Hannibal (Season 1) – “Amuse-Bouche”

Hannibal (Season 1) – “Amuse-Bouche”

I have to hand it to Hannibal. In my many years watching horror films and generally twisted types of films and television shows, I have never seen people “killed” in the way that it happened on last night’s Hannibal.

While I don’t want to spoil anything from the new episode, there may be some minor spoilers for the pilot from here on out. Be WARNED!

I am amazed at how well Hannibal is doing after just two episodes. It has successfully set up our key players, set up some interesting plot lines, and I think the show is really going to benefit from its short 13 episode season. Really, Hannibal has almost no filler in its episodes. This time around, we find Graham investigating a mushroom-themed murder. Nightmares of killing Hobbs are getting to Graham and the scenes in which he discuses them privately with Dr. Lecter are masterfully done.

I have to hand it to Dancy and Mikkelsen for bringing such a dynamic chemistry to these characters. Dialogue-heavy scenes like this normally run the risk of going too long, but in Hannibal it is actually the opposite. Watching the two men dance around each other psychologically trying to figure the other man out.

One thing that comes to my mind is how close this adaptation is going to play to what we know from the films and books. Some things have already been changed, though they are fairly subtle. What I am most interested in seeing is when the revelation of Lecter’s nature will come about. To be honest, I don’t want the show to end up being some long drive too Graham capturing Lecter. The change in dynamic could be amazing in a couple of season (granted, if the show makes it that long).

This is all getting a bit ahead of the game. As Graham investigates this new murder, a tabloid reporter named Freddie Lounds starts to complicate things. It’s obvious that her character is going to be around frequently and I am open to seeing what she brings to the table.

One thing that I like being carried over from the pilot is Abagail. Graham feels a certain responsibility toward Abigail having saved her life. I have this nagging that Abigail is going to play some sort of bigger role later on, and it is hinted at during the episode.

Graham is still doing his murder reconstructions that are getting less annoying actually. I do find his dreams to be incredibly discombobulating as this show does a nice job of combining strange images with some of the best eerie sound effects I have heard on a television series.

While I am still worried about where the show is headed in general, I am delighted that the second episode was on par with the first, never offering a dull moment while setting up characters and future plot lines.

Please, NBC, don’t cancel another show with so much potential.