Warning: Hannibal final episode spoilers below!
Hannibal ‘s latest reincarnation on television might only have lasted for a mere three seasons before ending this past week, but creator Bryan Fuller’s avant-garde approach to Thomas Harris’ classic novels mean the series will have a shelf life longer than many of its more successful contemporaries.
One of the early indicators of Hannibal ‘s growing influence on popular culture was evident when the good old Internet — in a way that it often does — decided to pay a tribute to Hannibal by mashing up brief cutaways of the series with the intro of another classic sitcom of American television, Friends . Sure, those two shows are worlds apart — but when has that ever stopped YouTube from getting into the act?
According to AV Club , YouTuber Andrew Kuhar recently uploaded an edited video, titled “ Friends for Dinner “, which sees the grim, sardonic tale of Hannibal being told through the peppy theme tune that introduced Friends to us. Yes, can you imagine the severe, almost minimal tone of Hannibal made sprightly and perkier with The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You?”
Making use of what were probably the only 30 seconds of smiling scenes from Hannibal , the mashup video serves as a reminder of what a laughing track might have done for the show! After Tumblr’s repeated attempts to put flower crowns on the heads of Hannibal’s tortured creatures, that does seem like the next logical step, doesn’t it?
Check out the video here.
Wasn’t that creepy / nice?
Meanwhile, Hannibal ‘s cliffhanging end to the finale has drawn praise from several quarters. In their review of Hannibal ‘s final episode , the Los Angeles Times wrote that that the innovative, yet relatively unpopular, series will be remembered for its honest and daring exploration of mental illness.
“Even when characters on ‘Hannibal’ were at their least stable, they were still treated with emotional integrity, something that goes a long way in a culture that still jumps to label perpetrators of gun violence as ‘crazy,’ yet is uninterested in funding treatment facilities for those that would require such services.”
While many believe that Hannibal came to a premature end simply because it lacked viewing audience, some others think the show was too avant-garde for its own good. Whatever reasons we may consider for the show’s untimely demise, there is little doubt — even though the show has ended — that this is not the last time we are going to hear of Hannibal .
[Photo: Andrew Kuhar / YouTube]
