"Hannibal" TV series - is anyone watching it?

[Beorning]

I was curious: is anyone here watching the Hannibal TV series? If so, how about discussing it? No-one I know in RL watches it, so I can't discuss it with anybody...

And I do need to discuss it! I mean, I just happened to watch season 2 finale yesterday. And I'm still in shock...

[Thesunmaid]

I just finished the second season 2 days ago on netflix :) Wonderful show. I have always loved the character of Hannibal. And I must say the actor they got to play him pulled it off. And I did not ever picture Lawrence Fishburne as Jack Crawford but I watched it and was like wow ok I like the way he did it. And the imagery they used was wonderful.

[Beorning]

Personally, I've long been a bit sceptical about this show. I felt it was beautifully done, with some amazing dream and hallucination scenes... but I found the constant intellectual (or just pseudo-intellectual?) talks between characters a bit annoying. The supposed psychological subtext of this show has long not worked for me. Also, I found the various killers shown in the show to be too theatrical... not really believeable.

But the last half of season 2 really changed that. In the last five episodes, the show really clicked for me... Also, I found the plot to be growing shockingly tense and dark...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

I mean... Randall Tier? This guy was absolutely scary. As well what Will did to his body. Then, there came the supposed murder of Freddie Lounds - and the implication that Will gave her parts to Hannibal for a dinner. This idea... the notion that Will might've gone so far deep... it really creeped me out.

And then, there came the fate of Mason Verger... My God. He cut his face off and served it to dogs! Aaaaaagh!

And the finale... I couldn't believe it. I was like: "Did they just have Hannibal kill all of the cast?". It was... brilliantly dark...

I admit I'm hooked now. I can't wait for season 3!

[Thesunmaid]

Well I don't remember how to do the spolier thing and anyone who is reading this its at the end of the second season so...read at your own risk...but me and my hubby were talking...we both think that Will and Jack will live but I am pretty sure Abby is toast.  I mean it showed Jack calling someone which I assume is for help...and Will he did not gut like he has in the past.


Tobias...hes the one who pissed me off the most really...also...can none of these agents solve any crimes on their own? I mean I assume that they all got where they were because they are intelligent and know what they are doing but it all seems like they can't catch anyone with out Will and Hannibal. Although I admit I did like how they framed Chilton.

And the mason verger thing was actually in the book hannibal and they kept putting things in from the books..like the burning body in the wheel chair and they kept Alan..or in this case Alana bloom in this case. I was really hoping for them to have the tooth fairy...and they also changed the sex of the reporter to a woman as well. But i liked who they cast for all of them.

[Deamonbane]

Mason Verger is played by Gary Oldman in the movie Hannibal... not a stellar movie, though...

I found that I didn't quite like that Hannibal escaped, nor that Chilton was killed... Mostly because I am partial to Lecter's," I'm having an old friend for dinner," line in Silence of the Lambs, but I digress. I would have been positive that Graham and Crawford weren't going to die and were going to appear in season three if it hadn't been for Chilton's death, which tells us that they aren't following the previously established storyline too closely...

I am anxious to see who they are getting to play the Tooth Fairy, though...

And... well... is anyone else entirely pissed off that Will's plan falls through because Lecter smells Lounds' scent on him? I mean... seriously? In the first season we have a demonstration of how good Lecter's sense of smell is when he takes a guess as to what exactly is wrong with Will, but that didn't really have a major impact on the story line. Here it's the foundation of the season finale, and I was like... WHAT? If I wanted to watch something about people with superpowers I would be watching Agents of SHIELD, for Chrissakes...

[Ryven]

They're actually pulling a lot of aspects from the books too, so don't be upset that they strayed from the movies. 

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

As far as killing the cast, you never see them die save for Abigail.  Remember, Will had already called EMS when he found Alana outside the house.  They're already on their way when Hannibal wounds Will.  I'm betting Jack dies because his whole reason for living seemed to be his wife who is almost dead.  I haven't read the books, but in discussing the show with my friend, she mentioned that Will didn't die though Lecter nearly killed him.  The same thing could be happening here.

[Beorning]

So, are we using Spoiler tags or not? Let's make some consensus :)

Anyway, my prediction for season 3: Will and Jack will survive. Abigail is dead, unfortunately - they pulled the "seemingly dead, but really alive" trick with her once already. I'd say it's 50/50 as to whether Alana survives...

As for Hannibal's sense of smell and it derailing Will's plan: I wasn't angered by it, because I've gone through this anger back in season 1, when this aspect was established :) Now, I've grown to accept it... so it didn't bother me this time around.

You know what bothers me a little about this series? Something I call "The Attack of Well-Dressed People" :) I mean... so many characters in the show are sharp dressers! Hannibal is a given, but there was also Tobias, Bedelia, Chilton, the Verger siblings... Sometimes, when watching this show, I feel like I'm trapped in some alternate reality where every man wears three-piece suits all the time :) Especially psychopaths...

[Ryven]

So, are we using Spoiler tags or not? Let's make some consensus :)

Anyway, my prediction for season 3: Will and Jack will survive. Abigail is dead, unfortunately - they pulled the "seemingly dead, but really alive" trick with her once already. I'd say it's 50/50 as to whether Alana survives...

As for Hannibal's sense of smell and it derailing Will's plan: I wasn't angered by it, because I've gone through this anger back in season 1, when this aspect was established :) Now, I've grown to accept it... so it didn't bother me this time around.

You know what bothers me a little about this series? Something I call "The Attack of Well-Dressed People" :) I mean... so many characters in the show are sharp dressers! Hannibal is a given, but there was also Tobias, Bedelia, Chilton, the Verger siblings... Sometimes, when watching this show, I feel like I'm trapped in some alternate reality where every man wears three-piece suits all the time :) Especially psychopaths...

All the well-dressed people in the show are psychopaths in one way or another though.  I'd like to think that it was a conscious choice by costuming as a way to contrast the outward appearance they show and the hidden darkness they have inside.  One thing that I questioned was how some of these very elaborate crime scenes were created without anyone noticing.  Seriously?  How you gonna set up a dead body to look like a Hindu deity without anyone noticing.  The precise nature of these scenes couldn't have been thrown together so quickly.  I guess there is a sort of suspension of disbelief to accept some things in the show.

[Beorning]

All the well-dressed people in the show are psychopaths in one way or another though.  I'd like to think that it was a conscious choice by costuming as a way to contrast the outward appearance they show and the hidden darkness they have inside.

I don't know if that's entirely accurate. Was Margot Verger truly a psychopath? For me, she was just... messed up and scared. Also, I wouldn't call Bedelia a psychopath.

But it's true that many of the show killers dress sharp. I first noticed it with Tobias and was like "Soooo, being a psychopath gives one an urge to kill... and dress in a pedantic manner?". And I admit that when Mason Verger appeared, I rolled my eyes. "One another psychopath in a three-piece suit!"

One thing that I questioned was how some of these very elaborate crime scenes were created without anyone noticing.  Seriously?  How you gonna set up a dead body to look like a Hindu deity without anyone noticing.  The precise nature of these scenes couldn't have been thrown together so quickly.  I guess there is a sort of suspension of disbelief to accept some things in the show.

That's true. The Hindu deity body I could pass, it was at the cementary... but the "tree-man", for once, made me raise an eyebrow. He was set up on what, a landing strip?

But as you said... I guess it's a suspension of disbelief thing.

[Ryven]

I don't know if that's entirely accurate. Was Margot Verger truly a psychopath? For me, she was just... messed up and scared. Also, I wouldn't call Bedelia a psychopath.

But it's true that many of the show killers dress sharp. I first noticed it with Tobias and was like "Soooo, being a psychopath gives one an urge to kill... and dress in a pedantic manner?". And I admit that when Mason Verger appeared, I rolled my eyes. "One another psychopath in a three-piece suit!"

That's true. The Hindu deity body I could pass, it was at the cementary... but the "tree-man", for once, made me raise an eyebrow. He was set up on what, a landing strip?

But as you said... I guess it's a suspension of disbelief thing.

They may not have been psychopaths, but they were all broken in one way or another.  All of them had killed or wanted to kill.  Many of the characters did not start out as psychopaths or were not, that is true, but after being exposed to Hannibal, they begin to exhibit psychopathic behavior.

[Beorning]

Hannibal is Mutagen That Walks Like A Man! You get exposed to him, you mutate into a killer... a sharp-dressed killer

Seriously speaking, though - yes, it's true that Hannibal has this effect on people. His ability and willingness to warp people's minds is... scary. I've seen the show's Hannibal compared to a devil - and it's an interesting observation...

And speaking of Margot Verger - I liked that character! I even got plot bunnies involving her...

[Deamonbane]

Hannibal takes pleasure in manipulating the people around him. He enjoys it, its like a game that lifts the boredom of his day-to-day life. A psychopath, one that is incapable of forming real emotional attachments but knows how to fake them expertly. To the point where he understands why Will sent a killer after him, but feigns his horror at it well enough to fool a fellow psychiatrist...

[Beorning]

Regarding attachments...

The scary thing is, Hannibal might actually believe that he *is* attached to people like Will, Jack or Alana. He might not be lying when he says that he considers them his friends. It's just that his definition of friendship doesn't include the "I won't harm my friends for fun and giggles" clause...

And speaking of Hannibal's motivations...

There's one thing I don't quite get about him. I understand that he likes experiment with other people... play with them, corrupt them just to see what happens. But why does he kill people himself... and in this elaborate manner to boot? Did we get some explanation for this? Also, did we get explanation as to why he eats his victims?

[Deamonbane]

I don't think it's explained in the series, but it is explained in the books... it's based on a ritual that he developed over the years, back when he was still living in Europe, based on how deserters of the Red army kept him and his little sister hostage, and when their food ran out, they ate the sister, force-feeding him. Of course, that is the story that ends with a Lecter in his late 60s being in prison in the 1980s.. must be something similar though...

[Thesunmaid]

He started killing when he was put in a boys home which was oddly enough set in Hannibal's old home. then he goes to live with his aunt and he goes to medical school where he starts to develop his killing and rituals. he hunts down the men who killed his sister and kills them but they sort of broke his brain. His family was royalty so he was raised with certain manners so now when people are rude or uncivilized he sees them as not human. So he eats them and serves them at dinner parties. It is in the books but not the show. If you want to see how he came to be read or watch Hannibal rising.

[Deamonbane]

No. Don't you ever watch Hannibal Rising.

That's the thing though... Hannibal was 'created' during WW2, but the series shows him to be late 30s to mid 40s, with it being a contemporary setting... so they might switch the story up, even if he does mention his sister...

[Beorning]

Actually, I don't want to ever watch or read Hannibal Rising or Hannibal the movie :) What I've read about them makes me very wary of them...

Personally, my favourite book is Red Dragon...

[Deamonbane]

The books are decent enough, but the movies just... suck...

Red Dragon though... I liked the movie and the book... Ralph Fiennes as Francis Dollarhyde though makes the film...