NBC’s Hannibal (2013-15) brought to the small screen, and re-imagined, the world of FBI profiler Will Graham and his colleague/nemesis, cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter, after their introduction in Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon (1981) and its subsequent sequels and film adaptations. Kirsty and (to a lesser extent) Dan have been talking about devoting episodes to it since the beginning of this podcast, and now the show is finally getting the spotlight it deserves with the first of a three-part, season-by-season retrospective.
Joining us on this journey will be two very special guest ‘Fannibals’. Dr Rebecca Williams, Senior Lecturer in Communication, Media and Cultural Studies at the University of South Wales, and Dr Lori Hitchcock Morimoto, lecturer in Media Studies at the University of Virginia, combine scholarly insight with irrepressible enthusiasm in an in-depth but (mostly) spoiler-free discussion with Kirsty and Dan of what makes this such a remarkable season. Following this, Stella, Ian, Kirsty and Dan give the season the traditional, more spoilery review.
Elsewhere, Howard calls in again, with another random pick from The Bag of Death.
00.42 News
09.52 Introduction to Hannibal
27.11 Discussion with Rebecca and Lori (non-spoilers)
02.00.56 Discussion with Rebecca and Lori (spoilers for Season One ending)
02.07.44 Spoiler review for Season One with Ian and Stella
02.45.04 The Bag of Death with Howard
03.02.52 Recommendations
Relevant Links and Availability
Hannibal is currently available to stream free for members of Amazon Prime in the UK
TVJunkie’s trailer for the series can be viewed on YouTube
Dr Lori Morimoto’s video essay on Hannibal can be seen at this link (warning: spoilers for all seasons)
Hannibal for Dinner (featuring Kirsty’s essay) is now available to purchase from McFarland Books
Becoming: Genre, Queerness and Transformation in NBC’s Hannibal (featuring Lori’s essay) is available to purchase from Syracuse University Press
As Above, So Below is currently available to stream free for members of Amazon Prime in the UK
The Act is currently available to stream free for subscribers to Starzplay in the UK
The Battersea Poltergeist podcast is currently available to stream in the UK via the BBC iPlayer
The Strain is currently available to stream on Disney+ (via Star) in the UK
This episode’s Bag of Death pick is currently available to stream on BritBox in the UK
All soundtrack clips are used for the purposes of criticism, in the spirit of Fair Dealing (UK law) and Fair Use (US law). No copyright infringement is intended
-- And Now The Podcast Starts! 