More_Badass
Member
Been a while since I watched Hannibal and never actually got around to finishing season 3. The recent news about early talks regarding a season 4 finally got me to get the show on blu ray and start watching it again. TV is the one medium where I don't usually revisit favorites - too much of a time commitment - so Hannibal will be the only other show I've rewatched since going through Breaking Bad a second time
Apéritif
Watching the pilot, I was surprised by how straightforward it was plotted and how little surreal imagery and structure was present, considering the later show. Also, how character-focused it was from the get-go; sure, it had Will and Jack tracking a killer and that (partially) gets resolved by the end of the episode but the killings, the forensics, and so on are all in service of introducing us to Will, how he thinks, his struggles. A refreshing change from the general crime procedural structure
And of course, you can't not mention the titular character. I like how the show wastes zero time with teasing who and what Hannibal is; another show might have treated it as a mystery to the audience, but not here. The general audience knows all about Hannibal Lecter, no need to play coy. Instead they use that knowledge from the start to add tension, making us keep a close eye on his mannerisms and words and actions.
Amuse-Bouche
The second episode nails home the show's focus, as the episode's killer isn't seen in a pre-opening titles scene but ten minutes in (and has already been tracked down 30 minutes in), instead starting by leaping right into the continuation and aftermath of Hobbs' murders and death. The episode also introduces Freddie Lounds, the burgeoning "friendship" between Jack and Hannibal, and the start of Will's worsening mental state.
While the pilot's killer was pretty normal for this show, this episode dives right into the disturbing body horror/unsettling imagery of its murders. The arms sticking up from the dirt, the bodies consumed by mushrooms, the one victim's lips ripping off and later waking up Seven-style...Hannibal makes quite an impression
Apéritif
Watching the pilot, I was surprised by how straightforward it was plotted and how little surreal imagery and structure was present, considering the later show. Also, how character-focused it was from the get-go; sure, it had Will and Jack tracking a killer and that (partially) gets resolved by the end of the episode but the killings, the forensics, and so on are all in service of introducing us to Will, how he thinks, his struggles. A refreshing change from the general crime procedural structure
And of course, you can't not mention the titular character. I like how the show wastes zero time with teasing who and what Hannibal is; another show might have treated it as a mystery to the audience, but not here. The general audience knows all about Hannibal Lecter, no need to play coy. Instead they use that knowledge from the start to add tension, making us keep a close eye on his mannerisms and words and actions.
Amuse-Bouche
The second episode nails home the show's focus, as the episode's killer isn't seen in a pre-opening titles scene but ten minutes in (and has already been tracked down 30 minutes in), instead starting by leaping right into the continuation and aftermath of Hobbs' murders and death. The episode also introduces Freddie Lounds, the burgeoning "friendship" between Jack and Hannibal, and the start of Will's worsening mental state.
While the pilot's killer was pretty normal for this show, this episode dives right into the disturbing body horror/unsettling imagery of its murders. The arms sticking up from the dirt, the bodies consumed by mushrooms, the one victim's lips ripping off and later waking up Seven-style...Hannibal makes quite an impression