Okay, finally finished the series and can give a few closing comments.

First, it is a very intricate and well-thought prequel to Red Dragon. Purists should note, however, that there are changes made to the small amount of information on events prior to Red Dragon, and I confess I can't remember the novel completely at this point. Perhaps a re-reading is in order, if I ever have the time. Most of the changes -- addition of new characters, for example -- are to be expected, since it is obvious to me now that a second season is/was planned. The conclusion is a very nice twist to one of the seminal scenes between Dr. Lecter and Will Graham in Manhunter that I suspect a few members of this board will recognize.

My positive statements regarding the acting that I made above are still valid. Add to those that Gillian Anderson has become a much more striking beauty with age than she was in X-Files. One thing I liked is the realistic portrayal of psychiatrists and psychoanalysis. My father was a psychiatrist, and I became very familiar with his and his colleagues methodology for dealing with patients. Hannibal gets it mostly correct, whereas Dylan McDermott's practice in American Horror Story Season One is so out of left field and unreal that it has kept me from moving through that season in order to get ready for what appears to be a much better storyline in Season Two.

Negative thoughts and observations did not deter me from power-watching the series, but I don't know that I'd recommend that method to other viewers. The dark tone is magnified considerably when viewing back to back episodes, and becomes somewhat of a drag (as if I power-watched the first season of Millenium). There are a few lapses in logic, one of which is extremely obvious and silly; and I wasn't fond of the continual ping-ponging psyche of Will Graham moving back and forth between cognitive reality and cognitive dissonance. I also felt that the actions of Jack Crawford and his FBI team were not realistic -- they don't surveill very much or very well, and they only seem to be competent after the fact rather than ahead of any mayhem.

But... I ended up liking the series more than disliking it, and the last two episodes make me wonder how the creators are gonna get to the actual capture of Lecter, if that is where they intend to go.

... Reed