Hannibal’s victims are not coming together to swap the stories of their scars on tonight’s Hannibal season 3, episode 4.

Curiosity does not only drive Hannibal’s actions. What would happen when Will meets Hannibal once more? What about Alana? Jack? Tonight’s episode, “Aperitivo,” plays out each character’s recovery, first asking us to become as intimate with their injuries as Hannibal felt and then as curious with their recovery as Hannibal must be in Europe.

Dr. Chilton is the only person in the bunch who cannot claim to ever be personally victimized by Hannibal Lecter. He attempts to gather those who suffered the most and get Hannibal into his hospital so that he may begin to force his way into Hannibal’s mind. Beyond that, if Hannibal is caught, Chilton will reap all the profits from the phrase, “Hannibal the Cannibal,” which he copyrighted as soon as his vision returned.

First stop: Mason Verger. After feeding his face to Will Graham’s dogs and suffering a broken neck at the hands of Hannibal, Verger has his own path to pave in order to get to Hannibal. Dr. Chilton’s scars, a drooping face, bad eye, and denture enforced upper jaw are hidden under an impressive application of make up and contacts. Mason’s face, however, does not benefit from the luxury of reconstruction. Behind, what is perhaps a more intimidating mask, is the scarred remains of a lipless face.

Verger’s path involves getting inside Hannibal’s head, once there he can take away a better understanding of himself. Dr. Chilton is more interested in seeing Hannibal locked away in his institution, but those who have had something taken from them want to know the motivations behind Hannibal’s actions. Verger did not survive the drug induced haze that took his face, he did not fight back or prevail, he fell into exactly what Hannibal envisioned for him. That is a pattern Chilton finds alluring, but not one that he will become a part of through working with Mason Verger. He takes his “professional curiosity” elsewhere.

Every possibility that can exist, does in some alternate universe. These were the musings that Will and Abigail discussed in episode 2, and they are echoed again when Dr. Chilton pays Will a visit in recovery. If the dinner went according to plan, if Will showed up with Jack, what would the outcome have been? In Will’s mind he pins down Jack and let’s Hannibal cut his throat.

Jack Crawford arrives mid-recovery to find Will working on his boat. The purpose for his visit is to ensure that Will remains on the side of the story that supports two former FBI agents wounded in the line of duty. Will’s actions up until now have all been calculated and executed by two people. Regardless of who picked up the phone and dialed Hannibal’s number the night of the dinner, Will’s decision was not made until Hannibal answered the phone. His voice sealed his fate. Will wanted him to leave, so that he could have the opportunity to leave with his friend.

Alana Bloom, broken into nearly as many pieces as the glass window she was pushed through, did not reach the ledge as the victim. In fact, as Dr. Chilton points out, she had more to do with her own outcome than even she realizes. But Alana Bloom finally brings up the main difference between these victims and Dr. Chilton, Hannibal is interested in them, but not in Chilton. He is fighting a losing battle. He is alone in his hunt.

Alana sees the potential in manipulating Will Graham in order to best serve her professional curiosity in Hannibal. Revisiting the home of Lecter she finds Will making room for his friends in his memory palace. Sitting in the spot where he was left for dead, Will describes his relationship with Hannibal as a “mutually unspoken pact to ignore the worst of another to continue enjoying the best.” That’s really the only answer you need to know where Will’s heart lies. As Alana rolls away, the devil on his shoulder, Abigail, reappears by his side on the floor.

Her final stop takes one step further in recovery as she pays Verger a visit. Where he is willing to admit forgiveness in light of religious enlightenment, Alana admits she is not opposed to a harsher punishment for Hannibal’s actions.

In contrast to Alana’s recovery story, Jack’s silent goodbye to his wife Bella was the stoic conclusion to that chapter in his life. He envisions Bella in her wedding gown, them happily living beginning their days. For an episode where the title character is shown only in ten second or less snippets, his presence looms heavily on each character. No matter how much Jack was able to push Hannibal out of his mind to tend to his wife’s ailing health, a single card of condolence brings Hannibal back into his world. Jack presses Will to reconsider the path he is heading down, not everyone needs to die on him.

Cordell, Mason Verger’s loyal guardian of his health and well being is asked to prepare arrangements for Dr. Lecter to be eaten alive. The final steps in his plan involve Alana Bloom offering her services to get Hannibal to attend his own farewell.

What will they all do once Hannibal is in their sights? After four episodes, our curiosity may finally be answered. But not until next week!

Watch Hannibal season 3, episode 5, “Contorno,” next Thursday, July 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBC.