Blood, Screams, and Haute Cuisine
Celebrating 10 years of Mother issues and Murder Husbands with 'Bates Motel' and 'Hannibal'
A roadside motel.
A psychiatrist’s office.
A dinner table.
A shower.
These places seem safe, unassuming when thought of separately. What happens when you put the motel and the shower together? Or the psychiatrist’s office and the dinner table?
Do you still feel safe? Or does a delicious feeling of dread creep up your spine?
If you relish that sense of foreboding, then you’re likely aware that we are in a season of celebration. This spring marks the tenth anniversaries of two iconic television shows: Bates Motel and Hannibal. [Note: Spoilers within.]
The story of Norman Bates and the iconic motel was introduced via the 1959 Robert Bloch novel Psycho, which was adapted into the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. Three film sequels followed in 1983, 1986, and 1990. (I'm choosing to ignore Gus Van Sant’s ill-advised shot-for-shot 1998 remake.)
When Bates Motel debuted March 18, 2013, on A&E, a new generation of fans was born. We were ready to check in for a long stay based on the pilot alone. The remaining 49 episodes only proved how right we were as the writers put a fresh spin on a story we thought we knew. Showrunners Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse gave us so much more than the basic plot of Psycho; it allowed us to get to know Norman’s mother, Norma Bates — a mere sketch in the novel and film — while introducing Sheriff Alex Romero, Emma Decody, and Norman’s half-brother, Dylan Massett. That’s not including the multitude of memorable supporting characters that populated White Pine Bay, Oregon.
Creator/showrunner Bryan Fuller pulled his version of Hannibal from the pages of Thomas Harris’ novels: Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising. He put his own spin on Hannibal Lecter’s story — the show debuted April 4, 2013, on NBC — gifting the world with one of the most beautiful and chilling television shows. Fans of the books will recognize characters including Will Graham, Jack Crawford, Alan(a) Bloom, Freddie Lounds, Frederick Chilton, and Francis Dolarhyde. Loving attention has been paid to the source material without being slavish.
Both shows have a lot in common: from first-rate casts and crew to well-plotted arcs, from police procedural origins to song cues and scoring. Even when they differ, there are similarities. Where Bates Motel is a film noir at heart, Hannibal is a Gothic romance. And still, there are times when even these traits can be found in the other. Hannibal’s Bedelia Du Maurier is a femme fatale in the tradition of Veronica Lake, Gene Tierney, or Lana Turner. Bates Motel’s Emma Decody and Dylan Massett’s relationship has echoes of Catherine and Henry from Northanger Abbey, as well as Jane Eyre and Rochester — the latter particularly as Dylan helps keep the family’s secrets buried to protect his mother and brother, and to avoid losing the love of his life.
Of course, the catalyst for those secrets existing is Mother. Though she lives in Norman Bates’ mind, taking the visage of Norma, she’s as much as the devil on his shoulder as Hannibal Lecter is for Will Graham. Mother’s and Hannibal’s influences play a similar melody; it’s a siren’s song, effectively awakening their beloved’s dark side. Seduction comes in many forms, after all. The twist being that Will isn’t as innocent as Norman and tends to turn the tables on his seducer. Hannibal simply sees it all as foreplay. (There's a good reason why Freddie Lounds refers to the pair as Murder Husbands in season three.)
Seduction may be a theme in both series, but love also plays a significant part. Whether familial, romantic, or platonic, characters in both series feel its slings and arrows acutely. The biggest romances within each fandom seem to be Norma Bates and Alex Romero (ship name: Normero) from Bates Motel and Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham (ship name: Hannigram) from Hannibal.
Whereas Norma and Alex's relationship evolves in a relatively straightforward fashion from enemies to friends to lovers, Hannibal and Will's takes a more complicated route. Let's just say theirs would require a separate post — and a lengthy, in depth one at that. Adapt. Evolve. Become. This is Hannibal’s design and encapsulates Will's transformation over the course of the series. Regardless of where their relationship stands at any given point, it's impossible for the two to deny they are drawn towards one other. This is also true of Norma and Alex, despite their constant clashes.Â
The chemistry between each pairing is intoxicating; guaranteed to make your heartbeat trip and release a flood of endorphins into your body every time they are onscreen. Vera Farmiga and Nestor Carbonell, as Norma and Alex, bring the kind of heat found in the best classic Hollywood film couples. Electricity crackles all around them, as though one touch will scorch the screen. Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy offer a ferocious emotional intellect as Hannibal and Will, engaging in an attract/repel dynamic that infuses every word, every gesture, every action. It’s an unchoreographed dance in which somehow they seemingly know every step.
Which brings me to the crux of each of these tales: murder. Death effectively casts its long shadow between Norman allowing Mother to clean up his mess and Hannibal punishing those who have offended his delicate sensibilities. Characters die at these men’s hands and the lives of their victims’ loved ones are irrevocably altered. The prime examples being how Norma’s death following Norman’s botched murder-suicide affects him, Alex, and Dylan, and Will’s reaction to learning that Hannibal killed his best friend, Beverly Katz. The aftermath isn’t always pretty, but it does make for a fascinating watch.
Or in Hannibal’s case, it’s more like a gorgeous and delectable feast for the senses. This is proven throughout the series most notably via the death tableaux designed by Hannibal and by the fantastic meals he creates featuring organs he has removed from his victims. Honor every part. It’s a rule by which every cannibal worth his/her/their salt adheres. Plus, it makes it that much harder for the cops to pin the crime on you.
Perhaps Norman (or more likely Mother) should have considered adopting such a lifestyle when embracing his role as a serial killer. Now my fangirl/writer brain is conceiving an AU where Norman becomes the protégé of Hannibal and perhaps falls for Abigail Hobbs, herself the daughter of a cannibal serial killer. Hmm…
Believe me when I say I could keep banging on about how wonderful both of these shows are and all the reasons why I think so or about how every time I watch an episode it’s like coming home. Instead, I’m going to wrap up so I can indulge in yet another rewatch of Bates Motel and Hannibal. How many times have I watched each show full stop? Easily double digits by now.
I’ve connected to these series in a way that I haven’t with other shows — even those I love. There’s a cord between our hearts. With Bates Motel and Hannibal, there is so much more to observe if you’re willing to look beyond the surface.
Cheers to two shows that embrace the weird and the outcasts, the off-kilter and the madness without judgment but with a touch of Grand Guignol.
May we all go a little mad sometimes.