One of the most phenomenal television shows is NBC Hannibal. Just finishing off their stellar season two run, Bryan Fuller’s incredible masterpiece based on characters from Thomas Harris’ books has received rave reviews. Intensely gothic, the poetic and disturbing imagery enhanced the villainous Lecter as he deceived many whilst chopping people up and popping them in stews. With the explosive season finale leaving many doors open for the season three. Attending a panel this week at San Diego Comic Con, Bryan Fuller and the team let slip of secrets from the show that will air next year. And we’re already watering at the mouth to get a bite of that feast.
by Cookie N Screen
One of the most phenomenal television shows is NBC Hannibal. Just finishing off their stellar season two run, Bryan Fuller’s incredible masterpiece based on characters from Thomas Harris’ books has received rave reviews. Intensely gothic, the poetic and disturbing imagery enhanced the villainous Lecter as he deceived many whilst chopping people up and popping them in stews. With the explosive season finale leaving many doors open for the season three. Attending a panel this week at San Diego Comic Con, Bryan Fuller and the team let slip of secrets from the show that will air next year. And we’re already watering at the mouth to get a bite of that feast. by Cookie N Screen There will always be a lot of contention hit back at the season finale of any television show. Hannibal, it seems, is no different. Entering into season two thirteen weeks back and it was clear from the onset we were playing with a different ballgame than the first series. In some aspects, the show was a scarier and more thrilling beast, powering through the motions and the twists like an animal. However, episodes falter and storylines were picked up only to be dropped again. The final episode had a lot of murky waters to navigate in order for it to land, setting up an incredible season three. Did it succeed? In many ways, yes it did. And yes, this review is riddled with SPOILERS. by Cookie N Screen Penultimate episodes. Sometimes, they are great predecessors to that fatal blow or cliffhanger episodes that makes you sit at the edge of your seat for months until the new series. Sometimes, however, they don’t sit that well. They shift too quickly between plot threads and points they left dangling in the wind, trying too hard to tie it up everything for a satisfying conclusion. Luckily, for everyone, Hannibal fans know exactly what is about to go down in next week’s episode. But with Tome-Wan, everything felt a little bit flat for it to work, muddling within itself. After last week’s performance, it is a little disappointed. by Cookie N Screen Last night something incredible happened. News was coming out. Shows were falling to the mighty axe of their studios. Community, a grand sitcom; a fallen hero. Lesser shows like Dads laid upon the trenches as the television guide became a bloody battleground. With a large viewership dropping and a niche market for lovers of gore, Hannibal was always going to be worried about cancellation. Wrought hands slavered over each other in fright; could our beloved cannibal find himself underneath the chop that he so loving gave out? Could he be serving his final dish? In short: no. And to celebrate NBC and the team behind one of the most delicious shows gave us an exciting episode. by Cookie N Screen Oooo er, Hannibal has certainly got a little bit steamy this week. And no, it has nothing to do with the homoerotic subtext between Will and Hannibal though, I’ve read enough fan-fictions to now have a separate porn narrative every time they get together (a lot of “this is my design” shouting.) Unfortunately, the scenes in question are not going down well with the fannibals as everyone screamed loudly “but Margot was a lesbian in the books.” Getting this out of the way so we can focus on the rest of it, at first it is highly confusing and irritating to find Will and Margot sleeping together. And then I thought of all the lines said about her and from her own mouth and realised she is playing a rather shrewd game the meant she had to find a ding dong. She can still be a lesbian and toil with Will’s trouser snake. In other words, before we proceed, cool it about Margot’s decision to wrestle with the peen. Trust in Hannibal. Trust in the show. Trust in Bryan Fuller by Cookie N Screen Naturally with a television show, there are a few episodes that don’t pack the similar punch as before. As a critic, it is natural to pick up on these more disappointing plots and note how some may fall beneath the bar of the entire series. NBC’s Hannibal has had some wobbly episodes, especially at the beginning, never really realising its full potential of the juicy emotions bubbling underneath the plot. However, Shiizakana is one of those incredible powerful episodes that has so much goodness happening. It packed enough punch for me to feel utterly bad I’d ever doubted Fuller and his television series. It packed enough punch for me to go “oh shiiz (akana!)” by Cookie N Screen I am going to introduce this week’s review on a personal note which I had originally spoken about before. I am a massive fan of the Thomas Harris book series and this year would mark about ten years of being (crazily) obsessed with Hannibal Lecter, his stories and his films (bar the one that shall not be named.) So one of the reasons I admire the Hannibal television series is because Bryan Fuller and his team have adapted it in the most brilliant way. Changing it to our era, but still combing through the original canon to upturn some gems for Hannibal fans. Now is the turn for the delightful (note: sarcasm) sibling duo of Mason and Margo Verger in this week’s Su-Zakana. And just their presence has shown some exciting premise for the television series. by Cookie N Screen There is something almost beautiful about being frustrated. That annoying tick at the back of your mind, scraping the truth into your head and as you gaze from the comfort of your settee watching characters do something incredibly stupid. That burning sensation where you want to throw a china cup to the ground, watch it smash into tiny bits and knowing it will never leap up into your hands, fixing itself. Mainly because that is the only satisfying conclusion you are going to get from watching a certain television; a smashed china cup isn’t going to fix itself. Hannibal, however, is enraging in this week’s episode and it is done in such an eloquent way it can be forgiven. Sort of. by Cookie N Screen Bryan Fuller and the team behind Hannibal are definitely players in a fine orchestra. What may have started out as a slow, building series has hit a deafening concerto and oh, the music is sweet. With Lecter playing the rest of the characters like a fine tuned harpsichord, Futamono is probably one of the best episodes that Hannibal has given us. It’s only rivals are the finale of season one and the tantalising Sorbet. Futamono is a definitive episode that, for fans of the show, has a delightful tune that is music to our years. Bravo, NBC Hannibal, Bravo by Cookie N Screen It is safe to say that if you haven’t seen season two of Hannibal as it has only aired in certain places, you need to curtail your behind out of this killer’s basement and not read on. If anything, because the complete effect of Mukozuke needs to be experienced first-hand and I don’t want to be the one to take that away from you. And finally, Hannibal has picked up and steam and is completely rolling with it. Not only are we provided with the emotional and riveting content, we get stunning gore too. It’s a full fat meal that you will lap up happily. |
TV Editor: Graham Osborne
TVReviews on the best TV has to offer, as well as retrospective looks at the shows of yesteryear we miss so much. Email: [email protected]
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