its-ate-oclock-somewhere

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

you're missing pieces of yourself, Will be careful what you replace them with

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

I'm sorry. I took that from you... I wish I could give it back.

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

He's a monster.

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

Everybody decides their own versions of the truth.

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

Then we haven't moved past apologies and forgiveness, have we?

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

fate and circumstance have returned us to this moment...

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

Are we going to re-enact the crime? You be my dad, you be my mom, and you be the man on the phone.

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

before you & after you

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

Is that why you let me come home?

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

where will Will Graham be looking for you next? someplace I can never go... home

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

it's nice when someone sees us, Hannibal.

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

romeo & juliet, act ii, scene vi

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

need i say more?

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

don't mind me, just going feral back here over the parallels

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

their first introduction vs. their first real introduction

[its-ate-oclock-somewhere]

Absolutely OBSESSED with Hannibal's cooking being used as a metaphor to express the duality of art and horror.

I mean, the fact that he presents each meal so aesthetically and precisely despite the objectively gruesome ingredients aside, blurring the line between beauty and macabre is just *mwah*. Obviously we, as the audience, know he's a cannibal from day one and because of that it's easy for us to point out how “obvious" it is that he's serving his guests human - but why on earth would they suspect anything when (on top of all the other numerous people-suit-related reasons) his meals look like that?

His dinners are exquisite; all vibrant colours and creative arrangements, so surely it’s impossible for something as morally “wrong” as long pig to be the centrepiece… right? The deliberate juxtaposition of the beautiful presentation with the reality and the violence of the meat is incredible (and, if we’re being really extra here, it also reflects the broader theme of the entire show - finding elegance and beauty in the midst of darkness)

The entire exploration of the fine line between pleasure and discomfort, art and horror, is amazing to me - and even more so since, ironically enough, Hannibal’s “ethical butcher” and meat of choice isn’t even a major part of the show.

And in addition to all of that - have some bonus points for the subtle details in every meal reflecting the subtle manipulations Hannibal has on everyone around him. It's not just about what's on the plate; it's about the journey from raw to refined. Just like the characters manipulated by Hannibal, ordinary ingredients undergo a metamorphosis. It's a visual metaphor for transformation, mirroring the twisted narratives of the show. Serving his guests other guests is a demonstration of power for him, another part of his life in which he has total control. Both he and his meals probably reshaped the lives of half of Baltimore.

There’s a very fine line between admiration and revulsion - the meat didn’t taste bad until after people realised what it was, after all - and every single cooking scene blurred the boundaries between the refined and the macabre. It’s a multi-layered metaphor, inviting the audience to grapple with the complexities of morality and aesthetics, as well as challenging the conventional norms of beauty and horror - because, let’s face it, there’s nothing “conventional” about Hannibal Lecter, but that doesn’t mean he or his actions or any less beautiful for it.