#2x10

[scarletdreamers]

Hannibal, background music and what it tells us about Hannibal's feelings (Meta)

The background music in the erotic, dreamlike Hannibal point-of-view dinner scene wasn’t just chosen for that scene because it had a beautiful melody.

For the number one fandom when it comes to analysing every small detail in a show, we have a surprising lack of background music metas floating around on this site. Not very strange, because most of the Hannibal soundtrack is creepy gongs and ping pong balls and every other weird sound except for a regular violin. However, sometimes the horror sounds are swapped with beautiful classical pieces that resemble Hannibal’s music taste. And while it's Bach most of the time, there's a few gems that are soooo overlooked in my opinion. Though today I only want to talk about the music for 2x10, Naka-Choko. The last scene of this episode is this very intense, very passionate dinner scene: 

The background music of this scene happens to be a classical piece which is also the main theme of the film adaptation of the movie Morte a Venezia (1971). In English it is known as Death in Venice. The piece is called Symphony No.5 Adagietto by Gustav Mahler, a late Romantic componist. He made the soundtrack for the entire film. 

For those who don’t know Death in Venice: It’s a novel from 1912 by Thomas Mann, which was later adapted into a film by Italian director Luchino Viscosi. The plot follows Gustav von Aschenbach, a writer (book) / composer (movie) who travels to Venice and meets a young boy (concerningly young, fourteen years old I believe, not entirely sure) called Tadzio. Aschenbach falls deeply and obsessively in love with Tadzio, even though he at first tells himself that it is merely for aesthetic reasons since the boy is incredibly beautiful. A bit of a The Picture of Dorian Gray scenario. Towards the end of the story Aschenbach dies from illness while watching Tadzio on the beach and realises that he will forever be enslaved by his passion for the boy.

The thing is, Death in Venice’s main themes are death, a struggle with morality (physical and moral decay), art, passion & love, beauty and its dangers and internal conflict. The story toes the line between ‘’conscious will and uncontrolled passion’’. Rational morality and passion (passion when it comes to art, beauty, or desire). 

During the whole story Tadzio is described with countless mythical terms. Greek gods, heroes, tragedies and lovers, but always divine. We know that Hannibal sees Will the same way. The most obvious evidence is that he literally drew himself and Will as Pátroklos (Patroclus) and Achilles. All his sketches of Will are in a style that looks most like Renaissance/Baroque anatomy (Hannibal draws bodies like sculptors used to sculpt them, which is a very fascinating art style of itself). Two periods in which myths were the most depicted subject in art. Next to that, Hannibal considers himself something equal to God. He considers Will an equal, certainly in that dinner scene where no one is at the head of the table. Instead they are sitting eye to eye, mirrored, no one has more power than the other. Which would indirectly mean that Hannibal also considers Will divine. This dynamic is a bit different in Death in Venice, because Aschenbach and Tadzio are more like the worshipper and the worshipped. However, Hannibal’s love for Will could be called worship. I mean, he literally left his heart on a church altar. That’s an action that would usually be considered martyrdom. 

Also, the book opens with a storm on a boat and a stranger with red hair. The stranger with red hair symbolises danger, evil, maybe even a devil/demon. They symbolise the nemesis in Aschenbach's story. Not a direct threat, but evil, anyway.

Now what’s funny is that during the dinner scene, Hannibal and Will are supposed to be eating Freddie Lounds. At least, that’s what Hannibal thinks, since Will lied to him. In reality, they’re eating Randall Tier’s flesh and the red-haired devil Freddie Lounds is still alive. 

Another fascinating comparison is Aschenbach’s social status, his behavior and the way he deals with desire. Aschenbach comes from an academic and German powerful family. In his youth he was expected to repress any vulgarity, desire and unreasonable behavior included. Hannibal comes from an even more impressive family tree. His father was a Lithuanian count and his mother, Simonetta Sforza-Lecter, was a Sforza. The Sforza’s were a real aristocratic family that ruled over Milan during the Renaissance period. Their castle still exists in real life. Hannibal is completely blue-blooded. His name holds way more power than we realise, mainly because he’s the only living heir on both sides of the family. He was raised with a lot of expectations and standards. Hannibal’s need to be respected and for people to be as polite as he himself is isn’t just some personality issue he developed over years, he was born into it. He was forced to behave according to a book of rules when he was younger. He was restrained. Any expression of desire, lust, wanting, or romantic affection for anyone was forbidden, let alone for an American, grown up poor and unimportant, mentally unwell man ten years younger than him. This is the same with Aschenbach. Tadzio is young, male and Polish. His infatuation with the boy is an absolute disgrace. 

Which is also what makes his need for Tadzio so strong. His obsession with the boy goes beyond everything he was ever taught, beyond everything he ever knew. He doesn’t know how to handle it. It’s primal, it’s raw, it’s unrestrainable and intense and it’s wrong. But it doesn’t feel wrong. To Aschenbach it feels like something from a dream. His fantasies about Tadzio are so strong that they aren’t just simple daydreams, but border religious visions. It makes him uncontrollable. He loses control of himself, of his feelings and actions. It messes with his idea of morality and love. He’s enslaved by his desire for Tadzio and it gets so intense that it ultimately becomes his end.

See where I’m going? Hannibal’s feelings for Will are the same. They go beyond everything he has ever known about himself. Hannibal feels things for Will he never thought himself capable of, and that frightens him. During that dinner he’s, for example, unable to hold Will’s gaze. He’s unable to stop looking at the same time.

His face is a literal open book with pictures that scream ‘’I want him and I don’t know how to deal with it’’ all over it. It makes him feel vulnerable, it makes him feel seen, it requires an insane amount of trust in Will for Hannibal to let it happen. For Hannibal losing control means surrender, and that’s an insanely valuable (rare) gift he’s giving Will. This is why he completely loses it when he realises Will lied and ‘’betrayed’’ him in Mizumono. Which is why he responded with his version of an emotional outburst: hurting everybody in the room in the hope he wouldn’t be the one with the most broken heart. He’s being held captive by his own feelings for Will, and when Will betrays him, he feels he has no other choice but to shoot with closed eyes and run. It’s his version of Aschenbach’s death because of love, which eventually extends to Will pulling Hannibal off the cliff. 

It’s very smart that they chose that specific dinner scene to combine with the Death in Venice background music. That’s the dinner where Hannibal still believes Will is on his side, but he also realises how dangerous his compassion is to both of them. With the context of the music, this basically summarises his whole point-of-view. The music gives us an insight into the story and the feelings from Hannibal’s side.

Once again a round of applause for Bryan and the team because goddamn they really thought of EVERY detail

[224bbaker]

See you tomorrow, detectives! It’s been an honor to be on this ride with all of you!

See you on Monday for our finale, Chapter 20: The Case of the Nascent Narrative!

This clip features Rob Kauzlaric and Tom Crowley. The episode was sound designed by Sarah Buchynski.

[sophsun1]

Evan Buckley + Children 💖

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[thedragonlies]

Arthur snuggling his horsey in 2x10

[buffysource]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

2.10 | What's My Line?

[kissme-withyour-cherrylipstick]

True love ❤️

Gwen is just too pretty, I can't capture her beauty 🥲 12.5 hours and so many of them spent on Gwen

[epiaphany]

epiaphany's 911 advent calendar - 14/24

[swensource]

happy 1 year of swensource! (insp)       ☆ reblogs are encouraged!

[gregoryandjanine]

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (2021- ) 4x04 | 2x10

[scarletdreamers]

Still not over the fact that these are some of the most important and intimate lines from the show, yet everyone ignores them like they don't exist:

In the series itself (the final cut), these lines said by Alana and Hannibal while they are dining with Will are delivered a bit differently. In the final take they go like this:

A: ''They love and kill what they love.''

H: ''Then they eat what they love. It's a paradox.''

A: ''Freddie thinks the two of you are a paradox.''

After having said this, Alana suspiciously eyes both Hannibal and Will. Almost as if she knows there's something between them, but she can't figure out what it is. These lines are so important because they give an outsider point of view of Hannibal and Will's relationship. It shows that, at this point in the story, certain characters knew things they weren't supposed to know.

It also adds to their perception of the dynamic between Will and Hannibal. The dangerous pair they make, the desire to kill and even eat each other shows how unconventional and insane their bond is. How, not only tragic, but thrilling and strong whatever they have is. There's always a sense of underlying desires. Sensual danger that even the other characters can feel. They know something isn't right, and Alana's/Freddies take on their bond as a 'paradox' isn't even that far from the truth. It's actually really interesting to think of the feelings Hannibal and Will have for each other during that time in the story that way.

They really do make a very complicated paradox, knowing that they will betray each other, hurt each other, maybe even want to kill each other, but love each other anyway. That they love each other enough to want to ''eat'' each other ('they eat what they love') as a sense of fulfilment they might never reach. Not as long as they stay alive in a situation in which it's quite impossible for them to be together.

After that, we have the scene where they have dinner with just the two of them and 'prepare' Freddie, including this gorgeous shot:

A simple scene where they cook together. Hannibal hands Will a cooking knife (originally a product to use to prepare food, a deadly weapon given the right reason), which is an indirect throwback to the conversation they had with Alana. They merge love, death and eating in this scene. Hannibal's trust when he hands Will the knife. The blade pointed towards himself indicates betrayal and a violent shared history between them, depicted by the way the knife's tip is pointing at Hannibal's pink-ish red and raw scar. This scene is romantic, because Hannibal literally shows Will that he ''trusts him with his life'' by doing this.

Will is also hesitant about accepting the knife at first. His thumb hovers above it before he completely wraps his hand around the handle. He mistrusts himself with something as important and valuable as Hannibal's life, because he abused it before (his numerous attempts to kill or have Hannibal killed). He finally takes it, knowing and accepting that he doesn't want to kill Hannibal anymore for the sake of killing him. When he's given the choice, he wants Hannibal to run, to be free, maybe to join him eventually. He takes Hannibal's dangerous yet delicate life into his hands, that's when he chose Hannibal's side, despite everything he did to make Hannibal think otherwise.

In the dinner scene with Alana she also points out that she thinks they might not be the killers individually, but together. Holding a weapon at the same time for a few seconds too long proves her point. Their sharing of the knife without hurting one another means they are working together when it comes to violence and death. It's a sign of Will's corruption. A reflection of his true self in the silver of the blade. A mirror of violence and his own darkest urges.

Will and Hannibal are a paradox like a knife is a paradox. It nurtures, is used to prepare food which gives life, and is usually a friend, until it's used against you and suddenly becomes deadly. Their love is a double edged knife, being able to cause harm and grant help at the same time. It makes you wonder, do Hannibal and Will desire to kill each other because of their love, or rather in spite of it?

Anyway, I love Naka-Choko because of the insane tension throughout the whole episode. Had to share why I think that this quote is such a heavy yet romantic giveaway of their mutual feelings and bond, it's a shame it's so incredibly overlooked just like a few other really good lines in the show.

[224bbaker]

💥💣 Chapter Twenty: The Case of the Nascent Narrative 🪟🚞

You are cordially invited to: The Public Opening of 22Fun B Baker Merriment Park (and Memorial)  9am. Friday August 21st, 1891

In which a story ends, a story begins, and the moment you’ve all been waiting for… arrives.  

Links here.

Transcript here and at 224bbaker.com, where you can also find bios, more info, and links to our social media.

Full credits and content notes below the cut--SPOILERS ahead!

CREDITS

Written and Directed by Ian Geers and Lauren Grace Thompson. Sound designed by Sarah Buchynski. Produced and edited by Lauren Grace Thompson. Original music by Baldemar and Ian Geers. Consultancy by Sara Ghaleb.

"The Tunnel of Brotherly Love" was written and performed by Ian Geers.

CAST

Hampton Fawx: Jeremy Thompson

James Stallion: Chris Vizurraga

Madge Stallion: Katie McLean Hainsworth

Archie Cartwright: Shawn Pfautsch

Sherlock Holmes: Rob Kauzlaric

John Watson: Tom Crowley

Weatherby: Allie Babich

Thomas Rake: Sam Hubbard

Lottie: Beth Eyre

Braddock: Wesley Scott

Chauncy Grace: Jess Ridenour

Times Reporter: Sarah Coakley Price

Standard Reporter/Commissioner: Chris Hainsworth

Spectacle Reporter: Trey Plutnicki

CONTENT NOTES

Scenes of peril and loud noises. Explosions. Moments of intimacy.

[sophsun1]

Evan 'Buck' Buckley + Legs™️

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

#Being A Nosey Little Bitch Like

[eddiediazsource]

Ryan Guzman as Eddie Diaz 9-1-1 - 2x10: Merry Ex-Mas

[epiaphany]

You offered me a key, so...

epiaphany's 911 advent calendar - 19/24