Hannibal: Season One

A Psychological Slow Burn: A Show That Stays Remarkably True To The Legacy Of Hannibal Lecter
I think it's fair to say that Hannibal Lecter became an American horror icon for most people with the Oscar winning film "The Silence of the Lambs." Personally, I discovered Lecter back in 1981 when author Thomas Harris introduced him in "Red Dragon." As a kid, I read this novel with a sick fascination and it was easily the scariest book I had read up until that point. Michael Mann adapted it into the film "Manhunter" in 1986 with character actor Brian Cox in the Lecter role, but it wasn't until 1991 and Anthony Hopkins that Lecter became incredibly popular. Hopkins revisited the role with another interpretation of "Red Dragon" and then "Hannibal," and has owned the role ever since. When I heard that NBC was helming a drama based on Lecter, I thought it was a disastrous idea! Network television is no such place for such evil! But I must say that the program has far exceeded my rather limited expectations. Created as a prequel to the events of "Red Dragon," the show has a...

Fascinating
Its hard not to compare this show to the Following with Kevin Bacon. On the surface, they're very similar. Tortured main character, gruesome murders, creepy psychopaths. Yet, they are, in essence, nothing alike. Bacon's character is a cliche. Will Graham, the protagonist in Hannibal, is so beautifully drawn, I can't take my eyes off him. He is a "special investigator" with the FBI. Those who work with him see him as fragile, so much so that they all seem to be holding their collective breath, waiting for him to shatter. The thing that makes him weak in their eyes is his stunning depth of empathy. This is how he solves crimes. Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist (and future notorious psychopath) who works with the FBI and Graham, has a different perspective. When Graham asks "how do you see me?", Lecter replies, you are "the mongoose I want under the house when the snakes slither by."

The production quality is high, the supporting cast is great. The show is smartly written.

I Savor This Show
Absolutely brilliantly done with a cast of characters whose acting talents are far superior to nearly every other on network television. You cannot surpass the level of depth of character development, the writing, where as they discuss real theories of psychology; build up, and character development between Will Graham and Dr. Lecter is unlike anything else on television and cannot be done with a movie.

Eventually we will view shows like this one not to be just a show, but rather a series of movies, each telling a story, where at one point a 2 hour movie will not be enough anymore to satisfy our palate for something as savory as this series.

This will become a classic.

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