Hannibal

2015 saw the completion of NBC's Hannibal after three seasons, created by Bryan Fuller as a prequel to Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel. So how was it?

For starters, it has won an impressive fifteen awards since it began, in varied categories across the board, with some 2016 nominations still pending.

The show took on the form of a gorgeously grotesque murder mystery crime show, seeing Thomas Harris' troubled Will Graham character brought to life by Hugh Dancy, taking on the role of an FBI profiler. This, personally speaking, was the best part of the show, primarily season one. I very much enjoy a good murder mystery, and it rang a little similarly to the popular British crime drama, Sherlock.

Mads Mikkelsen plays the role of cunning and always clever Hannibal Lecter, and he does an absolutely fantastic job of it. Truly a top contender within all those who have ever played the infamous fictional cannibal.

An element that really set the show apart was that it was formed as a prequel to all of Thomas Harris' books, but set in present day (so, giving the characters an advantage of more high-tech equipment, the internet at their fingertips, and smart phones).

Season three followed through the arc of the prequel and straight into the plot of Red Dragon, following the book almost exactly. After all, there’s only so much originality that can be done now to top the Hannibal story that’s been told time and time again. The significant differences were mainly the death (and gender) of Freddie Lounds being swapped for that of the maiming but not killing of Frederick Chilton, and the finale itself.

The show was cancelled during season three thanks to low ratings, but that didn’t stop Hannibal from going out with a bang. Or at least lots of blood. Having followed through its aimed story arc, I believe the show reached a definitive and fair ending.

The final fight scene took place between Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham, and serial killer Francis Dolarhyde, who is the number one villain in the Red Dragon novel. Dolarhyde believes he is the Great Red Dragon that is featured in William Blake’s painting, The Great Red Dragon and The Woman Clothed In Sun. He becomes his dragon alter ego and murders families, though he believes he is “changing” them. Will sets up a trap to catch Dolarhyde using Hannibal as bait, and as the three of them battle it out at Hannibal’s abandoned cliffside home, the artistic bloodiness and urgency of the scene is increased tenfold knowing it is the last.

After defeating Dolarhyde (though Hannibal has a gunshot wound among other injuries, and Will is bleeding from multiple stab wounds), Hannibal and Will embrace as Hannibal tells his friend, “This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us.” Will, injured and possibly even struggling to keep himself standing, replies, “It’s beautiful,” before being the one to pull them over the cliff’s edge and to the moonlit water below. While it was unlikely for them to survive that fall, it seemed important that Will be the one to do it. Hannibal expressed being against suicide earlier in the episode, but it also meant that Will could finally best Hannibal -- something he had been unable to do for years.

However, the post-credits scene offered an entirely different perspective. Bedelia Du Maurier, Hannibal’s former therapist and a recent therapist/friend to Will, is seen sitting at a pristine dinner table, and missing one of her legs, which is laid out on the table top. And, the table has three place settings. Bedelia is seen subtly hiding a fork in her lap, seemingly as a weapon.

The idea that she could saw off her own leg, particularly at mid-thigh, to then eat by herself at a table for three, is laughable. It appears to insinuate that both Will and Hannibal survive their fall, and have united for one last dinner together.

Personally, I find myself picturing it that way. It’s also something that Bryan Fuller himself has stated, so it’s a welcome ending. On one hand, it’s somewhat disappointing, because it means that Will did not in fact win over Hannibal. But if that means he can finally be free (and then move on to follow the plot of Red Dragon, and return to his wife and step-son) then so be it. I don’t imagine Hannibal would attempt to harm him. Bedelia’s fork weapon makes things yet more intriguing though, especially if one pictures her actually being the one to fatally stab Hannibal, and perhaps allow Will to finish the job before they walk free. That, at least for me, is a very satisfying ending.

While I believe that was a fitting finale for Will and Hannibal, it was saddening to see that other important characters that were around since season one dwindled to nothing.

Jack Crawford was seen to lose his wife to cancer and feel regretful that they had never had children throughout the show; it would have been pleasant to see him get a more definite ending, rather than his final scene being one of distress and confusion when he finds the staff transporting Hannibal during the bait plan murdered, with Will missing.

Alana Bloom, also, was one that faded to an unfortunate black. While she was happily married, living in splendour with her wife and child, and their separate businesses booming, her final scene was also dissatisfying. She’s seen with her family evacuating their mansion home, presumably to a safe zone until Hannibal is caught or killed, since he had threatened to come for her and those she loved should he ever get free.

Having said that, the connection, understanding, challenging rivalry, and almost brotherly love shown to develop between Will and Hannibal was worth all the rest. Will knew he had to appear completely infatuated with Hannibal’s superior mind to overthrow him in the end, but he certainly had a level of genuine respect for it.

My personal rating would be three out of five stars. Enjoyable, extremely gory (sometimes shockingly so) but the fact that not much was left to the imagination was kind of brilliant. It didn’t mute the kinds of horror that Hannibal was capable of it, which made it even more terrifying.

Definitely worth a watch if you can handle the grotesque and occasionally sickening.