It was recently announced that Dexter would be making a triumphant return to right the wrongs of its poorly received ending. There's another show though that has a similar level of gore and intrigue as that series that should also be brought back. That show is NBC's Hannibal. Hannibal took elements of the original Thomas Harris novels and remixed them in very interesting ways, establishing a story and identity all of its own that still made sure to include some of the novel's greatest moments in totally unexpected ways. The end result was akin to a great musical remix, only it centered on a conversion of book and movie moments into a thrill-ride of a television show. If Dexter was the tall, darkly handsome, brooding guy that just moved into town, Hannibal was his smarter, more insidious older brother.
While Hannibal ended its impressive run after its third season, it didn't exactly wrap everything up. It's possible that the titular character died, but considering his resilience in staying alive up to that point, the vague circumstances of the season's ending leaves a lot to fans' imagination. If a Dexter revival is able to happen, then Hannibal should be next to receive a televised resurrection.
The Show Continuously Evolved in Interesting Ways
What starts out as a particularly dark and sometimes overly gory crime show with a serial killer of the week formula akin to something like Criminal Minds slowly begins to show its true colors. This is a psychological thriller, the murders surrounding our characters are really there to spur their thoughts in particular directions. The main attraction here is the relationship that continues to grow between Hannibal Lecter and Special Agent Will Graham.
Will is originally brought in to investigate murders that nobody else seems able to solve. Will is assumed to partially be on the spectrum and able to empathize with people's thought processes so completely that he can essentially piece together evidence using his vivid imagination in a way that enables him to relive the crimes from the killer's perspective. As this is obviously not a pleasant experience for him, he's referred to Dr. Hannibal Lecter as his psychiatrist. Hannibal begins to infect Will's mind and uses his inside knowledge of the crimes Will is investigating to begin influencing the outcome of these investigations. Unbeknownst to those around him, Hannibal is actually the most notorious serial killer of all, The Chesapeake Ripper, who has never been caught.
The first season is flipped on its head entirely at the end, with Hannibal framing Will and having him imprisoned for his crimes. The second season centers on Will trying to prove his innocence. Once Will is exonerated for these crimes, Hannibal escapes and the third season is mostly focused on trying to capture the elusive cannibal. It's somewhat uneven and the pacing definitely suffers at times, but it's thought-provoking and engaging psychologically in a way that other crime shows just can't seem to replicate.
Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal is Everything
People still talk about Anthony Hopkins' performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter to this day as one of his greatest, and deservedly so. But if anyone watches any of the films where Hopkins portrays Hannibal after The Silence of the Lambs they'll notice that his performance ends up becoming a bit of a caricature of itself. That's not his fault, the character just isn't written with that much depth in these films. That's not the case with the television show, which has the time to delve more into the character's behavior and interactions with those around him.
Mads Mikkelsen's performance as Hannibal Lecter is like a perfect sip of wine, there's not a note out of place. It is elegance personified. He never has a hair out of place, and always speaks eloquently and insightfully. He has a charm to him that allows the audience to believe he could successfully fool everyone around him because the audience feels just as impressed by him as the cast. The most interesting part of this is the way the audience has to battle with their feelings toward his cooking scenes.
One of Hannibal's favorite things to do in the show is to go on a murder spree, then to use the trophies he takes from his victims to prepare gourmet meals and have rich people over for dinner parties. It's a sickening thought, but the way the show displays Hannibal's cooking is mesmerizing, and the viewer has to struggle with the fact that even though they know it's human parts being shown, the meals look positively scrumptious. The poor souls who eat the meals not knowing what they really are express their enthusiasm for how delicious they are, and Hannibal lets a small, knowing smile spread across his face.
Where Hopkins is crazy all of the time, seeing Mads Mikkelsen turn from polite and elegant to murderous and cold at the drop of a hat is what makes him truly terrifying. He's essentially a force of nature, not just a killer. He believes there is an art, or a higher purpose to his killing. This Hannibal is the actual devil, and he relishes the work he does. Mikkelsen's sleek physique and deliberate movements make this version of Hannibal feel all too real, and at times he seems truly invincible and uncatchable, making him the scariest and deepest interpretation of the character yet.
The Ending Was Open, but the Lambs are Still Screaming
There were some rights issues with the character of Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs, meaning that the show never got to introduce that character. The end of Hannibal Season 3 sends Will and Hannibal off the edge of a waterfall together, but whether they actually died or not is very much still up for debate. While the show had pretty much run its course with the Will and Hannibal dynamic, introducing the most iconic book of the series and bringing in Clarice Starling is the true ending that the show deserves.
Just like the show was able to remix famous moments from every other story in the series, it would have been exhilarating to see what showrunner Bryan Fuller could have come up with using The Silence of the Lambs characters and plot points. Characters like Buffalo Bill and Clarice Starling and their interactions with Hannibal Lecter are reason enough to bring the show back. Hopefully Netflix can bring it back someday and allow the show to really hit it's stride.