[S1 Ep4 Oeuf]

Or:We are family.

*Lots and lots of talk about family in this episode. Will's family(well, him and his dad..Will says he never knew his mother..I have a theory-and I think I've said this before-that she took off when Will was fairly young..young enough to not have a memory of her in any case.  Maybe since we're getting Hannibal's backstory in S3, we can get Will's in S4.)

Zeller quickly deduces that Will is an only child, and Beverly talks about Willard Wigan, who she says was also a lonely child.The fact that Will was a lonely(only) child is *that* obvious. Interesting to see the various family dynamics-Beverly comes from a large family,Price is a twin("who wouldn't want two of me?") and Zeller has sisters.

The intinerant childhood couldn't have been easy for Will, and add to that his.. gift.

We get a sense of that with Will's "Sometimes I leave the lights on in my little house and walk across the flat fields.From a distance, the house is like a ship at sea. It's really the only time I feel safe". Will carries a tremendous amount of guilt.About a lot of things.

It's interesting that Will sleeps in the downstairs of his house(I could swear he explained why that is in one of the episodes.Someone can leave a comment to  clarify.)

*Of course, all this talk of family makes sense what with the Case Of The Week involving The Mother(she's never named but I think Bryan Fuller has said that that's her character's name) played by Molly Shannon and her brood who she had turned into her own family.

*This episode has some of the most stomach turning crime scenes  in the whole series(and that's saying a LOT for this show! ) The bizarro Christmas scene especially.

*Elsewhere, we get some Abigail plot this week- "Therapy doesn't work for me".-Gee, who does that sound like.No wonder Will is one of her surrogate dads!

Hannibal serves Alana Beeriam Lass(remember when we thought that Hannibal made beer out of Miriam Lass? In hindsight..) and also doses Abigail with 'shroom tea which(understandably) incurs Alana's wrath.

*We get the obligatory Hannibal dinner scene:"What am I about to put in my mouth? Hannibal: "Rabbit"(cut to a  shot of the "rabbit" running through the woods.) Jack: "He should have ran faster" Hannibal: "Yes he should have". ROFL.

*Hannibal goes to Will's house and sticks himself on one of Will's fishing lure yet manages not to leave any evidence?He *is* wily.

*Molly Shannon's character doesn't seem to notice the interpersonal relationships between her "children". Take CJ making the younger boy Christopher piss his pants with a death stare. The Mother's reaction' "Gee Whiz"-was that an intentional pun? is rather telling.

*There are recurring themes-in the first season they are frequently discussing bite mark patterns-a nod to Red Dragon, of course.

*The theme of family is extended to Abigail- "what do you see?" "family".

*Quotable: "If you don't eat your growing foods you won't get any dessert"