Hannibal - Recap: A Premiere Palate Cleanser

Hannibal made its series debut tonight, and the premiere left nothing to be desired. I feel figuratively full after a heaping portion of yummy human lung with a side of bland old chicken eggs. The premiere, Apéritif, served to launch the relationship between Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), an equally intriguing character with a gift that doubles as a crippling curse; the ability to empathize entirely.

The premiere opened with a glimpse into the criminal profiling of Graham. While teaching a lecture on the mind of a murderer, we learned just how the magnificent mind of Will functions. He has the ability, as a pure empathizer, to become the killer in question. He has the uncanny ability of rewinding a crime scene and recognizing the devil in the details. The catch is, Will cannot get too close without spiraling into dangerous territory.

NBC "Hannibal"

Graham finds himself temporarily employed by the FBI Head of Behavioral Sciences, Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne). Crawford is fascinated by the one-of-a-kind workings of Will’s mind. As Hannibal would state later, Will is Crawford’s fine china, a delicate tool used only in the most special of circumstances. This week’s crime investigation centered on a string of missing girls. The eighth girl had disappeared mere moments before Crawford popped into Will’s lecture. Will realized immediately that the other seven were as good as dead, and considering the fact that all eight girls matched a similar appearance profile, he also gathered that their abductor was likely looking for one special girl, his golden ticket.

The latest victim had intended on house sitting for her parents the weekend she disappeared. It took Will just a few minutes to piece together that she was taken from the home. The cat was in good humor, so he must have been fed. Unfortunately for the girl's parents, the team would discover her body intricately placed back in her bed that evening, but why? Will realized the extreme effort that had been made. Her killer was attempting to apologize for some bizarre reason. At the crime scene, the FBI team managed to find nothing more than traces of deer antler near the girl’s wounds. Later, they’d uncover a shard of metal, leading them to believe that the killer most likely worked construction.

The unapologetically antisocial Will was, in some cases, even more interesting to study away from his co-workers. While someone like Crawford seemed frustrated in his inability to profile Will, we’re the viewers. We get to do the study these other characters wish they could do. We got to watch as Will picked up a lost dog, cleaned him up, and added him to his makeshift family. At first, my instinct told me that this reflected Will’s life as a “stray”; however, these weren’t stray dogs. They were lost puppies. Will’s dreams reflected the torment that followed partaking in an investigation, such as the case of the missing girls. The imagery was fueled by blood, blackness, and grating sounds. Will would wake up soaked in sweat. If he gets too close, he will snap.

Aside from us, Mr. Lecter would be the one to understand Will best. We met the show’s titular star after Crawford was tipped off to his expertise as a famous forensics psychiatrist. In reality, Crawford also knew he’d be useful in understanding Will’s tremendous anxiety. Around Crawford, Hannibal and Will got off to a rocky start, but later, over breakfast, the two seem to share more of a kindred spirit, bonding over their unique perspectives. Hannibal cooked breakfast…

After an autopsy on the killer’s victim revealed that her liver had been removed, only to be subsequently re-sewn into her body, Graham had another revelation. This came in conjunction with the realization that the girl’s body was most likely hung on a mounted set of antlers… like meat. This man was murdering these girls and eating their parts. This particular girl had liver cancer, so he had no use for her. Suddenly, the initial sense of an “apology” was validated.

NBC "Hannibal"

Eventually, another body was found blatantly placed in a field, impaled on another stag's antlers. The signs didn’t add up. This girl wasn’t treated like gold. She was treated with disgust. It was as though the killer was showing Will the negative to see the positive. In fact, it wasn’t the same cannibal at all. It was a copycat killer. Her lungs had been removed, and suddenly the copycat culprit became clear. We caught a flash of Hannibal doing what he does best; preparing the girl's lungs for cooking. Remember Will’s breakfast? Hannibal had gift-wrapped him part of the solution. This other cannibal was consuming girls out of his “love” for them. He wanted to keep a piece of them with him. Why? He most likely had a daughter around their age, a girl about to move away from home.

Will and Hannibal eventually hit up a construction site with materials matching the discovered sample. After sifting through countless files, they came across a man who had listed no address, just a phone number. Will immediately pegged him as the murderer, but Hannibal turned the tables. Once alone, he anonymously called the other cannibal and tipped him off. The brotherly bond of cannibals is like no other!

NBC "Hannibal"

By the time Will arrived at the man’s family home, he’d already attacked and killed his wife. Will managed to shoot the man to death, but not before he cut into his daughter’s throat. She truly was his obsession. In the end, Hannibal helped keep the girl alive in time to get her to a hospital. Hannibal’s peculiar sense of placidness acted as a foil to Will’s impossible anxiety.

The episode ended with Will taking a break from teaching. He’d gotten too close, as his friend Alma (Caroline Dhavernas) pointed out to Crawford. Crawford had been relying on her to keep a close watch on Will, unbeknownst to Graham himself. She’d warned him of what would happen if Will got too close. Thus, the unraveling of Will Graham had begun by the end of the show’s premiere. Will found the injured girl unconscious in her hospital bed, comforted by a napping Hannibal Lecter.

Overall, I’d say we’re in for an interesting ride with this one. It takes a formidable character to stack up against the incredible Hannibal, but the perplexing and intriguing Will Graham will do just fine.

What did you all think of the Premiere episode of Hannibal, “Apéritif”? Will you be tuning in again next week? Are you more interested in Hannibal or Will?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of the premiere episode of Hannibal, “Apéritif”!