Hannibal - Season Two

Mads Mikkelson, we learn on one of the special features on the new 3-disc set for "Hannibal: Season Two," plays Dr. Hannibal Lecter as a "fallen angel." It makes sense: Lecter has an angelic refinement of tastes and manner, but a demonic appetite for human flesh. Most compelling of all is his cold, crystalline intellect: If genius is the ability to hold two contradictory thoughts in one's head at the same time, what superhuman capacity is signaled by a capacity to harbor both dazzling courtesy and savage bloodlust?

In this 13-episode followup to Season One's frolics, Hannibal is now working in a consulting capacity with the FBI -- which is a great place to be, when you're committing half the crimes under investigation.

Hugh Dancy plays Hannibal's opposite number, Will Graham, an FBI profiler whose intellect is as powerful as Hannibal's -- and, as the season runs its course, he too becomes simultaneously capable of elegance and savagery. Hannibal has framed Will for shocking crimes, landing him in the custody of psych ward sadist Dr. Chilton (Raul Esparza) while even his closets colleagues -- including boss Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne), Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) and lab tech trio Jimmy ("Kids in the Hall" comic Scott Thompson) Aaron (Brian Zeller) , and Beverly (Hetienne Park) -- all think he's gone bonkers. Guest stars the ilk of Eddie Izzard and Gilliam Anderson fetch up, as does Michael Pitt, late of "Boardwalk Empire," in the role of Dr. Lecter's nemesis, Mason Verger. That's right: Fuller and friends are having fun linking back to the Thomas Harris novels in logical, but unexpected, ways.

Series executive producer Bryan Fuller describes the show as a "dark comedy," and he's got a point, but this is also a full-bore exercise in horror, psychic dislocation, betrayal, and the sometimes dangerous, often entwined intricacies of friendship and enmity. The show is constantly over the top in the most glorious -- make that goreious -- fashion; it's slasher flick as high opera.

"Hannibal: Season Two" offers a tasty assortment of special features. Season One's episode titles followed the dishes of a fancy French feast; this time, the series goes for something a little more raw, with titles derived from Japanese cooking. Take Episode 5, for instance, "Mukozuki," which is defined for us as "a course of seasonal sashimi." The episode is aptly titled (one regular character ends up sliced and, er... sliced) and the episode itself is dissected into thin, carefully considered sections in a featurette title "This Is My Design," which address every aspect of production. The end result is a featurette that runs about an hour and a half long -- more than twice the length of the episode in question.

Prosthetics supervisor Fran�ois Dagenais and his artfully created limbs, heads, corpses, etc., are a major focus of the featurette "Body of Lies," while "The Style of a Killer" celebrates the outfits Hannibal and the others wear. Scott Thompson hosts a series of short interview segments (originally episodes of a web series), chatting up the stars, the food stylist, Director of Photography James Hawkinson, and Bryan Fuller; "Hannibal Season 2: Killer Intentions" provides a nice overview of the season. Maybe too nice. These extras are filled with spoilers, so don't turn them on before you finish viewing every episode!

There are also audio commentary tracks on select episodes (it's amusing to hear Hugh Dancy in his native British voice, and the cast and crew clearly have a real rapport). A gag reel and deleted scenes round out this delicious package.

"Hannibal: Season Two"
Blu-ray
$39.97
http://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/