Hannibal ‘Apéritif’ review: L’élégance

Hannibal is a show of incredible elegance. That is, at least, the sensation one gets from seeing the first episode, “Apéritif.” Quite a feat, considering the show gets its name from a cannibal. But Hannibal is a man of taste, even if his actions may lead one to think otherwise.

This episode presents us with a variety of characters, the good cop Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne), the psychologist Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas, from Wonderfalls) and the main leads, weird cop Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and psychiatrist with a secret Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen).

Will may be a strange cop (something we’ve seen before) but he is no Bones or Castle. He’s out of place. He doesn’t joke, doesn’t smile, doesn’t like people talking to him. He is something different, something more in the edge of crazy. His mind works in a scary way, faster than any other, understanding and seeing murder as if he made it himself. Closer to what Sherlock did maybe, but without the rudeness or the arrogance. Will doesn’t like what he does, it scares him, it troubles him. And we see everything just as him, and are troubled with him.

We don’t see the titular character, Hannibal, until the middle of the episode. He is in the darkness, enjoying some gorgeous looking food while some piano music graces the scene. It’s beautiful but it’s dark, just like Hannibal. The next scenes give us a bit info on the character (his work as a psychiatrist, his past in Johns Hopkins) and his calm, elegant ways. Then it’s back to business. There is a series of murders that need solving.

And there comes the first encounter between Will and Hannibal where there is exploration of character and psychoanalysis. And then there’s murder and Will knows everything. And Hannibal is sneaky behind him . They save a girl. You know this going to affect Will because he’s super bewildered and because he shoots the killer like ten times.

I will admit it, I loved this episode. The casting is flawless: Laurence Fishburne is the perfect cop and Hugh Dancy is very convincing as the man-with-many-troubles-and-nightmares Will Graham. And then there’s Mads Mikkelsen, that incredible actor with that gorgeous voice. Many people will say that Anthony Hopkins is the only Hannibal… but what can I say, when I read The red dragon this was more the Hannibal that I had in mind. Elegant in everything he does, exquisite, excessive intelligent. The direction is very good, too. In a world where most procedurals are filled with action, sexual tension, even more action, threats, good looking people in tight clothes, explosions and whatnot, the people in Hannibal seem to think.

I really hope that unlike most of the rest of Bryan Fuller’s work, this show gets the run it deserves.