NBC’s ‘Hannibal’ season 2, episode 1 review: Madness, and greatness returns

On Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, a spot not typically reserved for shows that have large audiences or shows that are particularly memorable, lies NBC’s best drama. It’s a show that is more terrifying that “American Horror Story,” and more gruesome than a number of other products that air on cable. It’s “Hannibal,” and we are pleased report that this new season is just as strong as the one that aired before it.

The strengths of this series are pretty simple, and they begin with Bryan Fuller. His vision and his art style are really all over this from front to back, whether you are talking about the grotesque nature of some of the scenes or the mere imagination that goes behind the way in which stories are crafted. Very clearly, this is also not a show that is particularly afraid to take risks by any stretch of the imagination.

When it comes to progress in the main story, this was more about restating the game rather than changing it. Will Graham is insistent behind bars about who Hannibal Lecter is, and is haunted by the very thought of what he can do. Meanwhile, Hannibal is now acting in the Will role in some ways on the outside, and has most of the force eating out of the palm of his hand. Do we know that times will change? Definitely, and that is what that well-placed flash-forward at the start of the premiere was for. Is that the most vicious fight we’ve ever seen Laurence Fishburne in? It’s possible.

This episode was not necessarily a top three story all time, but we appreciate almost every little thing that it did, from the introduction of its new players (including Cynthia Nixon) to Hannibal’s calculating one-on-one interviews as he reasserted just how open and cooperative he wanted to be. This show is a cat-and-mouse game like no other, and to use a different analogy, right now it is Hannibal’s feast. Grade: A-.

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