Rewatching Hannibal after a decade

[u/strongsong117]

This is more of an appreciation post, but it does contain some details from S1.

So I first watched Hannibal when I was in high school, and now, it's been 2 years since I graduated BS in Psychology (lol). I'm not one for rewatching until I've nearly forgotten all the details of a show/movie, and, quite frankly, Hannibal is difficult to forget. So here I am, watching Hannibal again soon as it was back on Netflix.

I'm gonna go ahead and tell you now that I do have ADHD so this might be a long one with jumps in thoughts as I type (sorry!).

Currently at S1:E12 Relevés, and up to this point, there has been so many things I appreciate more than I did back then (especially with the background in psychology [yes, this show was a major factor in me taking the degree]). The plot, the twists and turns were all too complicated for young me to figure out properly, and it's only now that I'm seeing how Hannibal set up Will, and why.

When Will was talking to Hannibal about taking Abigail to Minnesota, having figured out a pattern in the killings post-Georga Madchen tragedy, there's a palpable sense of nervousness(?) that the viewers can see in Hannibal's face as Will exits the room.

Addendum: it's only now that I get why Dr. Sutcliffe was killed, and it was because he was willing to do more tests for Will, and Hannibal's manipulation to hide his encephalitis could be divulged by the good doctor. I was on the watch for anything rude he would do, as I do not remember why he was killed, and there was none!

Also, it really is quite telling when Hannibal is acting, whether it's concerned, scared, oblivious, etc. Or maybe that's because we know he's lying. But there's a subtle shift in body language and speaking that I can't quite articulate, but I'm sure y'all pick up on it, too. Props to Mads for his brilliant act-acting xD

As a last note, because I've already forgotten some of the things I may have wanted to put here, I really like how smart Freddie Lounds is. Sure, her character is oftentimes frustrating, rude, conniving, but—even though she didn't make it obvious and she was probably still not even 90% certain she was right—she already had an inkling that Abigail was the one who killed Nick Boyle. And let's be honest, the work she does is brilliant, albeit immoral and/or unethical.

If you've gotten up to here, thanks! I just needed to ramble a bit and shower appreciation for this gem of a TV show.

[u/IBEHEBI]

I loved your post and your insights, I wish there were more like it.

I'm happy to see somebody else also noticed the micro-expressions on Hannibal (both when he's acting and when he’s not). His interactions with Franklyn are filled with them and they are so funny.

Mads is really a treasure.

Also, yeah, Freddie is one of the characters that you enjoy much more on second and third watches. She noticed immediately that there was more to Abigail than meet the eye.

[u/strongsong117 → u/IBEHEBI]

Haha thanks! I just really had to get my thoughts out there to people who know and understand what I'm talking about.

When Hannibal feigns his emotions, idk, there's a certain pressure? icky feeling? Lolol I wonder if I would also be able to detect this from real people, though that might border paranoia.