Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
Premiered last night in the States. Did anyone watch?
Looks pretty good to me, will be watching tonight and expecting good things. Obviously comparisons will be drawn to Dexter and the films themselves but I'm hoping for something fresh.
I liked it for the most part. Good cast, slick shooting, but I hope we swiftly move away from fetishising dead young women and have a bit more variety in killers. Enough TV shows are obsessed with every victim being a hot college student, but the killers in the Harris novels had a much broader taste. I'm also a little leery of the characterisation of Lecter. Mikkelson's performance is fine, but the character seems to have been written to be rather blunt and isolated, whereas the Lecter of the films and books was a very charming and charismatic figure who easily drew people toward him. I get the show wants to chart its own course, but it doesn't quite feel right that Lecter seems to be yet another gifted Aspie, particularly when Will Graham has essentially the same qualities.
It's only the first episode, though, so perhaps in time we'll see them become a lot more distinct. Or maybe the point is supposed to be that they are both two sides of the same coin, but I worry the latter idea will get dull if drawn out too much. I just wonder how long NBC will get away with it. I've never seen that much blood in a US show not on HBO or Showtime. Normally the censors get a bit freaked out over that sort of thing, though at least there wasn't something as ghastly as female nipples.
Just finished with the second episode. I wouldn't compare it to Dexter at all. If anything, I compare it more to Criminal Minds...if one of the team was a serial killer.
The cast is pretty good, even right down to the smaller characters, and this week's serial killer was very interesting, especially with how he killed them. My only concern is how long can the series go with the suspension of disbelief that the FBI have a serial killer working for them and they don't ever realize it without looking completely stupid and incompetent.
I heard that this is explosive and Mads is tremendous. Anyone keeping up with this?
I don't know if I'd call him tremendous. He's good, a real presence, but at the same time his utter coldness is rather off-putting. I may just be too hung up on Hopkins' Hannibal, but Mikkelson offers no warmth or charm, and I always felt it was how charming and magnetic Hannibal was that made him the most frightening and dangerous. Mikkelson comes off as, dare I say it, a Bond villain. We've only had two episodes, though, and Lecter is feeling out his patient who is the kind of guy who could easily unravel what Hannibal has been up to, so maybe he is just being reserved to begin with. Hopefully things will open up more, but so far he seems kind of like a stock creep played well.
The rest of the show is pretty good, though, and I enjoy the new take on Will Graham. He's gifted, yet vulnerable, and for once we get a lead character who isn't simply a superman with one manageable flaw. Already we see that he has issues, and despite his gifts at tracking killers.... (minor spoiler)
he can't shoot for shit. At last, a lead in a police procedural who isn't a badass.
It's pretty shocking what NBC is letting them get away with, too, even at 10 at night. I imagine if they dared show a nipple they'd be yanked off the air immediately, but even for US TV there's a lot of blood and they pull no punches on the violence. Beautiful cinematography, though, every scene just looks clear and dreamlike at the same time, which probably makes no sense but it's the best way I can think of to describe the aesthetic.