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.
The episode revolves around Will Graham travelling to Hannibal Lecter's childhood home in Lithuania in order to discover more about him.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.69 million household viewers and gained a 0.5/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
In Aukštaitija, Lithuania, Graham (Hugh Dancy) sneaks into Lecter's old and seemingly abandoned estate.
The woman states that the man in the cage killed and ate Lecter's younger sister Mischa and has been the subject of psychological and mental torture for years.
As Sogliato laughs, Bedelia removes the ice pick, causing him to drop dead, with Lecter noting that she technically killed him.
Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) is revealed to be alive and arriving at Florence, meeting with Pazzi (Fortunato Cerlino).
Bedelia later questions Lecter about his past, deducing that while he didn't kill Mischa, he ate her to "forgive her" for influencing him to "betray" himself.
[6] In October 2014, Tao Okamoto was announced to play Lady Murasaki, "who possesses an alluring and classical beauty with a dark secret.
Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict: "One by one, we're finding out what happened to everyone after last season, and this week it was Jack's turn.
It's the first Hannibal episode in a while to make me impatient through some of the dream sequences and other macabre imagery (this season loves extreme close-ups of snails in motion), particularly during Will's visit to the rundown Lecter family estate in Lithuania.
It's over-the-top as a general rule, and with its lingering close-ups, often half-baked philosophizing, and grandiose murder tableaus, it’s to the creative staff's credit that the show doesn't more often dissolve into kitsch.
"[16] Brian Moylan of The Guardian wrote, "The most intoxicating aspect of Hannibal has always been the creepy atmosphere, the shrieking score, and the swamps of blood that the characters are wading through in a bleak landscape.
Hannibal comes to the inevitable realization that the only way he can truly forgive Will is to eat him, an act that's for once not out of dominance, but pure terrifying love.
I loved the shattered glass theme that went through the show, including the breaking ice that make the Titanic cocktail.
"[21] Emma Dibdin of Digital Spy wrote, "Whether or not we entirely believe him is a different story, but it's certainly true that this episode humanises Hannibal without remotely trying to explain him.
"[22] Adam Lehrer of Forbes wrote, "Director Vincenzo Natali, who also directed the premiere 'Antipaso,' has done a stunning job of shooting these episodes.