Let's Talk "Hannibal"

*This post contains spoilers!

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 I'm not usually the type of person to get into horror/thriller genre of television (this is coming from a person who had to turn off "Vampires Suck" because she got too scared) but over the past few weeks "Hannibal" has become one of my favorite shows. Before I go into everything that makes this modern day recreation of the famous cannibal perfect, I think it's necessary to describe the plot. "Hannibal" follows teacher, Will Graham, as he is recruited into the FBI as a profiler by chief Jack Crawford due to the combination of mental disorders he has that enables him to see through the perspective of an unsub. Though in the beginning Will seems to be emotionally stable, he is haunted by hallucinations and nightmares from the crimes he has worked on and also because of his empathy disorder so Jack enlists the help of psychiatrist, Hannibal Lector, to support Will. As the show progresses, not only does Will change drastically, so does the relationship between the two leading characters.

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   To start off, the show is beautifully put together and all the sets have the same continuous feel and creepy/dark vibe. Everything put into this NBC program is gorgeous in it's own way, including the crime scenes. Unlike a lot of other crime shows dealing with the BAU, (for example: "Criminal Minds") this one has the same set up of one repetitive killer (The Chesapeake Ripper aka Hannibal Lector-though no one knows) and Hannibal is always creative and artful within his murders making messages out of his victims including my favorites such as the angels (above) and the human tree (below).

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   Talking about the people in the show,Will is easily my favorite character and no it isn't because Hugh Dancy is one of the most adorable people to exist but for the reason that he is actually an extraordinarily well written character. There is so much to this man's personality from his love for dogs to the way he can walk into a crime scene and immediately tell you exactly how someone was murdered that makes him interesting. You can easily see that Will is pretty on edge with his job in the first season since he tends to not trust himself since he has a past of breaking down and not being able to handle such heavy and graphic images inside his mind. I also appreciate NBC loads for not making Will Graham out to be sexy or the hot one of the show and instead focus on the actual traits and personality of this man.

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   Oh and don't get me started on Hannibal Lector. For starters, Mads Mikkelson couldn't be better at providing the creepy aura the Chesapeake Ripper has. The way Hannibal talks and and interacts with others is A+ and I can almost feel how uncomfortable most characters are around him. The character is also extremely well thought out and I would like to give a big thumbs up to the writers of "Hannibal" for not making the ripper too overdone and typical horror movie villain. Doctor Lector seems like the kind of guy who could very easily kill someone (and consume them) yet you would never guess it was him.

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   Moving onto talking about season two (the most recent one), I don't think I could ever describe how fantastic an actor Hugh Dancy is. For those of you who haven't seen the show, Will is convicted of murdering multiple women and sent to a hospital for the criminally insane. During his stay, he is visited by psychiatrist Alana Bloom and former coworker, Beverly Katz, as he tries to prove that he is in fact, innocent. There is obviously quite a lot of pressure put on him which leads Will to go insane having extensive hallucinations as he recovers memories of Hannibal encouraging seizures on him. To be honest, I don't think I have ever seen someone capture insanity that well. From the way Will's body movement changes to his tone of voice, Dancy captures everything to create a large turning point in Will Graham's life. Not once was it overdone or cheesy and I can't appreciate that enough. 

   For anyone unsure about watching "Hannibal", let me tell you it is not nearly as disturbing as NBC makes it out to be and most of the horror is psychological (which I love). I will have to warn you they're are many bloody and gory scenes, but it is all made up of people who are already dead and when Will goes through a walk through of the crime, nothing is extremely violent. I am mainly afraid of anything with supernatural beings in it (which is weird since "Supernatural" is my favorite show) which "Hannibal" has none if you don't count a really non scary stag man that follows Will around in his head. I'm also going to remind everyone that I can be terrified from things such as previews for Lifetime movies so trust me when I tell you something really isn't that scary!

 

My Favorite Shows

    I consider myself to be much more of an internet person than I will be a TV lover but I do have a fairly long list of shows that I enjoy and usually just watch on my laptop (this is in no particular order).

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Supernatural

   This horror drama has been my favorite show since last Summer and I continue to love it (and be rather protective over it) even as their ninth season came to a close with an ending I don't particularly agree with. "Supernatural" follows brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, as they hunt down demons, angels, and about everything else supernatural (hence the title). Over the seasons, not only does Dean's voice get deeper and Sam's hair becomes a flowing mane but there is actually some really rad character development between the relationship the siblings have and how they act towards each other. Though their latest season was pretty iffy, the series is just so interesting and I just can't put into words how much I love this show and how excited I am for season ten. 

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Criminal Minds

    OK I realize how tacky and stupid yet another crime show where everyone is attractive must sound but I can assure you it is so much more (OK maybe it isn't but we're not going to go into that). "Criminal Minds" is set in Quantico, Virginia at the behavioral analysis unit with the ever so interesting team of profilers. The show for some reason fascinates me and I was hooked by the first episode. The characters are also so well written and they could all seriously sit in a room for an hour, talking about paperclips and they would somehow find a way to make the entire conversation seem like something great. There's also Matthew Gray Gubler and I think that's enough reason to watch the show.

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White Collar

    Though I have spent more time than I should watching this, I think I am at the point where I am really questioning wether or not it's  actually a decent show or if I just really like Matt Bomer. "White Collar" is about famous painting forger, Neal Caffrey, and how he has been released from prison by agent Peter Burke (who's the one who put him in there in the first place) to help him solve white collar crimes- meaning paintings being stolen. I don't think I have to explain to you the lack of action. Though the plot is pretty flimsy and I'd consider this more of a guilty pleasure, the acting is A+ and you will no doubt fall in love with Neal Caffrey.

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Hannibal

    About a week ago, I began watching this NBC horror crime show  after I'd caught myself up with "Criminal Minds" (it's not coming back until September) and I'm already in love. I am a very easily scared person so I was rather surprised when I began to love the show so much. To be honest, I don't believe "Hannibal" is nearly as scary as NBC makes it out to be. I am a person who is pretty fine with the whole blood and "scary" crime type thing (I thank "Criminal Minds" for that) so the graphic recreations of the murders that Will goes through don't disturb me at all and you know this show can't be even a bit scary if I say that I am fine with watching it. "Hannibal" follows Will Grahm, a profiler (as you can tell I'm big on shows about the BAU) who over the years, has become more and more disturbed by the crimes he has had to go through and the way he can get into a murder's mind has been driving him crazy so he is sent to a psychiatrist who just so happens to be Will's biggest case, The Ripper (a killer who rips out his victim's organs to consume them). Otherwise known as Hannibal Lector. Throughout the show, Hannibal plays countless mind games with Will to get him farther and farther away from being right about his case and it is actually a pretty frustrating show to watch since the killer is right in front of him. Everything in it is so well written and thrilling and I'd recommend this 100% for anyone into crime television. 

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Daria

   Most of the shows I watch are pretty intense so it's nice to watch a simple cartoon like "Daria". I am not usually the type of person who really laughs out loud at anything yet this former MTV show has got me to the point of tears. The characters in "Daria" all have their own unique personalities and the form of comedy is so original.

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Sherlock
    I have quite a thing for crime shows and "Sherlock" is no doubt the most unique one I have watched. Just like the original novels, the show takes place in England and follows Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as they solve mysteries together but the way BBC put a twist on it is A+. Everything is in modern times and unlike the books, Sherlock and John live together on Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes reminds me in a way of the less annoying and british Sheldon Cooper with how brilliant he is yet lacks social skills whereas John is left to be the Leonard (I may or may not have had a "Big Bang Theory" phase last year) and him, along with the audience, make fun of how clueless Sherlock can be. Needless to say, this BBC show is witty, thrilling, and on my top five list of favorite shows.

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Workaholics
    Though this Comedy Central show isn't the most well written thing I watch, it is pretty damn funny. "Workaholics" follows three telemarketers and the strange and hilarious things they get up to after work. It's overall extremely well acted and one of my favorite things to watch whenever I'm not feeling of really needing to pay my full attention to something.

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Flight Of The Concords
     One of my favorite things ever are mockumentaries and when my best friend, Vivi, showed me this HBO comedy, it was instant love. "Flight Of The Concords" is all about a rather unconventional band from New Zealand and how they come to America to build an audience though fail pretty badly, getting a gig here and there at a libraries and other strange venues. The entire series is very "Spinal Tap"-eque, extremely creative, and hilarious.

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Freaks and Geeks
    This 90s teen comedy is one of my all time favorites and continues to be timeless. "Freaks and Geeks" follows Lindsay and her experience through high school as she begins to grow out of her friend group and begins hanging out with the "freaks" of the school. Throughout the eighteen episodes, Lindsay is opened up to a world of drugs, drinking, and just getting to be more free than she was before with her unforgettable group of new friends made up of James Franko as Danny Desario, Ken Miller played by Seth Rogan, Nick Andopolis portrayed by Jason Segal, and my personal favorite, Busy Phillips as Kim Kelly. There is also the side plot of the geeks led by Lindsay's younger brother, Sam, and his two friends, Neal and Bill as they figure out girls, face being bullied, and get into Neal's dad's affair. Though there are only eighteen episodes the series is one of the best shows I have ever seen and I'd recommend it to anyone.