The Great Red Dragon

"The Great Red Dragon" is the eighth episode of Hannibal's third season and the 34th of the series. It was written by Nick Antosca, Steve Lightfoot and Bryan Fuller, directed by Neil Marshall, and first aired on July 23, 2015, in Canada and on July 25 on NBC. Fuller planned it as the start of a new chapter that splits the season into two stories, and it begins the show's adaptation of Red Dragon. Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage) becomes fascinated with William Blake's Great Red Dragon paintings and turns killer, while Jack Crawford asks a retired Will Graham for help; Hannibal Lecter has by then spent three years locked up. Critics praised the new storyline, Armitage's performance and Marshall's direction.