One of the best things about having a PlayStation 3 (or any video game console this generation, really) is the ability to stream movies and TV shows directly to the system. While I find NetFlix's offerings far from complete, Kelly and I did come across a show that has pretty much made NetFlix pay for itself (we're still on the free trial, so I guess if I found anything to watch the service would have paid for itself...):
Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
I know I'm late to the party on this one, since the show aired earlier last year for the US, but if you were waiting for just one more person to say how awesome this show is before you watch it, then wait no more.
I had heard quite a few praises for the show and was even aware of the controversy surrounding season two (as it were). I was already aware that star Andrew Whitfield had non-Hodgkins lymphoma and it was in doubt whether he would return for a second season. Still, the show sounded promising, given that it was a show about gladiators and violence and sex and all that good stuff that your parents wouldn't let you watch as a kid (but still did, anyway, because you were like that).
The show is about a Thracian slave named Spartacus (but not really. One of the running gags is that he is cut off everytime he or anybody else is about to say his name) who was convinced to join with the Roman army to fight off invaders (who happened to always be giving Spartacus' village a hard time. A win-win situation) but was betrayed by the Roman Legate (General) who seeks to use the Thracians against the invading Greeks. When Spartacus refuses, the shit hits the fan and he is separated from his wife and both are sold into slavery (he to a lanista after he takes out four men in the arena as his death sentence and his wife as a...slave. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about).
The show plays out in a style that is like "300 for TV" and even has a few of the bit actors from that film in here (the Messenger from 300 is the gladiator trainer in the series) with gratuitous violence (the best kind, right?), an ample amount of slow motion, and people using vaguely foreign accents and olde tyme-sounding words.
Spartacus' quest to reunite with his wife is the main focus for most of the first season and this is where it differs from most dramatizations of the story that have come before it. While ***SPOILER*** most of the films and TV shows about Spartacus have focused on the eventual rebellion that he leads, the first season is all about how he gets to that point.
The show is smart, with every plot weaved into another until there's an entire tapestry of violence, sex and betrayal (and any combination of the three) and the acting phenomenal (to the point where I don't even know how I feel about Starz replacing the lead).
While the show's disclaimer states that it's a historical portrayal of Rome, I do have my doubts. While it is a much different time, I don't know if anyone ever got so much excitement from people killing each other that the masses just started doing it in the stands (the modern equivalent is if your football team just won the Super Bowl and you got so randy that you got it on in the stands during the celebration. Vulgar, I know).
As I was reminded by my friend James, this show does make prolific use of Jupiter (the head of the Roman Pantheon) and his genitals.
I tried to be a spoiler-free as possible with this review/endorsement, but I will say this. Every episode had me wanting to start up the next one right away.
Should you watch this show and its prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena? Did you like 300 at all? If yes, watch it. Do you like shows taking a liberal approach to history? If so, watch it. Do you like political intrigue mixed with all sorts of ass-kicking? If so, watch it. Just make sure the kids are no where around when you do (though they've probably already seen it...)
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