Some Reasons Why You Should Be Watching NBC's Hannibal

[kmo]

So, while I was madly finishing up my dissertation, I discovered a new TV obsession (TM), Hannibal, which has been airing on NBC. Peeps, this is the most strangely beautiful, visually stunning TV show I have ever seen. It also has a subtlety and a depth to it you don't really see on most network TV shows. Hands down it is the best network drama I have seen in years, and could easily compete with anything on AMC, HBO, or Showtime. And for that reason, I am terrified it is going to be cancelled, because a show like this is just too goddamn speshul to be on one of the basic networks. So, I am desperately singing Hannibal's praises to anyone that will listen, hoping to generate some buzz via word of mouth.

To summarize, it's less of a prequel to Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon (the Thomas Harris books/movies that feature serial killer Hannibal Lecter) and more of a reboot. It's a prequel in the sense that it goes back to the heyday of Lecter's career as a serial killer when he was still at large, working with the FBI. But it's kind of a reboot in the sense that Fuller is reimagining some of the canon in the present day, has changed and gender-flipped some characters, and borrows storylines from the other Harris novels. I really love Silence of the Lambs and can take or leave the other films, so I'm not some kind of rabid Hannibal fangirl by any means, and yet I still enjoy the show.

Some reasons to watch in no particular order:

1. It is amazingly fucking beautiful. Seriously. There is just imagery in there straight out of the Jungian collective unconscious. Its shot in these super-saturated colors where every detail matches. Hannibal could compete with Downton Abbey or Mad Men in terms of stunning visuals, and unlike these other shows, it is set in the present-day and can't use gorgeous period dress as a prop.

2. It's an interesting blend of police procedural and overarching story arc. The first few episodes deal with the fallout of a serial killer Hannibal helps the FBI apprehend, but the repercussions of that story carries over into later episodes. And even the "cases of the week" have been thoroughly enjoyable and imaginative.

Partly because of reason #3- This show cares about the psychological price paid by those who fight violent criminals. To me, seeing the toll it takes on our hero, Will Graham, to do what he does and what he's good at means that even a case of the week isn't just an isolated incident. And in this sense, it's much more mature than your average NCIS or Criminal Minds where they are routinely apprehending bad guys and putting themselves in danger and shrugging it off week after week.

4. Gillian Anderson as Hannibal's psychiatrist. She doesn't show up until about 5 or 6 episodes in but damn she's amazing. They're amazing together. It's like somebody took the therapy scenes between Melfi and Tony from The Sopranos and raised everyone's IQ by like a million points. They do this little dance and it's not clear whether or not she knows he's a killer. She's not going to show her hand and he's not showing his. Go on and watch this scene. i could watch them all day. Slight spoilers: unclear, but the show seems to be implying that Hannibal might have done for his therapist what Tony didn't do for Melfi after "Employee of the Month."


5. Blue and Orange Morality- it's not clear yet whether or not Hannibal the cannibal is someone who has "rules" or morals, or if he is just a total sociopath who is only skilled at faking empathy for other people. I admit that it's the ambiguity that fascinates me. I love villains that have rules and morals which don't ascribe to any moral system we would recognize,but exist nevertheless. And also, there are a lot of people on the side of the "good guys" also doing morally questionable things in the pursuit of justice. Lots of shades of grey for everyone. 

6. Lots of het and boyslash shipping potential. I am told that Hugh Dancy is very handsome- my friend who doesn't really like these dark dramas is hooked on Hannibal for that very reason. So far, not much potential for femslash, but I am optimistic!

7. It's really scary every time someone eats something. 'Cause it's probably made of people. They also make the food look really delicious, which makes it even more scary. 

My one critique: underdeveloped female characters. :( As with a lot of these prestige dramas. It's definitely a bromance between Will the FBI profiler and Hannibal the serial killer at this point. And yeah, media's fascination with white male bromance kind of annoys me, but I find the characters so compelling, I am willing to keep tuning in anyway. The female guest stars (Anderson, also Zoe from Firefly) have been great, tho.

ETA: I checked the AO3 archive for this show, and it seems there are already 400+ stories of mainly Will/Hannibal explicit slash despite this show only having been on the air for 6 weeks. Oh fandom, you never fail to amaze me in your ability to slash two moderately handsome white men. I have a feeling this show has become the equivalent of methadone for Sherlock fans still waiting for season 3. Meanwhile, I was going to request Hannibal/Dr. Du Maurier for Yuletide, but at this rate, the fandom will be too big for Yuletide! I guess maybe that means there's a good chance it might get picked up for a second season? 

Comments

[aptasi]

Sounds really cool. Is it the kind of reboot that requires some knowledge of the original, or can I go in blind?

[kmo]

not really. Hannibal likes opera and gourmet cuisine, made with the internal organs of his victims. that's all you really need to know. ;)

and it is kind of scary and graphic (which i'm not sure if you go in for, i've had to look away from the tv a few times because it's too gory for me) but i do really think you would enjoy the dynamics of the show. it's all available streaming on nbc.com or hulu