IMDB page : here
Warning :
This post will reveal many secrets about the show. Do not read it if you have not seen it yet.
Cons :
_The show is often unnecessarily gore. See very gore… Too gore at certain times.
_A fairly disappointing season 3. The first half picks up from the 2001 film “Hannibal” by Ridley Scott. The second half reprises the 2002 film “Red Dragon” by Brett Ratner.
_The relationship between Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) is a bit obviously homosexual.
_Wealthy characters (a little too classic in thrillers).
_The principle of “love-torture” which irrigates the 2001 film is not taken up at all. Too bad. Hannibal (played by Anthony Hopkins) appears in the 2001 film as a vulnerable person because of his mad love for Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore). Whereas in the series, he appears more like a robot, a knower, a cold being who takes a step back about everything, where (almost) nothing really seems to touch (he just don’t like the rude people…). So the whole keystone of the 1991 movie “The Silence of the Lambs” and the one of 2001, which is the concept of the “Beauty and the Beast” is not used at all in the series. Very unfortunate.
_The series has been widely criticized as being “just a show about cooking”. This is not entirely the case, as a lot of informations on cooking could have been given. On the other hand, the series can be considered as a “show about psychology”. As you will see with the incredible lines below.
Pros :
Here is a whole set of totally stunning lines from the show. Pure mastery. Look at that :
“I build fortresses to protect myself”.
“The mirrors of your mind reflect the best of you. Not someone else’s worst”.
“Dogs keep promises that men betray”.
“Motherhood in a perverted form”.
“That makes you a survivor”.
“Sometimes we deny atrocious events”.
“The majority of people’s prayers are supplication. Give me ! Give me !”
“There are several spiritual centers in the human brain”.
“Hope is sometimes a sign of courage”.
“You spend a lot of time building walls”.
“Every person is responsible for their own life”.
“He has empathy problems”.
“Your life becomes detached from reality”.
“A doctor who takes care of himself has an imbecile for a patient”.
“Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed. Don’t let yourself be invaded”.
“You need to boost your psychological immune system”.
“The illusions of a child are not the foundations of an adult life”.
“When we become a father, we undergo biochemical changes”.
“Will the broken cup come back together again?”
“God controls cruelty better than anyone. He has no equal when it comes to irony”.
“The most terrifying thing in the world can sometimes be a moment of lucidity”.
“Without your memory, you are a prey to your imagination”.
“I’ve seen what’s behind the suit you’re wearing”.
“Be careful not to fill your empty boxes with anything”.
“The game of social ties”.
“Trauma victims are unpredictable beings. Because we know we can survive”.
“Self-awareness arises from social connections”.
“Recognition has a very short shelf life”.
“I see it as a very powerful reminder of the dangers of trusting your neighbour”.
“Charm, determination, ferocity : the psychopath’s triad”.
“The drone is the most suicidal lover in all creation”.
« The Devil is Smoke » (repeated twice in the series).
“Cannibalism is an act of domination”.
“I don’t pretend to know anyone”.
“When I see these dogs, I see the best in Will”.
“We return to dust”.
“Everything is hard to get. Rare to find. Hard to keep. Life is like an eel”.
“The horse is of divine essence. It’s a sacred animal”.
“Shark fetuses are eaten in utero. Concerning us, there is a good chance that we absorbed our twin in our mother’s womb”.
“Do you have a shadow that did calm your anxieties and your loneliness?”
“It is only the people we love that we can understand in their entirety.
Thanks to this love, we see the potential of the loved one.
Through the prism of this love, we allow our loved one to see their own potential.
And in the expression of this love, the potential of the loved one becomes real”.
“Breathing and blood are only elements that evolve to fuel our radiation. Just like a source of light is hot”.
“The lack of confidence in one’s neighbor leads to excess of religion. If we don’t trust others, then we trust God”.
“Danger lurks in the vault of our brains and our hearts. There are holes in the floor of the mind.”
“My dear husband is a difficult person. He has a fine palate. He is very demanding when it comes to my flavour”.
“We conclude a pact where everyone ignores the worst in the other in order to continue to benefit from what is best”.
“At night we are different from what we are during the day”.
“You are afraid of indignity. You’re close enough to cats for that”.
“Good things always slip through our fingers. It’s hard to hold on to happiness”.
“We are all going through hell as best we can”.
But also topics who are very interesting :
_As the two surrogate fathers like in “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice.
_The topic of manipulation (very important in the show).
_The topic of cannibalism.
_The difference between hunter and fisherman (super interesting).
_The attachment to the master.
_The question of the betraying in the couple.
_Loneliness.
_The trauma of the birth.
_Vampirism.
_Psychiatrist/patient relationships (good, unequal, even very bad).
_The subtlety of women.
_The distortion of reality.
_A “noir” show with the character of Freddie Lounds (played by Lara Jean Chorostecki).
_Almost every characters’ questions are like fish hooks.
_In the cooking, about the condiments used, only the thyme is mentioned.
_The idea, absolutely brilliant, that it is Hannibal’s ex-partner who is the person who runs the prison in which he is.
Finally, other elements deserve our attention:
_The ultra-presence of the stag.
_The ultra-presence of the number 7.
_The importance of books.
_The piano and all the music from the series.
_Wine.
_The V on the “visitor” badges which reminds us of the “V” TV show.
_The superstition of giving a name to the fisherman fly (the name of someone you love).
_Characters and emblems. Jack Crawford (crow = raven). Beverly Kats (cat = cat). Freddie Lounds (hound = mastiff).
_Finally, cooking will never be the same now. Mads Mikkelsen showed us a way of cooking that changed the lives of many people.
Two ASMR videos have been made about that :
And
Conclusion :
_A series that is too gore.
_Very invigorating writing.
_A beautiful show. Magnificent costumes and sets.
_A premium rhythm.
_We can talk about a luxury series.
_A fascinating main character.
_Brilliant secondary characters.
As :
*Doctor Du Maurier played by Gillian Anderson.
*Margaux Verger played by Katharine Isabelle.
_A season 1 and 2 that will go down in History.
Masterful.
Alpha Centauri
Post scriptum: don’t hesitate to go to Pinterest. There are “memes” about the series… Which are really funny ^^.
