Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.More than one person said in the comments of last week’s review that they thought Michael Pitt was proving he’d be a great Joker after his performance on Hannibal . This episode took things even further in that regard and I’d venture to say that, essentially, Michael Pitt is playing the Joker. The line that really underlined that for me was when Mason told Hannibal, “You are an odd psychiatrist! We could have had some good, funny times together. It’s a damn shame!” Pitt’s delivery, particularly on the “good, funny” part (and what that clearly conveyed for two absolutely twisted individuals like Mason and Hannibal) said it all.

Mason’s inclusion into Hannibal is a risky one, in that he is so much outwardly showy than any of the other regular or recurring characters, but Bryan Fuller and the other writers, along with the directors and Pitt, have made it work. On a show already operating at an operatic, Grand Guignol level, why not have someone who doesn’t speak at the quiet tempo we’re used to and is a bit more outwardly “crazy”? As long as the actions of the others around him keeps it all feeling like it’s the same world, it can work, and I think they’ve nailed that here.

Hannibal: Hugh Dancy on Will's Dangerous Situation

When I spoke to Hugh Dancy this week , he told me that Will had come to realize you just can’t deceive Hannibal in the way you might try with anyone else, because he’s too smart for that. Hence, Will going so far as to bring to Hannibal (and consume with him) meat that Dancy believes must have been human, to represent the supposedly dead Freddie. And then here, Will actually being open with Hannibal about the fact that he had put Mason on path of revenge leading right to Hannibal. Why? “I was curious what would happen.” How can Hannibal not respect that line of thinking!?The return of Gillian Anderson as Bedelia was a very welcome surprise, as we finally understood what happened between her, her patient and Hannibal years before. What a great (and in retrospect perfect) reveal that it was Bedelia who had murdered her patient, after Hannibal had used his “persuasion” to make her do so, making her yet another person he’d turned into a killer. I was curious about Bedelia warning that Hannibal would ultimately make you kill, “somebody you love. And you will think it’s the only choice you have.” I don’t think we’re meant to believe she loved her patient in any way – someone she herself says was dangerous and who she was “to a point” engaging in self-defense when she killed him. Though who knows? Maybe that relationship was even more complicated. Clearly she saw Hannibal do things, either to herself or with others, which made her certain his ultimate goal was to take things to an even darker place.

Hannibal photo gallery: Hannibal: "Tome-Wan" Photos 7 IMAGES

Now that we know Jack is in on Will’s plan for sure, we got to see them speak openly about it here – including learning that no, Jack didn’t sanction Will mutilating Randall’s body as part of that plan. What Will said about Hannibal never truly admitting to his crimes to him is true, of course – it’s been part of the twisted fun seeing Hannibal always dance around that the entire season through his clever language and terminology. Though I will note he’s come pretty damn close to admitting he is responsible for Abigail’s death (if she’s really dead, since yeah, I continue to wonder…). Of course that’s the death, beyond Beverly, that is the most personal to Will and would make him most determined to beat Hannibal.And yes, I think this episode underlined that he doesn’t just want to stop Hannibal, he wants to beat him – outthink him. Sure, Will could just shoot and kill Hannibal at any time, but then Will would just look like a murderer himself, if he wasn’t very, very careful. But perhaps even more importantly, that would be so simple, wouldn’t it? And Will has gotten to a point where that might not be enough. In this episode, Will could have let Hannibal be killed by Mason and his men, but Will didn’t want that – or he certainly didn’t want someone else to do it, given this episode opened with Will imagining slicing Hannibal’s throat open himself.Bedelia noted that Hannibal’s weakness is his narcissism and getting lost in self-congratulation and that “whimsy” is how he will get caught. And she, Jack and Will all mean getting caught to be getting busted for his crimes. The insane Mason using his thugs to grab Hannibal and throw him into a pit of man-eating pigs isn’t what Will wants to happen. No, it feels like Will wants to look Hannibal in the eye, whether it’s to handcuff him or kill him, and let him know “I beat you.”This episode reminded us of why Will feels that need in a wonderful scene where Will flat out told Hannibal, “You don’t want me to have anything in your life that’s not you,” naming everything Hannibal had done that took away people and things Will cared for – including two different representations of a child he never had; first via Abigail and then the baby he could have had with Margot, until Hannibal manipulated Mason into stopping that from being a possibility. On a show known for its dark visuals, this took things even further, to the point where we could barely see Hannibal and Will in the shadows, in an evocative, dangerous, and sad way, as Will was so open about the loss he’s endured since this show began.So what else happened this week? Well, Hannibal proved once more how much ass he can kick in a fight with Mason's guys... And, oh yeah... Hannibal got a drugged up Mason to mutilate his own face and feed it to Will’s dogs!!! Remember when we were young and naïve and worried Hannibal would feel restricted in terms of content by NBC? This was as twisted as you can get and I continue to be amazed and, as a horror fan, delighted by what this show gets away with.Hannibal breaking Mason’s neck was a shocking moment that seemed to signal the show was, once more, going to veer wildly off of the events of the books. But no, leave it to Lecter to break Mason’s neck in a way that paralyzed him, but didn’t kill him. Which meant Margot would still have access to the family’s money, but Mason would now be at her mercy. Which is the closest thing to a happy ending Margot could get for the time being, thanks to her father’s sexism and what her brother did to her.Of course, this was not the ending Will had planned. He wanted to catch Hannibal in the act of trying to kill Mason, until Mason using his men changed things considerably. So now Will’s tiring something else completely – working to use his own persuasion to get Hannibal to reveal the truth about who he is to Jack. Something he must know Hannibal would never do without then making sure Jack was “taken care” of himself, but which he likely hopes he and Jack, together, can stop. All season though, we’ve been aware that the Jack/Hannibal fight was coming and how badly that goes for Jack. And now I’m worried just how responsible Will may be for how that plays out, even if that’s not what he wanted to happen.