My take on Dr Bedelia Du Maurier

[frenchani]

Spoilers if you haven't seen the last episode of Hannibal.

From the moment her character was introduced, Bedelia embodied coldness and detachment...

Comments

[bleodswean]

GREAT analysis. I love how you watch shows with such a symbolic and archetypal eye! Yesterday I dismissed Bedelia as being entirely insane, the most insane in a sea of insanity....but your words here have me reconsidering.

An Olympian goddess!!! I LOVE THAT!!! Hmmmm.....

I did pause with her questioning of Will...as though she were giving him a verbal Rorschach. Here's where I think they got the bird question -

Which then follows....that "it's a test designed to evoke an emotional response". How to reveal a robot. A man-made creature.

[frenchani]

Yeah I thought of Blade Runner first too, but then I read about Fueller tweeting that he was inspired by that Jodie Foster's quote...

[bleodswean]

Yeah. No. Fuller is not a truth-teller and he's proven himself to be a borrower. The delivery, the expression, it's all here. First. :)

[frenchani]

But Foster did give that interview in 1994 and really said she would kick the wounded bird on the sidewalk...and Gilian Anderson's Scully was a Jodie Foster-from-Silence-Of-The-Lamb wannabe when The X-Files started, so I'm enclined to believe him here.

BTW in Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles (a great show you should check!)they paid a tribute to the Blade Runner's scene with Leon showing an actual tortoise on its back!

[herself_nyc]

Great analysis, and I agree with it. One wonders what the early life of such a detached cold person could've been.

I was wondering during the period when she was fronting as his wife if she and Hannibal were having sex, but I think not; it was interesting that they never showed us whether they had separate bedrooms. The sensual hair-washing, and the dancing, seemed to be a substitute, rather than an indicator, of the sexual act between them, and you could argue that they were indulgences of Hannibal's sensibilities rather than anything mutual. He enjoyed washing her hair so she permitted it.

She's nearly as scary as Hannibal, because she's so emotionless.

And yes I thought of Buffy, too. :)

[frenchani]

I liked the ambiguity concerning their private life and living arrengement. There was a lot of intimacy (remember when they ate from the same snail stick!)and Hannibal obviously liked to touch her, and she let him do so...but I can't see how someone so cold, so in control, and without passion could have actual sex. She wouldn't even bother to fake!

And of course Hannibal knew it wasn't her thing. So yeah I guess there was a tacit "no sex" rule between them.

Now I'm imagining them as the Tippi Hedren/Connery couple in Marnie! Except that eventually Sean Connery forced himself on his frigid wife. I don't believe Hannibal would do that...

[herself_nyc]

No, I don't either. I felt like Hannibal wasn't particularly driven about sex; he has an affair with Alana because he needs to manipulate her, and while he's obviously good at sex -- he doesn't do anything he's not good at -- I think he's probably also good at doing without sexual partners. I think he wants Will sexually, but apart from that desire which is unlikely to come to pass, I imagine Hannibal is capable of satisfying those needs on his own.

In fact, during my brief toe-dipping into Hannibal fanfic I came across a terrific little vignette story about Hannibal masturbating -- which he went about with the same forethought, planning, preparation and deliberate artfulness that he does everything we've ever actually seen him do. Heh.

[frenchani]

I believe that Hannibal had various sex affairs in his life, not only with Alana, and probably enjoyed having sex with them but I also believe he can go without any sexual partner for a long time indeed, just like he can do without freedom and live in his mind palace so he probably indulged Bedelia's policy.

Does Hannibal want Will sexually? I am not sure. I think that in his eyes their love story is more an instance of agape rather than eros.

In this 'verse, Will plays Clarice's role, and Clarice turned out to be a Mischa stand-in to Hannibal...yet I think their relationship became sexual eventually.

which he went about with the same forethought, planning, preparation and deliberate artfulness that he does everything we've ever actually seen him do.

Haha! I can totally picture that!

But I won't ask for a link! ;- )