A Matter of Taste: 042: Hannibal 2x12 "Tome-Wan"

SPOILERS UP TO (and including) HANNIBAL 2x12, as well as MAJOR SPOILERS for the Hannibal novel/movie.

In this episode:

Discussion of Hannibal 2x12 "Tome-Wan," including the most horrific thing we've ever seen, ever, Hannibal's amazing reaction to Mason trouncing around his office with an utter lack of respect, the plot points and details cherry-picked from Thomas Harris' Hannibal, Bedelia's return, and where we think things might go in the finale.
We dive right into the super-upsettingness of the Mason scene, the uncanny valley (drink) nature of his mask, and how we can see the Vergers featuring into the rest of the series.
How much of the books/movies the show is burning this early in its run, so where do we go from here? (drink)
C'MON, STEVE LIGHTFOOT. GIVE US A FLASHBACK. PRETTY PLEASE WITH ~~PEOPLE~~ SUGAR ON TOP.
Who will live? Who will die? How fucked up will it really be?
If you're trying to minimize your spoilers for future storylines, the biggest spoilers for the Hannibal novel/movie begin around the 54:00 mark.
Next week: A special guest will be joining us for the finale! Hint: It's Cleo. ...I may not entirely understand the whole concept of "hints."

THERE'S ALWAYS AN ADDENDUM:

Made it through the whole episode without making a Hitchhiker's Guide reference. I'm...slightly disappointed in ourselves.
Bryan Fuller's AV Club interview on this episode. Just as fair warning: He makes a few vague comments about the season finale near the end.
The Wikipedia article for the novel Bedelia by Vera Caspary
The point I think I was trying to make RE: Bedelia and Hannibal's role reversal as patient and psychiatrist, and what Fio basically comes to on the podcast: The way she characterizes her relationship with Hannibal draws connections to Randall Tier, Margot Verger, and of course Will, and back to the major themes of Shiizakana in general. That's where I'm getting this whole "teacher/acolyte" idea from. Bedelia, like Randall, Margot, and Will seems to have at one time been one of Hannibal's "students"--a "student of predators," as Will comments about Randall. Interestingly, it also possibly casts Will's bringing up Bedelia in the whole "How many are there?" conversation in Shiizakana in an entirely new light.
You in danger, girl. (As if anyone who's spent a modicum of time on the Interwebs needs a link.)
The production still of Bedelia from the season finale that I bring up. EDIT: As an anonymous Tumblr user brought up, the post actually says 113, not 213, meaning it's from Savoureux, not Mizumono. Doesn't mean she can't be in the finale, but yeah. My mistake, and my most sincere apologies.
Highlights from Fio's timestamps:

9:55 - I’m stumbling over my words a lot around here, care to clean this up and make me not sound like an idiot? I know it’s a tall order, but I trust you, Ian. I trust your judgement. I trust your ability to judge the heat and texture of a poorly cooked ravioli and I trust that you would stop a well meaning manticore from losing an argument with a storm drain.
17:22 - I’m pretty sure that with that Gaiman quote it’s originally used to reference retellings and I’m just bogarting it to talk about adaptations. But I guess you could make a very reasoned argument that adaptations are just retellings with a bit of a medium shift. Blah.
31:51 - Mason whips out... test the meat... heyoooooooooo
46:10 - A Matter of Interpretation is our spinoff podcast where we’re even more obtuse and pedantic

Music:

Intro: "This is My Design" - original song, music by Ian. More on this as it develops.
Outro: "March of the Pigs" - Nine Inch Nails | YouTube | iTunes |

A Matter of Taste