I think in the case of Hannibal, you are right. Mizumono and the cliff scene had incredible emotional payoff. Just fantastic storytelling.

I was probably being argumentative for the sake of it here, so I apologise, and your comments have shown me that we're largely thinking along the same lines. Your last paragraph resonated with me - I find it hard to call out any one show for queer baiting, especially when they're otherwise great shows, but it's the broader trend of media up until the last few years that, when you look back on it, was not great.

Thanks for the detailed response, I really appreciate it