When it comes to a show like NBC's Hannibal , no character is ever safe from death. Not Will Graham. Not Alana Bloom. Not even Hannibal himself, if Bryan Fuller really wanted to shake things up a bit, plot-wise. So one can only imagine what grim fate lies in store for those careless characters who have a knack for ticking off serial killers with their tabloid reporting. I'm, of course, referring to Freddie Loundes, who has managed to evade death numerous times throughout the series. However, I highly doubt she'll be as lucky by the end of Saturday night's Hannibal episode, "The Number of the Beast Is 666…" That's right, folks — I'm predicting right here and now that The Red Dragon will kill Freddie Lounds by the end of the hour… and this time, her death will stick.
If you recall, Will Graham and Jack Crawford helped to fake Freddie's death back in Season 2 as a way to help Will convince Hannibal that he had officially come over to the dark side. There was even a body found on a flaming wheelchair that matched her dental records. And while that was all just for show, Freddie still hasn't learned her lesson when it comes to dealing with psychotic killers. If you play with fire, you're going to get burned. And given how displeased The Red Dragon has been with the nickname she coined for him, I'd say he's more than ready to light the match. Perhaps even literally.
The promo for this week's episode implies that Dr. Frederick Chilton will be the one in harm's way, but as the image above proves, Freddie will be back on the scene as well. I'm thinking Chilton is just a red herring and that Freddie's death will be the one that actually comes to fruition. For one thing, Chilton is still alive and kicking when Clarice Starling comes to town, which puts the odds slightly more in his favor. Freddie, on the other hand, succumbs to a much more grisly fate in the Thomas Harris novel. (Book spoilers ahead!)
In an attempt to lure Francis Dolarhyde out of hiding, Will goes to Freddie with an exclusive and deliberately describes his characteristics in an incorrect and unflattering way. Once the story is published, Dolarhyde becomes furious and kidnaps Freddie, demanding that the statements be retracted. He then proceeds to kill Freddie by setting the character on fire. Of course, that's not to say that Fuller's version will stick by the novel in every way. He's already taken a few liberties with the character by switching the gender from male to female, so he's certainly not afraid to go off book.
Freddie may not die in a fiery wheelchair (though you gotta appreciate the irony if she does), but one way or another I'm thinking she'll turn out to be The Red Dragon's next big target. And something tells me it isn't going to be pretty. Prepare yourselves accordingly.
Images: NBC; Brooke Palmer/NBC; nbchannibal/Tumblr
