I watched the first episode of NBC's Hannibal. I'm going to quickly explain the plot, then do a quick review through screencaps.
The show -or at least the first episode- is about special agent Will Graham. Except he isn't really an agent because he has a mild case of autism, they don't state exactly how severe his autism is, they just slightly mention that he has it. Graham's character doesn't show any development from the flashback at the beginning of the episode and the present day after the intro. He just kind of slides out of and into place again in the FBI without any change. He even wears the same jacket.
The role of Hannibal is iconic enough that it reached a point where it is completely fine for me to see someone other than Anthony Hopkins play him, anyone but Gaspard Ulliel. Gaspard Ulliel is the worst.
As for the show it self, the cinematography is great, and you can see that every frame is thought out and executed well. There is room for improvement in some scenes but I'm optimistic that it will get better as the season progresses.
The special effects in this show are beyond any crime-drama on TV right now, as far as I can tell. The way Graham's beautiful mind sees things in reverse in the crime scene and his terrifyingly vivid dreams are very well made and are beautiful in color and contrast.
As far as the other characters go, there are two female characters which are your typical police dramas female characters. One is strong, and bad-ass, and doesn't even care about anything.The other is a soft-spoken academic who may or may not be in love with the lead character.
There were a couple of scenes that were really good and others that didn't make much sense or fit with the story, but I'm pretty sure this will get better as the series goes on, as do all series.
Also, can I just throw in a pitch here, NBC?
I think it would be really awesome if the transition frames from scene to scene were actually Hannibal cooking or eating. It's creepy and cool. It's perfect.
As for some of the scenes I'm dying to comment on, here:
a) this gem of a scene. I think this might be my favorite scene of the entire episode. Graham suspects the girl is dead inside her room and tries to stop the dad from entering. When the dad refuses and enters behind him, he collapses onto himself. Graham holds him up with his arms and continues to stare blankly just behind the man's head. It shows that while he is close and distant from the people's emotions around him, he is willing to be in an uncomfortable position to help others.
b) The scene in the men's room where Graham is like, "waaa I quit" and then the FBI guy comes in and the FBI boss is like "you can't sit with us". I liked i.
c) The fact that Graham rescues stray dogs and keeps them in his house and feeds them and takes care of them. I almost cried. It is so touching.
d) You're swapping evidence for DNA. why isn't your hair covered? I'm sick of this recurring mistake in police dramas.
e) There was this one scene in the autopsy room where the dead girl is lying on a table and Graham concludes from the lab staff's comments that the killer of these girls doesn't keep body parts as trophies, he keeps them as lunch. I bet this was a plot twist for all those 13 year olds who randomly watched this show.
f) There was this one VERY stupid and unnecessary scene where they call up a technician of some sort to like at the phone wires of a neighborhood and tell them if it was tapped. He flashes his light on the wire, turns around, yells "It's tapped!", and SCENE!
Fun game to play while watching, count how many times Graham pulls this face during an episode.
final rating: 4/5
The show -or at least the first episode- is about special agent Will Graham. Except he isn't really an agent because he has a mild case of autism, they don't state exactly how severe his autism is, they just slightly mention that he has it. Graham's character doesn't show any development from the flashback at the beginning of the episode and the present day after the intro. He just kind of slides out of and into place again in the FBI without any change. He even wears the same jacket.
The role of Hannibal is iconic enough that it reached a point where it is completely fine for me to see someone other than Anthony Hopkins play him, anyone but Gaspard Ulliel. Gaspard Ulliel is the worst.
As for the show it self, the cinematography is great, and you can see that every frame is thought out and executed well. There is room for improvement in some scenes but I'm optimistic that it will get better as the season progresses.
 | |
| A couple of the good frames |
The special effects in this show are beyond any crime-drama on TV right now, as far as I can tell. The way Graham's beautiful mind sees things in reverse in the crime scene and his terrifyingly vivid dreams are very well made and are beautiful in color and contrast.
 |
| crime scene blood "unsplattering" the walls. |
 |
| Slightly unsettling but very beautifully executed |
 |
| Can you guess which is which? |
There were a couple of scenes that were really good and others that didn't make much sense or fit with the story, but I'm pretty sure this will get better as the series goes on, as do all series.
Also, can I just throw in a pitch here, NBC?
I think it would be really awesome if the transition frames from scene to scene were actually Hannibal cooking or eating. It's creepy and cool. It's perfect.
 |
| I thought lungs were more sponge-like |
 |
| Lecter's basic food groups: tomatoes, lettuce, and human kidneys. |
a) this gem of a scene. I think this might be my favorite scene of the entire episode. Graham suspects the girl is dead inside her room and tries to stop the dad from entering. When the dad refuses and enters behind him, he collapses onto himself. Graham holds him up with his arms and continues to stare blankly just behind the man's head. It shows that while he is close and distant from the people's emotions around him, he is willing to be in an uncomfortable position to help others.
b) The scene in the men's room where Graham is like, "waaa I quit" and then the FBI guy comes in and the FBI boss is like "you can't sit with us". I liked i.
c) The fact that Graham rescues stray dogs and keeps them in his house and feeds them and takes care of them. I almost cried. It is so touching.
d) You're swapping evidence for DNA. why isn't your hair covered? I'm sick of this recurring mistake in police dramas.
e) There was this one scene in the autopsy room where the dead girl is lying on a table and Graham concludes from the lab staff's comments that the killer of these girls doesn't keep body parts as trophies, he keeps them as lunch. I bet this was a plot twist for all those 13 year olds who randomly watched this show.
 |
| I will not look at this naked dead girl. no sirree. |
f) There was this one VERY stupid and unnecessary scene where they call up a technician of some sort to like at the phone wires of a neighborhood and tell them if it was tapped. He flashes his light on the wire, turns around, yells "It's tapped!", and SCENE!
Fun game to play while watching, count how many times Graham pulls this face during an episode.
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