Sam: Despite the slow start, the finale did something much better than deliver on my expectations: it made those expectations look foolish, short-sighted, and completely inadequate compared to what the show actually pulled off in its final hour of the year. Needless to say, I am VERY excited for what’s to come (but in a weird way, how perfectly unsettling and grim a series finale would that have been, had NBC decided not to renew?).
Favorite Death Tableau
Sam: So many to choose from, but for pure ick-factor, I have to go with the human fungus garden from Amuse-bouche. It’s not the show at its most gory or operatic, but just thinking about mushrooms growing out of bodies creeps the hell out of me.
Lisa: I loved Beverly: “Find any shitakes?” For me it was Tobias’ human cello in Fromage. That was completely beyond the pale of anything in the Harris/Dexter/Se7en world to date; something about its being audible just raised the bar. Hearing that tone made me actually a little dizzy for a second.
Most Horrifying Moment
Sam: The tableaus are what will jump to mind for most, but Gideon playing Operation on Dr. Chilton a few weeks ago was one of the nastiest things I’ve ever seen on TV. How the hell this show got past the broadcasting standards commission each week is a mystery.
Lisa: Agreed. It felt somehow relentless, and just grisly for grisly’s sake, no meaning. Close second: the bows-in-the-making in Tobias’ basement. >shudder<
Thing From the Harris-verse We Want Next
Sam: I’m not an expert on the original book series like Lisa, and don’t imagine them getting to this for a while, but having seen a few of the films, I’ll be curious to see the show’s interpretation of Francis Dolarhyde. Fuller tweeted that the show’s planned timeline will reach Silence of the Lambs by (god willing) Season 5, so it’s possible Red Dragon‘s villain will be coming in the not too distant future. Of course, by that time, Hannibal and Will have traded places, which seems like where we might be this time next year.
Lisa: I’d like to see an exploration of Hannibal’s desire to sway Will toward the dark side, toward what he believes to be Will’s true nature. The smile that ended Season 1 could be interpreted as victory, and it could also be happiness that he now has Will right where he can work on him without interference. The tears he expressed to Bedelia over “failing” Will were genuine, but not because Will is now imprisoned, but because he failed to free Will to be what he sees as Will’s authentic self. He’s said repeatedly he hasn’t given up on Will, and still views him as potentially the greatest friend he could imagine (otherwise he’d be dead). Will’s rejection of Hannibal’s friendship and offer of help in managing his “instrument” is what drives Hannibal’s hatred of Will later on – and what drives his affection for Clarice Starling, which we might see someday, now that the “chicken-out era” seems to be over! I’d like to see Will resist Hannibal head on, continuing that conversation from the Hobbs kitchen.
Biggest Nitpick of the Season
Sam: The kills and the crazies were always the show’s biggest strength, so it’s not surprising a regular cast this big had a lot of it go underserved. The Will-Alana romance was perhaps the show’s roughest edge, maybe because the idea of any kind of romance in this universe seems out of place. That being said: I’m a definite Hannibal-Dr. Du Maurier shipper, even though I’m pretty sure he murdered one of her patients. Gotta admire the man’s passion.
Lisa: Agreed with the supporting characters. Beverly, Jimmy, and Brian got enough time that we get a sense of who they are, but only via interesting one-off lines here and there, so they still feel extraneous. Perhaps now that the groundwork has been laid, they’ll have more room. If the much hoped-for Hannibal/Bedelia arc leaves any, that is.
Predictions for Season 2
Sam: The show becomes a wacky sitcom about Alana’s struggles to balance being a full-time psychologist, and caretaker for a half-dozen of Will’s dogs, Jack decides to do something drastic, and gets rid of his soul patch, Hannibal refuses to keep eating people unless they’re “local,” and Will uses his ample free time to finally learn how to draw a clock.
Lisa: Lovely! For me, I see Will using Freddie to get out of that cell. Alana and Jack are too susceptible to Hannibal’s influence, but Will can exploit Freddie’s salacious tendencies to great effect. (As we see later, poor Freddie.)
What are your favorites for the items above, and predictions for Season 2? Tell us your thoughts!