#it's hannibal who wants to spare jack but will won't have it

[arkashas]

ok so the first time i watched this i was like what the hell will why would you tell hannibal this you're putting her life in danger??

but then i realized will's motivations in this scene. this whole exchange comes at the heels of will asking hannibal in a fit of jealousy how many patients there's been like him? like randall tier?

will receives an unsatisfactory answer which doesn't assuage his feelings, so he goes on the attack. he makes hannibal feel as disposable as he feels. that's when he mentions bedelia coming to visit him and her telling him she believed him (about hannibal). and it works! it absolutely works! just look at hannibal's face after will tells him.

he's hurt. he feels betrayed. he even is short with will for the first time, telling will curtly in answer to this news, "fascinating."

and will asking hannibal if he killed bedelia is 1) him acknowledging that bedelia could be killed by hannibal, meaning ignorance/naivety cannot be claimed as a reason he put bedelia in danger 2) in my view another indication of jealousy/possessiveness. if hannibal killed bedelia, at least will would be assured that she as is disposable to hannibal as he is (or how he feels he is). like i don't think will was hoping he killed her, but subconsciously he would have felt gratified if that was the case (remember season 3? "how did you walk away unscarred? i'm covered in scars.") of course he also asked out of concern, but i don't think this was his primary motivation here considering he just endangered her and would have been aware of it.

i think this moment is unappreciated in its revelation of how dark will really is. at this point all that will knew about bedelia was that she was hannibal's psychiatrist and that she helped him out when he was at his lowest. he doesn't know about her killing her patient or anything else. but here he's willing to throw her under the bus in order to hurt hannibal because he had a moment of insecurity.

OH and another thing in favour of this reading is that this was just after will had just gone on the fishing trip with jack where he stated that he was going to isolate hannibal from everyone close to him, so that all he had in his life was will.

so...yeah. will is as jealous and possessive as hannibal, it's just much more subtle. and the ways this jealousy and possessiveness manifests itself is arguably as toxic as hannibal's own brand of green-eyed monster.