Hannibal Season 1 Review

Created by Bryan Fuller

Based off of the books by Thomas Harris about Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, Hannibal had a lot to live up to. The Silence of the Lambs, the second book to be adapted from Harris' series, won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The television series takes more from the previous novel, Red Dragon, though, in that it follows FBI profiler Will Graham instead of aspiring agent Clarice Starling. It is also one of the better adaptations of this intellectual property. 

Taking place before Lecter's capture, Season 1 of the series sees Hannibal as a psychiatrist successfully blending into society. Lecter is not the main character of the story however, as he rarely is. Instead, the show is really about Will Graham. Graham (Hugh Dancy) is an instructor at the FBI academy, and he has an innate ability to put himself into the shoes of killers. As such, Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishbourne) decides to use Will's remarkable ability to find several sadistic serial killers that are on the FBI's radar. Fearing for Will's sanity, as his gift involves him imagining himself committing horrible acts, Crawford asks renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) to have regular sessions with Will, making sure the job isn't causing him permanent psychological damage.

First things first, Hannibal is possibly the best looking show this side of AMC. It is truly amazing that this show is on NBC, as the cinematography is so artistically based in a way that is simply not seen on network television. It is also amazing that it is on NBC since it is one of the more disturbing shows currently on tv. Sure CSI and other procedurals have dead bodies in every episode, but not in the way that Hannibal does. Dealing with the most deranged of the deranged, the murders in Hannibal are horrifying, and though we see very few deaths actually occur, the psychological impact of some of these murders is very difficult. At one point in the season I became so disturbed that I had to pause the episode and gather my senses before delving back into the proceedings. 

The show works mostly thanks to the actors. I am truly shocked that Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen have not gotten more acclaim for their work on this show. Dancy fills his Will Graham with such a constant sense of nervous tension that he never seems to be quite stable. Mikkelsen on the other hand had the biggest shoes to fill. Taking over for Anthony Hopkins, it would be easy to simply copy his style, and likely wind up disappointing fans. Instead, Mikkelsen takes advantage of the television format and keeps his Hannibal much more subtle. Here Hannibal hardly ever betrays his emotions, which makes him seem at once normal, and yet with enough malice to make the audience aware of just who he really is. The two actors, despite playing nearly opposite characters, really do share a great chemistry with each other that invigorates the entire series. Fishbourne also delivers a strong performance as Jack Crawford, possibly the most realistically emotional character in the entire series. 

The show falters a bit in its dialogue, however. While Dancy and Mikkelsen always make the most of every line they are given, some of the more secondary actors do not fare as well. Their statements are often either cliche, stupid, or totally unjustified. Every now and then the show will have all of these characters be convinced of something without reason to be. I realize it is for dramatic tension, but I just don't buy that these characters could always come to these conclusions in the way that they do. As well, the character of tabloid reporter Freddie Lounds brings some interesting potential for conflict, but winds up as simply being annoying and unrealistically against the main characters, removing any tension the character otherwise could have instilled.

Hannibal is a very flawed show. It's overarching season plot and several of the episode-specific plots are great, but it has a few episodes, and several moments of dialogue, which definitely feel subpar. The show simply does so much so well that these moments stand out like a sore thumb. As well, I don't feel very good about the fact that this show is on NBC. It seems like a much better fit for FX or AMC or some other channel which is more accepting of violence, as Hannibal could very easily disturb even otherwise desensitized audiences. Still, it is a show that is better than one would expect, and which showed enough promise in its first season that I am very excited to see where it goes from here.

Season Grade: B+

Best Episode: Roti (Episode 11)

The second appearance of Eddie Izzard in the season, and easily featuring the most exciting episode-specific plot, Roti finds the show operating at its highest level. Mixing its stand-alone and slow burn elements together perfectly, this episode satisfies on every account, paying off storylines which had begun earlier and further developing storylines that will play out over the rest of the season.

Weakest Episode: Potage (Episode 3)

This episode suffers the most from characters coming to unrealistic conclusions. It introduces an idea that could bring some intrigue, but by making every character convinced of this idea despite lack of evidence, the episode bends the suspension of disbelief way too far, causing it to shatter. Its really a shame because there are some interesting ideas in this episode, but the writing is way too heavy-handed to allow them to be properly introduced.