Aaron Sarnecky – Hannibal
When it comes to what’s popular on television, I often arrive late to the party. Such is the case with Hannibal, which I didn’t get into until last December, when I got the first season for Christmas. Since watching the first two seasons, it has become one of my favorite shows. And with this third season seemingly set to be its last, those who still aren’t watching deserve to know what they’ve been missing.
Many people probably wrote off the show early on because they doubted that anyone could match Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. Who knew how wrong they would be, and that Mads Mikkelsen, known to most as the villainous Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, would surpass his predecessor? You read that right; Mads is my favorite Hannibal. According to Mads, he portrays Lecter as if he is the devil. That might sound cliché, but it truly fits, as his Hannibal has an air of sophistication to him that makes his crimes sound almost logical. He ruminates that God is indifferent to human suffering; God would have a church ceiling collapse on His followers because it makes Him feel powerful. Likewise, Hannibal expresses his own power over his victims. As he says in the Season 3 premiere, it’s only cannibalism if they’re equals. Hannibal has no use for morality, and when he’s not exerting his superiority, he does things merely out of curiosity, for his amusement, or in his twisted and abusive kinship with certain characters.
But while the show is named after Hannibal, it really could be named after its protagonist, former FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). A common criticism of many stories is that the antagonist is much more interesting than the protagonist, but in Hannibal, Will is just as fascinating as his counterpart. His ability to think like the killers he hunts makes him quite unstable, and he could be consumed by that darkness. I was actually frustrated early on this season because I no longer understood his motivations. But as the season has gone on, it’s become clear just how tempting the murderous path set by Hannibal is. A similarly dark path has opened up for Will’s colleague, Dr. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas), who’s become much more interesting this season. Though it is a little abrupt, it’s nevertheless welcome; Bloom is now much more than Will’s former love interest.
Speaking of love, so far I love how the show is covering Red Dragon. Richard Armitage (of Hobbit Trilogy fame) is totally invested in the role of serial killer Francis Dolarhyde. Although the transition was a little jarring for me at first, and it is odd to hear Mads quote the book, it has been a treat to see Will investigate the murders. This is depicted, of course, through the show’s trademark expressionist imagery. It’s both grisly and beautiful, though the graphic violence is likely too much for the faint of heart. Now that the storyline is in full gear, I expect a least a few notable deviations from the source material, which is something viewers have come to expect.
Despite the show’s quality, it’s not perfect. While it’s done a nice job of covering Hannibal (the book), its venture into Hannibal Rising is too brief to be significant, even if it is much better than the movie and book. Similarly, the motivations of Hannibal’s therapist, Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), continue to be confusing. These minor gripes notwithstanding, I’m undoubtedly going to miss this show. It is possible that it might return eventually, and I’d love to see showrunner Bryan Fuller adapt The Silence of the Lambs, and Clarice Starling’s fate in Hannibal the book, into a miniseries; I think it could be a big event, given that it’s been almost 25 years since The Silence of the Lambs graced theaters. But until that day comes (maybe), I’ll enjoy what’s left of the show’s NBC run. There’s more gore and mayhem just around the corner.
https://youtu.be/9pNXLmDdrL0
[php] wp_link_pages(array(‘before’=>’
‘)); [/php]
=========================================================================================================
