#S2 when will goes to resume his therapy

[wildrbst]

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[k-s-morgan]

When Hannibal was dating Alana to alienate her from Will at a certain point he seemed to lose faith that Will would trust him again bc Will kept accusing him of framing him for the murders and then sent Matthew Brown to kill him. My question is: what do you think Hannibal’s plan was at that point? Bc also Will points a gun at him... would he keep trying to make Will trust him again? so do you think if Will hadn’t turn up at Hannibal’s office to resume therapy that Hannibal was going to continue to chase Will? Even with Will being hostile and knowing he framed him?

Idk at certain points during that SL it seemed like Hannibal had lost hope Will would come back to him and trust him again.

That might be up to interpretation, but I personally think that Hannibal was mostly pleased with how his plan was going throughout S2! I also don’t think he dated Alana to alienate her from Will, exactly, but I’ll address this bit later.

With Will in prison, Hannibal’s goal was to push him toward his Becoming. He tried to tell him this, but for a while, Will wasn’t ready to listen.

Hannibal: Our conversations, Will, were only ever about you opening your eyes to the truth of who you are.

Will:  What you did to me is in my head and I’ll find it. I’m going to remember, Dr. Lecter, and when I do, there will be a reckoning.

Hannibal is trying to say how he did everything for Will’s benefit; Will is set on revenge. Still, even though he’s not ready to listen, Hannibal applauds his blood-thirstiness. We have this line in the script:

Hannibal smiles at this, nods. Proud.

Hannibal: I've got huge faith in you, Will. I always have...

Hannibal is patient, knowing that once Will’s initial fury passes, he’s going to understand what Hannibal wanted. He supports Will during the court and watches how Will starts having first doubts. His anger slowly fades away, replaced by confusion, like Hannibal expected. 

When Beverly happens and WIll sends Matthew after him, Hannibal is hurt - he likely didn’t expect to become the victim in Will’s Becoming, but he’s also impressed. Once again, it’s even in the script, during the scene where Matthew explains how Will sent him to kill Hannibal:

Hannibal considers that, impressed by Will's moxie.

He later voices his contradictory feelings to Will:

Hannibal: You tried to kill me, Will. It's hard not to take that personally. However, if I were Beverly's murderer, I'd applaud your effort.

His next words show that while he didn’t want to be the victim, this is exactly what he wanted from Will: he wanted him to kill and accept that he derives pleasure from it, that he cannot hide behind masks and excuses. Note that he’s speaking carefully because they are being recorded. 

Hannibal: I don't expect you to feel self-loathing or regret or shame. You knew what you were doing and you made your own decisions. Decisions that were under your control.  

Will: You think I'm in control?

Hannibal: I think you're more in control now than you've ever been. (then) You found a way to hurt me, Will.

So, while Will’s continued hostility starts to bother Hannibal, everything else goes exactly according to his plan. After this, he frees Will from prison, proving his point. He knows Will is going to understand: freeing him is a big move, a confession of a sort, aimed at restoring the trust between them. Hannibal was counting on it. When Will fails to shoot him in the kitchen, Hannibal only becomes more convinced that everything is going to be fine because Will is finally listening - he finally achieved the realization Hannibal was waiting for. 

Will confirms it to Hannibal by returning to therapy and he confirms it to us when he tells Chilton that Hannibal won’t kill him since he wants to be his friend. Will understands his motivations now, and his later talks with Hannibal prove it further. 

If Will hadn’t returned, I think Hannibal would have waited for a while before trying to contact him. He wouldn’t give up, trying to walk the fine line between independent and needy. At this point, he’s too invested in Will to let go, and he knows that Will is equally invested. A big part of their bond is built on Hannibal’s unshakable certainty that he and Will are soulmates. 

Hannibal slept with Alana because he needed alibi and because he wanted to blind her. I don’t think he seriously saw her as a threat to his relationship with Will - he just wanted to neutralize a possible threat. Alana was connected with both Will and Jack, and she could bring valuable insights to him as well as confirm his alibi whenever he needed.