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So what, you might ask, is Hannibal? I'll let the Koreans explain.
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Wait, that didn't explain anything. I guess I'll take a crack at it.
Hannibal is a new drama created by Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies) on NBC that is based on characters from the famous books by Thomas Harris and named for the iconic serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Specifically, the story is based on a time before Harris' first novel Red Dragon takes place, when Hannibal Lecter was still a unknown monster and member of society and not a known monster. In the show, Hannibal Lecter serves as the psychologist/adviser/best bro 4ever for the main character, FBI profiler Will Graham. Under the orders of Jack Crawford, Will (with Hannibal occasionally assisting) profiles murderers for the FBI to help them catch them.
At least, that's the theory. What actually winds up happening is far more gruesome and sinister and horrifiying.
So, who are the principal players?
Will Graham, played by Hugh Dancy
Will Graham is an... interesting case. He's socially-awkward, a collector of stray dogs and something of a perpetual downer of a person.
Although, this may be due to the fact that his method for profiling murderers involves his recreating the murder in his mind. With him playing the part of the murderer. His knack for getting into the mindset of a killer and empathizing with them in their moment of true monsterousness is as effective as it is inadvertently masochistic. Because of this, he finds himself going to darker and darker places, leading him towards a perpetual abyss that could lead to him hurting himself or others, as evidenced by the following screencap.
Seriously Korea, cut it out.
The fact that he keeps going out there and causing this mental harm to himself is because it does actually save lives, which is the most important thing for
Jack Crawford, played by Laurence Fishburne
Jack is a 'get results' kinda boss, which has in his past, present and maybe future led to some Very Bad Decisions and a few traumas. He's blunt, doubting and temperamental, made all the worse by his slowly-straining relationship with his wife (Gina Torres of Firefly fame, who is also Fishburne's real-life wife) and the stress of the job (which makes sense, because 'bad days' for most professions don't involve mutilated corpses). His mental health might also be taking some blows from the frequent dinners with
Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Mads Mikkelsen
Oh hey look, it's the guy with the name in the title! Dr. Lecter, former surgeon, current psychiatrist with a long-time hobby and predilection for MURDER (duhn-duhn-duuuuuuuuuhn). He is supposed to be the one bringing stability to the life of Will, keeping the job from destroying his sanity (So yeah, Will is pretty much boned) and occasionally offering some insights, unsolicited advice or sometimes nudges in the right direction to help Will figure out the most recent killer's identity. All while hosting amazing dinner parties.
Also, dude straight-up murders people and eats them. Face of a killer right here.
Goddammit Korea
So, how is it?
Amazing. This may be the grimmest, darkest thing I've ever seen aired on network TV. The acting is wonderful. Dancy and Fishburne are fantastic in their roles, but Mads kills it (HAR!) as Hannibal Lecter. This is not Anthony Hopkins' Lecter. This is Lecter before the world saw him for who he really is. He's still cunning, fond of mind games and a massive social engineer, but he's not overt like in the movies. This is Lecter keeping it understated, quiet and beneath the radar, and Mads plays it perfect.
So, how's it look? Phenomenal. This series has this amazing ability to look beautiful and utterly horrific in the same shot. Hiring camera-champions like Guillermo Navarro (one of my favorite cinematographers) to direct the episodes helps this show to be the best-looking thing on network TV. And yes, this is on network TV, a fact which blows my mind because there is some brutal imagery going on here. I like horror movies, especially the ones with lots of splatter and maximum creepiness, but some of the crime scenes in Hannibal... don't watch while eating. Seriously. Which might be hard because Hannibal's cuisines are shot like foodie porn. You know what's in there but dammit why does it look good what is wrong with me?!
The writing is also top-notch, edging far more towards the psychological terror spectrum than its counterparts on other stations. There's a lot of slow-burning in this show, and events tend to have grave consequence in subsequent episodes. The music, too. There's a lot of low, thrumming bass about, creating a sense of ill-tidings at every corner. Reminds me a lot of Dave Porter's work in 'Breaking Bad' (Crawl Space in particular).
This show is so far and beyond other shows of its ilk that I'm shocked it's on network. This is cable-worthy. This could be on FX or AMC and I would not blink. In fact, I'll go this far: 'Hannibal' is to the Profiling Killer genre what 'Homicide: Life On The Streets' and 'The Shield' were to the Police Procedural genre.
Final verdict: this is the best drama on network TV. It's good enough to make you forget 'The Following' ever happened (which it never did don't you dare tell me otherwise). Come for the Lecter, stay for the amazing acting, beautiful camerawork, horrifying gore and psychological horrors.
GODDAMMIT KOREA I SAID KNOCK IT OFF
Also, for those wondering about the image at the top of the page: yes, that is Scott Thompson in the very back. Yeah, the guy from Kids In The Hall. Just wanted to clear that up.
Season 1 is on Amazon Prime right the fuck now. Also on BR in glorious HD. Season 2 started on Friday. It is goddamn nuts and you should watch the first season first because why deprive yourself?
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