HANNIBAL Season 2 Trailer is Served

It's almost time for the second course.

After months of anticipation, the first trailer for the second season of NBC's Hannibal debuted today online.  The series based on the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris was a pleasantly gory surprise, especially coming from NBC, and proved popular enough to earn a second series of thirteen episodes.

When we left FBI Special Agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) at the end of Season One, he was imprisoned after being framed for murder by the brilliant and cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen).  The new two-minute trailer opens with an ominous voiceover from Special Agent-in-Charge Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) as he talks to Will in his cell:

"You know, in my time, I've seen people broken by the world.  This work that we do, you just can't take it all in.  My biggest fear is that we'll learn that you knew what you were doing the whole time.  Will Graham, you're under arrest for murder."

Naturally, Dr. Lecter continues to pin his crimes on Will while assisting Jack and the FBI in the investigation.  "Will claims someone else committed the crimes he's accused of."  Jack replies, "He said that person is you."  "Well, you have to investigate me," remarks Lecter as we see his mouth being swabbed for DNA.  "It's in my best interest."

A brief scene of Jack follows.  "Will Graham is either delusional or he's a psychopath, neither of which I can trust."

We then see Lecter conversing with Raul Esparza, once again as recurring character Dr. Frederick Chilton, administrator of the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.  "He tells everyone that you are a monster," remarks Dr. Chilton.  "There are days when even Will doesn't understand his own thinking," replies Dr. Lecter.

Meanwhile, Dr. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas), consultant profiler for the FBI, isn't happy about the turn of events.  "I told you not to put him out there!" she yells, presumably at Jack Crawford.

More with Jack and the imprisoned Will.  "We investigated your claims about Dr. Lecter," Jack says to Will.  "I am not the intelligent psychopath you're looking for," replies Will.

As a slow, haunting cover of the song "Stand by Me" begins, we see some disturbing images, including Lecter slowly sniffing a corpse, a figure with stag antlers rising from a stream and bodies arranged in the pattern of an eye cornea, accompanied by a voiceover from Will talking to Dr. Lecter.  "I don't know which is worse...believing I did it or believing that you did this to me."

We see Alana aiming her gun at someone approaching her, followed by a brutal kitchen fight between Dr. Lecter and Jack that results in Jack being wounded in the neck.

"I'm going to remember," continues Will, "and when I do, there will be a reckoning."

If you'd like to view the trailer, you can check it out below thanks to YouTube...

Hannibal Season 2 premieres on February 28, 2014 at 10 p.m. EST on NBC.