Last year I made the decision to watch less television so I would be able to focus on my finals in my last year of college. This was a good decision in the long run since I graduated successfully (for the most part). Then after I went home to California I had a lot of down time.
With very little to do except sit by the pool and read, I chose to go on Tumblr and see if I there were any good new shows that I had missed while studying. I discovered almost immediately that “Hannibal” on NBC had taken tumblr over by storm and checked it out.
I am so glad I did because this show has so many things I simply adore, and it left me wanting more when it wrapped for the season. Now it’s back for a second course and I want to let you know why it’s one of the best dramas on network television.
The Opening
The opening for Hannibal is simple, disturbing and completely unforgettable. The moment I saw it I knew I was in good hands. The artful look of blood running over a face to mask a man hit me with so much beauty and symbolism. Even though it lasts hardly 30 seconds!
The Food
The food! My GOD the food on this show looks so good I find my mouth watering even though I know I shouldn’t crave anything that Hannibal Lecter cooks. Oh yes he cooks, he cooks well and he feeds many. I have to praise the brilliant Janice Poon who cooks and designs each dish on the show and even had a blog where she puts some of the recipes from the show.
Though her recipes tend to lack a certain human element to them.
The Diversity
When I talk about diversity I don’t mean: everyone is black except the two main characters. I mean that the cast is filled with characters diverse in both the color of their skin, their genders and their personalities.
A large amount of the side characters are intelligent women such as Caroline Dhavernas’ psychologist Alana and the hilarious forensic scientist Hettienne Park who give Hugh Dancy‘s Will Graham a lot to play off of. And let’s not forget Laurence Fishburne as Jack Crawford, Will Graham’s boss and head of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and his wife Bella played by his real wife Gina Torres. Seeing this cast together is really a thrill.
The Writing
Bryan Fuller has had 3 previous shows “Dead Like Me,” “Heroes” and the brilliant “Pushing Daisies.” And while I loved ‘Pushing Daisies’ and mourned it’s sudden cancellation I have to say that “Hannibal” is where he truly shines. It’s clear that Fuller loves his characters and the Tom Harris’ Hannibal franchise as a whole.
He and his writing team put their all into each episode making the next one just as nail biting as the last. If I were to draw a comparison to this show and another I love it would be BBC’s “Sherlock,” because both are written by fans of the series and they each put their own new twists on the story. I promise you’ll never see what’s happening next!
The Cinematography
