Every once in a while, when I’m a little down, I remember that the tabloid press in Hannibal refers to him and Will Graham as “murder husbands” and I lol myself back to life.

Also good for reviving lols: remembering how Will and Bedelia du Maurier are so incredibly jealous of one another later on in S3 over the affections of someone whom they both know *plans to eventually eat them* that they can’t stop sniping at each other. What fucking weirdos!

I mean, imagine having an incredibly hot boyfriend who is always impeccably dressed, cooks a gourmet meal at least once a day every day, and amazing in the sack, but also likes to remind you from time to time—and not very subtly—that one day he’s going to not only eat you, but maybe even slowly feed you to yourself. Still hot?

There’s this great scene earlier in the season from when Hannibal and Bedelia are masquerading as a married couple in Italy and they have someone over for a dinner party.

Hannibal being Hannibal, there’s an exquisite feast on the table, but he’s also made a special dish just for Bedelia. Their guest points out jokingly that what she’s eating—oysters, acorns, and marsala—is what the Romans fed cattle in order to improve their flavor. Bedelia replies that her husband has a sophisticated palate and

Every time I think about this I die and am resurrected again by how this is the best oral sex joke of all time, that’s also possibly the best cannibalism joke on a show three seasons long that has a handful of them on every single episode.

I love Hannibal so much and how Bryan Fuller and his crew use Gillian Anderson in it, quite possibly the best use of her on anything she’s ever been in since the middle seasons of The X-Files—and I say this as a massive fan of The Fall. The Italian section of S3 is shot even more lushly than the preceding seasons, in its choice of costumes just as much as its sets, and what better visual backdrop is there for a woman who has always looked straight out of a John Singer Sargent portrait, especially when she’s mysterious, withholding, and married to the devil himself.

Bless Fuller for delighting in giving Anderson the most improbably long, dense pieces of dialogue, because it’s so satisfying to watch her work her way through them—very few actors could ever even manage them, especially on TV, and her scenes in this season are a joy and a gift.

If I had my way, Fuller would be writing an episode of X-Files S11! (And Chris Carter would be writing none!)