Opulence and Edible Murder by Mads’ Hannibal Lecter
This show fast became one of my favourites, because being a big fan of horror, this show spoke to me. Not only the horror aspect but the acting, casting, writing, basically everything I enjoy in a tv show. I have to admit to not liking Hugh Dancy as Will Graham at first, but now I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part. Laurence Fishburn was another reason to watch this, as his acting is impeccable. Fishburn is an actor I have enjoyed in many movies like The Matrix, for example, but for me, his best came as the wife beating Ike Turner, Sr. in What’s Love Got to Do with It, for which he received a well deserved Oscar nod. The cinematography by James Hawkinson has been something quite brilliant for a tv show, but we expect no less from a show boasting such immense talent.
The real star of Hannibal is Hannibal himself, played by the master of nuance Mads Mikkelsen, (an interview with Mads is at the top right of this review) and I always knew it would take a special kind of actor to to pull it off, and pull it off to perfection, he most certainly has. I have actually tried to think of a better (or different) style of actor to play Hannibal Lecter but for the life of me I can think of no one. I realise that Anthony Hopkins left some rather large shoes to fill, but instead of building on that foundation Madds made his own and has earned the right to the name. I also watch Game of Thrones where I feel similarly about Charles Dances’ Tywin Lannister which is another example of casting brilliance.
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And so, Will Graham is slowly led to the slaughter (metaphorically, but perhaps in actuality) by Lecter’s lies, as witnessed all season, but just how far will the person eater take it? That’s an obvious one I suppose, but still a valid question. We start off each episode with horrific deaths, but were they all murder, or something else entirely? We also focused on Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl) as Jack Crawford became even more suspicious. Jack had given Lecter the beady eye a few times in the past, and I’m sure we saw that spark again right at their last scene together in the season 1 finale. Gillian Anderson has been great as Lecters psychiatrist and is another example of solid casting. She looks to have had extensive work done, but thats another story!
It has been an absolute pleasure to watch this first season of Hannibal, with some great writing, superb acting and a cast of some of the finest Thespians money can buy. The characters have been excellent, though, some took a bit of getting used to, like Mr Dancy and his overacted strangeness. Which is how we open the finale to season 1, and it really has been great getting here.
This is a piece from my review for the season 1 finale: A sweaty and confused Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) has had another horned nightmare, so gets out of bed and starts to throw up. Right on top of a human ear. The “ear” in question marks the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning, for the very interesting relationship between Will and Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen), but we all know it doesn’t, indeed, can’t stop there. Will and the FBI have been led on a merry dance by Lecter, and so far Hannibal’s luck has held. So far.
The focus is on Will, as he tries to deconstruct events leading up to Abigail’s disappearance, and while he makes some excellent headway, things don’t go as planned. We see some of the old murder scenes from throughout this first season, with some changes. There was nothing graphic in this one either, but it was a brilliant way to wrap it up, as Will is now suspected of all sorts of death, but can he shift the blame to the real monster? You’ll have to watch it to find out, as I’m certainly not gonna spoil it for you. Also, listen out for the aria from Hannibal (the movie) and watch that smirk on a gleeful Lecter. A great episode but not the best.
This is a roundup of season one which has been amazing, staying very close to Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon. It’s also looking like we will follow Hannibal Lecter through each stage of his relationship with Will Graham. I’m assuming we’ll get to meet Clarice Starling when we rejoin the show, but I’m not sure how we will arrive at that point. I’ll constantly update this article when I get any information regarding the show, in between each of the (hopefully many) seasons, so you can always check back. I shall also add to it after each show, and then a final round as each season ends. So season one has just closed with a promise of great things to come, and I for one will be keenly waiting on Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal the Cannibal.
Highly Recommended
Grade: A+
