Beverly Katz and Sexism

Now I'll start off listing my biases so you can judge the rest of this post accordingly.

I don't like to tie myself to any one group due to me feeling like my actions will have to be what the group demands or else I won't really be part of the group. That's why I don't call myself a liberal even though some of my views reflect that group.

However, I am a feminist and believe that to be free from the idea of femininity as bad or an insult means that men will also get benefit from it.

I am also a huge Hannibal fan (especially for the show though I have read two of the books and seen three of the movies) and adore the show on NBC.

With that out of the way, let's get started!

In the Hannibal Season 2 Episode "Takiawase", Beverly Katz died. Or at least we assume she did but I'm one of those people that if I don't see someone die I'll assume that they will come back until it's stated otherwise.

But let's assume that Beverly died last episode for the rest of this post for simplicity's sake.

Many people were outraged over Beverly's death. But it wasn't because she was a beloved character or the fact that her character shouldn't have died since she's alive in the book Red Dragon. Nope, it is because Bryan Fuller is a racist and sexist pig for killing her character off.

I'll give you a moment to let the stupidity of that statement sink in.

Hannibal is a show that people die in. If you get too close to Hannibal Lecter, or your death would further his plans, he will kill you. He doesn't care about your race, sexual identity, gender, ect. All he cares about is how you living or dying will affect his plans (sometimes those plans include shifting the blame from himself).

And Beverly is not the first woman to die but the first where there has been such an outcry. When Abigail Hobbs died people didn't give as much of a shit.

But let's not get lost away in just character deaths but look at the show that surrounds them. You must remember Hannibal is a show where people die and is not for the faint of heart.

Here are some reasons that show that Bryan Fuller is not a sexist racist pig for killing off Beverly Katz:

1.) Bryan Fuller Genderbent Characters

Why did he do this? He wanted to have women play a greater role in the show. Characters such as Alan Bloom became Alana Bloom and Freddy Lounds became Freddie Lounds. Not only did he genderbend characters for a bigger female cast, he created female characters especially for the show. So we got Abigal Hobbs who was most likely inspired from the Garret Jacob Hobbs story mentioned in Red Dragon.

2.) Laurence Fishburne

In the Hannibal book series, Jack Crawford is white. However, Bryan Fuller made the character a POC for the show. While I loathed the character by the Season 1 Finale, it's more the fact that he became an antagonist for Will Graham and not that he was a villain. And as Season 2 is progressing he is coming back into my good graces.

3.) All The Women Are Strong (In Their Own Ways)

Let's start off by talking about Freddie Lounds. While I have a love/hate relationship with the character (except her hair), even I have to agree that she is strong. While I don't like her job, I do have to agree that she is very sharp. It was Freddie who saw through Abigail's disguise first, not counting Hannibal, and that takes talent. According to Freddie, Abigail didn't take into account that 'little girls that lie grow up'. aka that Freddie can tell she's a liar because she's also one.

Alana Bloom has romantic feelings for Will Graham, but is smart enough to realize that it wouldn't work out. So to keep herself safe she doesn't start a relationship with him. That doesn't mean she is any less of an ally, though, as shown by her actions as of the Season 2 Premiere.

Abigail Hobbs, while not being the most easy to sympathize with at times, tries to play with Hannibal. At one point in Season 1 she goes against his orders and that may have been partially done to show Hannibal that she isn't one to be messed with lightly. That's strength there!

In Season 2 Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier has a powerful scene with Hannibal Lecter where she faces off verbally with him. The cannibal is so impressed that he lets her go (at least that's my theory, it could also be that he didn't consider her to be a big enough threat at the moment OR it could be both).

And if I went to go on about each and every female character I'd be here all day.

4.) Women Figure Hannibal Out

There are women on the show that figure out what Hannibal Lecter actually is. And when you get too close to Hannibal he tends to eliminate the problem and serve it up as a tasty dish. So I would say this is a kudos to women for unraveling this mystery of a person.

Miriam Lass figured out what Hannibal is and so he killed her. The scene, I must add, was a homage to one of the first scenes in the movie Red Dragon.

Abigail Hobbs figured out what Hannibal is and lasted awhile. But when her living endangered him he killed her. This is even though he seemed to think of her as a replacement for his deceased sister.

Beverly Katz has joined the ranks as she discovered that Will Graham was right.

So, nope, Bryan Fuller is NOT a sexist racist pig. Beverly Katz was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hannibal is a show where people die and that means that a character you adore will die. It's fine to get sad over a character's death, but to say the maker of the show is sexist because of it is not.

I didn't expand on some points in this post due to me wanting to keep it short as possible. So if you have any questions feel free to ask me.

ZOE!