SYNOPSIS:
The dark and haunting series "Hannibal" returns for a second season with more shocking revelations and psychological cat and mouse games. Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is locked in a mental asylum accused of Hannibal Lecter's crimes (Mads Mikkelsen). Now that Will sees Hannibal for what he truly is, he faces a fight to prove his own sanity and convince those closest to him he is innocent of murder. Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) is dealing with his own feelings about Will and whether his protégé is in fact a cold-blooded killer. Looking for answers, Jack turns to Hannibal, a man he has come to trust. With Will locked up, Hannibal becomes Jack's new consultant on cases. Hannibal is torn between self-preservation and his desire to keep Will close to him, despite advice from his psychiatrist, Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), to stay away.
The deadly dance between these characters continues to turn in startling and unexpected ways, in a season that will show that nothing can ever be the same again.
REVIEW:
Well, Hannibal is back and I can't say I'm disappointed. When we last left off, Will Graham and our dear Dr. Lecter had reversed their roles from the classic novel. This season picks up from the shocking fallout of the first season. Actually, to be more precise, the season starts out with a head scratching battle between Lecter and Jack Crawford, before rewinding back to the present status quo of the series. We all know where this seasons headed...
The show follows a prequel/reboot amalgamation format, not only 2007's Halloween. This show's version of Lecter is much younger than the classic and much more physical. Due to a Hannibal Rising easter egg in this episode, it's probably safe to assume where this shows Hannibal learned martial arts. This easter egg came in the form of Hannibal mentioning his Japanese aunt. If this show is going to go into Hannibal's origin, hopefully they can do it in a way that is interesting, but doesn't hurt the character. Those who have read Hannibal's origin in Hannibal Rising will tell you that HR did to Lecter what Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace did to Darth Vader. Hopefully this show can find a way to tell the origin better, if they plan to do so. And it kind off feels like they might. This might seem a little random but, speaking of HR easter eggs, I always thought it would be cool to see the Samurai mask from the movie hanging on Hannibal's wall.
The cast continues to be solid in their respective roles. I don't have any complaints there, though I am still unsure why they changed Freddy Lound's gender. Raúl Esparza is killing it as Frederick Chilton. That stands out in this episode. Chilton was one of those characters I wasn't enthusiastic about them recasting from the films, but Esparza is perfect. Chilton (even after his shocking dissection in Season 1) is his same old egotistical self. Esparza is nailing it.
Hannibal and Will have now traded places. As it is appropriately put in dialogue, Hannibal is the new Will Graham. While locked in the Asylum, Graham is being blamed for Hannibal's murders and is perfectly sure it was him. And Will starts to remember some of Hannibal's actions. I was really surprised when they showed Hannibal stuffing the ear in Grahams throat from Season 1. You've got to feel bad for Will. Also, he seems to imagine Hannibal as a Satan-like figure. On the other side of the coin, Hannibal has taken Will's place in the FBI and is investigating a new serial killer. The series as returned to it's "killer of the week" format from the first season (though, if I remember correctly, it wasn't EXACTLY every week we got a new killer but pretty close). While this new killers MO is very intriguing (like the killers from the first season), it really felt like the only reason this subplot was in the episode was so they could have a cliffhanger. I think the whole thing should have been saved for Episode 2. I think that us watching the bodies come out of the river and the FBI and Hannibal coming out to take a look would have been enough to set the whole thing up. I am also not really sure why Beverly Katz consulted Will about the murders, unless this is supposed to show she doesn't trust Hannibal. Either that or she is just used to talking to Will about these things, but if that is the case than I don't see how she would think of this as a good idea after the events of Season 1.
VERDICT:
Hannibal Season 2 Episode 1 is a solid premier to the shows second year. I'll give it an 80% out of a possible 100.