Hannibal Season 2 Episodes 1-2 Recaps: Eye See You (Season Premiere)

In season 1 of "Hannibal" we saw Will ever so slowly slip into insanity (thanks to Dr Lecter). By the end, Will is in prison and taking the blame for some of Hannibal's murders (who know how many people he's actually killed). Jack and Dr Bloom are none the wiser and Hannibal takes over Will's job as profiler. See all of my season 1 reviews here: Hannibal Season 1 Recaps

There are lots of things that make " Hannibal" a great horror show but an important one is the color palette used. The grays, blacks, shadows immediately set the moods of foreboding. Be afraid, be very afraid. The introduction to each episode also continues to be STELLAR. If those dont freak ya then you too may be a psychopath. And the first case of season is the most horrifying yet. I dont want to run into the mind that tops that.

Episode 1: Kaiseki (meaning a traditional Japanese multi-course meal)
Season 2 opens with a GREAT fight to the death sequence between Jack and Hannibal. Jack ends up locked in Hannibal's wine room with a punctured carotid. It doesn't look good. Then the screen flashes "twelve weeks earlier". Will is still in the mental asylum and gets Alana's help to try to regain his memories. Alana has filed a complaint against Jack with the Inspector General. An investigator (Cynthia Nixon) arrives. Hannibal is still seeing his therapist. I fear for her safety. And what's up with the cage Will has to sit in when they visit him at the psych hospital? They are a cool visual but still look like phone booths.

Episode 2: Sakizuki (meaning the first meal, similar to the French amuse boche)
The case that was introduced last week is expounded upon. The creepy killer is embalming his prey with resin to turn them into a life size art project. He is creating a "color pallet" based on people's skin tones The newest victim wakes up and is horrified. It was extremely painful to watch that poor guy pull himself apart from the rest of the dead bodies since they were stitched together (thus ripping off his skin in the process). He escapes from the silo but is chased. He chooses to jump off a cliff into the water below instead of face the killer (I would have done the same). Unfortunately he dies in the process (and then I assume floats downstream to the same spot where all those other bodies were found).

The human collage is discovered thanks to Will and Hannibal's work. Will figures out that one of the bodies does not belong. Its' because THAT is the guy who killed the other 46 people. Hannibal found him before the FBI and stitched him into his own mural (after a lot of talk about God and existentialism that I really didnt care about).

Several people are finally getting a clue as to what Hannibal is really up to (which usually leads to their horrible demise). Will figures out that Hannibal is eating his victims (which is why half of Mural Man's leg is missing). Will lies to Alana and Hannibal to make them think he believes he is responsible for the other deaths (but he's just playing them). Finally Will has grown a pair. Go Will!

Dr Du Maurier tells Hannibal she can no longer be his therapist and to please not come to her house any more. Rule #1: Never invite serial killers to your house in the first place. She also visits Will and says "I believe you". In the last scene Hannibal again visits her home. He's in his plastic suit so he plans to kill her (did you notice that he even wears a suit and tie under that). She is long gone though (thank goodness). She leaves a bottle of perfume for Hannibal to find. And we hear in voice over Bedelia say "And the conclusion that I have drawn is that you are dangerous". Now that's the biggest understatement of the year.

I'm glad we're seeing more of Beverly Katz this season. She needs Will's help to do her job too. And Dr Chilton is still alive (even though he had dinner with Hannibal). Will he face the same demise as he did in "Silence Of The Lambs". Remember the line "I'm having an old friend for dinner"? And what's up with that stag that Will seems all the time. It has now morphed into Hannibal with horns. I still don't get it though.

Favorite Quotes:

"We are friends"- Hannibal. "We are so far from friends that the light from friends will never reach us in a million years"- Will.
"Jack Crawford doesnt know what you're capable of."- Dr Du Maurier. "And neither do you"- Hannibal
"I've drown conclusions through the stitching of the "person suit" that you wear and the conclusion is that you are dangerous"= Dr Du Maurier. Best line of the show so far.
"Hello, I love your work"- Hannbal to the mural killer before Hannibal murders him.
"A person that could do this kind of thing, would he be likely to kill again?"- Jack to Hannibal. Duh, ya think? This is up there for stupidest line of the show.
"The eye looks beyond this world into the next and sees the reflection of man himself. Is the killer looking at god?” - Hannibal.
"One of these things is not like the others. One of these things does not belong."- Will about the mural.

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). I dont give many 5s but the first two episodes were perfection. I cant think of anything that would have made them any better. I hope they can keep up the momentum. Please dont kill off Bedelia. I know Gillian Anderson is busy with other projects but this character has such great potential. The show also continues its tradition of making me learn new vocabulary words. Last year it was French cuisine. This year it appears to be Japanese. What are your thoughts about the new season? Please leave them in the comments below.