The cast of NBC’s ‘Hannibal’
The latest TV adaption of Hannibal may have contained episodes too gory to show in America but the reboot of the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter is television brilliance. The show’s creator, Bryan Fuller, has previously written for Heroes, another famously gory show. Season 1 is as gory as it comes and each episode seems to get more and more grotesque as well as intriguing. The horror genre seems to incorporate psychological shortcomings with elegant violence. The visuals are often at times extremely experimental and smart, the violence and gore is softened by the beautiful visuals that distract the viewer.
What really draws the viewer in however is the dysfunctional and complex relationship between Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). Throughout Season 1 and 2, the pair go through trusting each other, to becoming friends to inevitably betraying each other. The show is very dark in tone and reflects scenes from Dexter but in a more gothic, psychological way.
The show is based on the popular book series by Thomas Harris, the show differs from the movies starring Anthony Hopkins as the Mads version is actually Hannibal before he is caught and locked up. He slowly manipulates all the characters involved but in a way that is already skilled and crafted from years of experience as a psychologist and as a serial killer. Most people would say that they can’t watch any episodes because they’re ‘squeamish’ but if you think to yourself that the gore is all fake and the drama is interesting then you can marvel at the genius that is Hannibal the TV series.
Written by Abigail Remmer
