6 Things We Need to See Before 'Hannibal' Ends for Good

It’s been more than a week since NBC announced it’s canceling the beautifully blood-drenched Hannibal, and we’re still in mourning. To be clear, we’re not giving up hope that another network could swoop in to save the day and give us a fourth season. (C'mon, Amazon: Swoop already!) But if this truly is Hannibal’s last supper, there are still a few delicacies left to be served.

Let’s look on the bright side here: There are nine episodes left in Season 3, and that gives Bryan Fuller and company plenty of time to wrap up a few storylines… and dream up a few more immaculately constructed crime scenes. So here’s our wish list of a half-dozen things we’d like to see before Hannibal claims his final victim.

1. The Red Dragon

Luckily, we already know this wish is coming true: The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage will play tattoo-covered killer Francis Dolarhyde, aka the Red Dragon, starting with the July 23 episode. And since Dolarhyde is such a key figure in the Thomas Harris books and the Lecter films, it’s great that we’ll get to see him come to life on Hannibal by season’s end.

Dolarhyde’s gory rampage will likely bring Will Graham back into the FBI fold — and he may even enlist the help of Dr. Lecter to bring this demented murderer to justice. Hannibal and Will working together to capture a common foe… how delicious would that be?

2. One more Will and Hannibal therapy scene

We know Hannibal is not Will’s therapist anymore… and after that “smile” Hannibal drew with a knife across Will’s abdomen, we doubt they’ll be sitting down for a session anytime soon. But their therapy scenes together were always a Hannibal highlight, as they mused about the fragile nature of existence and jockeyed for position inside each other’s psyches.

If they can’t be doctor and patient anymore, maybe they can just have a heart-to-heart as (gasp)… friends? Either way, we’d love to see them verbally spar one more time.

Related: ‘Hannibal’s’ Next Course: The Stars and Showrunner on Season 3 of NBC’s Gorgeous Gorefest

3. The backstory of Bedelia and Hannibal

Hannibal’s relationship with his own therapist Bedelia has always been intriguing, but we’ve never gotten the full story on the incident that bonded them forever: when Bedelia killed a patient in self-defense and Hannibal helped cover up the crime.

We caught a glimpse of Zachary Quinto as that patient in a flashback in the Season 3 premiere, and the fact that a big-name actor like Quinto is involved makes us think we’ll be learning more about what exactly happened — and how much Hannibal is to blame for it. Plus, that means more scenes between Mads Mikkelsen and Gillian Anderson, and that’s always a good thing.

4. One more badass fight scene

We know we’re getting this one, too, because the previews for this week’s episode show Hannibal and Jack engaged in another violent round of fisticuffs, echoing their Season 2 finale deathmatch. And Mikkelsen hinted as much to Yahoo TV when we asked him about last season’s big fight scene: “Let’s see if we don’t have something up the sleeve for you this season as well.”

So will Jack finally get the upper hand and take Hannibal into custody? Or will Hannibal finish what he started with that shard of glass to Jack’s neck last season? Either way, we’re ready to ring the bell for Round 2.

Related: Ask the Fans: ‘Hannibal’ Showrunner Bryan Fuller Responds to Your Answers

5. The capture of Hannibal?

We’re putting a question mark after that one, because we’re not even sure we actually want to see Dr. Lecter behind bars. (To separate this man from his kitchen would truly be a crime against cuisine.) But Will, Jack, and the rest of the FBI have been tracking Hannibal for three seasons now, so it’s about time they scored a victory and finally apprehended the Chesapeake Ripper.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Hannibal won’t escape and wreak bloody havoc once again. We don’t see him being caged for too long.

6. A Clarice Starling appearance

This may be held up by rights issues (MGM still holds the rights to the character), and it might require quite a leap forward in the established Lecter timeline. But Silence of the Lambs remains the most popular entry in Hannibal lore, and it’d unquestionably be a delight for fans to see some sort of nod to the steely female FBI agent played by Jodie Foster in the 1991 film.

Fuller’s well aware of that film’s legacy; he even invited Foster to direct an episode of Hannibal. So how cool would it be to see a young Clarice Starling team up with Will, and have her first encounter with Hannibal Lecter? We’d pop the cork on a nice Chianti for that.

Hannibal airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.