‼️SPOILER ALERT‼️ I think Hannibal is an amazing series. Firstly, I want to focus on the Hannibal and Will dynamic, god how beautiful it is, the destruction Hannibal and Will inflict on each other leads to their inevitable deaths (I know they are alive, but figuratively speaking they throw each other off a cliff). However, Will and Hannibal's ‘mutual destruction’ doesn't lead them to someone ‘higher up the food chain’, they consume each other. Both are predators in the full sense of the word, and they have no one to throw off. The denouement of the series is very underrated. By the way, I already have a detailed review of Misumono, but to recap: in a very conventional and, I think, naive approach to events, you could go the ‘Hannibal is mad at himself for trusting Will’ route, but I don't think that applies to Hannibal at all. He thinks too highly of himself to really see the situation as a flaw on his part - sure, Will kicked a door inside him that he wishes he could lock - but I don't think he ever put things in that perspective. So, of course, how can you talk about Hannibal without touching on Dr Hannibal the Lecter. He's the best villain on television, and I don't think anyone argues with that. Hannibal Lecter mythology 1. Wild Hunt: Myths about wild hunting exist throughout Western Europe. What they have in common is that, like any other hunt, there is a leader, his riders, and a pack of hounds. Everyone in this series is a Hunter to a greater or lesser degree. Even Alana, who works as a consultant profiler for the FBI, can be put into this category, though she could be considered one of the lower hounds. Jack and Will Graham are considered the highest echelon, and Hannibal is no doubt the highest, the pinnacle (until he is dethroned by Will Graham, who captures him). 2. 2. Wendigo In keeping with Lecter's theme as a demonic figure, ManStag is often referred to as the Wendigo, a demonic, cannibalistic wildlife spirit and legend of the Algonquin peoples of the northwestern United States. Note the similarities to Cernunnos, Lucifer, and Hern the Hunter. (Wendigo is just one of many dozens of deities and demons of the Hunt around the world). The term ‘Wendigo’ is used to describe the demonic spirit and creature that humans turn into after eating human flesh. Legend has it that once a person tastes human flesh, they develop an unquenchable craving or addiction to it. Lecter often seems obsessive in his need to kill. One of the reasons he consults with the FBI is because he wants to be close to the crime scenes of other killers so that he can copy them and attribute his murders to others. Lecter doesn't miss any opportunity to implicate himself in someone else's crime. It's like he can't stop. It really does seem obsessive. In the second season, it seems like he is consumed with the crimes themselves. By killing the killers he's supposed to be catching, he turns their crimes into the crimes of the Chesapeake Ripper. 3. La Vita Nuova/ Vide Cor Meum. The relationship between Lecter and Will Graham is often described by Bryan Fuller as a gothic romance, and one of the musical themes associated specifically with Hannibal Lecter in both the films and the TV series is Patrick Cassidy's adaptation of the song Vide Cor Meum from the opera La Vita Nuova. La Vita Nuova is an autobiographical opera written by Dante Alighieri in 1295. The title means ‘New Life’, which is an expression of ‘courtesan love’, the system of ritual courtship of the time. Vide Cor Meum was specifically written and based on the sonnet ‘A ciascun'alma presa’ from chapter 3 of The New Life. Dante addressed this poem to his great love, Beatrice, from whom he tried to hide it by dating other women. Let's talk about stag symbolism: The deer symbolises evil. Whether real or just a premonition of Will's, he appears as a manifestation of one of Will's premonitions. He may be guiding him towards evil or prompting him to do something important. Evidence: in Entree, Will notices the deer sculpture in Hannibal's office and touches it. This does not go unnoticed by Hannibal, suggesting that Hannibal - and the deer - may ultimately symbolise evil to Will. Red dragon: I don't like him as a character to be honest, but he's still an interesting character. Francis Dolarhyde is distinguished from the other killers in the series not only by his macabre actions, but also by the complexity of his relationships with Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham. Dolarhyde's journey is a psychological exploration of the depths of a tormented soul. He is haunted by his traumatic past, which in turn shapes his current obsessions and catalyses his transformation into a ruthless killer. The audience begins to sympathise with him as the tangled layers of his troubled psyche are gradually revealed. One element that makes Dolarhyde's character so fascinating is his connection to the Great Red Dragon, a fictional figure from William Blake's paintings. The dragon symbolises transformation and rebirth, which echoes Dolarhyde's personal struggle to rid himself of his former self. As Dolarhyde delves deeper into his dark psyche, he adopts the Great Red Dragon as a guiding force, fuelling his desire to become the embodiment of fear and power. Dolarhyde's complex relationship with Hannibal Lecter adds another dimension to his character. Overall: Bryan Fuller's Hannibal series isn't afraid to tackle serious topics. Sure, there are Hitchcockian musings on the similarities between food and death, but there are also awkward explorations of divinity, duality and reality. Very interesting themes for the audience. A particularly fascinating theme that developed in the second season was the uncontrollable nature of time. Time in ‘Hannibal’ is a primal, fatal force: it is larger than humanity and beyond our comprehension. This is not to say that time was not present in the first season. In ‘Hannibal,’ time has always been a measure of reality. One of the most memorable episodes of Hannibal's first season is Will Graham drawing a clock to, in the words of Hannibal Lecter's Dr Hannibal, lean on reality. In fact, with each clock drawn, Graham distorted reality more and more. Time is also a means of setting the scene: a timelapse shot that serves as an interesting visual accent at the same time. The motif of the swinging golden rod, which takes us from reality to empathic visions of Graham's crimes, is reminiscent of the pendulum of a clock as he mentally travels back in time to the scenes of the crimes. Nothing here is vegeterian.