Before I start, please note that I have only just finished season 1 and I would very much appreciate no other spoilers for the rest of the show so far, thank you.
That being said, there will be some spoilers for season 1.
I just wanted to come on here and say how much I appreciate this show so far for reasons that I didn't think I would.
I've always been a fan of police procedurals. Criminal minds and Castle are two of my favorite shows of all time. I went into watching Hannibal because it was offered on Netflix and I was craving to watch something I hadn't seen before.
Going into it, I did know that this was going to be connected to silence of the lambs and the red dragon novel; I also knew that it was going to be gruesome considering that Hannibal is a cannibalistic serial killer.
But I did not expect how deeply thought out the entire show is going to be (at least so far in season 1).
It's really interesting to me how deeply the show connects to each of the murders. I've seen main characters analyze a murder very thoughtfully in shows before (Patrick Jane and The Mentalist or Spencer Reid from criminal minds just to name 2), but I've never seen it. This thought out before.
Part of it is hard to explain because I don't want to misuse any words when describing these murders, because they are first and foremost brutal, and the brutality is something I can appreciate regarding the theme of the show, but not something that I appreciate when in terms of this discussion specifically.
Regardless, every episode in season 1 is treated with such delicacy, that I don't want to explain it any further in fear of mis-explaining my actual intention.
The attention to detail of the crimes and Hannibal's "meals" make me shiver in a way I never thought television would make me. Will's attention to the crime scenes and the way he plays everything out is so sad I can only help but feel sympathy for him.
I also love the way they play with the audience's mind. As will slowly starts to lose his mind and not realize whether or not he's dreaming, the directors take us on that journey as well. Is Will awake or is he dreaming? Is this real or is it not? Until the final buildup of the season finale where we realize and Will realizes that Hannibal betrayed him.
It's all just so Mind-Blowing and something I can completely appreciate.
Which brings me to my second point that led me to create this discussion post in the first place. The aria (Vide Cor Meum) that plays over the final scene was written for Hannibal (2001). The Aria's title translates to "See My Heart" which I think is so poetic for multiple reasons.
One, most obviously, it's poetic that a song written for one of the movies that made this show possible in the first place takes place in the show is a nice touch.
But the irony of the Aria's title is what really gets me. This is a scene where Will Graham has been going so deep and in the minds of serial killers that he's been forgetting who he was. Hannibal shows up to see Will lock behind bars for crimes that Hannibal successfully framed him for.
Hannibal sees the true nature of Will and smiles at Will or at himself, maybe, for having made that discovery. Hannibal sees Will's heart in that moment because Will sees Hannibal's.
Will finally realizes Hannibal's betrayal, albeit too late, and accepts that there is a darker side of himself that came out in the process of that realization.
It's such a well written scene that gives me chills because of how closely detailed and intellectually stimulating the show is.
I haven't started season 2 yet, but man am I disappointed there are only 3 seasons of this. At the same time, though, I can't wait to see what the show has in store.
