if Will's mind is slowly dissociating and ultimately becoming Garrett Hobbs. Jack knows Hobbs tried to kill his daughter and panics because Will is currently with Abigail. As Jack rushes out of the room, Hannibal's demeanor abruptly changes as the door latch shuts.
In Savoureux, Will is on the run, and Hannibal sits down with Jack and Alana to discuss his escape. When Alana mentions her clock test, Hannibal produces a doctored one of his own, supposedly taken a few weeks ago, except this one is flawless. Alana is all the more confused, though Hannibal is playing her like a fool. Jack thinks they have a full-fledged psychopath on their hands. Later, in his office, Hannibal encounters Will, who is hiding on his balcony. Will tells Hannibal he could've believed he killed just Abigail, but when he got accused of all the copycat killings, he knew he was being set up. Playing along, Hannibal says they'll have to act as if he did commit the murders and then disprove the theory.
Interviews[]
"I think part of the fun is certainly going to be the investigations into what has happened at the end of this first season. In Season 2, we have to see Jack Crawford get his own answers. I’m excited, because Will Graham will certainly have told Jack, “Hannibal set me up, and Hannibal did all of this.” Jack has to investigate that, and Jack has to come to his own answers, while Hannibal is being manipulative and meticulous in his navigation of that investigation, to his benefit. So ther ares exciting cat-and-mouse games to be had all throughout the season, not just with Hannibal and Will Graham, but particularly with Hannibal and Jack Crawford. I’m excited about seeing more of Jack Crawford integrated into the greater mythology of the story and Season 2." (Bryan Fuller)