'Hannibal' 2.01 'Kaiseki' Review

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Bryan Fuller's exquisite take on Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter canon returned tonight for its second season of dark succulent treats. Last year, FBI consultant Will Graham wound up behind the bars of Dr. Chilton's asylum accused of the many atrocious crimes Hannibal committed throughout the season. I missed this show on my television set as much as Winston misses his papa enough to keep wandering back home. He's not the only character to find themselves drawn to Will's home. The characters that do wind up back there as well find themselves in varying states of doubt over the condition of Will's innocence.

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That doubt weaves its way throughout the FBI as Will continues to profess that Dr. Lecter did this to him. Actually getting to witness the brutal dedication of Hannibal as he forced Abigail's severed ear down a long bit of tubing so that Will would retch it up was just as visceral as the scenes involving the process in which the human mural is prepared. There's even a parallel in the fact that Lecter's long-term victim Will is still alive just like the abducted man fated to become another element of a madman's masterpiece--an unblinking all-seeing eye a chilling final shot that may as well have been edited to fade into a glance into the windows to Will Graham's own tormented soul.

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Exploring the puzzle of Will's manipulated mind will clearly be a main focus of season two. From what we've seen already it's a place filled with visions that are  both infected by Hannibal's presence (his favorite fishing spot) and those that are entirely his creation seen through newly opened eyes (the writhing, fetid version of one of Hannibal's elaborate tablescapes that was drenched in in the reality of the dead flesh littering its surface). At least he's not alone in his search as it seems at least Alana Bloom is willing to hear out his theories in the service of trying to get him to realize what he's done. She helped Will unlock a powerful grotesque memory that plainly showed Hannibal setting Will up for Abigail's death. The way Alana hears Will out, even if she’s just humoring his allegations, is far different than Will’s main interaction with Jack. 

Jack won’t hear of it and it’s the only time that Will shows outward aggression toward one of his

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visitors--not exactly helping his case but you can’t blame his level of frustration at that point. Will had the wool pulled over his eyes and now he’s forced to watch Hannibal do the same with another intelligent moral man. So his need to ‘go fishin’ in his mind for the truth is that much more important after his failed conversation with another victim-in-the-making. Each of these memories are a danger to not only Will's sanity, but his life as the moment the game becomes too dangerous for Lecter to continue with he will no doubt cut ties even if that’s a mistake for Dr. Lecter as well. Their interaction at the start of the episode informed this idea as the show forgoed a histrionic reaction from Will in favor of his remaining as calm as he could be while promising his adversary that he would bring him down yet. I think as the season goes, Hannibal may come to the realization that Will is a most dangerous combatant as he truly doesn't seem to care if proving Lecter's intent and culpability brings them both down at once.

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A marked difference from how Jack takes on Hannibal as foe. The intense and desperate fight scene that opened 'Kaiseki' was all the more an accomplishment by saying so much by being completely free of dialog. Even before the knives flew, the two faced each other with the deadly insinuation that they both knew and understood each other's true selves for the first time. There was then no other way for it to end but in bloodshed. Their battle is set for twelve weeks from now, a clever nod to how many weeks from today until the end of the season, so by at least the end of season two it's clear that Will will be redeemed but he may not survive. Along with possibly several other characters who’ve either continually rubbed Lecter the wrong way (Dr. Chilton), or those he respects and trusts as much as he can but who will seemingly step out of line and pay for it (Dr. Du Maurier).

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It only takes a moment of playing things out in your mind to really see how screwed Hannibal is now. He’s surrounded by people who deep down want nothing more than the chance to exonerate their fallen comrade. This is a problem that Dr. Lecter typically solves with a buffet table but his well-groomed scapegoat is now in a box inside of another box. It’s an interesting twist to their game that Hannibal was not only responsible for putting him in a cage but he now needs to be able to get him out if he wants to continue to simplify the number of suspicious people he’s currently working around as ‘the new Will Graham’. Soon he’ll come to realize that he can’t be both Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter and a choice will be made that’s going to change the trajectory of every character on this show heading into a hopeful season three.