Bryan Fuller

NBC’s Hannibal returns with its latest entry “Shiizakana,” an episode that explores the strange and complicated relationship Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter share. Shiizakana’ begins with a clear-cut dream sequence in which Will has Hannibal tied to a tree with the end of each rope cinched around the legs of a black stag. Will exerts control over the animal by signalling the stag by whistling. With each whistle, the stag steps a bit further away tightening the cordage around Lecter’s neck. Will tells Hannibal he is waiting for an admission, but Lecter isn’t interested in a confession, and so as the stag is commanded to fully engage the rope and pulley system forward, our favourite psychopath is beheaded with a geyser of blood splashing across the screen. Will’s command of the both the stag and Hannibal speak volumes about his current state of mind. The opening scene reiterates Will’s capability, and perhaps desire, to do whatever it takes to beat Hannibal at his own game. The two have had their differences, but now their relationship has advanced to a new level. Will is more than willing to unleash the monster inside him, and in order to defeat Hannibal, he must become like Hannibal.

Hannibal’s “Su-zakana” is pretty much a palate cleanser; an episode representing a new start in the relationship between Dr. Lecter and Will Graham. Now halfway through season two, the series seems to be entering a new phase in which Will slowly lures Hannibal by using himself as live bait. Hannibal has never been subtle, and if you didn’t already guess based on the episode’s title alone (which refers to a palate-cleansing-Japanese-dish), this week is all about the concept of rebirth.

We knew it wouldn’t be long before Frederick Chilton was a goner for several reasons, but one can’t help but think it came a little too soon. Not only has Raúl Esparza provided the series with some much needed dark humour and a superb performance, but his character has a prominent and important role in both Thomas Harris’s novels and in their cinematic adaptations. That said, this is an adaption and a very different medium, and so Fuller is wise in deviating away from the original source material. Nobody needs a page by page, word by word, reenactment of the books; so while Fuller is using Harris’s novels as inspiration, this is his baby, and based on the week to week quality of the show, we shouldn’t complain. It’s unsurprising that the many literature-based TV series currently on the air have approached their source material with varying degrees of success

After her encounter with Hannibal in last weeks cliffhanger, the chances of Beverly coming out alive were extremely slim. But while her death doesn’t come with much of a surprise, the reveal of her fate is shocking, to say the least. Kudos to showrunner Bryan Fuller and Battlestar Galactica’s Michael Rymer, who directed “Mukozuke,” an episode crammed with stunning and unsettling images, and a tour-de-force performance from Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne.

Hannibal Season 2, Episode 4 “Takiawase” Directed by David Semel Written by Scott Nimerfro & Bryan Fuller Airs Thursdays at 10pm ET on NBC Hannibal continues to prove why it is one of the very best TV shows on the air and yet, the most criminally underrated series on television. “Takiawase,” is another standout episode …

Legendary filmmaker Peter Medak (The Changeling, Romeo Is Bleeding) directs his second episode of Hannibal; unfortunately “Hassun” is the weakest episode of the series so far. This week, Will Graham goes to court, and despite knowing his innocence, he has no choice but to play victim to mental illness in an attempt to avoid the electric chair. Amid the courtroom circus, Graham’s trial becomes complicated when Will’s lawyer opens a letter containing a severed ear. As it turns out, the ear belongs to a bailiff who is found mounted on a stag’s head in his home, just moments after it is rigged to explode. The newfound murder sheds doubts on Will’s guilt, as the bailiff was killed in the exact same way Will supposedly killed his victims. Or so it seems. The killer has perfectly replicated the presentation, only reversing the mutilation process, and making use of a firearm. We learn this when Hannibal visits Will in prison and asks him what he sees. Hannibal and Will return to their role of last season, only this time, with prison bars standing between them.

Hannibal Season 2, Episode 2 “Sakizuki” Directed by Tim Hunter Written by Bryan Fuller Airs Thursdays at 10pm ET on NBC Hannibal season 2 serves a second course with “Sakizuke,” the grandest guignol Bryan Fuller and director Tim Hunter have produced yet. Will Graham assists the FBI in tracing down a serial killer from within …

The end of the first season of Hannibal left Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) locked up in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Season 2 serves a promising start as Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) wine and dine on the episode title’s eponymous kaiseki, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. Following his arrest for the murders that took place in season one, Will finds himself in a tricky situation where he has to try and prove his innocence while trapped in a cell and while suffering from temporary memory loss. Hannibal Lecter steps into Will Graham’s shoes as the new FBI criminal profiler, and Will struggles to remember how it is Hannibal framed him for the crimes Hannibal clearly committed.

The beginning of the year had a wealth of TV riches, a trend that continued through the spring. Here’s part two of Kate Kulzick, Simon Howell, Ricky D, and Randy Dankievitch’s list of 2013’s best TV episodes.

The penultimate episode of Hannibal’s first season offers up a much more low-key hour of television, but it sets up what is promising to be a hell of a finalé. Hannibal is sure to deliver its finest course next week with tensions escalating to a fever pitch. Lives and reputations are on the line and Will (Hugh Dancy) is slowly putting the pieces to the puzzle together. The death of Georgia Madchen (Ellen Muth) leads Will to realize the truth about the copycat killer, while Jack (Laurence Fishburne) begins to have suspicions, and Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) reveals his true self to poor Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl). For a series that is usually dialogue-heavy, Hannibal does an excellent job in ratcheting up the tension.

Hannibal serves up another delicious course with its eleventh episode of the series, “Rôti,” as Dr. Abel Gideon (Eddie Izzard) escapes and Will’s descent into madness escalates to a fever pitch. While Will turns to Hannibal for help with his continued mental breakdown, Gideon searches for the Chesapeake Ripper, leaving behind clues body parts so he’ll know where to find him.

Breaking Bad; Boardwalk Empire; Mad Men, Justified; Sons Of Anarchy; Louie; Girls; Shameless, The Americans; Game of Thrones; The number of new quality TV series keeps growing and we can now add Hannibal to that list.

Once again the cinematography, art direction and set design is breathtaking, as is the fine tuned sound design and crisp editing. On a visual level, Hannibal is an opulent feast for the eyes, with sights and sounds that inspire legitimate awe and disgust.

Hannibal, Season 1, Episode 6: “Entrée” Directed by Michael Rymer Written by Kai Yu Wu and Bryan Fuller Airs Thursdays at 10pm EST on NBC The focus this week turns to the Chesapeake Ripper. Who exactly is the sociopath who continues to elude the F.B.I.? He hasn’t killed in over two years, and his last …

A recurring theme in Hannibal’s first three episodes has been an exploration of how getting into the mindset of serial killers affects Will, as he is unable to slip out as easily as he slips in, something that is beginning to take its toll on him. Each case that Will has taken on has chipped away at his psyche a bit more, and while Dr. Lecter is ostensibly helping Will retain his sanity, the psychologist clearly has another plan in mind. The toll that working with the FBI is having on Will’s sanity is further explored this week, in another atmospherically scary episode that gives the audience a look at the life of Jack Crawford.

Hannibal, Season 1, Episode 3: “Potage” Directed by David Slade Written by David Fury, Chris Brancato and Bryan Fuller Airs Thursdays at 10pm EST on NBC Hannibal, only three episodes in, has already surpassed expectations. As Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen exchange barbs and witticisms every week, the desire to keep watching only grows. As …

How many TV shows about serial killers can networks create before audiences grow tired of the genre? Earlier this year, we welcomed FOX’s The Following and A&E’s Bates Motel to the already crowded TV lineup that already includes Dexter and Luther, to name a few. Doctor Hannibal Lecter was first introduced in the 1981 novel Red Dragon followed by The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal.