#hannibalmeta

[mirrorcrush]

Love and death are the great hinges on which all human sympathies turn - Hannibal

Love and death are the two fundamental forces that drive human emotions, connections, and empathy.

They are the greatest pivots on which all our feelings and relationships swing. everything else in life (ambition, art, daily routines) ultimately revolves around these two.

Hannibal is laying bare the entire machinery of human emotion. Everything we feel -grief, longing, obsession, loyalty, betrayal, they all swings on these two axes. Love binds us while death unravels us. And the space between them is where all the beautiful, terrible things happen.

[ravenoustag]

If he's not lying to Jack in this scene, and he's telling the truth, I think it's such a good portrayal of love. Love isn't rational, or systematic. He doesn't have a plan, and much of the time I think Will is kind of winging it with regards to Hannibal. What else could be the reason that when he hears Hannibal's voice, he has to warn him, except love? His voice is so appealing to him he cannot help but save him, even though he is very conflicted about Hannibal.

[midtermpaper-terror]

The Things I Do For Love

I had my trouble with “Dolce” and wanted to wait for “Digestivo” before interpreting too much. So here I am. The way Hannibal treated Will in Dolce felt like a break to me for various reasons. I still think it could have been made better BUT I think it starts to make a little bit more sense now.

Their reunion in the museum was a bittersweet moment, a moment that tasted of oblivion and a new beginning, a cleasing through the river Lethe. But it was nothing but an illusion. When they got up they both knew it couldn’t be. Both probably inscribed that moment in their retinas forever, seeing it when they close their eyes and wander off to sleep.

When Hannibal sawed Will’s head open, he wanted to keep some part of him forever. He probably invited Jack to prove something to himself: that Will didn’t change him. If he could not live with him, he didn’t want to suffer trough what feels like an eternity without Will,  but nevertheless changed. 

Then they were interrupted by Mason. Through the whole stay at Muskrat Farm Hannibal seemd delighted and amused. Maybe he was happy that things turned out differently. He was reminded of how it all started and then Will attacked Cordelle in a wild and ferocious manner, beautifully violent in Hannibal’s mind, and he probably started to hope again. He did give Alana the promise to save Will because he didn’t want him to die there. This could also be because he wants to do it himself. But he carried him all the way to his home (and that has to be quite a distance). He tucked him in, warmed him and waited by his side. Had time to think. Time to feel.

And then Will realized what Hannibal had tried the episode before: break up, start anew, re-do the change. And you can see how devastated Hannibal feels, carefully asking for Will’s mindpalace. Will he delete the museum and Boticelli? Will he step into Lethe without Hannibal? Leave him alone, changed, without taking the responsibility? He can’t have that, can’t accept that he finally found something that made him feel and then being rejected. So he shoves away his pride and his freedom and decides to wait. He is tied to a rock and waits for the eagle to come back. It hurts when it is there but it is company. (I actually like the Prometheus reference because Hannibal brought light to Will’s mind regarding his true self but Will can’t accept this freedom, does not know how to deal with it, so he tries to chain what has changed him. Everytime they come togehter they get hurt.)

As they said: The Tea-cup cannot come together again. But they interpreted it all the wrong way: They can’t fix the change.

[nothingveggie]

Haunted Houses: The house as a metaphor for the mind in Hannibal

In Hannibal, houses reflect their residents’ identities and are imprinted with their presence. More than that, spaces are transformed into something more than a sum of dimensions in physical reality. They become visual metaphors for their residents’ minds.

The house as the mind

Will’s house in Wolf Trap is isolated, in the middle of an empty field, away from the city and close to nature. It is…

View On WordPress

[sheereleganceinitssimplicity]

Shiizakana Meta Digest

This week was a bit low on metas I like, but the ones below were interesting and through-provoking.

Shiizakana” Part 1, or “Animals for the Unethical Treatment of People by hannibalsbattlebot

I’m a little iffy on the whole will seeing the Windigo and Hannibal separately, but the visuals make a compelling argument. ~

Shiizakana by meganski

The beginning is a bit wordy but it hits actual substance partway through to explain how this episode is, thematically, a continuation of he previous one. It goes on to provide a nice comparison of the two murderers and their respective “suits”.

~

"Hi im really confused by wills motives…" by bonearenaofmyskull

In which the meta writer gets an ask from a confused anon and tries to clarify things by explaining Will’s confusion and does surprisingly well. 

~

Thoughts on Will Graham through Shiizakana… by overactiveimaginings

Will’s transformation as a killer

~

I’d bet you fifty quid that was human meat by elucipher

Elucipher answers the question “did Jack willingly eat human meat?” and more importantly, “why the hell did he do that?”.

Sticks and Stones: a Shiizakana Meta by sheereleganceinitssimplicity

(With bonus Mini-meta: Jack's hands)

Yeah….. I included my own writing (don’t judge me). It’s a short visual analysis.

[sheereleganceinitssimplicity]

Sticks and Stones: a Shiizakana Meta

(I'm sorry about the pretentious sounding title, I thought it was kinda clever)

This isn't an all-encompassing episode meta; instead it focuses on three individual parts.

Part I

Both Hannibal and Will are framed by the saber-tooth when they approach Randall. It indicates some sort of connection drawing the two of them together over Randall. Judging by this week's preview, it seems that the cat's skeleton will continue to be relevant into the next episode.

In their meta, hannibalsbattlebot says Hannibal uses Randall as a "proxy" (which was a much better way of putting it than I had), but I think it goes both ways. Hannibal put words in Randall's mouth and committed actions by his hands, but by killing Randall and bringing his body to Hannibal, WIll is using him to send a message. This kill was a collaboration between Hannibal and Will. If that's the case, then what exactly does Will mean when he approaches Randall mounted on the saber-tooth skeleton and claims "this is my design"?

~

Part II

(For fear of getting wordy and obfuscating, this is going to sound like it's written by a 5 year old.)

Will's dream of the Reckoning is in black and white. In a later scene, when Will was chasing his dog towards Randall, the setting was naturally low-color, making it appear black and white. This unusual coloring draws a parallel between the two. Perhaps this is the beginning of the Reckoning.

Unfortunately for Will, this was not a reckoning of his own choosing. Hannibal is the one with the "animal on the leash", not Will.

~

Part III

As innocuous as it looks, this was one of the most worrying shots of the episode: Will framed by his fishing poles. There has been a running theme, this season, of Will as lure, and sometimes by extension Will as the fisherman. He's deliberately set himself up in this position to draw in and catch Hannibal, as established in the first episode, and several time subsequently. This begs the question: what the hell is he luring in here? Because, from where I'm sitting (visual pun intended), it looks like his target is Margot. I'm very curious to know what Will seems to be planning for her.

And just to emphasize the significance of the framing device of this shot, compare what sits in the equivalent place (behind the chair) in Hannibal's office.

(Source: balphesian's meta on the stag)

[sheereleganceinitssimplicity]

Su-zakana meta digest

So, this week I was inspired by Tom’s SPN meta digest and decided I wanted to make one of my own.for Hannibal. I’d like to make this a regular/weekly thing, but I’m not yet sure if that’s going to happen.

This being my first one consists mostly things that I pulled out of my “likes” after perusing the Hannibal meta tag. Digests in the future will be more comprehensive, but this was thrown together as an afterthought/first attempt. They range from “super-insightful” to “that was clearly implied in the episode, but I like the way you explain it anyway” to “you wrote something kinda pertinent to a meta I want to write”. Also, a lot of these are informal and short.

Tl;dr - don’t judge, it’ll get better

~

~

Will Graham vs. Peter Bernadone by butimnotbrilliant

A short, but clear comparison

~

Thoughts on Su-zakana (mainly on Will and Hanni’s relationship) by zara2148

By the end, provides some interesting speculation on Hannibal stopping Will from killing

~

Su-Zakana by meganski

This is here for the paragraph written about the episode’s theme

~

Color Study: Alana Bloom + Green by loveholic198

I’ve been noticing a lot of interesting trends in the colors Alana wears this season; loveholic198 explains the significance behind them in the Color Study series

~

Let’s talk about how Hannibal grabs Will’s gun in the last scene of Su-zakana by leobenconoy

What stopping the hammer of Will’s gun meant for Hannibal

~

Hannibal speculations and ramblings by mothulhu

The symbolism of the animals in the episode

~

Re:Hannibal stopping Will by drhanniballecter

A good response to a kinda weird anon ask

~

Peter Bernardone’s name by teddy-grohl

The entire text is:

St. Francis of Assisi’s birth name was Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone. He was known for his kindness to animals and a deep sense of compassion and humility.

Peter Bernardone’s name is a near direct translation.

(AN: Quibble about what qualifies as “meta” all you want; I didn’t know this, and I thought it was interesting, so I included it.)

~

And of course:

Meta: Hannibal 2.08, “Su-zakana” by elucipher

Too long; do read — elucipher’s meta is always wonderful

~

Bonus Yakimono meta that was posted amongst the Su-Zakana stuff:

Meta: Miriam Lass and Free Will in “Yakimono” (pun intentional) by after-the-ellipsis.

(exactly what it says on the tin)

~

Edit: I realize I have a bunch more of the longer ones open on my phone that I have yet to read. They may be added as I get through them.

[alchemicalrose]

HANNIBAL - Meat-aphorical Musings

Mmmmmm....okay, so even Lucifer needs a friend? I adore how Mads is playing this intensely complicated character. The Chesapeake Ripper worked with an eerie calmness throughout S1 to manipulate Will into the cell he is now imprisoned in and wowza, that hurts! And you can see that Lecter is in PAIN. Like real emotional and mental anguish. The game is played, it's over, he held the winning hand and now..........he's lonely? He's sad? He's wistful and regretful? It's a brilliant twisted psychological truism and we can see it all over Lecter's face. In his quivering. He's actually quivering. And this is so Miltonian. The raging weeping fallen angel who is so removed from true love that his emotions are a tangled incomprehensible mess. Shrink thyself, doctor. He cannot. And Bedelia - omfg! What a great episode that was. She knows him. All the "person-suit" verbiage has not been metaphorical for her. She. Knows. And manages to outwit him but only because he so desperately wants to be outwitted or at least wit-matched. The perfume is both a fuck-you and a lifeline. I see you, Hannibal. Will in Season 2 is the epitome of the single line he utters to Hannibal when they first meet - "You won't like me when I'm psycho-analyzed." Definitely not. Will and Hannibal are certainly matched in the brains department, but Will is still "innocent", still human whereas Hannibal is corrupt and not human. This is what will give him the advantage. In the meantime, the shivers are coming from the idea that Will thinks he can better Hannibal, outwit him. Not sure what I'm thinking about Will's "admirer". It's a strange and desperate attempt on Lecter's part. Do NOT cross this man or interfere with his best laid plans or you will lose your life and your brain will be weighed and found lacking. Sheesh. WTH, Show? So inelegant, and is that Lecter's game - play himself/Will as though it were a parody? I feel that the Show is getting slightly....overblown and this worries me. I know, I know, how can S2 be any more overblown than S1? But I think the issue is in the "overstating". Or the desire to elevate the murders to symbol. Let the audience do that work, writers, you just bring us up to the obvious page in the dictionary, but let us put our finger on the word. Alana and her unconditional love for Will is so sincere that it is Pathos. And that's nice. I am in love with Beverly and fear for her. She is trying so hard to remain neutral and there is no neutrality in this morality play. It will not be tolerated. Not when God is absent and the Devil all around us.