Hugh Dancy’s the master of understatement when he says that Will Graham, his role on the NBC drama “Hannibal,” isn’t “the happiest character I’ve ever played.”
That’s like saying serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) has a passing fancy for finger foods.
The first season took Dancy’s character from the bowels of depression to the padded walls of a mental asylum after he was accused of committing the gruesome crimes perpetrated by Lecter.
When the second season opens tonight, things are going to get worse.
“It was a slow, steady buildup just starting from a place of basic depression. I felt last year, last season, that that spiral, that progression over the course of the 13 episodes, was so well charted out,” Dancy said.
Season 2 opens with Graham knowing exactly the kind of monster Lecter is. Before he can begin to stop Lecter, Graham must prove his own sanity and convince those closest to him he’s innocent of murder.
Graham’s and Lecter’s worlds are so dark that some viewers have raised questions about the show’s violence. Fuller says the show tries to stylize the violence so it’s heightened and not real.
“We are borderline fantasy with what we do on the show.” Fuller said.
In the first season, the Salt Lake City NBC affiliate stopped airing “Hannibal” after receiving complaints about the graphic violence depicted in the program.
It was one of the NBC shows the Parents Television Council pointed to as deserving more than a TV-14 rating.
Watch it
Season 2 of “Hannibal”begins at 10 tonight on NBC.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
