Hannibal S3 (2015) Review

 

Hannibal S3 (2015)

Hannibal Season 3 follows Will Graham as he must track down Hannibal after he escapes to Europe, while dealing with a new, dangerous threat in the Red Dragon. 

Apologizes for the long wait between seasons 2 & 3 but man, this was a hard season to get through (slow as almighty hell). Like the previous season, Season 3 was split into two VERY distinct sections: the hunt for Hannibal on his European tour and the hunt for Francis Dolarhyde, aka the Red Dragon. The chase with Hannibal though..dude, that could’ve been an email. It was sooo dragged out and was just filled with hollow-less philosophical musings for damn near 8 episodes. Some of the hardest television I’ve ever had to force myself through. By the time Dolarhyde appears (after a random 3 year time jump), we get back to a sense of normal but it’s too little too late, with only a few episodes being dedicated to the villain of the original book. 

After it’s return to form though, we still get some odd pacing intermixed with brutal action (always great) that made it both semi-boring but also oddly enjoyable. The finale in particular stands out as some of the most rivetingly poetic scenes this show has ever produced. 

Weirdly, this season went a long way in altering the characters in their most fundamental ways as well. The manipulative actions of Will last season are now seen as somehow genuine and romantic in a way, yet after Hannibal's capture (and that out of place time jump) he forgets all about him and starts a family. Alana becomes a straight-up villain, not learning anything from her mistrust of Hannibal last season. Even Jack gets in on the action, finally showing some backbone in his brutal beating of Hannibal. The only one who doesn't change is Hannibal himself (and maybe Mason Verger, though his actor does).

A lot of the cast returns, including Laurence Fishburne, Gillian Anderson, Caroline Dhavernas, Hugh Dancy, and Mads Mikkelson, while introducing Joe Anderson and Richard Armitage. The show spreads out the cast more, focusing on minor characters primarily, something that bogs down a show that succeeded on the backs of Mikkelson and Dancy. The latter two still bring a great energy but they feel severely underused, which is a shame, considering it’s their last outing. Armitage was also a compelling new edition that I honestly wish we got to see more characterization from instead of being shoved into the last few episodes. 

Hannibal Season 3, directed by Bryan Fuller, is a final season (decided after the fact) that falls entirely flat in attempting to drag the show out to it’s usual 13 episodes, leaving it’s two (romantic?) leads in limbo after being unable to lead a show they have carried so well until it’s final season. Nonethless, the adaption of Red Dragon was still interesting after a 3 season build up into the events of the books.

5.6/10