The problem with following, in similarity not story, the aspects of Hannibal and the series prequel Hannibal Rising is that they are the heftiest and sometimes the dullest. In fact, most of the time they were dull and unnecessarily so against the backdrop of the thrilling Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon. See, they were weighted with back story and preposition that changed the dynamics of our cannibalistic murderer. After all, wasn’t he more chilling when there wasn’t a sob story to sympathise with? That he only killed the rude and unapologetically so! Those were the good old days.

Anyway…Talk about homoerotic subtext, Hannibal and Will have been dancing around their desires for one another for a while. The pair have this mutual attraction to one another that tinges this cat and mouse chase with something unparalleled. Though this isn’t fleshed out because of Bryan Fuller’s fan service, it is possible based on Hannibal’s admiration for Will which is rife within the books and initial films. It’s more like the cat is playing with his food and the mouse adores the unravelling as well as the hunt. Lecter as a character is crucial to keeping the show pulsating.

Will does seem like a stronger character but they need to put a little bit more meat in his mouth for us to feel conviction for following him as a main character. Perhaps by mid-season, he’ll have Hannibal trapped and the see the rise of the Red Dragon, shifting into a more thrilling play on the source material.
Delicious food, poetic scenes and boringness, Secondo may be more of the glorious Hannibal and unearthing some of his backstory but it is plodding and platitudinous. It draws in a narrative that seems to have slowed down from a stellar first series. Focusing more on the artistry is fine and scrumptious to look at, but the paced elements of the show have nearly teetered into a complete stop. Secondo is just tedium and its sloth like lack of energy is off-putting. Disappointing, in fact, comparatively to the opening episode where the slow is mixed with the passionate energy of a murderous Hannibal.
But where there’s a Will, excitement goes away.