With the impending debut of *Spartacus: Gods of the Arena *on Starz Friday night, I thought it would be a good time to explain why I love Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Because it's not just bloody soft-core porn.
Though, yes, it's bloody. And, yes, it's not a show that you want to watch with children under eighteen. (Probably not a show to watch with children over eighteen. Certain scenes might prove a bit awk-ward...)
Oh, the show has its flaws. There's dialogue that approaches MST3K territory, including references to Jupiter's private parts, there's scenery chewing by the actors, and bloody special effects that are so stylized that they're sometimes silly. Oh, look! Entrails again!
I also have doubts of historical accuracy, though they certainly have some of the emotional tone of the people of that time correct.
Still, I am incredibly hooked.
I'm not the only one hooked either. Katrina Law, who plays Mira on the show, wrote an excellent post about why the show has become Starz' break-out hit.
Ostensibly, Spartacus: Blood and Sand is the tale of the gladiator who led a famous slave rebellion against the Roman Republic. The show begins before our hero becomes that historical figure. He's an unnamed Thracian warrior who joins the Roman legions to protect his home and then rebels when it becomes clear the Romans are only interested in preserving their empire and don't care about his village's survival.
This rebellion ends badly for our hero, as not only is he captured and sold into slavery, so is his beloved wife. The first two episodes are set up to Spartacus' entering gladiator training. If you judge the show by them, you might conclude it's not very good.
But by episode three, the show is in full stride.
Be warned, minor spoilers below. I've tried to be general but...
Episode three is when the plots and character arcs are put in motion, arcs that pay off magnificently by season's end. Nothing at first is what is seems and no scene is wasted. It all fits together.
And that's what makes the show so very good, so good that I think it's criminal that it was ignored in the Emmy nominations.
In Spartacus, the characters change and grow and come to a resolution. They learn. In some cases, they die before they can apply the truth of what they know but that simply adds to the unpredictability.
For example: Batiatus, the Roman gladiator owner who buys Spartacus, originally seems a decent enough sort and I initially sympathized with him because of his obvious love for his wife and his burning desire to be recognized above his class. He also seems honorable, giving Spartacus his word to reunite him with his wife.
By the next-to-last episode, it becomes clear that all the initial impressions about Batiatus are just plain wrong. He's sneaky, more than a little insane and gives us at least two "Oh, no, I cannot believe he did that!" endings to episodes. John Hannah gives an incredible performance as this increasingly off-kilter character. How far he's come since his role in The Mummy.
Crixus, the gladiator who first appeared to be no more than a bully, nearly stole the show from the title character as the season progressed. He's a brute, true, but that's because he's totally drunk the Kool-Aid about how honorable it is to be a gladiator, even the part about how his eventual death with bring eternal glory. The moment when he realizes it's all illusion and that he's an expensive toy is one of the highlights of the finale.
This point of being a simple plaything is driven home to Spartacus himself in the most heart-wrenching episode of the show. There is an awesome post here about tragedy versus sad in storytelling. This death was pure tragedy and worked brilliantly. It was clear that this character was probably not destined for a good end but the way it happened was shocking.This was the episode where I thought "This is one of the best shows I've watched in a long time."
In short, unpredictable plot turns plus awesome character arcs equals a show that I absolutely cannot miss.
I will, however, not deny that all the incredibly well-built handsome gladiators who strut around with little clothing doesn't hurt its appeal. The husband would like to convey that he doesn't exactly object to the frequent female nudity as well. In fact, there is so much nudity in this show that I finally began to note that the female actresses were not surgically enhanced. Apparently, the producers of the show wanted women who could pass for Roman women, even nude.
There are also the orgies featuring simulated sex, which is eye-opening the first time it appears. But, the fascinating part is that the sex isn't, well, sexy. It becomes background noise.
And that's part of the world-building.
Sex, especially with slaves, means little to any of the free Romans. It's a commodity, just like the lives of the gladiators.
It's the difference between sex and love that becomes key. There are several couples very deeply in love, but because of their circumstances none of them ends well. It exposes how ultimately hollow sex is all by itself.
What is truly sexy on this show is the longing. The longing for freedom. The longing for a lost love.
The longing to matter.
I have my doubts that they'll be able to pull off good character arcs in the prequel, given that we know how most of the characters turn out. But the creators have surprised me once. I'm eager to see if they'll do it again. Plus, more John Hannah chewing scenery.
And I can't write this without mentioning Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus magnificently. The part has been recast for an upcoming sequel because Whitfield is suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It was hoped that Whitfield would be cancer free in time for season two but that was sadly not the case. I fervently hope he beats it with his next treatment.
