By Adejoh Idoko Momoh.
As someone who has had experience feasting on raw flesh, it
is hard to imagine how watching the television series 'Hannibal' upset me so
much; it is after all about a psychopath forensic psychiatrist ‘Hannibal
Lecter’ who after gruesomely murdering his victims delights himself by feeding
on their organs. My brush with flesh eating I will tell on much later in this
review.
Hannibal is an amazing show, one that proves true the theory
that not all beautiful things must be explored or seen. Many things are
brilliant about the show: the conversations witty and the performances smart,
convincing even. My favorite character by far is the Professor Will Graham who
plays the part of an FBI profiler, partly because he reminds me of how fragile
humanity is; how trusting man desires to be and how guilt most times pushes us
to do things we ordinarily wouldn't do. From him, you clearly get the picture
of a man haunted by personal demons and feel the urge to push yourself further
even when that exposes you to significant risk. His analysis, observation..everything
is flawless.
The most disturbing thing about this show is that as the it
progresses, the mind games get even sicker and really twisted in a good way
that it keeps you interested. Its murder scenes are very detailed and precise. You
know that edge of your seat, stomach twisting, gut wrenching gore that in the
end leaves you frightened and excited at the same time. And this is perhaps
what sets Hannibal apart from other psychological thrillers; its ability to not
hold anything back, to be bold in its presentation and imagery. Admittedly, the
early episodes of the first season seemed a little misdirected and confusing but
going forward from the third, every story line was compelling as it was
interesting, I kept thirsting for more, wondering how it was possible for the
show to progress, but it progressed in very unexpected ways.
My take on it really is simple, if you want a brilliant show
good enough for the whole family to watch, Hannibal doesn’t quite cut it; the
emotional, psychological torture you endure while watching it surely is not
worth its brilliance, but if you want bold, audacious, daring, a show that
pushes you to imagine things you never thought imaginable, then by all means
see Hannibal.
As regards me eating raw flesh, it’s a very funny story
actually. After we tired from shopping my sister suggested that since we were
both hungry and probably wouldn't be grabbing dinner, we buy a pack of chicken
from M&S and settle to eat it. Being someone who has a very healthy
appetite for food, I wondered what she expected chicken to do for my hunger,
but we bought it nonetheless. As we settled I immediately reached for the pack
and ripped it open, removed a thigh and bit into it, it was sheer bliss.
Perfectly seasoned lightly boiled chicken; my taste buds were excited. It
wasn’t until I took the second bite and swallowed it that my sister stopped me.
‘the chicken is raw, we have to heat it in an oven’ I looked at the thigh in my
hand and noticed its pink flesh ‘I am so sorry. I am so sorry’ she laughed.
