Hannibal (Season 1) – “Buffet Froid”

First things first. Hannibal has been renewed! We will be getting at least another 13-episode season after this one finishes. This is great news that many people were waiting for. If you haven’t started yet, it’s now safe to really start recommending this series.

Onto Thursday night’s episode, “Buffet Froid,” which continues Graham’s descent into madness in a very creepy fashion. The opening scene of this episode is incredibly horror inspired, borrowing the sort of set up that any good horror film would. Little atmosphere with some creepy sound effects and a brutal death make for one hell of an opener. The entire episode is probably the “scariest” the show has ever gotten. With a few moments of genuine thrills and jumps.

Graham goes in for an MRI and it’s revealed that his increasingly vivid hallucinations are actually being caused by a brain inflammation. With some coercion, Hannibal convince’s the doctor to allow Hannibal to study Graham, while Graham is under the impression that nothing is physically wrong. This episode was really all about breaking points, and is probably setting up the last few episodes of the season.

“Buffet Froid” had some seriously demented moments including a truly twisted ending scene. I won’t spoil it for you here, but the ending is fantastic and is one of those things that just makes me love the show’s construction. One thing that was interesting about this week’s episode was the spin they put on the typical killer-of-the-week structure. Instead of chasing a killer, they chase a women with a disease that makes her believe she is actually dead. I assume Graham chasing a mentally ill person was meant to be a reflection of his own deteriorating mental state.

I touched on this last week as well, each episodes centers on a particular theme, and things tend to be very connected on a sub-textual level. One week used friendship, another uses loss. This episode I think is about acceptance. Or the lack there of. Graham is going to have to accept all the things that are happening to him. Even more so then he already does. Of course, Hannibal and others aren’t exactly helping him out. The conversation between Graham and Crawford about what Graham does and why he does it was a great moment for both character’s. Everything about this show just feels like it’s coming together.

I really don’t have many complaints about the episode on its own. I suppose I wish that Abigail had made an appearance, but the flow of the show is starting to become clear to me. I cannot wait to see how the last three episodes tie everything together. If it is anything like the rest of this season, it will all be good.