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.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.38 million household viewers and gained a 0.4/1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
While Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) flees through the streets of Florence, paramedics take Pazzi's (Fortunato Cerlino) corpse.
Graham (Hugh Dancy) finally arrives at Florence, meeting with Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) to discuss Pazzi's actions.
Back in America, Mason (Joe Anderson) is notified about Pazzi's death and, lamenting that he's lost money on a "dirty" Inspector, considers bribing another.
[3] With these ratings, Hannibal ranked third on its timeslot and twelfth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Aquarius, Boom!, Rookie Blue, Mistresses, The Astronaut Wives Club, Food Fighters, Wayward Pines, Under the Dome, a Mom rerun, a The Big Bang Theory rerun, and Big Brother.
Club gave the episode an "A" and wrote, "I've enjoyed the third season of Hannibal, don't get me wrong, but it had started to languish in its own propensity for artiness.
That's when it really hit: Those first four episodes were largely place-setting and the Hannibal-Jack fight was a necessary mechanism that kick-started the real action set-pieces of the season.
"[6] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "I mean, any episode that can contain an exchange like the one Hannibal and Will have – 'Would you have done it quickly, or would you have stopped to gloat?'
"[7] Mark Rozeman of Paste gave the episode a 9.8 out of 10 and wrote, "Nevertheless, this effective cliffhanger is presented merely as the cherry on top what must stand as one of the most hardcore, extreme Hannibal entries in recent memory.
Granted, the Season Two finale, 'Mizumono', still holds its own, but that one was defined primarily by emotional intensity, whereas 'Dolce' puts itself forward as a quite literal manifestation of psychological warfare.
"[9] Brian Moylan of The Guardian wrote, "I think that Hannibal might have done it to himself, packaged himself up so that he could get close to Mason just in time to escape, and finally remove one of his opponents from the chess board.
"[11] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine wrote, "This is an unusually plot-driven episode of Hannibal that nevertheless maintains its surreal, mood-centric aura of erotic dread.
"[12] Greg Cwik of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Throughout the entirety of 'Dolce', director Vincenzo Natali, working off of an immensely quotable script by Bryan Fuller and Don Mancini, uses his impeccable sense of mise-en-scène to keep characters pinned to certain corners of the screen, framing them through the cracks and holes and contours of furniture, architecture, other people.
"[13] Laura Akers of Den of Geek wrote, "By weaving several of the stories together this season, Fuller has instead given us many characters operating for a lot of different, often contradictory reasons.
"[15] Emma Dibdin of Digital Spy wrote, "'You and I have begun to blur', Will tells Hannibal, giving voice to the symbiotic bond that has only strengthened since these characters since they parted ways.
"[16] Adam Lehrer of Forbes wrote, "So many amazing twists and turns in this episode, once again directed by the great Vincenzo Natali.
"[17] Britt Hayes of ScreenCrush wrote, "If this season of Hannibal has fully given in to avant garde proclivities, then this week's 'Dolce' is the height of Bryan Fuller and director Vincenzo Natali's madness, offering the most sweetly intense and deliciously WTF episode to date — both visually and narratively speaking.