Yes. The answer is yes.
Now, I could go on and on analyzing these two, with the foreshadowing and the symbolism and the cinematography and all that hoo-haa
But to be honest, not a lot needs to be said to prove that these guys are more than platonic.
Really, the text and subtext is all there and the creator fully acknowledges that it's homoerotic.
Unlike SOME people
Now for those of you who haven't seen the NBC show, Hannibal, well...
Go watch it.
I'm warning you right now you're gonna have to sit through kaleidoscope lesbian sex scenes so don't watch it with your grandparents
... unless they're into that ...?
And if you double haven't seen it, here's a summary :
So, Will is this dude who has so much empathy that he can think like a killer.
The FBI asks for help because they suck, but Will also kind of sucks because he's too "unstable".
- You won't like me when I'm psychoanalyzed.
- Will.
Keeping that in mind, they ask for help from this secret cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
They do wild, heterosexual things like smell each other !
- Did you just smell me ?
- Difficult to avoid.
Hannibal becomes obsessed with Will and it's great until it's not.
The show includes moments like :
People being cooked with classical music playing in the background.
Hannibal feeding people other people.
You, kind of thinking that the people Hannibal is cooking actually looks kind of delicious.
You, turning on your captions, because you have no idea what Hannibal is saying half of the time.
- ... and decency are present yet shocked at your associations.
Will shaking.
Sex scenes you want to stop
Hallucinations.
And dream sequences.
And with that we have the show Hannibal.
A cannibal, who falls in love with an FBI agent.
Hold on a second, you may be saying, how do you even know he's in loove with him ?
Well, gee, I mean, I don't know.
- Is Hannibal in love with me?
(Bedelia) - Yes
Yeah, I'm not sure...
So Hannibal is probably at least obsessed with Will.
- You are obsessed with Will Graham.
I mean, who wouldn't be ?
And the show basically spends three seasons building that up.
From when Hannibal gives up his heart to Will,
- He left us his... his broken heart.
From when he smells him,
from when he's cutting his head open,
stabbing him...
The question is :
- But do you ache for him ?
Is Will obsessed with Hannibal ?
Does he ache to be with Hannibal ?
Of course he acknowledges their connection, their profound bond
Even as something as small as eye contact.
- Not fond of eye contact are you ?
- Eyes are distracting.
Really ?
(music plays)
I think that Will has some non-platonic feelings for Hannibal. Even if show creator Bryan Fuller says that Will is furiously straight, there's definitely another layer to that.
Even after he and Hannibal go through their lover's quarell, Will forgives him.
- I forgive you.
And when Hannibal mentions that to a psychiatrist, Bedelia, she says :
- Betrayal and forgiveness are best seen as something akin to falling in love.
Will even fantasizes about running away with Hannibal when they discovered Hannibal was a criminal.
- I told him to leave.
- 'cause I wanted him to run
(Jack) - Why ?
- Because he... because he was my friend.
And because I wanted to run away with him.
Will romanticizes this perfect life that he and Hannibal could've shared.
Hannibal, Abigail Hobbs and he being this perfect little family off somewhere.
And Hannibal waking the family up every morning with the fresh smell of people based breakfast on the stove.
It seems lovely.
And towards the end, when this maniac guy is chasing after him, Hannibal and he are drinking wine together, they're litteraly talking about how love between friends is the best !
- No greater love hath man to lay down his life for a friend.
They're drinking wine and they're being chased by a murderer ! I litteraly forgot Will had a wife and kid in this episode.
His wife and kid is only a thing for like three episodes and then it's all about Hannibal, this show what the f---
So we move on towards the end of that when the maniac guy who eats drawings finally reaches them, Hannibal and Will battle him to the the death and surprise surprise, they win ! kind of...
Hannibal and Will are left all bloodied together and they grope each other and it's the most goddamn romantic thing I've seen since... since... SINCE...
The way Will cling onto Hannibal is sensual, the way they tease and almost kiss... and Will is saying that it's beautiful.
- It's beautiful...
It feels as if seeing their relationship turn sexual wouldn't do it justice.
It feels right for this relationship to end tragic and to aknowledge the intense emotions they feel for each other.
This beautiful dying moment, this... this...
- This is all I ever wanted for you.
So... why is it important to acknowledge these ships ?
It's groundbreaking queer fiction showing a love story between two men that isn't about the love story, and it's something the LGBT+ community has wanted for a long time.
An LGBT love story about two people that isn't exclusively about them being LGBT.
I admire the show for that reason, it isn't queerbaiting, it's just showing off the characters in their relationships.
Bryan Fuller says that the relationship was more emotional than a sexual one though.
So yeah maybe there isn't an onscreen kiss but it's not about that.
In an interview with the, Bryan Fuller himself says
He goes on to say
Bryan Fuller is changing the way male reltionships are portrayed in the media.
Instead of adding subtext and not acknowledging it, like Supernatural or Sherlock, Fuller has managed to go through with the relationship as much as he could with a complex relationship like Will and Hannibal's.
And hey, maybe other shows should take this as an example, instead of hiding behind the thinly veiled excuse of "THEY'RE STRAIGHT MEN IN A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP"
Why not acknowledge that there's a lot more going on ? You can't build up characters like this without expecting people to catch onto the plethora of romantic tropes you're displaying.
So thanks Bryan Fuller ! Thanks for a great show.
So, Hannibal and Will, murder husbands ?
- Murder husbands.
Gay cannibal buddies ?
Surely an interesting relationship in an interesting show.
But the still somehow question remains. Are they gay ? You decide.