Round Two: Hannibal

Hannibal: Season 1, Episode 2 “Amuse-Bouche” (C)

I really want to like this show. There’s something about the Hannibal Lecter mythology that makes me want to keep up with every aspect of it, even if “Hannibal” had its share of problems and “Hannibal Rising” is better forgotten entirely. This incarnation isn’t bad, but it lacks excitement and energy. It’s both grim and dull, and it’s hard to get attached to a show that fails to reel its viewers in with compelling plot developments and whose events don’t have the necessary power to be resounding. There is an undeniable creepiness to the serial killers portrayed on this show, but, most of the time, it’s too obvious a setup for only Will and Hannibal to be able to comment sufficiently on the modus operandi of the killers. The therapy sessions between the two of them aren’t nearly as gripping as this show seems to think, and I’m also not so intrigued by the character of Freddie Lounds, whose oh-so-intrepid investigative skills got her both nearly killed by the deranged pharmacist and on Hannibal’s radar in a very bad way. There can only be so many shots of Hannibal serving and consuming delectable pieces of meat while describing the type of loin on his plate, and I think this show seems much more focused on things other than Hannibal most of the time and then overly centered on him when it chooses to be. This show could be much better, and I’m not sure it’s worth sticking around to see if it realizes that and takes a new approach.