The Salem Witch Trials Are A 'Hannibal' Spoiler

The Season 2 finale of Hannibal airs this Friday, and I'm just going to come right out and say it: I am almost positive Abigail Hobbs is alive, and it's because of the Salem witch trials.

The "Abigail is alive" theory has been floating around for a while — pretty much ever since she "died." The idea was revived when crime scene investigator Beverly Katz went investigating and bit it earlier in Season 2, and people started to wonder if she saw Abigail and a one-armed Miriam stashed away in Hannibal's basement. So what do the Salem witch trials have to do with Abigail Hobbs? Well, the real Abigail Hobbs, as it turns out.

History buffs, or possibly people who paid attention during American History classes, might have caught this, but toward the end of the trials there was a girl named Abigail Hobbs who was accused of and arrested for practicing witchcraft. Now, the fact that there's a character called Abigail Hobbs on Hannibal could be a fluke, but showrunner Bryan Fuller isn't really the "happy accident" type. Everything means something on Hannibal. As one eagle-eyed fan pointed out, Kacey Rohl, who played (or is it plays?) Hannibal Abigail, even looks like Salem Abigail.

So, let's look at some of the parallels between the two Abigails' stories.

The Accusation

Salem Abigail was accused of and arrested for practicing witchcraft, while Hannibal Abigail was accused of knowing that her father, Garret Jacob Hobbs, was murdering young girls.

The Confession

Salem Abigail confessed to practicing witchcraft and even accused others of practicing, presumably out of self-preservation.

Hannibal Abigail (eventually) revealed to Will and Hannibal that she not only knew but helped her father commit his murders. She also did so to protect herself, though, as she was afraid her father would kill her instead if he didn't have an outlet.

The Sentence

Salem Abigail was originally sentenced to death but eventually granted a reprieve, while Hannibal Abigail flat-out asked if Hannibal was going to kill her (i.e. if she was receiving a death sentence). Though we never see Hannibal harm Abigail in any way, she's presumed dead after her blood is found on the kitchen floor. Hannibal even tells Abigail he's sorry he couldn't protect her "in this life."

The most obvious explanation of his apology is that he's about to murder her, but isn't that phrasing bizarre? Couldn't it also be interpreted as "I'm sorry but your life as you know it is about to end because now you have to live in my basement."

The Deal With the Devil

A big part of witchcraft in the 1600s was the assumption that the "witches" had gotten their powers by making a deal with the Devil. In the case of Hannibal Abigail, depending on how you look at it, the "Devil" could be either Garret or Hannibal, both of whose secrets she agreed to keep in exchange for her life.

It would make sense for Hannibal to finally reveal Abigail is still alive during the Season finale — how else will he convince Will to run away with him?

Images: NBC