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.
When a person who knows Fell seems to suspect something, Bedelia begins to feel uncertain about her role with Lecter as he puts in danger their cover.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.57 million household viewers and gained a 0.7/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
On the night that he ate his leg, Abel Gideon (Eddie Izzard) converses with Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), viewing him as a form of Devil.
After being interviewed by the FBI, Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) finds Lecter taking a shower at her house.
In another flashback, Bedelia wakes up from a session to discover she killed Neal Frank (Zachary Quinto), a violent patient referred from Lecter.
During dinner, Dimmond notes that Bedelia's meal consists of the exact ingredients that Lecter fed to Gideon to "enhance the flavor".
The episode ends with the revelation that Lecter made a human origami with Dimmond's torso to make it appear as a heart, displaying it at a chapel.
[2] NBC would confirm the title in May 2015, with Fuller and executive producer Steve Lightfoot writing the episode and Natali directing.
[3] Fuller said that the episode would serve as a "pilot for a new series" and would answer "why she [Bedelia] was on that plane, what is her agenda, and how she fits into the bigger story.
[5] At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, Fuller confirmed that Eddie Izzard would return as Abel Gideon for the season premiere in a flashback sequence, which they were already in the process of writing at the time.
[6] In March 2015, Zachary Quinto was announced to guest star as Neal Frank, "a patient of Bedelia Du Maurier.
Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict: "The Hannibal: Season 3 premiere dived deep on the show's more quiet and dreamlike qualities, while giving us a lot to examine about Hannibal and Bedelia's dynamic – and many signs that Bedelia is a darker person than she's even admitted to herself.
"[14] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "A strong start to the season, but brace yourself for a whole lot of craziness next week.
"[15] Mark Rozeman of Paste gave the episode a 9 out of 10 and wrote, "'Antipasto' stands as the most insular entry in the history of the series, thus making it an odd choice for a season premiere.
Indeed, despite the wealth of riches inherent in this set-up, the only drawback to this approach is that very little in terms of plot-related significance truly occurs in this hour — though, to be fair, Hannibal has recently treated traditional narrative structure more as a flexible series of check points than a meticulously constructed roadway.
It breaks away from decades of television tradition as a writers' medium, as one whose virtues are based mainly in dialogue and narrative, as a filmed successor to the radio serial whose story one can still follow even while occupied with laundry or paying bills.