20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Hannibal
7. The First Season Finale Is Full Of Easter Eggs
That final moment of Hannibal's first season is absolutely killer (figuratively and literally), as Dr Lecter smirks in appreciation that his plan to trap Will has all worked out. The smarmy git had been playing him from the start, setting up Graham as the fall guy for Hannibal's own murders, and it all went off without a hitch.
Besides being an amazing cliffhanger ending that had fans clamouring for the next season, it also gave shout-outs to three separate previous on-screen Hannibal adaptations. First of all, Hannibal and Will's meeting? That's straight out of Manhunter, the forgotten (and brilliant) first Red Dragon adaptation.
The cells where that meeting takes place are modelled on Silence of The Lambs, and then there's the music. That's “Vide Cor Meum” by Hans Zimmer, a piece that was specifically composed for Ridley Scott's sequel to Silence Of The Lambs, the movie Hannibal. So in that one episode, everything is united! Except Red Dragon. And Hannibal Rising.