Hannibal - Season 01

 

Soooo

I finally got around to watching that show about Hannibal Lecter. As a fan of that character, as a fan of Mads Mikkelsen and as a parttime homosexual this was on my list for a long time and now I have a lot to say about it. I was mildly entertained, shocked, fascinated, offended, frustrated, impressed and rage baited. Rarely at the same time, but often in quick succession. How can a show be that good, that bad and that mid at the same time? 

Let me dissect: This meal consists of several dishes, the quality so diverse that it is a statement in and of itself. For starters we have the psychothriller - often case of the week, as many serial killers as states in the USA - a dish as unique and as nutritious as fries from McDonald's. Still I get the appeal. It's fries, it's edible. Nothing too interesting, sometimes the plotholes can be infuriating if you actually get too invested, but it feels like your fault for expecting too much of a simple crime show.

On the other hand, how could you not expect a more sophisticated starter to such an exquisite main dish? Hannibal Lecter first and foremost but genuinely the whole cast is stacked with fascinating characters, performances and dialogues. From relationship issues and the human diet  over trauma up to the ego of a killer, there is a wide range of engaging topics and unique perspectives on that. It is beautiful, heartbreaking and does one of the greatest villains in film so much justice. I don’t think it ever quite gets to be perfect but that is only because the other aspects of the show keep getting in its way. I really liked it and the tension between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter is just great.

I just wish I would not end this first season with such a foul aftertaste in my mouth. I have the hypothesis that the dessert is just the synthesis of those two courses we had before. You take these ambitious psychological topics and the sloppy written thriller-plot, let it lay in the sun for to long and you get some weird depictions of mental health and the field of psychology in general. I'm torn in between explaining in great detail what of these depictions infuriated me and saying it's not worth the spoilers. Ultimately I don't think it is, since the show still has great strengths and other people would just consider that as weighing equally as the other plotholes. Also there is a thing to be said about many scientific topics being complex enough to explain the depictions as still accurate in certain contexts. The medical world of the human mind is filled with miracles and anomalies. However as someone caring enough about those topics to be inclined to research terms thrown around in the show I'd recommend at least taking everything portrayed there with a grain of salt. It is not really the perfect ground to educate yourself on various topics thrown around throughout the runtime.

 

Sooo…

 

Good show? Bad Show? I'd say pretty good especially if one enjoys the genre, cannibalism as a way to question the ethics of eating meat or if one enjoys to see Hannibal Mikkelsen flirt with another man. You can have a lot of fun with that and I guess TV should not be your only teacher anyways.

 

Short: I prefer an ambitious mess like this way more than constantly mid, especially if they even succeed in some ways.