Hannibal: Discussion Thread

[YRBB]

Bedelia Du Maurier is a badass name. I fear for her so much. Her stepping close to Will and telling him, "I believe you," was chilling. I can't possibly see how she has much time left now that she knows.

[YRBB]

Poor Beverly. OMG. What a horrible death.

[YRBB]

The DVD features an extensive, 1-hour-and-23-minutes long behind the scenes look at the making of episode 205, "Mukōzuke", from pre-production, production, post to the fan reaction. Really fascinating, in-depth look at the making of a TV episode (these kind of making-of videos tend to be at the very most 30 mins long). What impressed me is that they addressed the controversy of Katz's killing in some length, openly discussing the accusations from some fans that it was a racist, misogynistic move. Regardless of how I feel about it (and there were parts of the whole special that felt like damage control, etc.) I thought it was very interesting that it was (more than) mentioned and looked into.

[Vee]

I'm surprised they bothered. I wouldn't have. That character was nothing but one or two lines in a book until the show, they blew the role up into something much bigger than was originally planned on the show, and at that point in the narrative everyone who got too close to Lecter's secret was paying with their life. It was nothing to do with women or minorities, it was to do with their story and how they should be allowed to tell it. The show is not a cop procedural.

[DRW50]

It's like I said a while back - a major portion of their activist fanbase, the ones who are always pushing for their beloved "murder family" and "Hannigram" and selling the show on social media and are so obsessed with getting everyone but the janitor to wear those stupid flower crowns - many of these fans were drawn in by the idea of racial and gender equality, and isn't it awesome to have strong, complex women. And much of Fuller's response during and after the first season backed up their views.

The treatment of women in season two left a bad taste in their mouths, especially what happened with Beverly.

Maybe they should have just gotten over it and not expected exemptions from what was always billed as a grisly, high-stakes psychological drama, but they did expect more, and Fuller was happy to go along with that to get attention for the show. I don't think he and the other people running the show realized the backlash they'd face from the same social justice warriors who'd once championed them. So this, and the essay that the woman who played Beverly wrote not long after the murder, are attempts to get some of those people on their side again.

[Vee]

How did it feel to you when you watched Season 2?

I don't think it's an "attempt" - I think it's just how all of them genuinely feel at the show, including the actress. And I think there is a very, very big difference between a) courting an active online fanbase and having fun with them, like most successful shows do and have to do these days with social media in order to generate an audience, and promising them something different than the show you actually made. Hannibal did A, but it never did B. If some fans thought they were getting B, that's their problem, it's no one else's and AFAIC the show has no responsibility for it. Nor do I think Hannibal ever betrayed any trust on what it was going to do. After two seasons I don't see it - they've been very clear all along on who these people are and where they're going.

There are plenty of shows that cynically trade on fan expectations, Hannibal never did. Most of the elements its fans enjoy are baked into the show, were there from the pilot and has always been there, but certain elements have not been, or were never intended to go beyond a certain place - case in point, treating the show like it's some team procedural people can pretend is an NCIS spinoff. Katz was supposed to die in Season 1 when she had a much smaller role, but they chose to beef it up before finishing her off. I don't think a show is inherently responsible for or beholden to the attitudes of its more reactionary audience members. I just came to watch the show, I didn't come to judge it against the stupider elements of its viewership. And I don't think what its audience does has to be relevant to what the show is. There are some shows that get bogged down in that, Hannibal never has, and that's what gets some people mad.

[YRBB]

Positively stunned at that last minute curveball of Season 2: Hannibal and Bedelia Du Maurier are in it together!!!! YAS, honey, YAS. That's how you do a twist.

Hannibal literally left the whole cast bleeding and dying.

[amybrickwallace]

Question: Which Raul Esparza character do you enjoy more - Dr. Chilton or ADA Barba (SVU)?

[Vee]

Variety talks to Bryan Fuller in advance of tonight.

[Vee]

Cancelled by NBC, which doesn't surprise me. It has always been a very low rated prestige hit. It's never fit on a broadcast network and this was inevitable.

I've heard for several years that a ton of other outlets would want a shot at the show, including Netflix, if NBC were to drop it. Also, its international deal via Gaumont makes it more cost-effective. I am expecting it to be picked up elsewhere. Some articles mention that Gaumont is already shopping it. DeLaurentiis confirms this.

[DRW50]

Three seasons is certainly an achievement, especially these days.

I still think they miscast Will Graham and would have been better off phasing him out.

[ChitHappens]

This is great news. That crap Aquarius will be going away soon as well. I don't need anything riding on the back of X files watering it down. Too much exposure is not good for Files. Can't have that.

[Vee]

He's brilliant.

Sadly for you, Chit, Hannibal is vastly superior to both.

[dm.]

It was very surprising that a show like Hannibal managed to survive three years on NBC. I'm not putting down NBC, but with the level of quality everyone would presume it's a cable show.

I hope someone picks it up, be it Netflix, Showtime, Yahoo, AMC, etc.

[Vee]

It should always have been on cable. The commercial breaks, the ads for The Voice and [!@#$%^&*], just had no place anywhere near it. NBC seemed baffled by it. I am amazed it lasted one season there, let alone three.

I know Amazon, Netflix, etc. were keen on it. I expect it to get a deal, but the question is whether or not Fuller wishes to continue.