starting a Hannibal rewatch, and while ep 1 is a lot more ~typical crime procedural~ than the luminous heights of later eps, the performances are SO on point from the get-go. love this invasive body language from lawrence fishburne.

we all talk about how Hannibal doesn't get into full stylistic swing for a few eps, but i'd forgotten they just casually have a scene IN THE BATHROOM FROM "THE SHINING" in ep 1 lmao.

yep, there's as much overlap here with clarice's role as will's in the books, where he's characterized as more traditionally masculine. https://twitter.com/pearwaldorf/status/1274436294974664706

how many thousands of words did i write about Hannibal's costume design, back in the day?

for instance, this first meeting where:
1. Jack assumes Hannibal's patient is the psychiatrist, because Hannibal looks too glamorous, so...
2. Hannibal adjusts his outfit to "fit the part."

also, Hannibal's conscious costume change here is almost a joke in itself, because his overly-attached patient (Franklyn) was probably *trying to dress like Hannibal* in the previous scene, and failing to achieve H's greatness. whereas H's transformation is perfect.

the camera work is so good in the scene where Will shoots Hobbs. visually, we're immersed in vibrating-heartbeat animalistic panic... EXCEPT when Hannibal comes onscreen, and everything goes still & calm.

Hannibal is one of those characters where you need to *feel* his charisma & physical aura. But a great actor is only part of the battle. The show uses so many little visual/audio cues to emphasize his overwhelming presence, like (IIRC?) Hannibal not having audible footsteps.

Onto ep 2, featuring an unusual trifecta for an American crime drama:
1. The hero is a bad shot.
2. He's upset about shooting a criminal.
3. A woman teaches him better technique - without the typical romantic subtext.

iconic "marbled red meat" outfit from freddie lounds here.

i love that bryan fuller named a mushroom-themed serial killer AND a star trek mushroom scientist after (living!) mushroom expert Paul Stamets. what a legacy!

enough films & tv shows involve ~symbolic deer-hunting scenes~ that i'm now wondering if there's such a thing as professional tv deer, like all the trained horses for historical dramas.

the vibrancy of the color in this show is stunning, especially considering how many crime dramas are filmed in washed-out grey for Extra Grimness. just from ep 3:

Hannibal is so divorced from reality that it doesn't skeeve me out like other law enforcement shows, but it's occasionally so wild to watch Will make an absurd ~empathic deduction~ and remember that ACTUAL POLICE work with psychics IRL.

To any Hannibal fans who want to learn more about the art of fly-tying, I recommend the documentary "Kiss the Water," about the acclaimed (and fascinatingly eccentric) fly-tyer Megan Boyd. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_Boyd 

Kacey Rohl's magic mushrooms acting is so good lmao

just reached a truly iconic moment in american tv censorship: the scene where NBC told Hannibal's creators to hide the bare butts of two mutilated corpses by adding more blood.

Bella is the only character who wears pure black & white in a show full of complex, layered colors & shades.

In ep 5 her clothes transition from white to black as she reveals she's terminally ill.

omg the sheer audacity of unleashing eddie izzard and raul esparza in the same episode. how could i forget!

a respectful hello to freddie lounds visiting FBI headquarters wearing a leather miniskirt, fur-trimmed aquamarine jacket, a completely transparent shirt, and visible bra.

episode 6 "Entree" is a key turning point in the narrative, and also an important lesson about Not Reading The Comments, as multimillionaire artiste Hannibal Lecter freaks out over a meanspirited blog post.

luv this scene where Hannibal symbolically skins a grape whose interior flesh is as dark as its peel.

there is no such grape; food designer janice poon dyed the grapes with food coloring, re-skinned them with wax, and dusted them with eyeshadow.

some grape aficionados are pointing out that Norton grapes are real. this is true but the food designer found out they weren't actually black inside. love this dedication to detail: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/hannibal-food-secrets-janice-poon

no joke, this show taught me to eschew the Big Light forevermore. https://twitter.com/benchapman123/status/1276919101429035008

this exquisitely nauseating green wall... chef kiss.

Gillian Anderson lowkey has the creepiest costumes in the show. In her FIRST SCENE, Bedelia reveals she's a "retired" shut-in with only one client, and yet she ALWAYS has perfectly curled hair, heels, uncomfortable formal clothes. An enigmatic femme ghost.

All the classical music in the show is effectively from Hannibal's personal playlist. They really unleash it in ep 7, which is PACKED with melodramatic opera. (1/2)

(2/2) Hannibal's music taste is deliciously unsubtle:
• "The Golden Calf" from Faust while Hannibal butchers a human heart.
• Mozart's "Lacrimosa" while Hannibal sulks about Will missing an appointment.
• The FBI soundtracked by the advancing army from Verdi's Macbeth.

dare i say....... the reclining odalisque

amazing thread. https://twitter.com/cartersiddall/status/1272962848034107392

The Will/Alana/Hannibal love triangle is so fun. W & A have such cute-yet-sad chemistry; A & H have a mature, believable "never gonna happen" flirtation. Two very well-drawn detours on the road to H & W becoming the endgame couple.

Mads Mikkelsen & Gillian Anderson have SUCH similar facial features, it's wild. It's probably a happy accident, but I always view this casting as an echo of Hannibal's dead sister Mischa.

god, the Hannibal/Tobias fight scene is really top-tier action filmmaking. it legit feels like they're gonna kill each other.

a great detail from these mid-season-1 eps: Will starts wearing unbuttoned/collarless shirts because he's got a raging encephalitis fever, but doesn't know it yet.