My first foray in writing fanfiction
consumed by online masses was in the Hannibal Lecter fandom. I wrote under a different nom de plume, and at the time, all we
had available was Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs (SoTL; book and
film) and Hannibal the novel. This was just before the movie came out. We called ourselves Lecterphiles, and we were
a naughty bunch that served proudly on the good ship Hannibal/Clarice. The Good Doctor could do no wrong in our
eyes, especially mine. I was and am
still here for this man. Clarice too,
but that’s for another post.
Hannibal Lecter, M.D., b/k/a
“Hannibal the Cannibal” is one of the greatest characters in all of fiction. He’s suave, smooth, brilliant, and
refined, with senses keener than a bloodhound and an unmatched culinary
cleverness. He can eviscerate you with
his tongue, his scalpel, and his mind.
The Good Doctor was brought to life a second time by none other than the
great Sir Anthony Hopkins (the first incarnation was Brian Cox). Sir Anthony’s performance was so perfect that
he garnered an Academy Award despite being onscreen for less than twenty
minutes, and the world demanded more…and more…and MORE…!
"and one...more...time...!" |
You get the idea. Anyhoo, NBC debuted a new series last month
called Hannibal. Helmed by executive producer Bryan Fuller, it
is based on characters from Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, and takes place some time before Dr. Lecter’s
incarceration. There is a massive playground
here, as we know next to nothing about Dr. Lecter’s life during this time. We know he killed, we know he was a practicing
psychiatrist, we know he was an FBI consultant, we know he helped Will Graham
with several cases…but what we don’t
know are the details. So this TV show gives us one possible set of
scenarios.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter has always been
amazing to me; everything about him
appeals to my dark side. Sir Anthony’s
flawless portrayal kicked my love up several thousand notches and I’d come to
accept the fact that there would be no more of the Good Doctor post-Hannibal, since Mr. Harris isn’t writing
anymore novels (at least I haven’t heard that he is; Hannibal Rising doesn’t count, for soooooo many reasons). So when Noob told me that NBC was airing Hannibal, I was skeptical, but loved the
character enough to give it a chance and I’m so glad I did. We are seven episodes in and I have fully
clocked in for this show. It’s extremely
well-done; it has a solid cast, brilliant writing, excellent music, spectacular
cinematography, and it pays homage to the books and the movies, as well as
other bastions of horror. One such
example is the bathroom in Room 217 of the Overlook Hotel; that malevolent
entity disguised as a hotel in Stephen King’s The Shining, and another is a line from The Hulk. Yet another is a
line Dr. Lecter’s shrink (yes, he has one!) lays on him: “While I respect its meticulous
construction, you are wearing a well-tailored person suit.” ZING!!!
The ‘heads know these Easter eggs
when we see/hear them, and the writers graciously sow the script with them.
Dr. Lecter in this current personification
is played to the hilt by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen and at first, I wasn’t
sure if I was going to like Mads’ spin on the Good Doctor. He’s smart enough to not try and re-create
Sir Anthony’s masterful portrayal, as that would be ridiculous. What Mads is doing is putting his own spin on
this younger, un-incarcerated Hannibal Lecter, M.D., and it is utterly
fantastic. He’s mysterious and the
audience knows what he is capable of, but the other characters don’t. So it is fascinating and downright hilarious
to see him doing it up in grand style, helping (so to speak) Will Graham and
Jack Crawford search for…him…as well
as other killers.
During one particular scene, as they're tracking down an organ harvester, one of the CSIs talks about how she can track a missing ambulance using a bootleg GPS, Dr. Lecter says to Will, "This is very educational." The inherent hilarity wrapped inside the stoic delivery is just...pristine!
We get to see the Good Doctor dressed
to the tens, working with patients, flirting,
being a patient (Agent Dana Scully Gillian Anderson is Dr. Lecter’s
psychiatrist), and above all else…cooking! His culinary majesty is a
wonder to behold. Mealtime is an
experience; it is to be seen, smelled, touched, tasted, and heard…and to see
Mads in the kitchen, getting it in, is damned sexy. But don't take my word for it...
Dr. Lecter making love into sausage. The stuffing is made from a human heart. |
Here, the
Good Doctor is preparing a meal that’ll make you take a deep breath. Because it’s lungs...
...sauteed in wine.
|
This pic doesn't require a description. Just a fan. |
Never mind the fact that he’s usually
cooking human viscera; his meals look so fucking amazing I’d happily come for
dinner, pun intended. What you hate is that the Good Doctor is always having
folks over for supper, and sometimes they help him cook! It’s completely fandamntastic!!! I love this
angle! I love all the angles! Fuller &
Co. have an enormous playing field and they are definitely using as much of it
as they can.
Play on, playas!
Dinner with the Crawfords. |
Anyway, if you’re a fan of the Good
Doctor…or even just good television (which is a rarity these days); I invite
you to check out this magnificent show on Thursday nights at 10:00 on NBC. Or do as I do and catch it on Fridays on Hulu. What I’m hoping is that the show
will get renewed, as it deserves to be, and what I’m hoping for even more is
that it will be ready for purchase on DVD so I can watch the entire series on
an actual TV set and study each episode.
Mads as Dr. Hannibal Lecter is smoking fucking brutally hawt, and I’m having dreams…which means it’s only a matter of time
before the fanfics start manifesting themselves. Y’all know how to interpret that.
Bon appetit? Oh yes indeed!!! |
Love your post, I have always been a fan since Silence of The Lambs, but the show has taken everything to a whole new height for me. I love love love Mad's portral of the doctor and am already obsessed with the show and dear I say but I prefer Mad's portrayal over Anthony's.
ReplyDeleteDesiree, now that is saying something! But I know how you feel; I'm just keeping them separate in my mind. Mads is doing a MASTERFUL job as the Good Doctor; I swear, every time I see him in the kitchen, I get tender...
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!