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Spartacus: Blood and Sand

I only know the "I am Spartacus" comment from the Kubrick movie actually tho' I vaguely remember watching the movie too.

The point is that I know that he led a slave revolt but didn't really win. Everything else (while watching the TV series) is murky and therefore "new" to me. Except I now know of one other historical character that joins him in the revolt (who shall remain nameless to keep y'all unspoiled) by reading the wikipedia article on Spartacus. And we've seen this character on screen. So I know that he/she can't die.

It somehow lessens the mystery for me - knowing what's going to happen.
I've seen the pilot episode and was done with it.

I don't like shows or movies when their sole purpose is to use extreme shock scenes to lure in viewers. Sometimes i like it a bit "rough" and gritty (liked 300 for example) but a whole series that has to shock you with naked bodies, flying limbs and extreme cursing just seems hollow to me.. take that away and you got nothing.
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Uh - I am all for seeing nekkid female bodies.
 
Forbin said:
JD said:
Crassus is the guy who was Spartacus's commander when he was a soldier?
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No, Crassus was the general who hunted him down after the rebellion. Pompey takes the credit, but Pompey and his legions just showed up at the last minute and helped with the cleanup. :)
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small historical tidbit:
Marcus Licinius Crassus was also the third member of the first triumvirate.
Greed and the need to prove himself as worthy as his pals Pompey and Caesar drove him to attack the Parthians.
His legion was defeated at the Battle of Charrae (about 20 years after the Spartacus rebellion) and he was captured and executed.
They say the Parthians shoved molten gold down his throat before chopping his head off.

So, besides Spartacus, MLC is actually the second "big historical name" of the show. I wonder who's gonna play him, if we ever get to see him.
 
Ayelbourne said:
small historical tidbit:
Marcus Licinius Crassus was also the third member of the first triumvirate.
Greed and the need to prove himself as worthy as his pals Pompey and Caesar drove him to attack the Parthians.
His legion was defeated at the Battle of Charrae (about 20 years after the Spartacus rebellion) and he was captured and executed.
They say the Parthians shoved molten gold down his throat before chopping his head off.

So, besides Spartacus, MLC is actually the second "big historical name" of the show. I wonder who's gonna play him, if we ever get to see him.
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This is exactly the kind of historical tidbit I don't want to know. Now I know that he can't die in the series (assuming that they stick to at least the known historical figures being historically accurate).

But that's not why I responded. (I didn't respond to say that my Spartacus watching experience was raped by Ayelbourne! :guffaw:) I wanted to ask why they chopped his head off? I'd think you would die from the molten gold ingestion? Or maybe he's the originator of the term brown-nosing? :eek:

Some of the ancient tortures were really far too imaginative. I shudder to think who spent time dreaming/innovating this stuff...
 
coolghoul said:
I wanted to ask why they chopped his head off? I'd think you would die from the molten gold ingestion?
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Maybe they wanted their gold back and thought it would be easier this way? :lol:

But in all seriousness, I guess they beheaded him in order to parade his head around and send it back to rome or something like that.

Some of the ancient tortures were really far too imaginative. I shudder to think who spent time dreaming/innovating this stuff...
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Well, Crassus was known to be a greedy bastard. So that's half the story already.
 
coolghoul said:
This is exactly the kind of historical tidbit I don't want to know. Now I know that he can't die in the series (assuming that they stick to at least the known historical figures being historically accurate).
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I know what you mean, actually. I looked up one of the characters in HBO's "Pacific" on Wiki and the article started right off with when he was killed. Kinda bummed me out.

Anyhoo, check out the Kirk Douglas film some time. It's one of the greats.
 
Ep 11 Old Wounds

Wow. Batiatus getting really reckless here. Ashur getting truly diabolical. And it's interesting that Spartacus receives the clarity of vision from his fevered dreams rather than his real life. I also felt for Crixus. His dreams of being Champion of Capua again - wanting to be nothing more than a champion gladiator acknowledged by all. Unfortunately, things are complicated.

I think this version of Spartacus is bringing up the 'hubris' aspect found in the stories from ancient Greek. It's Batiatus and Lucretia and Clavius and Ilythia and Licinia and so on all the way back to Glaber- all of them humiliate their victims and then either pay the price or you can feel their doom approach.
 
The series is getting better IMO. Still way over the top in the blood/sex/dismemberment/scheming but then this is probably a more accurate depiction of Roman life than we typically get.

It's still not entirely accurate obviously but I think it's closer than most of what I've seen before.
 
Is anyone still watching this? I'm enjoying it, took a little to get used to the "style", but overall find the characters good and the acting even better. Anyone know how may episodes there will be in season 1? I think I just finished ep. 12, is there more to come? Any word on season 2 and what will be done because of the actor playing Spartacus being ill with cancer?

Q2

PS Lucy Lawless still has it.... :drool:
 
I fell asleep halfway through the first episode. I just thought it was way too over-the-top. Shitty graphics and soldiers yelling out the word "cunt" every 5 seconds do not make for a good story.
 
RoJoHen said:
I fell asleep halfway through the first episode. I just thought it was way too over-the-top. Shitty graphics and soldiers yelling out the word "cunt" every 5 seconds do not make for a good story.
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It became better about episode 4 or 5 and remained that way to date. Like I said, took a little getting used to the sex, violence and swearing, but you get drawn in.

Q2
 
Eh, I have other shows to watch. If Spartacus becomes amazing a few years down the road, I might go back to it.
 
AJBryant said:
Forbin said:
History is cooool! :D
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It is indeed.

But history has blessed little to do with Blood and Sand.
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Oh so true. But as long as they get the major historical points, it's okay.

RoJoHen said:
I fell asleep halfway through the first episode. I just thought it was way too over-the-top. Shitty graphics and soldiers yelling out the word "cunt" every 5 seconds do not make for a good story.
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I think the drinking game for this show would be a shot every time someone says "cock," and chug a beer every time someone describes the action said cock is taking. i.e. "Glaber is a slimey cock!" gets a shot, and "Once again the gods spread cheeks wide and insert cock in ass!" gets a beer.
 
I'm enjoying the show. The sex and violence don't bother me, and I rather love the graphic novel style it has. Sure, some of the disemboweling-style CGI is pretty fake looking, but it beats just seeing a line of red food coloring slashed across someone's arm that disappears by the next scene. The fact that scars and injuries persist from episode to episode is rather amazing and pretty awesome.
 
Loved the newest episode - who's head did they chop off at the end there and show to the gladiators, was that the guard that got the key stolen from him?

Love that they exposed Illithia's actions to her husband, and I love even more how he believed them right away. I'd probably watch out for her now though....

Looks like it's going to be a rocking season finale.
 
Q2UnME said:
RoJoHen said:
I fell asleep halfway through the first episode. I just thought it was way too over-the-top. Shitty graphics and soldiers yelling out the word "cunt" every 5 seconds do not make for a good story.
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It became better about episode 4 or 5 and remained that way to date. Like I said, took a little getting used to the sex, violence and swearing, but you get drawn in.
Q2
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Spartacus has gone from 300-wannabe to (in my opinion, of course) the best thing on television right now. "Whore" blew my mind. I've not been left reeling by an episode to such an extent since Angel's "Sleep Tight". Intelligent, emotionally affecting twists that other shows' writers could do well to learn from.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
 
Hot Footy said:
Loved the newest episode - who's head did they chop off at the end there and show to the gladiators, was that the guard that got the key stolen from him?
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Yup, the same guard who got his face burned by Spartacus.

I'm loving this show as well--after the craziness of this past episode I'm so looking forward to the season finale.
 
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