TV REVIEW: HANNIBAL SEASON 1

Note: I apologize to any regular readers (if I have those, please comment and let me know!) who were reading my episode-specific reviews and wondered what happened. My real-life job has been taking it's toll on me, but now that I've temporarily rejoined the ranks of the unemployed, I have much more time for blog posts! Instead of covering the last few episodes in separate posts, I figured I'd condense them into this general overview of the first season.

If you would have told me that an NBC show about Hannibal Lecter would be one of the best interpretations of the character and his universe since Thomas Harris' original novels, I can guarantee my reaction would have been nothing short of utter disbelief. I am always thrilled when my preconceived notions get dashed on the rocks however, and this is one of those moments. Hannibal is a fresh and jarringly unique perspective on a tired franchise that was in danger of becoming woefully antiquated.

It's kind of astonishing how many facets of Hannibal are superbly executed. The most talked about has to be the hallucinatory component of the visuals. This decision alone helps set the show apart from previous interpretations of the tale, and gives viewers an immediate hook, even if they are simply channel surfing. Seeing a person with their head on fire or a midnight black elk-man is certainly a reason to stop and check out what's going on. But, the visuals aren't gimmicks. They help shape the narrative and relationship to our main character, Will Graham, and his particular perspective of the world. I'm sure it will be the most memorable aspect of the show once it's gone off the airwaves.

But, there's plenty more worth praising. Specifically, the casting is stellar across the board. The two leads (Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen) are eerily captivating, giving us two very opposed looks into the minds of monsters. There is a calm rapport between the two that fits well with the cold and almost medical tone that looms over the entire series. It's very easy to watch these two characters sit and talk for forty-five minutes. The supporting cast are all top notch, especially a steely and stern Laurence Fishburne. This is the kind of "crime scene investigation" show a man of his talent deserves to be on.

Possibly my favorite element of the show is the pacing. There is a methodical and deliberate flow felt throughout the entire series, even in the one-off "killer of the week" episodes. There's definitely a sense that showrunner Bryan Fuller knows the story he wants to tell and isn't worried about taking time to build that story from the ground up. It's the kind of pacing you'd expect from an AMC or HBO show, but it's on NBC! That still blows my mind.Let's hope they don't mishandle this show like most of their other decent programming. *cough*Community*cough*

If the show does end up spanning the entirety of the Hannibal Lecter mythos (as showrunner Bryan Fuller has indicated he would like), I am beyond excited. This series has shown the potential to be the most engaging portrayal of the world's most famous cannibal ever attempted. It's smart, slick and well aware of its horror roots. There's no winking into the camera or needless fanservice going on. Everything feels purposefully constructed and well thought out. Break out the chianti and celebrate, because this a show worth devouring.

TV REVIEW: HANNIBAL - SEASON 1 EPISODE 6 - "Entrée"

It seems appropriate that the halfway point of the series should be the real kickoff into focusing on Hannibal and his career as the unimaginatively titled "Chesapeake Ripper." And it's quite a kickoff, giving us our first taste of the most familiar setting in the mythology: the maximum security psychiatric ward that Hannibal is fated to become an occupant of. This means we also get introduced to Dr. Chilton, the eventual head of the institution and future tormentor of Lecter's. Played by Raúl Esparza, Chilton is just as smug and full of ego as his previous incarnations, but Esparza imbues something original into the character: insight. In other mediums, Chilton has always been the bully who grew up to be the jailer. He's not as bright as he thinks he is, but in the end, that never mattered because he knew he held the keys to the kingdom. Lecter always despised Chilton for his ineptitude and boorishness, but this time around, Chilton may actually have something resembling a brain beneath his thick skull. The little scene with him and Lecter preparing dessert is wickedly fun. I love that this show is taking characters and doing unexpected things with them. Purists of the Lecter canon (are there actually any of those?) may find it blasphemous, but I think it makes the characters more interesting than they have been in years. I'm sure we'll be seeing Chilton sooner than later, and I'm all for that.

Although the search for the identity of the Chesapeake Ripper unknowingly revolves around Hannibal, the real focus of this episode is on Jack Crawford and the agent-in-training he sent out two years ago to do some digging on the case. She never returned and was the Ripper's last known victim. Fishburne does more excellent work, and I'm loving any scene that puts him and Hannibal together. He gets to be vulnerable and honest, and it's great stuff. I also love that Hannibal is actually extremely comforting to Jack, letting him know that even though his wife's cancer has her losing hope about life, she's revealed to Hannibal that she, "didn't marry the wrong guy." That's the kind of humanizing a monster like Hannibal needs. Though he is a villain, he doesn't come off as particularly villainous and that just makes him more entrancing to watch. Have you figured out that I'm gaga for Mads Mikkelsen yet?

However, there are two elements to this episode that didn't completely win me over. The first is the guest appearance by Eddie Izzard. His usage is a little too dead-on when it comes to referencing Lecter's memorable moments from The Silence of the Lambs. His opening scene is a lot like Lecter biting the nurse's face, and his performance even feels directly inspired by Anthony Hopkins. It's not that distracting, but it just feels a bit too derivative. I know the show has to deliver familiar elements to remind people, "Hey! This is like that one really popular movie from over twenty years ago!", but I hope they can spin that material into something unexpected and new like they have with every other aspect of the show.

But, that I could look over. The ending of this episode is what really gave me pause. So, we flashback two years prior to when agent-in-training Miriam Lass is looking around for clues to the identity of the Ripper. They figure he has a background in surgery and decides to visit some of the doctors that treated one of the Ripper's victims. Smart move. Naturally, this leads her to Lecter's office. He invites her in, deflects her questions and offers to give her his journals from his time in the ER. While he's grabbing these journals, Miriam waltzes around Lecter's office and sees two of his etchings on a desk. The one on top is a nude portrait and underneath that is a drawing of his victim. You see, the Ripper likes to impale his victims multiple times with various instruments, and Lecter has not only drawn that, he's left it on top of a table in his office. This just seems ridiculous for someone so methodical and smart. I can understand him making the drawing, but leaving it out in plain sight? The writers could have had Miriam looking at his library of books (which she did!) and find one of peculiar interest, like something on Vlad the Impaler (an appropriate reference for someone who feasts on people). She takes it out, flips through it and the picture falls out. The way it's presented in the show makes Lecter look a lot stupider than he has been portrayed. This has been the only serious misstep the series has had so far, in my opinion, so hopefully it's the only one. Still, I can't get over that. Next week better overcompensate and have Lecter solve cold fusion or something.

TV REVIEW: HANNIBAL - SEASON 1 EPISODE 5 - "Coquilles"

Before getting to this week's episode, some clarification is needed. Showrunner Bryan Fuller personally pulled the actual fourth episode from airing, due to some reservations over content being insensitive towards those affected by the attacks in Boston. The parts in question had to do with the "freak of the week" killer, nothing involving the over-arching plot. NBC has truncated the episode into a series of webisodes, excising all the possibly upsetting material. From what I gather, they will eventually release the episode (on home video, I'm sure), but this does make things a little weird from a reviewing standpoint. I caught last night's episode (which I'm labeling as "Episode 5" since that is the intended slot it fills within the show's timeline) first and still have to watch the webisodes as of this writing. I'll do a follow-up article once those have been viewed. I also won't get into my personal feelings about the episode being pulled or anything like that. If you are interested in that kind of discourse, please comment below and I'd be happy to discuss it. Now, on with the episode!

This week is another solid episode, mostly focusing on Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) and his newly introduced wife Bella (Gina Torres). It's nice to see Fishburne play something other than stone cold hardass in this show, and this week reminds us that this guy was the kid who conned his way in front of Francis Ford Coppola's camera in Apocalypse Now. The moments we get to see Fishburne vulnerable are really strong stuff. I hope the show gives him some more versatility, and he's not just back to being the boss-man with a face like granite and an attitude to match next week. The guy has serious chops. Gina Torres, however, is just okay. Her character as written is pretty good (with an interesting bit of development along the way) and her acting isn't bad at all, it's just kind of...there. She's a little too stiff, and although that can be attributed to what her character is going through, it doesn't make for a very relatable performance. Still, I hope we get to see more of her since she has great potential. Plus, it's just more of an excuse to see Morpheus get all teary-eyed.

I've heard some people aren't too crazy about the "killer of the week" format the show has going, but not only am I enjoying it, I understand it. The showrunners need to wrangle in those CSI viewers, and trick them into watching a show that explores the nature of evil and violence in man. Padding things out with a weekly investigation will help ease those people in with familiarity. I'm sure if the show goes on for another two seasons (fingers crossed), we'll see a move away from that format into something more directly serialized. I'm fine with a "freak of the week" if they keep being so delightfully grand guignol. This week's madman (The Angel-Maker. I love how each killer gets a comic book villain name) gives us some of the goriest displays yet seen on the show. People's backs skinned and hung so they look like angels? Fantastic! The show can continue to get away with such incredibly gruesome displays because everything is composed beautifully. The screenshot below is damn good enough to be a painting. And I love that we are getting to see what the killer's "see", enforcing the show's theme of perception. It doesn't hurt that what this week's psycho sees is people WITH FLAMING HEADS! Hannibal, you know my twisted sense of enjoyment far too well.

Will's story continues to be interesting. He seems to be both sleepwalking and sleep-deprived, which makes for more hallucinogenic head-trips. Where things end with Will and Crawford at the end of this episode actually could spring the show into that slightly more serialized format I mentioned earlier. I doubt it will be permanent, but it'd be nice to get a breather episode that focused directly on Will and didn't have to worry about any other gory shenanigans. ...I do enjoy the gory shenanigans though.

At this point, Mads Mikkelsen has won first place in the "Reinterpreting a Well Known Character" competition. His Lecter is far more complex than Hopkins' Shakespearian monster. Mikkelsen's Lecter can be genuinely comforting and helpful at times, although you can still see the wheels spinning behind his dark eyes. He's always learning about people as much as he can, and it's a delight to see Lecter interacting with people in the real world. Even though we know he's a murderer (and a cannibal), it's impossible not to like him. I never wanted to sit down and chat with Hopkins' Lecter, but I would definitely schedule an appointment with Mikkelsen's character. He's very approachable and inviting, if you don't know what he really is. I can't get enough of him.

This show better go on for at least two seasons. It's leaps and bounds above anything else in it's genre, and things can only get better once we've gotten to know the characters fully. At this point, I want them to rewrite Red Dragon and do an entirely new version of the Hannibal Lecter story. We know that this show isn't connected to any other incarnation, so I hope it lasts long enough to get to that point. I also hope we get a completely different version of Hannibal's past than the abysmally absurd Hannibal Rising. I can't believe I even acknowledge that thing's existence. I'm going to go watch some webisodes.

TV REVIEW: HANNIBAL - SEASON 1 EPISODE 3 - "Potage"

Is it even possible for Mads Mikkelsen not to look like a stone cold pimp in every suit he wears?

This week, we get back to directly addressing the aftermath of Garret Jacob Hobbs' demise, namely his surviving daughter, Abigail. The pre-credits scene with Hobbs and Abigail hunting a deer is exactly the kind of character insight other shows desperately need to focus on. We learn so much about Abigail in just this one scene, and it informs our opinion about her throughout the entire episode. While everyone else is wondering whether or not Abigail was an accomplice to her father's crimes, the audience (and one other person, who I'll get to in a second) knows she's innocent. She had a moral dilemma about shooting and gutting a deer, so she's definitely no murderer. While this might run the risk of making everyone else's deductions about her seem wasted, the writers know how to curb that problem: Lecter knows she's innocent as well. This forces the audience into taking Lecter's view of events as the most informed, and that's wonderfully twisted. This show definitely wants to put the audience into some devilish places (like Will Graham's head!), and I enjoy that kind of storytelling. But, while a show like Dexter makes the protagonist debatably heroic or villainous, Hannibal gives us a lead character (Will Graham) who is definitely on the side of good, but cursed with a dark gift, making him much more interesting than a murderer who fancies himself a bringer of justice. On the other side of that, we get Lecter, who is unquestionably a monster but is so damn charming and intelligent that you can't help but find him extraordinarily compelling.

And Mads Mikkelsen makes Lecter even more enticing. Every shot of him standing by silently would be just another reaction shot in any other show, but here you can see every little machination behind his eyes. You can actually see him processing the information the other characters and surrounding events are providing him, and because this show has been so clever at crafting his character, you can deduce his line of thinking almost instantly. It's almost mind-boggling how, in just three episodes, we are inside of Hannibal's head just as easily as we are Will's.

I'm really enjoying Freddie Lounds as an antagonist to both Will and Hannibal, and I hope she's going to stick around for the whole season. For all intents and purposes, she's actually the villain of this episode, provoking Will into issuing her a veiled threat, and even sicking the brother of Hannibal's victim (who he thinks was killed by Hobbs) on poor traumatized Abigail. I wonder if she'll end up meeting the same fate as her former iterations?

But, the main focus of this episode is Abigail, and it's an interesting (if not entirely exciting) road her character is traveling. She wrestles with the idea if she's as messed up as her dad, and is forced to endure the scorn of her neighbors. Except for her one friend, who is immediately dispatched of after one scene! It was almost laughable how this poor girl showed up to be the one person who believes Abigail is innocent and wants to comfort her, and she gets murdered by Hannibal (in order to blame his victim's brother for his copycat murder) just minutes later. I'm actually a little pleased at this show's willingness to off characters as soon as we meet them. No one's safe, I guess! And now that Abigail and Hannibal are both harboring secrets against each other, I'm hoping Abigail pops back up around series end in order to throw a monkey wrench into Hannibal's attempts at covering up his darker side.

The visual style of this show seems like it's going to be consistent, and that appeases me to no end. The shot of Abigail stroking the deer carcass and then cutting to a hand running through a dead girl's hair is horrifyingly beautiful. This looks like it's going to be a show you could watch muted and still enjoy. Next week's "freak of the week" killer looks to have a ridiculously visual kick where they open up people's backs and style them like angel wings. I love it! It's so gratuitously violent, but passing it off in an artful way. I can't believe NBC even showed that in the preview, and quite extensively. I'm glad they know how to market a show about serial killers and a lead character who eats people.

This show has passed my "three episode" trial period and has hooked me for the entire season. It looks like we'll get a nice helping (it's hard to avoid food puns with this show) of one and done killers and a furthering of the main story arc. I'm fine with that, as long as Mads Mikkelsen gets to wear a new baller suit every week. Not even Anthony Hopkins made cannibalism so damn cool.

TV REVIEW: HANNIBAL - SEASON 1 EPISODE 2 - "Amuse-Bouche"

First of all, those opening credits! They perfectly establish the blend of elegance and viciousness this show is striving for, and in my opinion, is achieving.

Looks like my prayers are going to be answered as far as the stylish aesthetic is concerned. The icy beauty of every shot gives me plenty of screenshot options. And we get plenty of striking imagery in this episode. From Garrett Jacob Hobbs' cabin, to our killer of the week's mushroom garden and plenty of Will's hallucinations and dreams in between. Even if people don't like the plotting, characters or anything else, it'll be hard to argue that the show doesn't look superb.

But, how could they not like the plotting or the characters? I hope each episode can stay as structured as these first two. While they are part of a continuing story, they manage to deal with their own arcs and themes in very dynamic and satisfying ways, helping to retain the "mini-movie" feeling the pilot established. In this case, the focus is Will's inner conflict in regards to him gunning down Hobbs. The ending with Lecter and Will discussing whether or not God feels good when he strikes down humans is wonderfully dark territory for a network show to be treading, and it also gives us even more insight into each of our main characters.

We also get introduced to tabloid reporter Freddie Lounds, who Thomas Harris fans will notice has undergone a gender change since his original appearance in Red Dragon. I really like her! I wonder if this means the show is willing to deviate from our expectations completely, and if it will eventually get brave enough to rewrite all of the established canon. If so, I'm all for it. It means we'll have no idea what's lying in wait around the corner, which is what you want from any suspenseful storytelling.

I'm also pleased that the show is going to keep a wry bit of dark humor in its pocket every now and then. My favorite moment of the episode was when Lecter confronted Freddie for recording his and Will's therapy session and after saying, "You've been terribly rude. What's to be done about that?", we cut to a dinner plate full of meat with a suspiciously red sauce being poured over it. Haha! While it turns out it's not actually Ms. Lounds, it's a great use of the audiences knowledge about Lecter. If we get little bits of beastly fun like that once an episode, I'll be delighted.

And I am sold on Mads Mikkelsen's Lecter. Although he's still being kept on the sidelines for now, I eagerly anticipate our first Lecter-cetric episode. Mikkelsen's calm and almost surgeon-like demeanor makes him the most interesting of monsters: one with precision. It's also clear that he's having fun with the character, really selling it in the few scenes he and Hugh Dancy have together (expect to see lots of these scenes in Lecter's office). If there's any compliment I can give, it's that I have put any preconceptions about the character off to the side and am just taking in every sinister scene Mikkelsen gives me.

Honestly, this show is proving to be better than the last two movies made about the Hannibal Lecter character. They have a definitive story they want to tell but manage to make each episode somewhat standalone as well, the look of the series is well-established and gorgeous, the characters (not just the villains, mind you) are interestingly twisted and compelling, the actors are doing great work and everything feels deliberately paced and thought out. Looks like I'll have at least one horror prequel show to look forward to every week. Start watching Hannibal, if you aren't already. This one looks like it's going to be tasty.

TV REVIEW: HANNIBAL - SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 - "Apéritif"

After a certain other horror prequel show failed to completely deliver on it's promise, I had severely managed my expectations for NBC's new take on the charismatic cannibal Haniibal Lecter. Much to my delighted surprise, the inaugural episode comes out of the gate swinging and works like all pilots should: as a mini-movie. In fact, this episode is probably better than the majority of Brett Ratner's Red Dragon (Ralph Fiennes performance excluded). It sets everything for the series into place perfectly while simultaneously succeeding at telling its own self-contained story.

The opening scene lets us into the head of our main character (don't let the title fool you) Will Graham, as he visualizes how a murder occurred. It's a fantastic bit of flourish by director David Slade, and I hope the stylish liberties shown in this first outing stay consistent throughout the run. It gives the show an aesthetic that is sorely missing in genre television. Seeing what a character experiences isn't anything new, but given the dark nature of Will's ability to empathize with anyone (specifically murderers), it allows for some delightfully ghoulish bits of eye candy while also furthering the plot along in a compelling way.

Hugh Dancy plays Will with shaky certainty. He's a man afraid of the abilities he possesses, and Dancy conveys that fearful resolve very well. We also get a little peak into who he is at home, and it's a touching (if kind of goofy and sad) piece of character development. It's definitely the most complete performance of the character we've seen on the screen. Sorry, Edward Norton and William Petersen.

I'm sure plenty of people will complain about Mads Mikkelsen's accent, but those people would be taking into account only the most superficial aspect of his performance. While I didn't have trouble understanding him, I can see viewers getting caught up with that nitpick. Too bad, because Mikkelsen is doing some great stuff here. Instead of going the Shakespearian villain route Hopkins took with the character, Mikkelsen plays Lecter as cold and sharp as the scalpel he uses to sharpen his pencil. There are so many tiny moments in this hour of television that help formulate the kind of monster Lecter is. I love when he places the scalpel and pencil down and neatly arranges them on the table. It's an almost unnoticeable moment, but it adds serious legitimacy to the work Mikkelsen is cultivating. I'm very interested to see his more toned down and shark-like take on America's favorite cannibal.

The rest of the supporting cast are just as solid, specifically Laurence Fishburne doing his authoritarian thing like he wrote the book on it. I'm sure we'll be getting to know more about the investigative team we've just met, and I'm actually interested in that. Just as long as it doesn't take away from Will and his serial killer second sight.

Bryan Fuller is the showrunner for Hannibal and he also scripted this pilot. I hope his (and David Slade's) presence is kept strong, because this is a great introduction into this version of the story. It's tightly paced, a visual smorgasborg, transgressive yet not exploitative (there's a bit with Lecter chopping up some newly acquired meat that was pitch perfect), and has crafted multi-layered characters that leave me wanting to know more about them. I may have to jump ship from Norman Bates and his mother's hotel and start making appointments for Dr. Lecter's therapy.