Ron Does Stuff

First things first — I’ve already watched the first season of this show, years ago while it was airing. And that was literally a decade ago. My god. I wasn’t able to watch the succeeding seasons because life and I think the channel airing it eventually stopped and the pirate site I knew stopped uploading. But since I’ve just read Red Dragon I thought it would be nice to revisit this show!

I definitely remember this opening scene and initially thinking that the windshield wiper thing they used was a little hokey, but now that I know it’s how it’s described in the book, I have better feelings about it. Not that what the book has immediately makes it better, it’s just that now I understand why this particular decision was made.

This whole opening scene is also a much better way to visualize Will’s process than what they did in Red Dragon, the movie adaptation. That was definitely hokey. This one isn’t just more stylized, it just embodies the book description more.

I also like that they open up the possibility of Will being possibly on the autism spectrum. I can’t recall the reaction of the autism community to this particular change, but I think it’s a good choice on the part of the show. However, I’m not in a position to judge if it’s good representation since I don’t think I’m on the spectrum so I don’t have the lived experience to accurately judge.

Also on a totally selfish note I love that I can identify the lines they’re lifting directly from the book? Actually, what happened was that while I was reading the book I could recognize the lines they used either in this show or The Silence of the Lambs if I’m remembering it correctly. And recognizing the names of Zeller, Katz, and Price!

I’m already apologizing in advance because it looks like this first episode rewatch is just going to be me pointing out all the things from the book that they’ve successfully translated here or changed here, like the dog collecting becoming a Will thing rather than a Molly thing.

Laurence Fishburne’s interpretation of Jack Crawford is a departure from the book, where he’s always been stoic, but at the same time is perfectly in keeping with the world that the show is building? I can’t articulate it well but it works for this version of the story. The decision to turn Alan Bloom to Alana Bloom is also a great decision because now Bloom is more than just a figure int he background like he was in the book.

The way they introduce Hannibal into the story as well, right after Will figures out that Garret Jacob Hobbs is actually eating his victims? Perfection. And the coiled energy, the tension, when Crawford is asking him to write a psychological profile of Will? Lovely.

I also love how they’ve visualized the tension that Will feels at being psychoanalyzed and how he’s frightened of being like the same serial killers he tracks. It’s a fear that he had in the book that was pounced on by Hannibal and here we get to see it being seeded early.

Another thing that I’m appreciating again is how stylized the gore is? The first time we see the body that Hannibal displays as a way to divert attention from Hobbs, it looks so artistic it’s like it’s a statue from the Vatican or something. It’s so stylized that it’s digestible even if it’s gory, if that makes sense.

The fact that I’m also 10 years older since I first watched this also gives me a better appreciation of the acting in it, making me more aware of a look here and there that I know will build up as the season progresses. This really was a good first episode and it’s frustrating that this show never really got any traction when it was on air.

Another thing that I’m only recognizing now 10 years later is how the build-up to the encounter at the Hobbs house was done so well. Yes, we get to see the “field kabuki” Hannibal left for Will, but it’s so stylized that the horror of it isn’t as impactful. That’s why the raw, brutal killings at the Hobbs house hit harder, even if it’s not as gruesome as the field kabuki.

Like I said, this is a really great first episode and I’m looking forward to rewatching the rest of the first season as well!