What a grand, dark show. Pitch black in its dread and humor, continuing to take the best elements of Thomas Harris' novels RED DRAGON, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HANNIBAL, and HANNIBAL RISING, twisting and turning the characters and events in new and hideously unexpected ways. Psycho hunter Will Graham is set up by the malicious Doctor Lecter and jailed for being a serial killer while Hannibal takes Will's place with the FBI, helping them to track down and catch maniacs on the loose. Hannibal continues to host incredible dinner parties for law enforcement, including his boss Jack Crawford, feeding them human tenderloin from many of the victims from the cases they are working on! It's delightfully repulsive in all ways imaginable, and there's plenty of horrific dead body imagery this season, including a body that is a half hollowed-out bee-hive that sticks with you like acid reflux. Mads Mikkelson owns the screen as Lecter much as Hopkins before him and is an absolute gas to watch. Hugh Dancy is intense as the tortured Will Graham and many of the main characters this season are unexpectedly knocked off, which makes for an uneasy view. Just because they are a staple in the Harris novels doesn't mean they'll last long in this show, which really keeps viewers on their toes. Laurence Fishburne is splendid as Jack Crawford and the end confrontation he has with Lecter is action-packed, gory, and intense. Margot and Mason Verger appear in this season, with Margot being essayed by horror honey Katharine Isabelle, always fun to watch. And yes, she does some semi-nude love scenes, always appreciated! Michael Pitt as Mason Verger channels some serious Gary Oldman on steroids and makes the character even MORE psychotic before the famous rip off my face and feed it to the dogs sequence that is expertly re-enacted this season. Mason is so disturbed that he almost comes across cartoonish, like a villain in the old BATMAN TV show! The level of violence seen in this series is unprecedented, and the ending, chalk full of shootings, beatings, stabbings, slicing, dicing, throat slashing, and more is about as bloody and gruesome as any movie, big, small, or indie, that I've seen. And wow, what an ending to the season, truly beautiful if you're a Hannibal fanatic like me, it's pitch perfect in the vein of the HANNIBAL movie with a truly awesome twist I didn't see coming. Hannibal is truly the star of the show, the anti hero and like Dexter, you just can't help but root for him, as evil as he is. HANNIBAL ranks as one of my favorite television shows ever, see it on DVD where it's totally uncut. Bravo!
What a grand, dark show. Pitch black in its dread and humor, continuing to take the best elements of Thomas Harris' novels RED DRAGON, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HANNIBAL, and HANNIBAL RISING, twisting and turning the characters and events in new and hideously unexpected ways. Psycho hunter Will Graham is set up by the malicious Doctor Lecter and jailed for being a serial killer while Hannibal takes Will's place with the FBI, helping them to track down and catch maniacs on the loose. Hannibal continues to host incredible dinner parties for law enforcement, including his boss Jack Crawford, feeding them human tenderloin from many of the victims from the cases they are working on! It's delightfully repulsive in all ways imaginable, and there's plenty of horrific dead body imagery this season, including a body that is a half hollowed-out bee-hive that sticks with you like acid reflux. Mads Mikkelson owns the screen as Lecter much as Hopkins before him and is an absolute gas to watch. Hugh Dancy is intense as the tortured Will Graham and many of the main characters this season are unexpectedly knocked off, which makes for an uneasy view. Just because they are a staple in the Harris novels doesn't mean they'll last long in this show, which really keeps viewers on their toes. Laurence Fishburne is splendid as Jack Crawford and the end confrontation he has with Lecter is action-packed, gory, and intense. Margot and Mason Verger appear in this season, with Margot being essayed by horror honey Katharine Isabelle, always fun to watch. And yes, she does some semi-nude love scenes, always appreciated! Michael Pitt as Mason Verger channels some serious Gary Oldman on steroids and makes the character even MORE psychotic before the famous rip off my face and feed it to the dogs sequence that is expertly re-enacted this season. Mason is so disturbed that he almost comes across cartoonish, like a villain in the old BATMAN TV show! The level of violence seen in this series is unprecedented, and the ending, chalk full of shootings, beatings, stabbings, slicing, dicing, throat slashing, and more is about as bloody and gruesome as any movie, big, small, or indie, that I've seen. And wow, what an ending to the season, truly beautiful if you're a Hannibal fanatic like me, it's pitch perfect in the vein of the HANNIBAL movie with a truly awesome twist I didn't see coming. Hannibal is truly the star of the show, the anti hero and like Dexter, you just can't help but root for him, as evil as he is. HANNIBAL ranks as one of my favorite television shows ever, see it on DVD where it's totally uncut. Bravo!
