Quill

my friends: oh awesome, can i read some of it?

me, knowing damn well my wip is literally just a random collection of mood boards, dialogue snippets, and playlists:

Hannibal (2013-2015)

He selects a few people, most often only 2-3 (sometimes only one of course), depending on what is happening at the moment, and how he wants it to play out. He invites Jack to manipulate him and Jack and Bella to deepen his influence, he invites Alana and Abigail when he wants to tie Abigail to him, he has Freddie and Abigail and Will all at the same table – super awkward, but it serves his purposes. Chilton and Alana is also an awkward combination, but he needs to control the narrative around Gideon. And he invites Will and Alana at the same time when he's sleeping with Alana and killing with Will My God.

both hannibal and will possessed care for abigail. neither of them only saw her as a pawn, but neither of them ever saw or had the capability to see who she truly was either. yes, they both severely projected their own ideals onto her and never quite saw her as the complex and multi-faceted person she was, but that doesn't mean they didn't care for her. it just means that care was harmful and toxic towards her, ultimately causing her tragic fate.

The thing is, I feel like people understand how fucked up the idea of love is in this universe but often fail to realise that Abigail is a victim of it, too! That “love” towards her is as possessive and aggressive as when it comes to hannigram.

Of course she was a pawn both for G.J. Hobbs and Hannibal and she was highly unclear; we know about her as much as nothing really, but...

There was some form of fondness. I highly feel that Will rather thought he loved her because of all the stuff happening, however I WANT to believe that although Hannibal also was projecting onto her, with all his scheming, he genuinely became fond of her. Abigail reminded him of his sister after all. I will never be over the fact that script states he feels genuine sadness while holding her hostage to cut her throat. And it's said that Hannibal doesn't lie when it comes to his emotions. He felt SADNESS then!!! It means a lot to me.

Abigail might got herself into the same mess she was with her biological father, however while she was thrashing when G.J. Hobbs tried to kill her, she came closer to Hannibal and stand almost completely still. And let me remind that while Hannibal was faking her death, he told Abigail both that he would kill her the same way her biological father tried to and that she accepted her father and if it would be so different to accept him. With this weird logic of mine, let me write — she accepted him somewhat as her father.

I fully understand why she was so hostile when it came to Will; he killed her biological father and was pretty off-putting for Christ sake! What is more, he worked for the FBI and she was not only helping her biological father, but also killed someone on her own. Pretty risky to hang out with a guy like that, huh? However, Kacey said she believes, Abigail would forgive Will after all.

They were horrible family but they were a family and I will go down with this.

one thing i hate (but it does make sense for the show) is that we never really learn anything about abigail truly. like we don't know what her favorite shows are, if she had friends, what her hobbies were, etc. she is constantly being reduced to ideals, and while i wish we could've known more about her it was a great narrative choice to convey that absolutely no adult in her life took the time to genuinely know and comfort who she REALLY was ☹️

totally agree w everything u said - hannibal was right in that he possesses more care for abigail than will. i think will genuinely started to care about her in the end too, but tbh he was just as selfish as hannibal in spending time with her and only using her for his own whims. i feel like a lot of people forget that will neglected to spend time with abigail on purpose, he was afraid of being with her and afraid of confronting her darkness. the only times he actually hung out with her were when he killed her father, when he tried to persuade abigail to not write that book w/ freddie lounds, and when he needed her help to catch the copycat killer. that's it. and that's also a part of why abigail resented him in the end so much. hannibal is the one that made an effort to take abigail in as a daughter, will thought of her that way (again, mostly due to GJH) but kept his distance on purpose, alienating her as a result. but i digress.

if hannibal didn't care for abigail at all he wouldn't have compared her to mischa. i mean hannibal does some pretty fucked up things to the people he loves and/or respects, so i don't find it hard to believe that he could love abigail and still choose to kill her. unfortunately will is always going to be more important to him than abigail, which is why he killed her. but the genuine care and sadness was still there.

also omg i didn't know kacey said that about abigail forgiving will, that's so fucking sad 💔 did she say that in an interview? i can totally believe her though, i think that a lot of abigail's animosity towards will in the end came from his disgust at what she did and his weird ass behavior towards her in the cabin. i like to think she didn't hate him, but was just quite scared of him. rightfully so, i mean he killed her father and hallucinated killing her, he really wasn't in a good state of mind to be around abigail at all. but if the three of them truly left that day abigail would definitely realize that hannibal is the more dangerous one, and might've even tried to get closer to will for protection

I strongly believe the universe of Hannibal is a perfect example of the saying that love cannot save anyone; here love is both the driving and yet, at the same time, the destructive force. The line between these two is pretty thin.

Same! I wish we knew her better, but at the same time, I also get it as well as you do — she's only “her father's joy” and it frustrates me deeply, and yet, I find it so satisfying! Because narratively she doesn't count as a person beyond anything else than being only the daughter of her father.

Oh! Now that you mentioned it! I often think about the scene in which Abigail tells Freddie that Will avoids her, because she reminds him of her father. I find it interesting, because yes, Abigail is right, but at the same time, she is also trying to keep the distance between two of them, understandable, given her reasons! However, she sounds somehow sad while saying that? I wonder, if it was genuine or was being manipulative. It's said she has a knack for manipulation, but... maybe, just maybe, on some subconscious level even, she wanted to be understood by him the same way he understood her father? She knew he could do that...

[EDIT, because I tried to add it, but then the tumblr went down]

On the other hand, in the same episode, she tells Will sharply that him killing her father doesn't mean he get to be him. Again, she is right, but... damn, it hurts anyway. Was the saddness earlier honest or was she only trying to play a poor victim being left also by her "saviour"?

[END OF THE EDIT]

Sometimes, I also wonder, if Hannibal saw only Mischa in Abigail. And let me explain. She was an orphan just like him, suddenly all alone, without her closest ones. She was capable of violence, just like him. Mischa was his innocence. Abigail? He wanted both protect and guide her, how to avoid or create chaos.

I remember, at least once I posted about Hannibal killing Abigail. In my opinion, even though he killed her like some child having a tantrum because of being hurt, I think that in his mind it was the only way. I mean— just before killing her, he compared being in a prison cell to dying slowly. And let's be honest here, if he left Abigail alive, she would end up in a prison, since the FBI knew she was helping her father, killed Boyle, hid his body and faked her own death. It sounds like a looong sentence. Then, cutting her throat in that sense was almost like being a merciful, thoughtful father, wasn't it? It might have been brutal, but at the same time, can't it be labeled as love or fondness?

I believe she said so at RDC! I can find the link to some posts. As far as I remember, she said that Abigail would forgive Will he forgave Hannibal killing her, but she wouldn't forgive Hannibal, lmao.

[EDIT, so I can add the links]

Abigail forgiving Will, but not Hannibal

some Kacey's thoughts on Abigail and her families, part 1

some Kacey's thoughts on Abigail and her families, part 2

Kacey on how Abigail loves Will

[END OF THE EDIT]

But I think you are right. Sometimes I wish they would have gone to Italy together or that after gutting Will, he wouldn't kill Abigail, but given his love for Will was stronger, my headcanon is that even so, Abigail would be the one who would ended up as a valentine written on a broken man, because Hannibal wouldn't be able to bear the sight of her, knowing that he wanted the three of them to be together and Will isn't there!

I also think that what you write would be pretty similar situation to the one of Louis, Lestat and Claudia. Lestat knew he couldn't let their daughter go, because that would mean Louis could leave him too. And yeah, that situation would make Will and Abigail closer to each other. 😭 😭

yeah for sure, that's why i love perusing the script and rewatching s1 to see tidbits of her personality that come out besides her manipulating others or trying to save herself. i so wish we could've gotten more scenes of her before the whole GJH fiasco, i mean obviously it wouldn't make sense in the show but i just need to see what she was like before her father made her kill all those girls. she seems like a totally different person in episode 1, down to the clothes she wears and the way she presents herself (btw i love how clothing is portrayed as a narrative tool that gives viewers insight into the mental state of certain characters, i've seen so many good analyses on this).

that scene with abigail and freddie caught my eye when i recently rewatched the show!! i think that the reason why people's reasonings and understanding of abigail's motives are so different is because she is a very mysterious character, her motives are quite ambiguous and we rarely get genuine reasons for why she says certain things. it's also hard to pinpoint when she is being genuine versus manipulating someone, and i think it's hard for her to pinpoint that too. most of her scenes with freddie include some kind of manipulation, because she's trying to convince freddie she's innocent, but personally i feel like she was telling the truth there. i didn't really pick up on sadness from her when she told freddie that, just honesty, like she understands why will stays away from her and she understands that they're both haunted by her father. whether she resented him for that or was relieved by it is up to debate. perhaps it was a little bit of both.

additionally, in the scene where abigail tells will "just because you killed my dad doesn't mean you get to be him," im pretty sure there was actually more to that dialogue that they might've cut out. when will tells her that things will change for her, she retorts that "yes, things change. for instance, you're here. for a change." then will tells abigail she's important, and abigail replies with "now that i'm writing a book." then she gives her line about will not being her dad. i can't remember if they included that dialogue in the scene or not, but it seems like abigail is a little resentful of will's avoidance towards her. then again, it's up to debate because abigail also tells freddie that being with will makes her feel like her dad is still alive. so i get the sense that she has conflicting feelings towards him.

i definitely think that hannibal saw a lot of himself in abigail. they both went through significant trauma at a very young age, trauma that caused them to become darker, albeit for different reasons. he saw a lot of will in abigail too, as they both deal with conflict surrounding their darker behaviors and are afraid to fully face them like hannibal has. it makes murder family sadder to think about, because abigail was so alike will and hannibal, but that was also the reason why their dynamic ended in tragedy.

yeah i think that hannibal killing abigail was impulsive but also what had to happen. i remember seeing somewhere that the original plan was hannibal and abigail leave will and go to italy together (maybe?) but imo that would've never worked. abigail is so much different than bedelia, im not sure she would've been able to survive hannibal's darkness like bedelia was able to (at least for a time, lmao). also you're right, if he left her behind with will her life would've basically been over. it was his only choice, in a way.

oh my god thank you for those links, kacey's words are so devastating 💔 especially that last one, abigail not wanting to die but knowing it was her only choice and still feeling love for will in the end is the saddest thing ever i swear. kacey's use of the word "love" also makes me wonder how hannibal convinced her to eventually run away with him and will, since she resented will heavily at the end of s1. maybe hannibal framing will using her ear gave her a little bit of sympathy for him, lmao.

Will is a great manipulator, not only when it comes to the different characters, but also when it comes to the audience. The person being the closest to describe his true nature correctly was Chilton during Will's trial, but ironically — while watching the scene for the first time, the averange viewer is like, "No. That's not true. You are describing Hannibal, not Will, he is innocent". However, after seeing the entire series it turns out to be, "Wait a minute... so Chilton was actually right the whole time?". That being said/written, Will makes the audience to yearn for things he wants and after all, the viewers just roll with it, lmao.

I think Hannibal and Will are the perfect example of the gothic romance. Their love is so unhealthy and yet, within the framework of that universe — makes sense. I truly feel like Chiyoh's "I told you there are means of influence other than violence" before kissing Will and then pushing him off the train with words "But violence is what you understand" is kinda overlooked, when this is in fact a perfect summary of Will and Hannibal's love? 😭 But if I saw even an ounce of their toxicity in any real life relationship, my first reaction would be, "Run, don't you dare to stay with them, you would end up dead because of them sooner or later".

Rewatching the show with the script is great! Although a lot of important bits were deleted from the final product, I like to treat all the deleted dialouges as if they actually happened and we simply didn't withness them.

I would love to not only know more about Abigail before killings, but also about G.J. Hobbs himself! There isn't much in the book, but the series adds that he is a cannibal too, so... Abigail said that she knew what her father was and she was worried if it means she would be messed up too. When G.J. Hobbs started behaving differently? What was he like before? Something triggered these changes or was he going to develop a mental illness anyway?

Tbh, Abigail's outfits scream 2010s to me! And when I saw unironic comments on Twitter saying that Hannibal never cared about her, because of the ragged clothes she had in Mizumono, I was speechless, since the asymmetrical clothes, ragged khaki jacket and striped skinny jeans were the things I also wore around 2014??? Hell, half of the teenage girls wore things like this or leggings with a space motif, then! The clothes in which Abigail died weren't ragged, they were, questionably, percepted as fashionable at the time...

Sadly, we have no idea, how many of the clothes were her own and which were bought by Alana or Hannibal. I remember that Abigail's boots from the first episode were Kacey's own though! And I also remember a post, in which someone pointed out that in Hannibal's memories (... and the Woman Clothed with the Sun) Abigail stopped wearing colourful things and started dressing a little bit "maturer" (like the shirt in the scene with G.J. Hobbs' corpse). I think the same goes with Abigail-ghost from Primavera, because for me she didn't seem like a scared teenager anymore, just like quite confident young woman. However, regrettably, in Primavera she was only Will's imagination, and when it comes to Hannibal... I think he let her wear whatever she wanted, but still, the change of the colours and all since the first episode or even the first season, is a perfect picture of the state she was in, during the time she was pretending to be dead (My favorite change in dressing style was probably Margot. While I love her outfits from season two, I also love that once she felt more secure, she started wearing more subtle ones).

I guess you are right. Given manipulation became a survival tactic for Abigail, she probably wasn't sure what she truly wanted herself. And I would agree that she probably resented Will both for killing her father and avoinding her, and yet, at the same time she was possibly kind of relieved by it. I mean— she was probably scared of G.J. Hobbs to some degree, but at the same time, loved him, so his death could have been a little bit deliverance, and yet, love made it also hard to accept. And given she helped her dad and killed someone on her own, while Will was working for the FBI, yeah, keeping away from him would have been probably a wise thing to do for her.

I had to see the script myself and yes, you remember it correctly. But for real, what do you mean they deleted the marked parts??? It hurts. However, I think it's better that Hannibal says "Abigail" after her telling "Just because you killed my dad doesn’t mean you get to be him".

Abigail was a lot like them, but at the same time, they were too concentrated on themselves. Sadly.

And yes, Hannibal was supposed to take Abigail with him to Italy instead of Bedelia, but the creators decided otherwise because it turned out that Gillian Anderson was able to fit Bedelia's role in her schedule, so... lmao. I just know Abigail wouldn't survive there anyway, so it was probably better to kill her off in Mizumono. For me it feels impactfull. She turned out to be alive only to die in her "father's" kitchen anyway, becaufe of how heartbroken he was. History has come full circle and what goes up must come down.

Honestly, I think that Abigail realizing who Hannibal really was could have done a lot here, lol. In the penultimate episode of the first season, Will really scared her, but despite everything, she knew he was sick and Hannibal admitted to her that he did a lot of things because he was curious to see what would happen. That could made her feel at least a little bit sorry for Will, lol; the realisation that Hannibal was playing all of them.

What is more, I believe Hannibal was giving her the same drugs he was giving both Miriam Lass and Will. Maybe tried some psychic driving with her too. In ... and the Woman Clothed with the Sun Hannibal says, "I'm on my honor to look after you, Abigail. You have to look after me, too. We have to protect each other in these new lives we create" and "We're waiting for Will. It's important that he sees you. I want you two to be together" (I always tear up during this moment), so she probably also felt safer playing along. If being a "family" both with Hannibal and Will meant she was staying alive, that was worth of trying, right? RIGHT???

I like to think that during pretending to be dead, she realised that Will wasn't actually that bad and she felt a little bad that he was facing the death penalty for "killing" her, and also having a lot of time to think while being alone, allowed her to stop resenting him for killing her biological dad.

both hannibal and will possessed care for abigail. neither of them only saw her as a pawn, but neither of them ever saw or had the capability to see who she truly was either. yes, they both severely projected their own ideals onto her and never quite saw her as the complex and multi-faceted person she was, but that doesn't mean they didn't care for her. it just means that care was harmful and toxic towards her, ultimately causing her tragic fate.

Will's expression towards Hannibal vs. his expression when finding Abigail alive just proves he didn't care about Abigail (and honestly, anyone else) as much as he did about Hannibal. He was shocked/relieved to see Abigail alive, but the real distress was when he expected Hannibal gone and safe, but he found him standing right behind him in the middle of the carnage, instead.

We can detect each other from smell alone: Potage, Coquilles, Savoureux, Yakimono, Mizumono, Dolce, ... and the Woman Clothed with the Sun

Hannibal (2013-2015)