Hannibal

Hannibal – Coming back for another Season February 28th

Published February 3, 2014 | By RottenOne

That wacky trickster of misdirection and fine cuisine, Hannibal will be back for a second season on February 28th. It’s been a while since last we saw Hannibal and I was worried we wouldn’t get to see more of his adventures. The audience is a fickle mistress and I felt like Hannibal didn’t pull in the audience like it should have. It’s a show that builds slowly, which is fine me, I like all the backstory, but I don’t feel others are so patient. My fears are put to rest and a new season is right around the corner.

When we left Hannibal, he’d been busy building quite the frame up job on Will. So much so, it left him behind bars and within an inch of his mind. Hiding his medical from him and doctoring the x-rays, Hannibal has spun Will right around. All the evidence in multiple murders point right at him and since he keeps blacking out and ending up in strange places in a compromising positions, it’s hard to defend himself.

So what treachery lies ahead for Season 3? Will Hannibal work to set Will free Is there someone else on his list to frame? And what new recipes does he plan to create?

Hannibal – S01E08

Published May 18, 2013 | By RottenOne

NBC is staying the course and each episode of Hannibal is darker than the last. The visuals are especially taking on a darker and more grisly tone. This last episode of the exposed vocal chords of a human instrument drives that point home. And the intestines drying in the sinks. The jars of who knows what down in the cellar.

It’s interesting to see NBC keeping with the dark atmosphere of the show and not shying away from some of the shocking imagery (especially after episode 4 seemed to rub people the wrong way). This is after all the story of a serial killer. I don’t know how long they will keep this up or if it will alienate the viewing public. People are easily offended these days and since this is broadcast TV they are taking a pretty big risk. I checked and Hannibal hasn’t been renewed for a second season yet.

I’m not sure where we’re headed with this story, but I’m quite willing to play along. I feel we’re still at the stage of defining characters and their relationship with each other. Even within the story, Hannibal is "considering" having Will as a friend. It’s an unusual thing to hear someone say they have to consider making someone their friend. Unfortunately, this slow pace is why shows get cancelled. They don’t get a chance to build and create depth any more.

We’ve now seen Hannibal commit two murders and we know he’s done several others. What is the motive? What drives him? Is it quite literally a hunger? That seems too simple and shallow for this type of character. Is he experimenting? Like Tobias, is he just trying to see how far he can go before he gets caught? Is it the game of staying ahead of the police that he wants to play? Is he trying to see how far he can push Will before he breaks? We know he has tragic events in his past, how do those fit in. Was he responsible?

With Dexter, we know he’s a serial killer, but that’s not what he wants to be. He channels the Dark Passenger into something "good" and tries to be normal in other aspects. This makes him likable and we accept people being brought to justice. We’re willing to overlook this slight character flaw…

Hannibal is a serial killer and blends in to society with his psychiatric practice (which is just a way to find victims by the look of it), his dinners (a vicarious thrill to know what everyone is eating and thus make them a part of the crime) and high society cultural events. So is he with the high elite because they are so boring and daft they’ll never catch on to who he is? Does he regret the way he is? Does he embrace it? Is there something greater that Hannibal wants from life? The sympathetic part hasn’t come out yet. Will it? Can Hannibal be likable or will this turn to cat and mouse and we watch Hannibal do his best to keep the police at bay until the ultimately fails?

I had hoped for more an interaction between Hannibal and Tobias. There is so much we could have learned about Hannibal. He was certainly forthcoming who he was, but did he want to be friends with Tobias up to the point where Tobias revealed he’d seen Hannibal out on the lonely road doing what he does so well? Since Hannibal didn’t have the upper hand did he have to get rid of Tobias? Is Hannibal a teacher perhaps? Can he give shelter and guidance to others like him?

I guess that is where we go from here, to learn about Hannibal and how he views people. He seems quite taken with Will and how Will can assume his point of view, which is then followed up with Will can see the point of view of a psychopath.

I’m intrigued by this show and when the tipping point will come. There is so much to explain and reveal. When does the house of cards come tumbling down? When does the mask of Hannibal come off?

Were to go from here, that is indeed the question.

Hannibal – The Series

Published May 4, 2013 | By RottenOne

I’ve spent the past few days getting caught up on this new series called Hannibal. It’s somewhat surprising to see this is from NBC since they aren’t exactly known for good dramas. But this has turned out to be surprisingly good even though it may not be for the faint of heart. If you’re a fan of Criminal Minds, Dexter, Major Crimes, etc, this should right up your alley.

One of the main characters is none other than Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon. In fact, credit is given that the characters are based on those from Red Dragon. This is a prequel that leads up to the events of that time period. As a counterpart to the psychiatric insight of Lecter we have Will Graham, the slightly off-balance, nightmare riddled FBI Profiler who’s probably more unstable than the criminals he’s chasing down. And there are plenty of other characters who have their own demons. Everyone is a bit off kilter in this one.

Unlike many other shows, this one is not episodic, meaning the story runs across multiple episodes and isn’t neatly completed at the end of the hour. I much prefer this style, similar to Dexter, where a real story can come together and lots of layers can be piled on. It also means you can weave in treachery, deceit and hide secrets.

Hannibal has even hit it’s own bit of controversy where Episode 4 was held back in the wake of the events in Boston. Perhaps the timing was off for a show like this, but the content had nothing to do with those events and people who would be offended by the material or timing of the airing wouldn’t be watching it anyway. And ironically, the episode they put on instead came across as far more disturbing with the backs of victims being carved into the wings of angels. I’m not a censor, so who knows what was behind that decision.

So far, I find this show very interesting and engaging. We know who Dr. Lecter is and what he’s going to do, we’re now peering in to see if we can find out why. However, the characters don’t have any knowledge of those events, so what clues can they pick up on, if any. It makes for some interesting watching, especially with how Hannibal treats people and what he feeds them for dinner. Is that really rabbit they’re eating? The flashbacks as Hannibal speaks lead me to believe otherwise. How about you?

I also see Hannibal akin to the character of Dracula. He comes across as smooth, collected, sure of himself and what he’s doing. He always seems to be calm, speaks slowly and all his motions seem deliberate. It’s like he’s casting a trance on those around him.

And then there is the chaos of Will. He is akin to the “Frank Blank” from the old “Millennium” series. He sees what the killer sees, that’s his curse. It plagues and haunts him, perhaps drives him to madness. Is he any more stable than Hannibal? On the surface it doesn’t seem so.

How soon until the real Hannibal is revealed? Will his law enforcement friends see the real persona? Is he really responsible for some of the events taking place around him, or is he somehow planting the power of suggestion in other people to do his bidding?

Anyone else tuning in for Hannibal? And did you watch the uncut version that NBC thought would be too much for the audience? What do you think? Are you concerned about what you’re eating?

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The paranormal. The strange. The unusual. The bizarre. The unexplained. The mysterious. The truth.

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Hannibal – Coming back for another Season February 28th

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