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 …

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.”

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.

This is how The Americans ends / This is how The Americans ends / not with a bang but a whimper. The Americans was renewed for a second season, which is good since pretty much everything that was happening before is still in play. “The Colonel” could technically have worked as a series finale I suppose, though the only thing that made it feel like a season finale rather than a regular episode was that several subplots were wrapped up neatly and nicely — “nice” being the operative word. For a show that has been so languid and complex, things in “The Colonel” moved rather rotely. As it was, the big build up to the “is it or isn’t it a trap” moment was as predictable as anything the show has ever done. Hit the jump for why “you know you’re not allowed to wake up mom.”

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 … 

The Sundance Channel just finished its 8-episode miniseries run of Jane Campion‘s ponderous, occasionally difficult and sometimes beyond fantastic Top of the Lake (now streaming on Netflix), and is putting its first original series, the equally fascinating Rectify, in the show’s former timeslot.  Rectify, created by actor Ray McKinnon (Deadwood) and from the producers of Breaking Bad, is the story of a man released from prison after 19 years on Death Row after new DNA evidence exonerates him for the crime of raping and murdering his teenage girlfriend, which he confessed to at the time.  He returns to his Paulie, Georgia, town to reunite with his family, attempting to find a new life for himself in a world he hasn’t seen for 20 years, while facing down small town politics.  Hit the jump for more on Rectify, and why you should absolutely tune in.

The Americans has its flaws, but the one thing it gets really right — and that it dedicated almost all of “Covert War” to — is its bleak deconstruction of marriage.  The Americans has always been dour, and it’s not a show I ever get excited about watching.  But once I’m in the show’s world, I’m interested to see how things play out.  “Covert War,” though, highlighted some of the best things about The Americans, and in the process, made everyone feel like crap.  Hit the jump for why “I only have fear … and you.”

By the light of R’hllor, what a fantastic hour of television — this is Game of Thrones at its best.  So many scenes this week were quietly indicative of character.  We didn’t need to rely on sexposition or chatter to get at the heart of things: a simple dragging of a chair spoke volumes.  Even though the show jumped around again this week and visited almost everyone (giving some, like Jon and Stannis, only a few moments of time), it still felt laid-back, accessible, and not frantic in its pacing.  Time spent at Riverrun and King’s Landing and even in the woods with Brienne and Jaime was slow and thoughtful, and did a lot in the way of character building.  Hit the jump for why horse-part crop circles are all the rage north of the Wall.

“We’re in a war, even if it’s a secret.  Blood gets spilled.  It’s the way it goes,” Gaad tells Stan this week on The Americans, and how true it is.  But unlike other shows that depict violence, The Americans always makes it personal.  The show has gone from being a little sterile to being very emotional, all in the same muted tones of the Cold War it depicts, but those smothering feelings, whispers and quiet anguish make it all the more visceral.  A lot of The Americans is built on issues of trust — Elizabeth and Philip need to be trusted by everyone, but they themselves trust no one (not even, sadly, each other; at least, not fully).  Stan lies to his wife and to Nina, but they are also forced to trust him whether they want to or not.  In war there are always sacrifices, and as we experienced this week, martyrdom.  Hit the jump for more about how “we’re not monsters.”

Is everyone on sedatives this week?  All of my regular shows to review seemed to take some sleepy time tea before they aired, and Bates Motel was no exception.  After last episode’s shocking ending, “Trust Me” was a very slow burn.  Before this week things seemed to be headed in a fairly clear direction, even with the inclusion of the “darker” side of town, but now things seem set up in a very strange way for future episodes.  The meandering didn’t seem to lead anywhere except, ultimately, to Norman and Norma’s “secret” finally coming to light (no not that one), but that seems an odd turn to take.  Hit the jump for why “death is profound, isn’t it?”

The Americans took a break last week — something FX never does with its dramas — because of filming delays, but “Safe House” was well worth the wait.  Things got messy thanks to one personal mistake that lead to a Cold War crisis, and it was handled with controlled chaos.  What was great about the confusion and fallout that happened throughout “Safe House” was that it wasn’t arbitrary.  On some series, miscommunication and mistakes happen because people don’t speak or are unwilling to ask basic questions or confirm anything (Lost comes to mind, a show where almost no one asked anyone anything obvious).  The Americans pulled off an amazing feat of plotting this week by allowing things to happen realistically in turn, and following a situation until its natural, though most extreme, end.  Hit the jump for more on why “we should have fried chicken every day!”

While last week’s “Peace of Mind” felt like a finale, “Ghosts” was like an extended epilogue tying up some loose ends in what was another terrific season of Justified.  And although the season’s Drew Thompson mystery arc was solved four episodes ago, the series continued its greatness until the end as it examined the various burdens a life of crime brings for both sides of the law.  From its tense nursery shootout to Raylan’s sly way of handling Nicky Augustine, up until its haunting final shots, “Ghosts” was a fun and somber send off – with its own fair share of dark humor, of course.  More on the season finale of Justified after the jump. 

After about forty minutes of leisurely pacing and giving time over to exposition (not that that is a bad thing for a show just starting out to do), things got real on Bates Motel in the final, bizarre minutes.  White Pines Bay has plenty of secrets, and even the cleanest of citizens are part of its dirty underground.  But it is Norman this week who makes the strangest turns, on a clear trajectory from his unsettling violence last week to ever-increasing weirdness.  And, apparently, the past is not well-buried in White Pines for anyone.  Hit the jump for more on what exactly is wrong with Norman.

The third season of AMC’s The Walking Dead has now come to its conclusion.  We started this season by watching as Rick and his followers fought their way into an infested prison which they promptly turned into a secure place to start a new life.  The prison was a central focus in the season finale but it has turned into a very different place.  We also lost a couple of characters in this last hour, though after suffering a season’s worth of emotional turmoil, it’s the survivors might actually be the worst off.

Starring Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Laurie Holden, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Dallas Roberts, Emily Kinney, Chad Coleman and Lew Temple, AMC’s The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9.  Hit the jump for my review of the season three finale, “Welcome to the Tombs.”

Can career criminals change their ways?  Or are they destined for jail or the grave?   These questions were examined in the penultimate “Peace of Mind”, which saw Justified’s finest confronting their various faiths and destinies.  Whether it be their faith in each other or the spiritual kind, several characters found themselves wrestling with who and what to rely on.  Then there’s that sonuvabitch fate that batters into you sometimes – Colt can tell you all about it.  It was a deep episode as well as an arresting one with some surprises and one helluva cliffhanger.  Hit the jump to help us celebrate Everybody Wins Day.