The end of Hannibal last season was a bloodbath with four characters lying on the floor in and around Hannibal’s residence with various life threatening injuries while Hannibal ditched Baltimore for pastures new with his former therapist, Bedelia. Hannibal returns in just under a month (June 4) and so the promo department has gifted us with some cast photos from the new season.
Now this is where the SUPER SPOILER WARNING comes in as by all accounts these photos reveal who survived the traumatic events, but there are too much incredible costume changes in these shots to wait a whole month before I can discuss them. So I’m going to kick off with a pair who were the only ones not bleeding and broken at the end of last year.
Serving up so much poise and pretty much making me want to bow down right now; what a power couple! The focus of this campaign including the recently released promo is this relationship between Hannibal and Bedelia with #BrideofHannibal as the nifty Twitter friendly hashtag. Are they married? Well certainly in how they present themselves to unfortunate dinner guests and this dynamic is one I can’t wait to see explored further.
Speaking of ‘the bride’ Bryan Fuller shared this incredible poster on Twitter with Gillian Anderson serving up so much Marlene Dietrich realness as Dr. Bedelia du Maurier.
Hannibal’s costuming is still full of style and flair; swapping out the plaid for a range of different pattern and he’s even got a new leather jacket for his European wardrobe (which you can see in the gallery below). Hannibal gets a little bit more sartorially flashy when he’s on the run it would seem. No laying low here.
He’s not the only one changing up his look in the new promo photos as Alana’s colorful prints have been replaced with black hinting at how much her relationship and subsequent horrific breakup have impacted her. Ah yes so this is the spoilery stuff I was talking about as three out of the four house of horror victims all appear very much alive. Abigail is nowhere to be seen so it is safe to assume this was one throat cut too many. Or like Chilton she might have many lives and because she’s not a regular she doesn’t get a spot in these pictures. I am leaning towards the first option as the more likely. There are two batches of promo photos; one in the ornate and decadent Italian looking location with the second half doing the plain background thing (click on the gallery below for a better look).
The Alana plaid suit image is exciting – I actually yelped with joy when I saw this photo for the first time – for a number of reasons; she is wearing pants which is a huge departure for her usual ultra feminine wrap dress/pencil skirt styling. And even more notable is the choice of pattern because plaid instantly conjures up images of Hannibal. Is she emulating his style as a way to get into his mind and help track him down? Sometimes the clothes worn in promo photos are simply for this purpose alone, but Alana’s green ensemble from her season 2 shots ended up featuring in a pivotal moment for this character’s journey last season and I have a feeling this plaid pantsuit is not just for the promos.
Alana suffered a great deal last season as Hannibal’s champion; she was the one who insisted that he was innocent and she also had a romantic relationship with him (the unpleasant names Alana got called in comment sections was nauseating). By putting her in this position of Hannibal believer she ended up looking incredibly naive and I hope this season goes to some lengths to rectify this narrative stumbling block. I wrote about both her costuming and the season 2 Alana problems at length here.
Over season 2 Will’s costuming evolved from his usual slightly rumpled style to tailored coats and a more polished appearance as he mimicked Hannibal’s fancier attire (but never so far as delving into plaid suits). In these new photos he looks halfway between the man he was and the man he is now. The smart blazer remains, but we see the tailored coat ditched for a style that is more reminiscent of Will circa season 1. Also worth noting is the continued absence of the glasses Will used to hide behind.
We could also split the two photos up by calling one set fancy and the other work threads. Jack in the second collection is also dressing a little bit like Hannibal; his jacket nods to the style we are accustomed to seeing on Hannibal. Gone are the hat and the ties, appearing a whole lot less FBI.
And there is a new character joining the promo photo ranks with Tao Okamoto as Chiyo (Lady Murasaki’s handmaid). Interesting choice of attire in the second half of the photos as she looks prepared for swashbuckling while teaming up with Will. I’m sure I will have a lot more to say about this character after she makes her first appearance, for now I am very excited to see another woman joining the team.
Watch the new promo and check out the gallery below for a detailed look at the costume changes. Hannibal returns
Thursday, June 4.
https://youtu.be/lQ4Bn5YuGcE
Tags: Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Hannibal, Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Mads Mikkelsen, preview, promo, spoilers, Tao Okamoto
The amount of viewpoints is expanding from two (Alison and Noah) to four (Helen and Cole join the mix) and this is a good thing because at times during the first year I found it hard to find myself too engaged by the central pairing.
By opening up the different viewpoints it takes some of the attention away from Alison and Noah and will give Helen and Cole more depth. Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson both delivered last season while being on the periphery and I am forever in awe of everything Maura Tierney does as she can sell heartbreak with just a look. Now their characters will hopefully become more than just props in the central love story and we will get to see how they view Alison and Noah.
Playing with perceptions of behavior and costume is one of The Affair’s strengths, which goes beyond spot the difference and reveals a whole lot about these characters and how they see the world. By throwing in two more POVs it will expand this further and this is why I am excited for the new season.
TV Ate My Wardrobe 
