There are few series returning this year that are more anticipated than Hannibal, and NBC didn’t help matters by giving Season 3 a summer premiere rather than the spring debuts of years past. But the delay has allowed creator Bryan Fuller to build this impeccable cast even more, and it’s hard to argue with that. Fans can now expect to see Star Trek star Zachary Quinto popping up during the third season.
Quinto joins a sizeable list of new actors heading to Hannibal for Season 3. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be playing a huge role in the narrative. According to EW, Quinto will guest star as a patient of Gillian Anderson’s Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, who will be a regular character in Season 3. They say he’ll “appear in at least one episode,” but we’d like to play the optimism card in hoping that he’s around for more than that.
But even if Quinto only gets a single crack at this, it could still have a profound effect on the story. Part of Bedelia’s history involves a former patient attacking her (and swallowing his tongue in the process). The patient was then killed in part by the Bedelia/Hannibal tag team, so if Quinto is indeed playing that character, we can expect his appearance to be in a flashback.
In fact, I’m almost certain that this is the role Quinto is playing. Considering we last saw Bedelia traveling in a plane with an on-the-run Hannibal, it doesn’t seem like she will be picking up new patients any time soon. And it’s not like she’s got a mile-wide list of current ones. I’m guessing that we’ll be getting a deeper look into Bedelia’s psychology in Season 3, and this mystery patient is a major influence in that respect.
Now if they could just work in Quinto’s Bloody Face character from American Horror Story: Asylum. He’d certainly feel at home with Hannibal.
Currently found on NBC’s The Slap, Quinto previously worked with Fuller on Heroes. Neither of them will be back for Heroes: Reborn, though. I can’t complain about that decision, since Hannibal is so much better.
When Hannibal returns this summer, viewers will get to meet other new characters like Richard Armitage’s Francis “TheTooth Fairy” Dolarhyde, Nina Arianda’s Molly Graham, Glenn Fleshler’s Dr. Cordell Doemling, Fortunato Cerlino’s Rinaldo Pazzi and Tao Okamoto as handmaiden Chiyoh. Not to mention Joe Anderson replacing Michael Pitt as Mason Verger. June just can’t get here fast enough.
