by Cookie N Screen
One of the main issues with season two was separating Will and Hannibal. With the incarcerated Graham stuck lamenting on his bad dues, Hannibal went on a spree trying not to be caught which wasn’t hard with Detective Jack “Hannibal is not a Cannibal” Crawford. The problems with splitting them up for the first half of the series, which was thankfully rectified when Hannibal missed his little experiment and endeavoured to see him escape. See one of the pair is highly interesting while the other has become a little stale and one-note. And you know who I’m talking about.
So imagine our dismay when continents separate the pair, instead of confinements. Whilst the opening episode to the series was excellent, the second is lacklustre at best with no really purpose other than to show us one of them is sad. Hint: It’s Will Graham.
One of the main issues with season two was separating Will and Hannibal. With the incarcerated Graham stuck lamenting on his bad dues, Hannibal went on a spree trying not to be caught which wasn’t hard with Detective Jack “Hannibal is not a Cannibal” Crawford. The problems with splitting them up for the first half of the series, which was thankfully rectified when Hannibal missed his little experiment and endeavoured to see him escape. See one of the pair is highly interesting while the other has become a little stale and one-note. And you know who I’m talking about.
So imagine our dismay when continents separate the pair, instead of confinements. Whilst the opening episode to the series was excellent, the second is lacklustre at best with no really purpose other than to show us one of them is sad. Hint: It’s Will Graham.
Primavera revolves around the after effects on Will Graham after he was slain with a knife in the abdomen. He is shocked to learn that Abigail survived the attack too and the gruesome finale of season two is taking his toll on his psyche. With the murder in Florence, Will is prompted to hunt Hannibal again and finds himself in the presence of Inspecter Pazzi. As the pair muse over their prior meetings with Hannibal, Will is fearful that he has entered the dangerous world of Lecter.
I’m not saying Will Graham is boring. Actually, that’s what I am saying. Not that he is has always been so, but his character now relies on the same elements weekly that even seeing his imagination take glorious effect in blood-soaked artistic action has become tedious. The pace for Will’s character is slower and without the riveting journey of Hannibal to contrast it, it is simply unengaging. It really highlights the pretention of enjoying the vivid visuals yet not supplying the drama or story to match it.
I’m not saying Will Graham is boring. Actually, that’s what I am saying. Not that he is has always been so, but his character now relies on the same elements weekly that even seeing his imagination take glorious effect in blood-soaked artistic action has become tedious. The pace for Will’s character is slower and without the riveting journey of Hannibal to contrast it, it is simply unengaging. It really highlights the pretention of enjoying the vivid visuals yet not supplying the drama or story to match it.
It’s just here, there is much more value on imagery than character development which does Will Graham and actor Hugh Dancy a disservice. Because there is so much more than Hannibal. So much more than his thought processes. So much more than his perusal of the killer. Yet we haven’t seen that since season one. The character has become a placeholder for the visually horrific and has no more depth in him. He is strung along as some innocuous catalyst for Hannibal rather than a strong leading personality. It’s simply unfair as Will Graham isn’t this sap who struggles mentally anymore. There’s a lot that should have changed his character. Where is the development for our once favourite character?
All we do know is that Florence seems to be the setting for more homoerotic gore subtext. Which, by the way, is still provocative imagery. That and Hannibal nuts will be happy to see the introduction of Inspecter Pazzi which will see Hannibal and Red Dragon run parallel later in the season, combining both of the books. With no clue on who actually survived or not, this episode was filled with clichés and plot devices we’ve not only seen in Hannibal, but in the rest of grim television series. Heck, even How I Met Your Mother did something similar. It’s underwritten and a sloppy episode which took the impeccable opener and squandered it for a wet blanket.
All we do know is that Florence seems to be the setting for more homoerotic gore subtext. Which, by the way, is still provocative imagery. That and Hannibal nuts will be happy to see the introduction of Inspecter Pazzi which will see Hannibal and Red Dragon run parallel later in the season, combining both of the books. With no clue on who actually survived or not, this episode was filled with clichés and plot devices we’ve not only seen in Hannibal, but in the rest of grim television series. Heck, even How I Met Your Mother did something similar. It’s underwritten and a sloppy episode which took the impeccable opener and squandered it for a wet blanket.
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