Hannibal may be the smartest, most reflective series on TV right now.  And I say this as a Mad Men fan (that show has it’s own problems).  Hannibal is not without its flaws — it suffered from a few episodes early on that relied too much on Cases of the Week or plots that didn’t seem to connect much beyond a cursory fact being revealed (like with Jack Crawford’s wife, we learned Hannibal can sniff out cancer).  But even then, nothing was ever totally extraneous.  It all fed into the main drama between Will and Hannibal, which all lead up to and was explored with incredible intelligence in “Releves.”  This penultimate episode also included a shocking ending that still made perfect sense.  Hit the jump for why “you look pretty,” oh so prettyyyy …

This week on The Collision, we’re joined by our TV Editor Allison Keene to talk about Game of Thrones.  Now that the third season has finished, we look back on the show so far, how it compares to the books, the future of the series going forward in relation to the written and unwritten novels, and more.  As always, we finish up with our recommendations.

Click here to listen to the new episode of The Collision, click here for the previous episode (“The Art of Marketing Hollywood Movies”), click here to add the podcast to your RSS, and click here to find us on iTunes. To keep up to date with The Collision, you can follow us on Twitter at @MattGoldberg, @AdamChitwood, and @DrClawMD (Dave Trumbore). Hit the jump to check out the trailers for this week’s recommendations.

In Hannibal’s only meal of the episode, he prepped a South Asian dish, an homage to the episode’s title.  He claimed it was made with sheep, “of course,” (so of course not), a note as well to an episode filled with an exceptional amount of offal.  “Roti” continued down a path that has been one of the strongest, narratively, this year.  Will’s descent into madness escalates to a literal fever pitch, culminating in his and Dr. Gideon (Eddie Izzard‘s) parallel tales this week converging violently.  In the shadows though, as always, was Hannibal.  But the scene between Hannibal and his own analyst Dr. Du Maurier suggests that Hannibal’s motivations concerning Will are just as convoluted as Will’s own sense of self.  Hit the jump for more on why some people just aren’t made for relationships.

First of all, if you hadn’t heard, Hannibal has been renewed for a second season, so everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.  After that, go ahead and scream, because “Buffett Froid” was properly horrifying.  It was also a great example of how a Case of the Week can be relevant and interesting, even if the stakes about who the killer is ultimately don’t mean much.  But the killer in “Buffett Froid” had many parallels to Will’s illness (which also got a name), and provided some serious frights.  Lock your doors (and windows and attics) and check under your bed with a knife, then hit the jump for why “I am your bedrock.”

Hannibal fans, our time has come: after a cruelly long wait, NBC finally gave official word that their exceptional drama will return for 13 episodes next year.  However, the second season will not air before midseason (showing further signs of hesitation? Or just the realities of filming schedules?)

The Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) helmed series has gotten a decent push from the network during its freshman season, but has been up against veteran Thursday night anchors like Scandal, as well as popular new series like Elementary, potentially diminishing viewing numbers that might otherwise be robust.  Hit the jump for more about the ratings, and NBC’s commitment to the series.  Hannibal stars Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelson, Caroline Dhavernas and Laurence Fishburne.

Featuring a truly terrific performance from Emmy award-winner Gillian Anderson, The Fall is a gripping, intelligent and highly addictive psychological thriller (I watched all five hours in one sitting because it’s so engrossing) that forensically examines the lives of two hunters, one of whom is a serial killer (played by Once Upon A Time star Jamie Dornan) that stalks his victims at random, and the other is a high-powered detective superintendent brought in to catch him.  It is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with twists and turns that unfold until the very end.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Gillian Anderson talked about what led her to sign on to The Fall, her attraction to complex and complicated characters, how she views Stella Gibson, what she most enjoyed about playing the role, how refreshing and freeing it is to inhabit a woman who’s so blunt, keeping the cat-and-mouse game interesting throughout the season, and that they’re already discussing the direction for Season 2.  She also talked about her terrific work on Hannibal, her mid-season NBC drama series Crisis, which role in her career she’s most proud of, and how she feels like there needs to be one more The X-Files movie, to wrap up the story.  Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

After last week’s incredible, incredible presentation, Hannibal turned more towards a procedural this week with a regular Case of the Week.  As I’ve said in the past, the show is at its best when it doesn’t have to shoehorn these stories in (like the one about the man who saw heads on fire), because it distracts from the excellence of the rest of the series and what we are most interested in.  Still, the point of the totem pole of bodies is, as has been the case all season, to send Will further and further down the rabbit hole of his own mind, perpetuating a kind of self abuse by forcing himself into the minds of these killers when his own mind isn’t strong enough to handle it.  Hit the jump for more on on why “this is my legacy.”

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in, and it’s season finales galore.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• The emotional series finale of The Office scored a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 5.7 million viewers, which is up from last week’s 2.3 rating and marks the highest-rated episode of the show since January of 2012.
• The season finale of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, however, topped the night with a 4.4 rating and 14.78 million viewers.  That’s down half a ratings point from last week’s 4.9 rating but even with last year’s finale rating of 4.4.  The episode was the most watched program of the night, besting even the season finale of American Idol.
• Another season finale on CBS, that of Elementary, was up a tenth from last week’s series low with a 2.0 rating and 8.93 million viewers for the two-hour episode.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, May 16th, including Hannibal, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and more.

Another excellent episode of Hannibal, which continues to be so gorgeously and hauntingly shot.  From Will outside of his house in the snow, gazing across the dormant winter landscape, to Tobias in his violin shop with its rich wood and old world feel.  I was actually in a violin shop like that recently, and the show captured exactly the feeling of being surrounded by so many beautiful instruments, hand crafted with such expertise and beauty.  Though Hannibal‘s violence is much, much more overt than two other recent, excellent series, Top of the Lake and Rectify, they share an intensity and immersive storytelling that wraps up the darkest of horrors in the most stunningly rendered visual blanket.  How could such terrors occur in a place that’s full of such beauty and richness?  Hit the jump for more on why “life is like a musical performance. We are finite events, unique arrangements.”

One of the best written and best acted dramas currently on network (or any) television is Hannibal, from show creator Bryan Fuller.  Based on the characters from Thomas Harris’ classic novels, the series follows the unsettling relationship between psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and gifted criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer/writer Bryan Fuller talked about how the series came about, how he gauges the level of violence on the show, how he ended up with Dancy, Mikkelsen and Laurence Fishburne as his lead actors, how fascinating the character relationships are, that knowing the eventual destination of these characters is a huge gift, when Hannibal Lecter’s famous face mask could appear, how the Red Dragon story would come into play in Season 4, adding some female characters to the mix, how they decide what meals Dr. Lecter will prepare and serve, future romantic relationships for the serial killer, and what Gillian Anderson brings to the show.  He also talked about the possibility of a Kickstarter campaign for a Pushing Daisies movie.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Tonight’s Hannibal contained a line that was meant to describe that Chesapeake Ripper, but accurately defines the show: its brutalization hides elegance and grace.  “Sorbet” started off with the most elegant of scenes: an operatic performance during which Hannibal actually showed emotion.  Were his eyes welling with tears? Everything in Hannibal’s life is art — his recipes are impeccably hand-written in almost a calligraphy scrawl, his appointment book is neat and clean, as is his office and his extremely organized refrigerator.  His index card Rolodex is carefully compiled, not haphazardly arranged, and of course the neatness and perfection of his cooking brings applause from his dinner guests.  But “Sorbet” doesn’t let us forget how brutal the killings that make that meal possible are.  Hit the jump to find out which wine pairs best with human spleen.

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• NBC’s Community saw a healthy rise from last week’s series low, as last night’s episode hit a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.8 million viewers. That’s up 20% over last week’s 1.0 rating.
• Also up was the season finale of Parks and Recreation, which hit a 1.5 rating and 2.89 million viewers for a 15% rise over last week’s season low 1.3 rating.  However, the rating was down 12% from last year’s season finale’s 1.7 rating.
• The swell new NBC drama series Hannibal continues to struggle a tad, as last night’s episode notched a 1.0 rating and 2.51 million viewers, matching last week’s series low.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, May 2nd, including The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Elementary, The Vampire Diaries, and more.

Another great episode of the ever-stylish Hannibal, though with a very sudden ending.  To be continued?  There were also several shadows of Silence of the Lambs that appeared as well: the focus on an agent-in-training, Miriam (played by Veep‘s Anna Chlumsky), as well as the advent of the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane’s (which everyone, including Will, always likes to say in full) Dr. Chilton, and the idea of classical conditioning.  The “Chesapeake Ripper” is also referred to as a “pure” psychopath (or sociopath), “which is so rare to find in captivity,” Chilton comments smugly.  But Will has doubts that the incarcerated Dr. Gideon (Eddie Izzard) is the true killer.  “I can see him, but I can’t feel him,” Will says after his time at the (gruesome) crime scene.  Hit the jump for why “there’s no accounting for taste … or intelligence.”

Thursday evening’s TV ratings are in, and the networks faced a sharp drop in viewership against the NFL Draft.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• NBC’s fantastic new drama series Hannibal sadly saw another drop in ratings, as last night’s episode hit a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.4 million viewers.  That’s down four tenths from last week’s 1.4 rating.
• Even though CBS stalwart The Big Bang Theory drew more total viewers than all of NBC’s programming combined (yes, really), the show hit a season low rating of 4.2 for a drop of a full ratings point from its last originals’ 5.2 rating.  Nevertheless, the comedy dominated the night with 14.38 million viewers.
• Back over at NBC, though, a Jim Rash-penned episode of Community notched a series low 1.0 rating and 2.4 million viewers.  A sad fate for what was by far the best episode of an uneven season.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Thursday, April 25th, including Parks and Recreation, Person of Interest, Scandal, Elementary, The Vampire Diaries, and more.

First of all, if you haven’t watched the clips from Hannibal‘s unaired fourth episode “œuf” do so now because I am going to talk about it along with “Coquilles.”  What I found so interesting about NBC’s “cannibalized” version (their pun!) of that controversial fourth episode is that by eliminating the Case of the Week, Hannibal turned into a really beautifully meditative character study.  It didn’t flow particularly smoothly (what a surprise since it was chopped up), but at the same time it was really hypnotic.  With all of the therapy sessions, it kind of reminded me of HBO’s In Treatment, plus hallucinations and eating humans.  While I also enjoyed “Coquilles,” the Case of the Week, which I thought was pretty weak, distracted from the better character moments.  Hit the jump for why I’m so excited I figured out what to do with that œ character …