Both tension and emotion require an identical pairing of traits in order to be successful; narrative and aesthetic. Of course, everything on TV has both a narrative and an aesthetic, but to push tension and emotion to their peaks, these elements both need to be working extremely well and cooperating with each other. An emotional scene could not work without fitting visual design and an intricate story preceding it, much like tension would fail should the aesthetic be poor and the plot uninteresting. Across its entire run, my ultimate favourite thing about Hannibal has been its ability to combine narrative and aesthetic so seamlessly and in such an innovative, refreshing way. Hannibal could have been a simple slasher series, episode after episode of violent murders and gallons of fake blood, but Bryan Fuller and co turned it into so much more. Sure, this is almost unquestionably one of the most gruesome shows ever aired on network television, but Hannibal uses both its narrative and its aesthetic to transcend its seemingly basic genre. Hannibal never gave in to simplicity, it never gave in to expectation nor convention. All the way through to its final episode, its perfect wonderful horrifying final episode, Hannibal has excelled in every way good television should. It's hard to imagine we will ever be treated to another show quite like it.
Everything that took place on that cliff side in the episode's close was exquisite television, and a perfect encapsulation of everything Hannibal is about. Despite its fully fleshed out supporting characters and its case-of-the-week murders and its truly wonderful visual & sound design, Hannibal has always been an epic love story between two men, and one with its ending never in sight. Due to its consistently low ratings, every season finale of this show had to simultaneously act as a show finale in case the series failed to be renewed, but The Wrath of the Lamb was the first episode to truly feel like an ending. That's not to say the previous two season finales were inadequate television, both Savoureux and Mizumono are stellar episodes in stellar seasons of a stellar show, but this finale achieved the seemingly impossible; it made Hannibal's departure from television seem OK.
When Savoureux ended, I was desperate to see how Will and Hannibal's dynamic would develop. When Mizumono ended, I needed to know who made it out of that bloodbath and why Bedelia was travelling with Hannibal. When The Wrath of the Lamb ended, I was content. Well, as content as one can be when one's favourite show ends so beautifully. Hannibal and Will finally did something the show has been building to for a long time now; they killed together. In a way, their slaying of the Red Dragon acts as their declarations of their love for each other. Will accepted in last week's episode that Hannibal was in love with him, but his counter response was left ambiguous. Following their brilliantly dramatic murder of Dolarhyde, Will embraced Hannibal on the cliff side. Was this Will saying he understands and accepts Hannibal for who he is? Is Will declaring his love for Hannibal in the only way Hannibal would have wanted him to? It's a surprisingly emotional moment in a delicate way that this show rarely takes pleasure in, and I found myself puzzled by how quickly it all had happened and how simple it seemed to be. And then Will, in Hannibal's arms, pulled them off the cliff side, together.
I feel I can say with confidence that Hannibal was the most aesthetically and narratively artistic show on television. Whilst some palm the show's style off as "pretentious" or, with negative connotations, "arty", they fail to appreciate how this show uses its aesthetic to benefit its narrative, and vice versa. Hannibal is not realistic TV, but it never tries to be. Realism is not the goal of this show and that does not matter one bit. Hannibal is about its characters, it is about its interesting story arcs and its stunning cinematography and its wacky yet brilliant sound design. No show currently on TV has been as wildly experimental as Hannibal, and yet none of Hannibal's experiments ever failed. Bryan Fuller has proved here that risk taking is important for successful TV; after all, who wants to watch a show where they can predict every eventuality? Since its offset, Hannibal has subverted expectations, and it's what has made this show so critically acclaimed yet so rarely watched. It's a real shame that Fuller won't get to complete his seven season vision for this show, but The Wrath of the Lamb is a perfect finale to a pretty damn perfect season of an even more perfect show. But now we have to bid farewell to one of the most audacious, powerful and beautifully horrifying productions television has ever seen. It's been one hell of a ride, but it's time to get down from the table.
Everything that took place on that cliff side in the episode's close was exquisite television, and a perfect encapsulation of everything Hannibal is about. Despite its fully fleshed out supporting characters and its case-of-the-week murders and its truly wonderful visual & sound design, Hannibal has always been an epic love story between two men, and one with its ending never in sight. Due to its consistently low ratings, every season finale of this show had to simultaneously act as a show finale in case the series failed to be renewed, but The Wrath of the Lamb was the first episode to truly feel like an ending. That's not to say the previous two season finales were inadequate television, both Savoureux and Mizumono are stellar episodes in stellar seasons of a stellar show, but this finale achieved the seemingly impossible; it made Hannibal's departure from television seem OK.
When Savoureux ended, I was desperate to see how Will and Hannibal's dynamic would develop. When Mizumono ended, I needed to know who made it out of that bloodbath and why Bedelia was travelling with Hannibal. When The Wrath of the Lamb ended, I was content. Well, as content as one can be when one's favourite show ends so beautifully. Hannibal and Will finally did something the show has been building to for a long time now; they killed together. In a way, their slaying of the Red Dragon acts as their declarations of their love for each other. Will accepted in last week's episode that Hannibal was in love with him, but his counter response was left ambiguous. Following their brilliantly dramatic murder of Dolarhyde, Will embraced Hannibal on the cliff side. Was this Will saying he understands and accepts Hannibal for who he is? Is Will declaring his love for Hannibal in the only way Hannibal would have wanted him to? It's a surprisingly emotional moment in a delicate way that this show rarely takes pleasure in, and I found myself puzzled by how quickly it all had happened and how simple it seemed to be. And then Will, in Hannibal's arms, pulled them off the cliff side, together.
I feel I can say with confidence that Hannibal was the most aesthetically and narratively artistic show on television. Whilst some palm the show's style off as "pretentious" or, with negative connotations, "arty", they fail to appreciate how this show uses its aesthetic to benefit its narrative, and vice versa. Hannibal is not realistic TV, but it never tries to be. Realism is not the goal of this show and that does not matter one bit. Hannibal is about its characters, it is about its interesting story arcs and its stunning cinematography and its wacky yet brilliant sound design. No show currently on TV has been as wildly experimental as Hannibal, and yet none of Hannibal's experiments ever failed. Bryan Fuller has proved here that risk taking is important for successful TV; after all, who wants to watch a show where they can predict every eventuality? Since its offset, Hannibal has subverted expectations, and it's what has made this show so critically acclaimed yet so rarely watched. It's a real shame that Fuller won't get to complete his seven season vision for this show, but The Wrath of the Lamb is a perfect finale to a pretty damn perfect season of an even more perfect show. But now we have to bid farewell to one of the most audacious, powerful and beautifully horrifying productions television has ever seen. It's been one hell of a ride, but it's time to get down from the table.