Keep Calm And Eat The Rude
June 21, 2013 12:27 PM   Subscribe

One of the many things that sets NBC's Hannibal apart is how it treats the violence it shows. The finale for the first season aired last night, bringing to a close a season of television that most seem to regard as unexpectedly excellent, and a second season is on the way. This interview with the show's creator, Bryan Fuller who previously created Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies, touches on the reasoning behind the heightened, stylized murders. A second part that deals more directly with the contents of the finale went up shortly after it had aired.
posted by sparkletone (99 comments total) 34 users marked this as a favorite
 
A couple things I wanted to work into the post, but couldn't make fit:

1) Bryan Fuller does a live tweet when the show airs on the east and west coast that regularly features tidbits about what inspired aspects of the episode he's talking about, photos from the set, and other behind the scenes pictures. His twitter's here, and some scrolling around will find you last night's livetweeting. If I could find a run down of what he's posted for the rest of the season without just scrolling back in his twitter, I'd post it, but I haven't found anything like that, sadly. They're always interesting though.

2) The show fairly quickly gained a fandom on tumblr. Given the, um, content and tone of the show the stuff you'll see there, some of the stuff posted can be simultaneously awful and hilarious.

Mostly I made the post because the show's come up in other recent TV threads, and there was this nearly-expired thread about the show's food presentation and I wanted to gush about the finale (and the season as a whole) with everyone. :3
posted by sparkletone at 12:35 PM on June 21, 2013


Cleolinda -- whose recaps are a treat -- pointed out how unusually good this show's social media team is, and she's right. I mean, the tags on their official tumblr now have their own fan following.
posted by rewil at 12:40 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


Wow, thanks. I didn't even know this show existed before you posted this and now I'm about to cancel neftflix because they don't have it. I was sold when I saw they have Gillian Anderson. I just watched The Fall and I forgot how great she was.

Seems like the pilot is free on iTunes.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:43 PM on June 21, 2013


Hmm, I was a huge fan of Wonderfalls, but Dead Like Me totally turned me off, partly because it seemed to treat death with... I don't know, a kind of weird goofy levity that didn't feel right to me. (Maybe I shouldn't have watched it right after Six Feet Under.) But it sounds from that AV Club review like Hannibal gets the gravity of death right. So maybe I'll check this out!
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:44 PM on June 21, 2013


Wow, thanks. I didn't even know this show existed before you posted this and now I'm about to cancel neftflix because they don't have it.

I don't think Netflix carries any shows simultaneous with their network broadcasting.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:45 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


I was sold when I saw they have Gillian Anderson.

She's fantastic in this! And was a complete surprise to me as I hadn't heard she was going to be on this show ahead of the first episode she's in airing. A few minutes "OMG SCULLY'S TALKING TO HANNIBAL" ensued when she first showed up.

Of the other guest stars, my other favorite would be Eddie Izzard.

Hopefully Hulu/Netflix/Amazon will get the full run up soon.
posted by sparkletone at 12:46 PM on June 21, 2013


Dead Like Me totally turned me off, partly because it seemed to treat death with... I don't know, a kind of weird goofy levity that didn't feel right to me.

Fuller created Dead Like Me but left fairly early in the first season due to constant fights with the studio he was working with about story lines and script cuts. And... yeah. I've only seen the first season, but you're right about the odd tone. That show was trying to thread a very, very particular needle of being comedic and yet also heartbreaking. I think it succeeded here and there, but mostly not. The main thing holding it together for me was Mandy Patinkin.

Who knows if Hannibal will continue to be as good as it has been this season, but this feels a lot more like that weird alchemy that happens when you get someone talented like Fuller together with just the right cast, just the right premise, and so on. Vince Gilligan is maybe the best analogy here. Gilligan was clearly talented just looking at his work on the X-Files, but Breaking Bad is some lighting-in-a-bottle type thing with him, Cranston, the rest of the cast, Albequerque, et al.
posted by sparkletone at 12:51 PM on June 21, 2013


If you like the show, you'll like Feeding Hannibal, the blog of the show's food stylist. Really fascinating stuff -- the artistic collision between food and set design.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:53 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


blatant self-ish-link to my friend sam's recaps, which are glorious in all ways.
posted by elizardbits at 12:55 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


I watched a couple episodes of Dead Like Me, and ultimately just couldn't get into it. My own particular issue with it was that its protagonist doesn't actually want anything, so there's not really much for me to care about - there's nothing in the way of what she wants, so there's no conflict driving the plot. I'm sure that was a deliberate decision but for me it just didn't work.

Pushing Daisies, I liked, though. I keep hearing really good things about Hannibal so I'll have to check it out. If nothing else, it's nice to see Bryan Fuller working on a show that's actually succeeding.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:02 PM on June 21, 2013


Who knows if Hannibal will continue to be as good as it has been this season, but this feels a lot more like that weird alchemy that happens when you get someone talented like Fuller together with just the right cast, just the right premise, and so on. Vince Gilligan is maybe the best analogy here. Gilligan was clearly talented just looking at his work on the X-Files, but Breaking Bad is some lighting-in-a-bottle type thing with him, Cranston, the rest of the cast, Albequerque, et al.

100% agree with this. I'm sort of amazed that NBC, desperately grabbing for anything to keep them afloat, let such a radical take on an established IP actually make it to air. The show feels more like quality cable than creaky old network.

I also think this show benefits a ton from its 12 episode season. It's relentlessly dark and quietly horrifying. What little humor there is exists only in the blackest of hearts. Anything longer than its short run would have been way too much to bear, particularly when it comes to the toll taken on Will Graham.

And the short season kept it laser focused, preventing it from falling into the monster-of-the-week, stretch it out for 22 episodes trap that makes filler episodes of heavily mythology dependent shows so tedious.
posted by eyeballkid at 1:07 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


The meta-joke with Ellen Muth from Dead Like Me was very clever. Both characters shared the name Georgia and one was dead while the other thought she was dead.
posted by cazoo at 1:08 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


I learned about Hannibal from a blood-spattered YouTube ad inserted before a Sesame Street alphabet video for my 1-year-old, thanks guys
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:11 PM on June 21, 2013 [8 favorites]


I loved Wonderfalls, adored Pushing Daisies (it should still be on the air!!), and thought Mockingbird Lane could've been something interesting, if given a chance.

I liked (but never loved or got addicted to) Dead Like Me, and it's interesting to learn here that he left after the first season. I think that show was only on 3 or 4 seasons, and each season had an awkward, noticeable shift in tone.

I only watched the first episode of Hannibal, and never went back for more, but maybe I should. Honestly, I just thought the guy playing Hannibal was just this side of "too campy" for me.

Thank god for hulu!
posted by MoxieProxy at 1:12 PM on June 21, 2013


If nothing else, it's nice to see Bryan Fuller working on a show that's actually succeeding.

Uh. It's an excellent show but it is not particularly succeeding. The ratings are awful.
posted by Justinian at 1:12 PM on June 21, 2013


100% agree with this. I'm sort of amazed that NBC, desperately grabbing for anything to keep them afloat, let such a radical take on an established IP actually make it to air. The show feels more like quality cable than creaky old network.

It took about half the season for the shock of "how on earth did this end up on NBC" to fade away. The show's in a somewhat unique position in that it's not just NBC footing the bill for the show. It's already heavily sold in non-US markets (you can see the logos at the end of every episode I think), and that makes it very cheap for a US network to buy. Fuller confirms in the interview I linked the rumors that other networks were stepping up and saying, "Hey, if NBC doesn't want your second season, let's talk."

I really do hope that word of mouth, plus getting the full thing on Hulu/Netflix/Amazon/whatever really gives season two a nice ratings boost. It's a very unique show imo and I'm sick of being one of, like, five people I know personally that watches the show.
posted by sparkletone at 1:12 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


Is it weird to start watching a show primarily because the fandom won me over? I feel like I'm doing this whole thing backwards.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 1:12 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Honestly, I just thought the guy playing Hannibal was just this side of "too campy" for me.

This is interesting, because I don't see Mikkelsen's performance as campy really at all. Certainly nowhere near even Hopkins' most restrained turn as Lector (his initial Silence Of The Lambs performance obviously), and I've seen other people have that "this is very not campy Hopkins" reaction too. This show's Hannibal reads as strange and kind of inhuman/alien to me, but I don't pick up any camp in it. What was he doing in the first episode that struck you this way?
posted by sparkletone at 1:14 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


don't think Netflix carries any shows simultaneous with their network broadcasting

Nice try Netflix employee.


Actually I know that. That is why it was a joke, because it is a completely unreasonable Internet threat of cancellation.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:15 PM on June 21, 2013


Hannibal served veal last episode. Get it? Veal?

I think Scully knew.
posted by Justinian at 1:17 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Bit of a nitpick, but it's a bit of a shame the OP doesn't credit Alan Sepinwall for the interviews. He's got an eye for TV that no one else does, and getting non-fluff interviews with showrunners, cast members, and writers is something that really should be getting attention in the entertainment industry.
posted by zombieflanders at 1:17 PM on June 21, 2013


I tried getting into Hannibal, but couldn't. How suspenseful can something be when you already know how it ends?
posted by dortmunder at 1:17 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Hannibal served veal last episode. Get it? Veal?

Her?
posted by komara at 1:19 PM on June 21, 2013 [12 favorites]


a bit of a shame the OP doesn't credit Alan Sepinwall for the interviews.

I thought about tossing a "with/by Alan Sepinwall" somewhere around the first interview link. Sepinwall's probably my favorite TV writer (which feels weird to say). His recent book about the current "golden age" of TV drama is really good.
posted by sparkletone at 1:21 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


I thought having Georgia Madchen (German for "girl") put a different spin on Dead Like Me's Georgia Lass was wonderful. Those are the little touches that make the show work so well for me.
posted by Justinian at 1:22 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


Is it weird to start watching a show primarily because the fandom won me over?

Given the number of people on here who now watch Teen Wolf because of the fandom, I'm going to go with no! It's as good a reason as any.
posted by rewil at 1:24 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


I tried getting into Hannibal, but couldn't. How suspenseful can something be when you already know how it ends?

It's about the journey, not the destination. Besides, it's less "suspense" than "psychological drama/character piece/crime procedural/cooking show."
posted by zombieflanders at 1:24 PM on June 21, 2013 [5 favorites]


Actually I know that. That is why it was a joke, because it is a completely unreasonable Internet threat of cancellation.

You should try using a jokey font to make your jokes more clear.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:25 PM on June 21, 2013


Did not expect to like this show, as I don't usually like origin stories, especially those told by the not-creators after a character has already established a legacy and audience. But curious because I've enjoyed everything Bryan Fuller has done. The show gets the tone of Hannibal right, in subtlety of dialogue, action, cinematography; and has forward echoes of Red Dragon and Will Graham (a character that should have returned to or after the Clarice stories that the movie audience knows well). Besides Gillian Anderson and Eddie Izzard, it was a treat to see Lance Henriksen briefly, who was essentially playing Will Graham in one of my favorite shows, Millennium.
posted by asfuller at 1:26 PM on June 21, 2013




They're actually walking an extraordinary fine line with changing enough, and keeping enough, that as someone very conversant with the Harris books, I both recognize "my" characters yet do NOT really know where the show is taking them.

This show is a miracle of TV alchemy and I love it and its fandom to bits.
posted by Stacey at 1:35 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


Nope, Mikkelson is the best Hannibal ever.
posted by Justinian at 1:38 PM on June 21, 2013 [9 favorites]


You're both wrong, George Peppard was the best Hannibal ever.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:44 PM on June 21, 2013 [17 favorites]


"What was he doing in the first episode that struck you this way?"

Again, I only saw the first episode, but it almost seemed to me as if he were doing a Barnabas Collin type of creepy, which seemed almost campy.
posted by MoxieProxy at 1:46 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


I love it when a meal comes together!
posted by zombieflanders at 1:46 PM on June 21, 2013 [10 favorites]


I feel like at any moment Hannibal could plunge into campiness and yet it doesn't. The whole thing is so campy, but they play it so straight somehow they get away with it. However I think it'll be harder as they go. One too many crazy serial killers with increasingly ridiculous MOs and it'll go camp real quick.
posted by whoaali at 1:52 PM on June 21, 2013


One too many crazy serial killers with increasingly ridiculous MOs and it'll go camp real quick.

It definitely toes that line and could tip over it at some point, but at the same time I tend to take the incredibly high number of serial killers to just be a given in the fantasy universe Harris' books/this show take place in. That sort of thing also explained how old man Lance Henriksen could construct a 20 foot tall totem pole of human remains. In some fantasy universes, there are wizards with pointy hats. In this one, there are serial killers making mushroom people.
posted by sparkletone at 1:57 PM on June 21, 2013


Hannibal is the best Cernunnos ever.
posted by homunculus at 1:58 PM on June 21, 2013




I thought it was a nice touch at the end when they played "Vide Cor Meum", which was composed for the film Hannibal.
posted by homunculus at 2:06 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


I thought it was a nice touch at the end when they played "Vide Cor Meum", which was composed for the film Hannibal.

Yeah, extra nice because it's playing during a big inversion of the archetypal Hannibal Lector visual.
posted by sparkletone at 2:13 PM on June 21, 2013


I kind of can't believe how in love with this show I am, given that I'm not a big fan of horror (tropes of which get mined frequently in the show - ack), liked Silence of the Lambs but am not a Lecter-phile, and don't love gore (which...I don't know how they get away with some of the stuff they show). But whatever made me fall in love with Pushing Daisies apparently still has power, because here I am. It does help that the fandom for the show is cheerful and exuberant, as if to make up for the dark subject matter.

I am in love with the acting, too. Eddie Izzard and Gillian Anderson are particular standouts in the guest star category.
posted by PussKillian at 2:16 PM on June 21, 2013


I kind of can't believe how in love with this show I am

Knowing nothing other than the title, and what network it was on, I scoffed at the show when I first heard about it. Basically every TV writer I pay any attention to gushing about the premiere (and mentions of Fuller in said praise) was enough to get me to check it out.

More than anything, I think what hooked me in that first episode was the slightly-less-than-lucid waking nightmare quality to a lot of the show stylistically, something that they went further and further into as the show progressed.

Second to the fact that it's not really on streaming sites yet, the biggest resistance I've found when trying to get people I know to watch it is that initial "A ... serial killer show about Hannibal freaking Lector, and it's on NBC is actually good? You've got to be kidding me."
posted by sparkletone at 2:33 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


It's not on streaming sites, but I watched most of the episodes on nbc.com, since I arrived a little bit late to the show and had to catch up.
posted by PussKillian at 2:43 PM on June 21, 2013


Can we talk about networks' inability to make their shows available outside of "real time" broadcasting? I hope so, because I'm about to rant about this shit. Only under rare circumstances do I feel like I need to pay $2+ for an episode of a TV show that just ran for free. As series become increasingly serialized, it is stone cold stupid that when I visit your website all I see is the last five episodes of a show that you are trembling on the verge of canceling because, gosh, it's so good, so why doesn't anybody watch it? I'm developing a greater and greater affection for BBC America just because they're not fucking this up: Entire seasons on demand! For months at a time! With very few exceptions, only the premium channels are doing this right; it's very frustrating to have a show that really sounds like it should have been an HBO or Showtime series land on fuddy-duddy old NBC. I'm sure this will ultimately show up on Netflix or something, but at the moment...Christ.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:23 PM on June 21, 2013


Hannibal is available on demand on my cable service. What company do you have?
posted by Justinian at 3:24 PM on June 21, 2013


A company where the NBC page is coming back with a message that says to check back for more content later, though that could be a glitch in my cable box or something, I guess?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:27 PM on June 21, 2013


It's already heavily sold in non-US markets

I am wondering about this. I've just started watching Hannibal (three episodes in) and I love it so far. But I never would have heard of it had it not been for my UK friends talking about it on social media. The same exact thing with the fantastic new show (and even better than Hannibal imho) Banshee on Cinemax. I got through the first season of Banshee in three days and absolutely love it, but again, I never would have caught wind of it had it not been for my friends in the UK, who talk about it every week when it's on.

I think that a lot of the premium channel shows that we have here are shown on a basic cable channel over there (UK), so maybe these shows are reaching a broader audience overseas. But I definitely feel like I've gotten into a lot of good shows I would have otherwise missed had it not been for the buzz from abroad.
posted by triggerfinger at 3:31 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


kittens for breakfast, if I may add to your rant, I don't have a tv or cable, though I am an admitted TV junky. I get my fix from netflix, hulu, youtube, pbs.com, tvland, amazon, and other sites. I recently tried to watch something on a Basic Cable network, and it wouldn't let me watch old episodes without first identifying my cable provider (with my account number). So, you know, I couldn't watch it.

I'll pay for a show like Mad Men, because I"m completely addicted. And I'll watch the commercials on hulu or other sites, because I understand that model.

But Basic Cable Networks, I'm another set of eyes, willing to put up with ads, in order to watch a show on your network. Does it matter that much that I don't have cable? Apparently so.

I miss my big TV, my (name brand) Tivo, my premium cable package. Sigh. Poverty sucks, even more-so the second time around.
posted by MoxieProxy at 4:09 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


Banshee sounds INSANE. /derail

Hannibal is probably the best drama I've ever seen on a network. Usually every time I've said that before the show never made it to season 2 or episode 14. Glad to see this isn't the case here.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:12 PM on June 21, 2013


I keep meaning to watch Banshee but I only ever remember that I want to do so after midnight on the weekends, so when I go to check Cinemax I am confronted by Jiggletitty Island III: The Jiggliest or similar and I have to lie facedown on the floor and laugh for like 3 hours instead.
posted by elizardbits at 4:23 PM on June 21, 2013 [6 favorites]


Banshee pays homage to its parent channel by throwing a little soft porn into every episode alongside the violence. Hannibal surprised me with its level of violence for a network show (although it is indeed very stylized). The violence in Banshee is shocking even for a pay channel. Not for the faint of heart for sure.

I'll stop with the Banshee derail now because I really am enjoying the Hannibal discussion, but for anyone interested, here's a Guardian review.
posted by triggerfinger at 4:32 PM on June 21, 2013


I was initially confused about when this was supposed to be set. It's got the look of a 1970s Swedish drama movie and there is no pop culture content, almost no technology. It took me a whole to decide it was present day, just very stylized.
posted by w0mbat at 4:43 PM on June 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


I kind of know what you mean. The show in general feels modern as do almost all the characters, but Hannibal himself doesn't in a very interesting way. He doesn't seem to have a cell phone, no computer in his office, the Rolodex Of The Rude and recipes on cards... And yet he uses an iPad in a few scenes. I always find his iPad showing up ever so slightly jarring.
posted by sparkletone at 4:48 PM on June 21, 2013


In other news: Person of Interest Available For Download At Last
posted by homunculus at 5:52 PM on June 21, 2013


I have nothing intellectual to add to this post, just that I'm completely obsessed with this show.
posted by toerinishuman at 6:09 PM on June 21, 2013


I was going to make almost the same post, except I will add this link to a collection of blog posts annotating the episodes with notes from the Thomas Harris novels and Fuller's twitter feed, etc. It's only up to Sorbet, but that was posted only a few days ago, so they are still posting them.

Elsewhere on the site, there are more details about what Fuller plans to do in the remaining six seasons he has planned. And as is clear from the Sepinwall interview, it sounds like the show has a good chance of surviving, even if not on NBC.

Now I wait in anticipation of season two - and hopefully MGM getting on board and letting Fuller have the rights to the Silence of the Lambs characters, so he can start seeding in characters like Benjamin Raspail and Jame Gumb. And Clarice, eventually.
posted by crossoverman at 6:19 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


Franklyn was meant to be the Raspail character, no?
posted by elizardbits at 7:15 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Franklyn was meant to be the Raspail character, no?

He was meant to be, of course. But if MGM gives Fuller the rights before season two, I suspect we may end up seeing Raspail. Not a huge deal either way, though.
posted by crossoverman at 7:25 PM on June 21, 2013


Let's just all agree that Bryan Cox was the best Hannibal ever.

Yep! This was pretty much settled in 1986. My 'Manhunter' wall tapestry and matching sofa/recliner set can attest to that.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:40 PM on June 21, 2013


2) The show fairly quickly gained a fandom on tumblr. Given the, um, content and tone of the show the stuff you'll see there, some of the stuff posted can be simultaneously awful and hilarious.

Full disclosure I love the Hannibal fandom (Fannibals) and it's the best one I've ever been involved in and the humor is the best and we have support groups and it's generally confetti and flower crowns and fun family murder romps... or was until about four weeks ago but I digress. fannibals are somehow ridiculously hilarious despite or maybe because of how hoooorrribbbbllleeee everything is

LINKS HEREIN DEF CONTAIN SPOILERS

Despite NBC generally being the worst, somehow they've done something amazing with the official show tumblr, nbchannibal--probably Bryan Fuller's influence because from his tweets he's like a total fucking fanboy as well. Basically whoever's running that damn blog has to be a native tumblrite, or else they learned crazy fucking fast because their sense of humor clicks perfectly with tumblr in general's/the one the fandom's developed and they use tags like a pro (there's a fuckin tumblr for that even and a lot of fans generally love to show their appreciation) and are generally amazing and interactive and how do I get that kind of job dear lord. So yeah additionally Fuller and a lot of the actors involved (lookin' at you Hettienne Park) have embraced the fans so much and it makes me so happy.

So yeah even the tumblr for the show is beloved in its own right, and maybe it's just because I haven't seen a lot of shows run an official tumblr, but I think it's just another illustration of how much care the team has put into the show and love it's fed to its fans and it's a Nice Thing to have a Great Show that also doesn't Pander To You and I could go on for a long long time ohgodilovehannibalsomuch
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 9:59 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


Can't wait for season two. There's going to be several concurrent cat-and-mouse games that will keep the plot busy and make it much easier to avoid the temptations of monster-of-the-week.
posted by flippant at 11:32 PM on June 21, 2013


Bryan Cox was excellent, but too brief. I wish he'd had more time to play Hannibal, to see what more he would have done with the part.

As things stand, I think Mr. Mikkelsen is perfect.
posted by homunculus at 11:59 PM on June 21, 2013


Ok metafilter, you have nearly dragged me in, I just have one question- are the dogs ok at the end. People I'm cool with, dogs I'm not. (spolier alert?)

I so need this website to expand from just movies to TV too.
posted by zara at 7:25 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


People I'm cool with, dogs I'm not. (spolier alert?)

No harm has come to any of the animals on the show that I can think of. Only people on people violence to date.
posted by sparkletone at 7:33 AM on June 22, 2013


There is an elk shot by a hunter.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:20 AM on June 22, 2013


There is an elk shot by a hunter.

And also the one scene with an already-deceased fish, but I figured those didn't qualify as the kind of traumatic "does the dog die?" moment being discussed.

WILL'S DOGS ARE FINE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE FINE.
posted by sparkletone at 9:41 AM on June 22, 2013 [2 favorites]


WINSTON
posted by elizardbits at 9:46 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]


WINSTON

As great as his twitter account is, my favorite is Dire Ravenstag.
posted by sparkletone at 10:02 AM on June 22, 2013 [2 favorites]


If you need a happy world where you can be ABSOLUTELY sure Winston will be fine forever (WINSTON!), an acquaintance of mine has just started up the Will Graham Has a Nice Day Tumblr for pictures of Will Graham and his dogs, and stories about how they all have nice days and none of the food they eat is people.

It's remarkably soothing.
posted by Stacey at 12:23 PM on June 22, 2013 [2 favorites]


The meta-joke with Ellen Muth from Dead Like Me was very clever.

The Gillian Anderson character, a doctor, has the first name Bedelia !
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 4:36 PM on June 23, 2013


Hannibal should be careful about letting others see his antlers. He might find the tables turned.
posted by homunculus at 5:09 PM on June 23, 2013


not_that_epiphanius, is there a link between the Anderson character and those children's books that I'm missing? If we're looking for a literary connection with the name Bedelia, I would point to Bedelia instead. Although the more likely answer is neither, I think.

Also, is The Fall worth watching? Anyone?
posted by Justinian at 5:37 PM on June 23, 2013


Consider me educated on that name, Justinian. I still wonder if there isn't a bit of whimsy in the choice.
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 7:03 PM on June 23, 2013


Keep Calm and Carrion
posted by Eideteker at 11:43 AM on June 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Elucipher's Hannibal Meta posts are good reading.
posted by Eideteker at 11:52 AM on June 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Another comic con panel for me to look forward to watching on YouTube soon.
posted by sparkletone at 7:41 PM on June 25, 2013


Just wanted to add this cast photo from the link in crossoverman's comment above: wow. That's one of the best cast photos I've ever seen - the quality in everything this show does is phenomenal.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 2:27 PM on June 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Ol' Zeller, right in the middle, right where he belongs.

...

And for some reason my brain just noticed the way the cast is balanced a lot like Castle's (Hannibal/Will in the leads, 2-3 sidekick investigators, shouty boss man, DAUGHTER FIGURE), and it's not that I think there's a one-to-one equivalence or anything, and it's probably true that that's a pretty typical way to structure the set of characters on a procedural-y show...

But now I can't stop thinking about the two doing a cross-over. If Magnum PI and Jessica Fletcher can canonically exist in the same universe, why not this...
posted by sparkletone at 2:46 PM on June 26, 2013


If Magnum PI and Jessica Fletcher can canonically exist in the same universe, why not this...

Because Castle is one of the worst written procedurals on television. Or maybe it's just because Nathan Fillion is such a bad actor.
posted by crossoverman at 5:58 AM on June 27, 2013


Because Castle is one of the worst written procedurals on television.

I haven't seen the most recent two, but the first few seasons were decent cotton candy viewing? We'll have to agree to disagree about Mr. Fillion.
posted by sparkletone at 11:06 AM on June 27, 2013


(Also to be clear I was making a clearly-silly-to-me joke.)
posted by sparkletone at 12:06 PM on June 27, 2013


Elucipher's Hannibal Meta posts are good reading.

I've been skimming these off and on since you posted them. Good stuff!
posted by sparkletone at 1:36 PM on June 27, 2013


late to the party, but it's an awesome show. I also like the conversation it has with Silence of the Lambs when Jack recruits that FBI agent to do some shit. It stands out but is quite more subtile than say, Star Trek Into Darkness, which I'm still mad about.
posted by angrycat at 2:11 PM on June 27, 2013


I also like the conversation it has with Silence of the Lambs when Jack recruits that FBI agent to do some shit.

The show is having conversations with all the different films and novels of the Lecter-verse, with the possible exception of "Manhunter" - I haven't seen any nods to Michael Mann's 80s take on Red Dragon.

Certainly, though, Miriam Lass is a proto-Clarice character, showing how willing Crawford is to pick newbies out of the Academy to do his bidding. In a way, it's acknowledging Silence of the Lambs (because as of now, Fuller doesn't have the rights to use the Clarice Starling character) and it's foreshadowing (in the event he's able to get the rights to Clarice from MGM).

The great part about that episode is that Miriam actually solves the Chesapeake Ripper case the same way that Will does in Red Dragon (as backstory), noticing the image of the Wounded Man. Fuller has said because Miriam already solved the case that way (even though she died). Will will have to solve it a different way in the TV show - since Lecter is smarter than to leave those kind of pictures around now.

The final scene of season one is scored with music that was written for the opera sequence in the film version of "Hannibal". And, of course, that whole final scene is an inversion of the famous scene in Silence of the Lambs when Clarice first meets Hannibal.
posted by crossoverman at 7:39 PM on June 27, 2013


Someone got their hands on a tattle crime domain name variant and stuck a tumblr in it that is written by a not-actually-Freddie Lounds (they run a matching twitter also). Of the stuff they've posted, the two best things so far are, I think, this interview with Bryan Fuller (which while fun doesn't really cover too much he hasn't said elsewhere) and this interview with cleolinda that went up today.

The Cleolinda interview covers some things she's said in recaps, but if you're not in the mood to skim over descriptions/~feels~ directly related to the plot to get to the more insightful nuggets[1], she has some interesting thoughts on things like how the Miriam Lass and Abel Gideon characters played with the history of Hannibal Lecter in media.

I think there's also one on the way with the actress that played Abigail, which will probably be a fun read.

[1] - Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun reading her recaps, but recaps as a blog genre maybe aren't everyone's cup of tea, and the interview touches on a number of things I'd have highlighted when recommending her recaps of the show.
posted by sparkletone at 8:03 PM on June 27, 2013


Also, WHAT SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE TO ENSURE THAT THIS OFFER IS ACCEPTED.
posted by sparkletone at 8:05 PM on June 27, 2013 [1 favorite]


HeAteUs - Day 7
posted by homunculus at 9:17 PM on June 27, 2013


Bought all the episodes off iTunes.

On the Second to last episode. Very good but damn is some of it goofy.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:10 AM on July 1, 2013


Just dropping in to say belated thanks, sparkletone. I was one of the folks who thought, "Jesus, NBC, another damn Hannibal movie/show? yawn" and never looked back until this FPP. Bought the whole season on Amazon and watched it in a day or so. Stylish! Creepy! Yay!

The only distraction was thinking that if the filming schedules for Hannibal and Homeland overlap at all, it must be super cheerful around the Danes-Dancy household while those two are carrying their characters around.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:09 PM on July 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


Also, Raul Esparza is the shit even when playing a shit.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:12 PM on July 14, 2013


I really really fucking hope that Claire Danes plays hilarrible dinner pranks on him throughout filming.
posted by elizardbits at 8:16 PM on July 14, 2013 [2 favorites]




I really really fucking hope that Claire Danes plays hilarrible dinner pranks on him throughout filming.

"Hey, babe, tough day on set? I went to the bakery and got some stuff for you to nosh on. How would you like some...ladyfingers?" *runs away giggling*
posted by zombieflanders at 9:54 AM on July 15, 2013


I didn't expect Hannibal to get any of the more prestigious nominations this time around, but I'm a little sad they didn't get nominated for some of the technical Emmys. Not surprised, just a little let down.

The SDCC panel for Hannibal starts in about half an hour. I'll try to find a good live blog to post, or if I can't, I'll just paste bits from twitter/tumblr.

Oh, and the official tumblr said that full video would be posted somewhere tomorrow, so there'll be that too.
posted by sparkletone at 6:11 PM on July 18, 2013




As I'm not in the mood to wait around for the official video, here's a crowd-shot video of the Hannibal panel.
posted by sparkletone at 12:45 PM on July 19, 2013


Aaaaaand there's also now video of the more intimate fan meetup that happened after the panel.
posted by sparkletone at 3:43 PM on July 19, 2013


PS. Apparently the gag reel on the official DVD will be way longer.
posted by sparkletone at 7:17 PM on July 19, 2013


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