+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season one, but no major giveaways from season two+++
The second season of Hannibal starts off with a bang, actually foreshadowing a portion of the events that will end the season, then it picks up shortly after Will's (Hugh Dancy) arrest for the murder of Abigail Hobbs, having been framed by Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen). The season cherry-picks elements from the various novels including Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs and puts twists on them. For example, Will is the one in custody and consulting with the FBI. Of course, he is trying to figure out a way to prove his innocence. This season introduces Mason Verger and his sister Margot and puts a twist on that storyline. The crux of the plot in season two is whether, and when the FBI will find out that Lecter is really the Chesapeake Ripper. Will is convinced of it and tries to get Crawford (Lawrence Fishburne) to figure it out predicting that Lecter would be throwing a dinner party after he has killed enough people to get fresh meat. The season again ends on a major cliffhanger going into season three (which was not assured when the season finale was filmed).
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality is stunning. The visuals are gory but amazing and it is really like a movie experience. The extras include commentary tracks on multiple episodes (seven of the thirteen, with one episode getting two different commentary tracks). The commentaries usually include the series creator Bryan Fuller and various members of the cast and crew. Then, there is an almost 90-minute feature on the making of episode five, three shorter behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that generally discuss the making the entire season, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and nine episodes of "post mortem" in which Scott Thompson who plays Jimmy Price interviews various members of the cast. The nine episodes have a total run time of about 42 minutes. So, there are a ton of extras if you like watching them.
Overall, the show is great. It is very violent and bloody and definitely pushed the bounds of what was appropriate for network tv. If you are a fan of Fuller's other cult following shows like Wonderfalls and Pushing Daises, you will probably like this. Also, I think the show did a good job putting a spin on Harris' novels and so if you enjoyed the books, you will probably like the series too. It is different from the Anthony Hopkins-led movies, and Mads Mikkelsen definitely does not try to copy Hopkins, making his version of Lecter his own. The supporting and recurring cast is great and filled with recognizable stars like Gillian Anderson, Raúl Esparza, Cynthia Nixon, Eddie Izzard, Anna Chlumsky, Gina Torres, and more. The storyline is a nice blend of procedural and serial where the individual cases of the week all tie together. So, it plays out like a 13-hour horror movie. It is definitely worth watching.
The second season of Hannibal starts off with a bang, actually foreshadowing a portion of the events that will end the season, then it picks up shortly after Will's (Hugh Dancy) arrest for the murder of Abigail Hobbs, having been framed by Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen). The season cherry-picks elements from the various novels including Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs and puts twists on them. For example, Will is the one in custody and consulting with the FBI. Of course, he is trying to figure out a way to prove his innocence. This season introduces Mason Verger and his sister Margot and puts a twist on that storyline. The crux of the plot in season two is whether, and when the FBI will find out that Lecter is really the Chesapeake Ripper. Will is convinced of it and tries to get Crawford (Lawrence Fishburne) to figure it out predicting that Lecter would be throwing a dinner party after he has killed enough people to get fresh meat. The season again ends on a major cliffhanger going into season three (which was not assured when the season finale was filmed).
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the A/V quality is stunning. The visuals are gory but amazing and it is really like a movie experience. The extras include commentary tracks on multiple episodes (seven of the thirteen, with one episode getting two different commentary tracks). The commentaries usually include the series creator Bryan Fuller and various members of the cast and crew. Then, there is an almost 90-minute feature on the making of episode five, three shorter behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that generally discuss the making the entire season, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and nine episodes of "post mortem" in which Scott Thompson who plays Jimmy Price interviews various members of the cast. The nine episodes have a total run time of about 42 minutes. So, there are a ton of extras if you like watching them.
Overall, the show is great. It is very violent and bloody and definitely pushed the bounds of what was appropriate for network tv. If you are a fan of Fuller's other cult following shows like Wonderfalls and Pushing Daises, you will probably like this. Also, I think the show did a good job putting a spin on Harris' novels and so if you enjoyed the books, you will probably like the series too. It is different from the Anthony Hopkins-led movies, and Mads Mikkelsen definitely does not try to copy Hopkins, making his version of Lecter his own. The supporting and recurring cast is great and filled with recognizable stars like Gillian Anderson, Raúl Esparza, Cynthia Nixon, Eddie Izzard, Anna Chlumsky, Gina Torres, and more. The storyline is a nice blend of procedural and serial where the individual cases of the week all tie together. So, it plays out like a 13-hour horror movie. It is definitely worth watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment