Hannibal the Cannibal
Yo, my name's Iris! As you know, I'm Lily's friend and I'm a massive nerd like her. I'm happy to be talking here!
**TW: Cannibalism & blood.
So, today we're going to be talking about a show on Netflix called Hannibal. Iris and I both binged the first two seasons and we are now watching the third season together. It's a crime show, surrounding Hannibal Lecter. As you can already assume, it's kinda a violent and graphic show. I wouldn't recommend those with weak stomachs to watch it. But what Iris and I love in general are villains or antagonists. Not just any antagonist but one that you get hooked on. Hannibal Lecter is a perfect example.
If you think that Hannibal is close to the word cannibal, then that's funny, because he is in fact a cannibal. I still don't know if his name is Hannibal for the pun, or if it was just coincidence. (How could it be, though?).
But that aside, the show follows a cast of FBI Detectives tracking down serial killers. A specific one they've been tracking down for years is one named the Chesapeake Ripper. The Ripper has been known to kill around four people, and then stop for months or even a year. He sets up his killings in very gruesome, but horrifically artistic ways for the detectives to find. Will Graham, our protagonist, is a man working with the FBI who has so much empathy for killers that he can break down the crime scenes and recreate them in his own eyes, in order to understand them, and eventually track them down.
If it isn't already obvious, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper. But the twist to the show, and one of the most important things, is that he's Will Graham's therapist. Will doesn't know that he's a serial killer and cannibal, and that's the first thing that makes him so interesting.
This is where Hannibal's character gets interesting and juicy. Throughout the show, Will and Hannibal develop this really close and wholesome friendship which makes you root for both of them. Even though the audience knows that Hannibal is the killer, you still find sympathy by seeing him care for Will when he has his breakdowns and being there for him.
But little do we know, we come to realize that Hannibal uses his therapy sessions with Will to manipulate and control his mental stability. He induces seizures and even causes inflammation in a side of his brain: Encephalitis. Hannibal betrays Will- then comes back and supports him. It's a constant battle to figure out if you love or hate Hannibal and it's frustrating in both a good and bad way.
When it comes to who Hannibal is in the story, I think I definitely hate him more than love him. But the genius of how he's written and portrayed by the actor (who is absolutely AMAZING, his name is Mads Mikkelsen), makes me absolutely love him as well.
There are certain subtle hints to how Hannibal acts and talks that I find very interesting. As terrifying as he is, serial killers always seem to be fascinating when it comes to their behavior and how they think. Every move that he makes adds so much suspense, and you never know what to expect. You really, really don't.
There are some scenes that are so ridiculous and out of the blue, especially with their camera choices. It makes me wonder how on earth they'd even thought of that. But the pacing of the show and the way Hannibal is basically just playing a game with Will is very engaging, and once you're into it you won't be able to stop watching.
He's a fascinating character that you can never predict. Only Will can predict him and I think he lives up to be the only one who can. Hannibal's character is violent and cruel but the show never fails to remind you about how elegant, intelligent and talented he is. He truly is a genius and when you see Will and Hannibal fighting against each other, it's like two gods battling.
I think a major reason why we, the audience, tends to like Hannibal still after all of the horrible things he has done to his victims and even his friend is that he still pushes to do subtle acts of kindness towards Will. It's like he punches him down but helps him up, mainly for his own amusement and curiosity. He can't bring himself to discard Will, our protagonist. Any time he helps the protagonist, we lean towards liking Hannibal more and more. It's scary that the writer can make us fall in love with a serial killer.
That's our analysis and thoughts on Hannibal Lecter from Hannibal on Netflix. The power a writer wields is incredible, and this is an example of the writer manipulating how we view an antagonist, a serial killer. Thank you for joining us on our nerdy rant, thank you Iris for talking with me. That's all from the cove!
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