The Zone

by **TheBaxter** on Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:24 am

now that this show is premiering tonight, i think this show deserves it's own thread. i know i'll be talking about it.

Herc's review is fairly positive.... no surprise since he's been hyping this show since it was announced. and his opinions are worth the paper this post is printed on. but the other reviews are also good, and those trailers have looked REALLY good, so this might be one of those times when Herc is actually right about a show.

Hitfix also kinda liked it

by **so sorry** on Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:59 am

I've been looking forward to this show. Hopefully I remember to watch it...

by **Fievel** on Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:31 am

Very much looking forward to this. Will be watching tonight.
+1 for the Manimal reference! :lol:

by **caruso_stalker217** on Fri Apr 05, 2013 2:09 am

Just finished it. Very lukewarm reception from me. It wasn't bad. Felt like they shot a 90 minute pilot and cut it down for broadcast. If this had been a full two hours of television I think it would have been much stronger.

However, Mads Mikkelsen is a solid Lecter. More creep than creepy. Dancy's Graham will take a bit of getting used to. He's very twitchy and I had trouble getting behind him. Plus, let's face it, William Petersen is a tough act to follow.

The show has promise though. I look forward to more episodes. Hopefully it doesn't turn into full-blown garbage.

by **TheBaxter** on Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:31 am

it is certainly ambitious. maybe too ambitious for network tv? we'll see i guess.

i liked it though it was a bit overhyped. plenty of potential once they settle in though. i like the approach they're taking for will graham but they may need to dial it down a notch in the future, watching that every week could become tiring. undecided on mikkelsen for now; parts of what he did i liked, but other times he felt a bit wooden, and i don't know how much of that was the accent, he seemed to struggle with the occasional line and veered into schwarzenegger territory here and there. hopefully he'll find a more natural rhythm of speech as time goes on too.

wasn't quite as gory as i expected, but i'm sure there's plenty of gore to come. and this is still NBC, not AMC or HBO, so i guess is houldn't have expected the same level of blood.

by **Fievel** on Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:47 am

caruso_stalker217 wrote:Felt like they shot a 90 minute pilot and cut it down for broadcast.

TheBaxter wrote:i don't know how much of that was the accent, he seemed to struggle with the occasional line and veered into schwarzenegger territory here and there.

My only two complaints of the show, and they were really minor at that.

The pacing up until Graham & Lecter went out solo was just horrible, and possibly intentional for effect. But it wouldn't surprise me if they just creatively edited the hell out of it to cut it down time-wise. It just seemed like things were possibly missing at times.

And Mikkelson's accent and line delivery was a struggle to get through at times. Other times he was perfectly creepy.

I like Dancy, though.

by **Leckomaniac** on Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:35 pm

God did I LOVE this show. I had completely forgotten about it (way to go NBC), so I missed the premier yesterday. When I saw some chatter online I remembered that it was Bryan Fuller and I love that man.

Spectacular stuff. I have been telling everyone I know to check it out.

Just to piggyback off of what Fievel said, the Hannibal line delivery did have my pausing and rewinding a few times, but it didn't detract in a meaningful way. Can't wait for the next episode!

by **Nachokoolaid** on Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:45 pm

I fucking loved it. Probably my favorite new drama. Not only was it entertaining, but it looked excellent. Whoever shot that deserves some props, because it was gorgeous. And I thought the acting was top notch. I liked this Will Graham. That character always seemed a little bland to me, especially compared to Lecter, but not anymore. I REALLY REALLY hope NBC sticks with this one, because I loved it (and they cancelled the last show I liked, AWAKE).

by **travis-dane** on Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:38 am

Nachokoolaid wrote:I fucking loved it. Probably my favorite new drama. Not only was it entertaining, but it looked excellent. Whoever shot that deserves some props, because it was gorgeous. And I thought the acting was top notch. I liked this Will Graham. That character always seemed a little bland to me, especially compared to Lecter, but not anymore. I REALLY REALLY hope NBC sticks with this one, because I loved it (and they cancelled the last show I liked, AWAKE).

I agree and Mads cant do no wrong.

by **TheButcher** on Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:10 pm

'Hannibal's' Bryan Fuller on the Rise of the Horror Genre, Violence on TV

by **Leckomaniac** on Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:25 pm

So, the second episode was OK. It didn't rise to the level of brilliance of the first episode, but it certainly had its moments.

Most importantly, it featured an actual Wonderfalls crossover! I laughed out loud when it happened. Kudos to Mr. Fuller.

by **Fievel** on Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:40 am

Leckomaniac wrote:So, the second episode was OK. It didn't rise to the level of brilliance of the first episode, but it certainly had its moments.

I thought it was a great "second episode" - meaning it allowed me to catch my breath, sit back in the chair, but yet still be intrigued, shocked, thrilled (albeit at a lesser level), and fully entertained. The biggest part for me was being further sold on Graham & Lecter. Loved the fake-out of the pork loin. Hope that gag isn't overused - seems we got it twice in a row - DID Graham eat some lung in Lecter's lunch in the first episode? Or didn't he? I don't think so.

Gotta admit - two episodes in and I haven't even recognized Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall :oops:

by **TheBaxter** on Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:23 am

Fievel wrote:
Leckomaniac wrote:So, the second episode was OK. It didn't rise to the level of brilliance of the first episode, but it certainly had its moments.

I thought it was a great "second episode" - meaning it allowed me to catch my breath, sit back in the chair, but yet still be intrigued, shocked, thrilled (albeit at a lesser level), and fully entertained. The biggest part for me was being further sold on Graham & Lecter. Loved the fake-out of the pork loin. Hope that gag isn't overused - seems we got it twice in a row - DID Graham eat some lung in Lecter's lunch in the first episode? Or didn't he? I don't think so.

Gotta admit - two episodes in and I haven't even recognized Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall

you haven't? he plays one of the medical examiners. doesn't really look/sound any different than usual.

i liked the 2nd episode quite a bit. the only thing not as good is that lecter didn't really have much to do this episode. but the mushroom garden thing was cool and creepy. and though the character is annoying, and i'm not keen on the whole "crime blog" thing, the chick who plays 'freddie' lounds is hott.

i do hope/wish they wouldn't do the "killer of the week" thing. i don't want this to be CSI: Lecter. most serial killers are not captured that quickly, and i would like to see more investigations that last longer than a single episode between discovery of crime and capture/death of suspect. you can sprinkle in some "quick hit" killers with one or two that go on for several episodes and it would be more realistic.

oh yeah, and graham was definitely eating some fried lung in the pilot.

by **Fievel** on Mon Apr 29, 2013 3:00 pm

Just watched the "banned" episode courtesy of the Zone Facebook group.

:roll:

When Glee capitalizes on a school shooting episode, they (supposedly Fuller, not NBC?) pull this?!?

It was a good, not great, episode. Nowhere near as intense as the first few episodes. I think the hype killed it more than anything. I seriously wonder how much more (or less) I would have enjoyed the episode had it not been pulled and slathered with hype.

I am loving how Mikkelsen's Lecter is his own. I mean, it would have to be with the accent and all, but really - he's not trying to mimic Hopkins by any means. He is intriguing as hell, yet slightly creepy. Playful (for the audience), really. I was slightly annoyed by the character in the premiere episode, but have grown to like him.

by **TheBaxter** on Thu May 02, 2013 3:41 pm

fuck NBC.

this show should be a huge hit. instead it's pulling in community-like numbers (and i'm guessing it's more expensive than community, so that's not a healthy sign for its future). how can a shitfest like the following be so successful and a quality show like this not? because fucking NBC has no fucking clue how to handle a quality tv show. the following got a fuckton of publicity, a good time slot, and an earlier start date. if NBC had given hannibal similar advantages, it would surely be pulling in better ratings. maybe not as good as the following, because after all that show is lowest common denominator shit that is designed to appeal to as many people as possible, and hannibal is more demanding and challenging. but it could still be a lot more successful as it is. the only hope now is that they'll stick with it long enough to try to let it find it's audience... or if it does get cancelled, that a more appropriate cable channel will pick it up and give it a second chance.

by **so sorry** on Thu May 02, 2013 4:12 pm

Yeah its getting some pretty shitty numbers. time slot is a huge factor of course, but I'd guess that subject matter and unknown actors (Mikkle-who?) play a big part as well.
And I think NBC DID promote the shit out of this thing. I can discticntly remember seeing a ton of commercials for it.

You can point a finger at me as well: I had all intentions of watching, even taped the first 2, but never went back and watched (and in fact dumped my DVRed episodes)

As for it being picked up elsewhere...dream on. Maybe you can start a kickstarter campaign.

by **TheBaxter** on Thu May 09, 2013 10:01 am

agent scully on tonight's episode! a gorgeously filmed show is about to get a lot more gorgeous tonight.

by **Fievel** on Thu May 09, 2013 11:49 am

The show is getting crushed in the ratings, despite a fantastic episode last week.
Fucking Swamp People beat it.
Swamp People.

And yes.... Gillian Anderson tonight!

by **TheBaxter** on Thu May 09, 2013 1:11 pm

well, hannibal airs on NBC, whereas swamp people airs on the history channel. so that's a bit of an unfair advantage for swamp people.

btw, why the FUCK is there a show about "swamp people" on the "history" channel? did the swamp people help defeat hitler in WWII, or bring about the fall of the roman empire? how ironic that one of the most successful shows on the "history" channel revolves around people whose names and lives will be forgotten 5 minutes after their show goes off the air.

by **Fievel** on Thu May 09, 2013 1:27 pm

TheBaxter wrote:well, hannibal airs on NBC, whereas swamp people airs on the history channel. so that's a bit of an unfair advantage for swamp people.

btw, why the FUCK is there a show about "swamp people" on the "history" channel? did the swamp people help defeat hitler in WWII, or bring about the fall of the roman empire? how ironic that one of the most successful shows on the "history" channel revolves around people whose names and lives will be forgotten 5 minutes after their show goes off the air.

Yeah.... a few days ago I scanned through History's primetime offerings for every night as far as my cable box would allow - all bullshit programming. I'll admit, I'm a Pawn Stars junkie and they do offer up a surprising amount of history given the fact that it's a show about a pawn shop. But really, that channel has gone to shit. Sure, they'll pop some ratings, but at the expense of their brand.

by **Ribbons** on Thu May 09, 2013 1:41 pm

so sorry wrote:And I think NBC DID promote the shit out of this thing. I can discticntly remember seeing a ton of commercials for it.

Yeah, NBC hyped the shit out of Hannibal. Why it's doing so lousy in the ratings and The Following is cleaning up despite the fact that nobody seems to like it is anybody's guess, but I can only assume it has something to do with the Kevin Bacon factor.

by **Al Shut** on Thu May 09, 2013 1:49 pm

The more I read about it the more I'm hoping for a swift and decent free TV airing in Germany.

Talking about the Swamp People, of course.

by **Fievel** on Thu May 09, 2013 3:11 pm

Al Shut wrote:The more I read about it the more I'm hoping for a swift and decent free TV airing in Germany.

Talking about the Swamp People, of course.

You bastard!

by **TheBaxter** on Thu May 09, 2013 3:44 pm

Ribbons wrote:
so sorry wrote:And I think NBC DID promote the shit out of this thing. I can discticntly remember seeing a ton of commercials for it.

Yeah, NBC hyped the shit out of Hannibal. Why it's doing so lousy in the ratings and The Following is cleaning up despite the fact that nobody seems to like it is anybody's guess, but I can only assume it has something to do with the Kevin Bacon factor.

if it weren't for the mentions on AICN i'm not sure i would have even known this show existed before it came on the air. don't know how i missed all this promoting you guys are talking about.

wait, i do have one idea. there's virtually nothing else on NBC worth watching. outside of community and the office (only one of which is actually worth watching anymore itself) i don't think i watch a single other NBC show. so they could be running ads for hannibal virtually non-stop on their other shows and i, and the rest of america, would hardly know it.

i think at this point NBC may need to start running ads for their shows on other networks.

by **Fievel** on Thu May 09, 2013 4:04 pm

They might have been running ads during The Voice, which is doing very well in ratings, but that probably doesn't contain the target audience.

by **so sorry** on Thu May 09, 2013 4:13 pm

I'm trying to remember back to January/February when I was seeing these ads, and what the hell I was watching on NBC. Maybe reruns of the Office ( :oops:

), or some sporting event?

But I distinctly remember seeing LOTS of ads, and saying to my wife "get on with this fucking show already"!

by **Ribbons** on Thu May 09, 2013 4:23 pm

TheBaxter wrote:don't know how i missed all this promoting you guys are talking about.

wait, i do have one idea. there's virtually nothing else on NBC worth watching. so they could be running ads for hannibal virtually non-stop on their other shows and i, and the rest of america, would hardly know it.

Placing 5th out of 4 in the ratings will do that to you... although I'm still going with the Bacon factor.

by **TheBaxter** on Thu May 09, 2013 4:42 pm

Fievel wrote:They might have been running ads during The Voice, which is doing very well in ratings, but that probably doesn't contain the target audience.

i'm the target audience, and it doesn't contain me.

Ribbons wrote:Placing 5th out of 4 in the ratings will do that to you... although I'm still going with the Bacon factor.

i wouldn't want to go up against bacon either. everything's better with bacon.

by **Al Shut** on Fri May 10, 2013 4:03 am

so sorry wrote: and saying to my wife "get on with this fucking show already"!

sounds naughty

by **so sorry** on Fri May 31, 2013 1:09 pm

Season 2!

by **Ribbons** on Fri May 31, 2013 1:30 pm

so sorry wrote:Season 2!

Bryan Fuller wrote:"Wait a minute... shows have two seasons?"

by **TheBaxter** on Fri May 31, 2013 2:31 pm

excellent news! as much as i've hammered on NBC for their shoddy promotion and handling of the show, i'll give them credit for continuing to give it a shot. considering the ratings, it would've been very easy for them to shut it down.

now let's just hope they don't wait til spring 2014 is almost over before putting the 2nd season on the air. give it some heavy promotion, maybe rerun season 1 during the fall, like on saturday night or something when nothing else is on anyway, and give people another chance to get into it. then start season 2 in february, before inferior shit like the following takes over.

by **Fievel** on Fri May 31, 2013 2:58 pm

so sorry wrote:Season 2!

by **Ribbons** on Fri Jun 07, 2013 3:03 am

This show keeps getting better and better. Last night's Eddie Izzard episode was expertly written

by **Fievel** on Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:19 am

Ribbons wrote:This show keeps getting better and better. Last night's Eddie Izzard episode was expertly written

Hated to see Izzard go, and that was horrible, HORRIBLE foreshadowing ("are you going to kill him?" or whatever Alana asked Jack)- probably the weakest bit of writing in the entire series so far.

Was very surprised to see Alana make it out of that episode alive.

But otherwise, such a fantastic episode. Wonder how the hell they're going to clear up Jack's illness without having him lose his touch.

by **travis-dane** on Fri Jun 07, 2013 2:22 pm

Fievel wrote:
Ribbons wrote:This show keeps getting better and better. Last night's Eddie Izzard episode was expertly written

Hated to see Izzard go, and that was horrible, HORRIBLE foreshadowing ("are you going to kill him?" or whatever Alana asked Jack)- probably the weakest bit of writing in the entire series so far.

Was very surprised to see Alana make it out of that episode alive.

But otherwise, such a fantastic episode. Wonder how the hell they're going to clear up Jack's illness without having him lose his touch.

Yeah, Izzard did a great job.
I also like how Lecter is setting Will up for his big fall. No wonder that the Will Graham we know from Red Dragon is scared shitless before meeting Lecter again.

by **Fried Gold** on Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:05 pm

Things I don't like about this show:

1. Not enough of Caroline Dhavernas.
2. Jack Crawford's three assistant agents.
3. I suspect Caroline Dhavernas won't be in it for too much longer.

Otherwise, it's almost all good.

by **Fievel** on Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:34 pm

Fried Gold wrote:3. I suspect Caroline Dhavernas won't be in it for too much longer.

I get that feeling as well.

My biggest complaint is that Jack Crawford could have been played by anyone (versus the rest of the main cast), and Fishburne's performance proves that on a weekly basis for me. I like FIshburne. I really do. Maybe it's the writing. But he's just not doing anything special for me in this role. And it has nothing to do with the fact that it was played by white guys before. Absolutely not a racial thing at all. If he were to give any more of a stiff, wooden performance, George Lucas would demand that he be put in the new Star Wars film. I just hate his performance on a weekly basis and just wish Hannibal would eat him. Even the whole "my wife has cancer" bit was completely un-moving.

by **TheBaxter** on Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:54 pm

i have hope that if they start working in the stuff from silence of the lambs (the book, not the film) involving his wife, that crawford's character will become more interesting. also, the book version of crawford is pretty damn smart and also almost as manipulative a character as hannibal himself... and while part of the fun of the show is watching all the games hannibal plays with them, manipulating the people who are hunting his chesapeake ripper alter-ego, when it gets to him making them think will graham is a killer himself, that's going a bit far. crawford should be smarter than that.

also, the show needs more gina torres.

by **Nachokoolaid** on Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:43 am

Fievel wrote:Just watched the "banned" episode courtesy of the Zone Facebook group.

When Glee capitalizes on a school shooting episode, they (supposedly Fuller, not NBC?) pull this?!?

It was a good, not great, episode. Nowhere near as intense as the first few episodes. I think the hype killed it more than anything. I seriously wonder how much more (or less) I would have enjoyed the episode had it not been pulled and slathered with hype.

I am loving how Mikkelsen's Lecter is his own. I mean, it would have to be with the accent and all, but really - he's not trying to mimic Hopkins by any means. He is intriguing as hell, yet slightly creepy. Playful (for the audience), really. I was slightly annoyed by the character in the premiere episode, but have grown to like him.

Think you can point me in the direction of that episode? I've been dying to see it, especially since people have said one scene in particular ties in specifically with the finale.

by **Fried Gold** on Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:33 pm

Nachokoolaid wrote:
Fievel wrote:Just watched the "banned" episode courtesy of the Zone Facebook group.

When Glee capitalizes on a school shooting episode, they (supposedly Fuller, not NBC?) pull this?!?

It was a good, not great, episode. Nowhere near as intense as the first few episodes. I think the hype killed it more than anything. I seriously wonder how much more (or less) I would have enjoyed the episode had it not been pulled and slathered with hype.

I am loving how Mikkelsen's Lecter is his own. I mean, it would have to be with the accent and all, but really - he's not trying to mimic Hopkins by any means. He is intriguing as hell, yet slightly creepy. Playful (for the audience), really. I was slightly annoyed by the character in the premiere episode, but have grown to like him.

Think you can point me in the direction of that episode? I've been dying to see it, especially since people have said one scene in particular ties in specifically with the finale.

I can point you in this direction - http://www.putlocker.com/file/78686EF475A50F6D#

To me, it didn't seem like anything that shocking. If anything, it's not a particularly strong story.

by **caruso_stalker217** on Mon Jun 24, 2013 1:57 am

Although I never did watch this show past the pilot, I have to say I respect that this thread is still called "Bryan Fuller's MANIMAL".

by **DerLanghaarige** on Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:41 pm

I just saw the pilot episode, which made its German debut on a VoD platform (which is still a pretty unusual way to debut a TV show over here) and yes, it was very good. I'm sure I'm not the first one to make this connection, but it reminded me a lot of MILLENNIUM, which is definitely a good thing in my book. If I'm going to invest more money into further episodes? I don't know. 1,49€/episode is a little bit much. I guess I wait for its upcomng free TV premiere and hope that the episodes are uncut and they won't stop airing it after two episodes to show re-runs of some scripted reality shows.

by **Ribbons** on Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:28 pm

by **so sorry** on Mon Jan 20, 2014 4:58 pm

Ribbons wrote:

a) I thought this was cancelled?
b) didn't watch season 1...was the Lawrence Fishbourne getting stabbed scene from last year or something? Seems like a pretty big "spoiler" to put in the preview for the new season.
c) Lots of gruesome imagery going on there...
d) that said, seems like the big killer (is it Lector or another Buffalo Bill type?) has some crazy amount of time and artistry to construct those mega-kill sculptures.
e) damn, wish I had followed thru on my threat to watch this last year...

by **Ribbons** on Mon Jan 20, 2014 5:00 pm

A lot of that footage is from last year, so never fear! And yeah, some of the killers' M.O.s are pretty ridiculous. One guy turned people's guts into cello strings.

by **Fievel** on Mon Jan 20, 2014 5:26 pm

so sorry wrote:b) didn't watch season 1...was the Lawrence Fishbourne getting stabbed scene from last year or something? Seems like a pretty big "spoiler" to put in the preview for the new season.

That's new, and that's pretty fucking huge to put into a season preview.

Still one of my favorite shows and I'm look forward to its return.

by **Peven** on Mon Jan 20, 2014 6:53 pm

so the thread it titled "Manimal" but it is really about the tv show "Hannibal"..........brilliant

by **caruso_stalker217** on Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:16 am

I have the first season DVDs sitting on my shelf. I really need to get to that.

by **Al Shut** on Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:01 am

Fievel wrote:That's new, and that's pretty fucking huge to put into a season preview.

Without that my biggest fear would have been that the constellation the show has maneuvered in could become a bit stale. But with that promised escalation I'm 100% looking forward.