I have watched the first two seasons of Hannibal before a while ago. Now I'm going back and re-watching them more intently and trying to write a review for each episode.
This is a great pilot episode. I usually don't like the Pilot of a promising series (with rare exceptions like West Wing, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Arrow, and Lost) because they have to put in so much data in a short amount of time. However, this episode seems to fall into the 'rare exception' folder.
From the moment it begins, this episode's level of disturbing intensity is off-the-charts with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) describing a bloody home invasion to a class involving a mysterious assailant. Then it goes even darker and disturbing. What's interesting is that it doesn't bring in the titular character of Dr. Lecter at first, but focuses on the missing girls investigation and who is investigating the potential murders. Besides Will Graham, we meet Jack Crawford, Dr. Alana Bloom, the investigation team of forensic people working for Crawford, and finally we meet the Bad Doctor himself with a perfect build-up.
When I first watched this episode back in 2013, I was a little confused at first with Will's odd 'mind-palace' like trick where he mentally reconstructs and acts out the crime in his head, much like Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes on the BBC. Ironically, I had to watch 'Sherlock' to understand what Will was doing with his mind, since no one really explains what Will's technique is other than Hannibal saying its 'pure empathy'.
Another thing I found interesting about this episode is Hannibal. I've Anthony Hopkins as the captive Hannibal and the fugitive Hannibal, but never have I seen Hannibal as a civilian before his arrest. Nobody seems to have a clue, and he is so exceptional at hiding his tracks. Mads Mikkelsen is not just sexy as Hannibal, but he seems to elevate the character to a different level than Hopkins was able to get. Not that Hopkins wasn't great, but I think Mads is the definitive Hannibal.
Despite the show being pretty gory, this episode seems a bit tame. It's more like a Christopher Nolan production, where he cuts away just as the gory parts happen. True, the Autopsy sequence of Elise Nichols is a little gruesome, especially when you find out the motive of the Minnesota Shrike, but nowhere near as gross as a typical autopsy scene on Bones or CSI.
Great start to a Great Show!
This is a great pilot episode. I usually don't like the Pilot of a promising series (with rare exceptions like West Wing, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Arrow, and Lost) because they have to put in so much data in a short amount of time. However, this episode seems to fall into the 'rare exception' folder.
From the moment it begins, this episode's level of disturbing intensity is off-the-charts with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) describing a bloody home invasion to a class involving a mysterious assailant. Then it goes even darker and disturbing. What's interesting is that it doesn't bring in the titular character of Dr. Lecter at first, but focuses on the missing girls investigation and who is investigating the potential murders. Besides Will Graham, we meet Jack Crawford, Dr. Alana Bloom, the investigation team of forensic people working for Crawford, and finally we meet the Bad Doctor himself with a perfect build-up.
When I first watched this episode back in 2013, I was a little confused at first with Will's odd 'mind-palace' like trick where he mentally reconstructs and acts out the crime in his head, much like Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes on the BBC. Ironically, I had to watch 'Sherlock' to understand what Will was doing with his mind, since no one really explains what Will's technique is other than Hannibal saying its 'pure empathy'.
Another thing I found interesting about this episode is Hannibal. I've Anthony Hopkins as the captive Hannibal and the fugitive Hannibal, but never have I seen Hannibal as a civilian before his arrest. Nobody seems to have a clue, and he is so exceptional at hiding his tracks. Mads Mikkelsen is not just sexy as Hannibal, but he seems to elevate the character to a different level than Hopkins was able to get. Not that Hopkins wasn't great, but I think Mads is the definitive Hannibal.
Despite the show being pretty gory, this episode seems a bit tame. It's more like a Christopher Nolan production, where he cuts away just as the gory parts happen. True, the Autopsy sequence of Elise Nichols is a little gruesome, especially when you find out the motive of the Minnesota Shrike, but nowhere near as gross as a typical autopsy scene on Bones or CSI.
Great start to a Great Show!