10 Best Hannibal Episodes Ranked According To IMDb

NBC’s Hannibal might have only had three seasons, but it’s one of the best shows around. Focusing on the relationship between Doctor Hannibal Lecter and FBI special investigator, Will Graham, as they engage in a cat and mouse dance that involves murder, mind palaces, and maybe even a heaping teaspoon of romance, Hannibal is an incredible part of television history.

Every episode of Bryan Fuller’s masterpiece is great for its own reasons, but here are its 10 best episodes overall, ranked per IMDb.

10 Mizumono (9.9)

It’s no surprise that Mizumono takes the top spot when it comes to the best episodes of Hannibal. This jaw-dropping forty minutes of TV may be the finest that ever graced the small screen. It is a fitting final course for season 2, wrapping up all the relationships that have been churning in a pressure cooker, ready to explode.

Although it devastated fans, with a violent and bloody ending, its beauty is unparalleled.

9 The Wrath of The Lamb (9.8)

Coming up just behind Mizumono, The Wrath of the Lamb is no less eloquent season-ender, though perhaps less tragic, depending on which fans are being asked. Serving as the final episode of the show, for now, The Wrath of the Lamb is a love song to all the characters of Hannibal, as well as its devoted group of fans, termed Fannibals.

A literal cliff-hanger, this episode rending, and healing, all at once.

8 Digestivo (9.5)

Digestivo marks a turning point in Season 3, the end of the first half of the season and the beginning of another. In it, many characters find absolution, in some ways, but realize there is no way to escape their fates, in others.

Hannibal is truly at its finest in this episode, bringing together its main cast and letting them shine. Nowhere more than Digestivo are all the finest parts of the show on display, from Hannibal’s beautiful dialogue to its brilliant, tongue-in-cheek humor to its satisfying emotional arcs.

7 Takiawase (9.3)

Takiawase is a sweet episode to find at the top of the pack, mostly because its “Killer of the Week” is a beekeeper who encourages bees to build hives in unfortunately lobotomized souls.

While it is not an episode for the faint-hearted, the visuals are stunning. And even more importantly, the episode moves the plot along, as it sees FBI agent Beverly Katz sneak into the lair of the beast at the behest of Will Graham…leaving her fate and viewers suspended, if only for a moment.

6 Mukozuke (9.3)

Mukozuke is tragic and tasty, in a way that only Hannibal can manage. It opens with Will and the FBI discovering Beverly’s body sliced into an elaborate murder tableaux and closes with an ill-fated attempt by Will Graham to commit Hannibal Lecter’s murder through the hands of an equally murderous orderly, Matthew Brown, who happens to be working in the “hospital” he is being kept.

Although fans are reeling from Beverly’s death, they can certainly appreciate Hannibal’s speedo in this episode…and Matthew Brown’s abs.

5 Futamono (9.3)

Futamono has one of the more beautiful murder displays of the series, showcasing brilliant flowers, as Hannibal Lecter plans a dinner party. In this episode, Jack Crawford becomes more suspicious of Hannibal, while Alana Bloom falls deeper into his web of deceit.

As often happens, Hannibal gets his cake and eats it too, evading Jack, confounding Alana, and finally freeing Will from the prison he himself placed him into.

4 Yakimono (9.3)

It truly seems like Hannibal is capable of no wrong in this episode, as another one of his elaborate plots comes together and he successfully frames inept, but loveable, Fredrick Chilton for many of the murders he himself has committed.

Hannibal’s relationship with Jack continues to become more entangled, as viewers learn about how Hannibal kidnapped and manipulated one of Jack’s proteges, Miriam Lass, and his relationship with Will evolves as well, as Will returns to Hannibal’s office, ready to resume his therapy.

3 Tome-Wan (9.3)

Tome-Wan is an episode borne of fans’ dreams, as the “murder husbands” make one of their rare appearances, colluding in a dance of manipulation and murder to remove the vile Mason Verger out of their lives…for the moment.

It is clear in this episode, that Will isn’t sure what side of the law he’s playing for, and that his affections for Hannibal are as real as his anger.

2 Savoureux (9.3)

The finale of the first season of Hannibal is one of those rare TV moments where the viewers has no idea where the plot will land and how, but land it does.

As Hannibal frames Will for murder in a well-choreographed dance, the audience has no choice but to follow the steps. One by one, the scales fall from their eyes, and the first course of dinner is complete.

1 Contorno (9.2)

Contorno is another one of those episodes that bring many different pieces of the puzzle together, as different players converge once more. Its absolute highlight is undoubtedly when Jack Crawford absolutely destroys Hannibal in a fight scene, giving the good cannibal what has been coming to him for a long time.

About The Author

Rotem Rusak
(78 Articles Published)

Fangirl extraordinaire. Lover of all things pop culture, including Marvel, Hannibal, Harry Potter, and more.

More From Rotem Rusak