Spartacus: Blood and Sand

[EnsignRicky]

/\ I don't care how determined you are, you get a Roman style tracheotomy, you'sa gonna die.

Apparently you don't watch a lot of fantasy television or film.

The show is a "Hollywoodized" interpretation of events to be sure, but I never got a "fantasy" vibe from it. which is too bad, because that's the only way those people are coming back.

That and reruns.*

* Used with permission from Richard Dawson.

 

[Skywalker]

Awesome, awesome finale. I'm just amazed at how far this show has come in such a short span of time. It's just too bad that John Hannah will no longer be around. He was fantastic as Batiatus.

Get better soon, Mr. Whitfield. We're anxiously awaiting season two!

 

[species5618]

Holy. Shit.

That was great--this show has come a long way from the pilot episode, which didn't exactly wow me. I am very glad that I stuck with it, though--this is one of the best season finales I've seen in recent memory.

 

[Cicero]

Pardon my asking, but is the series sci-fi? My impression was that it was merely period.

 

[NCC1701MF]

Pardon my asking, but is the series sci-fi? My impression was that it was merely period.

I wondered about that too. Maybe because much of the story has to be made up to fill in the gaps in the actual history, the series is being considered fantasy?

 

[Trent Roman]

I think it's because the series began with such obvious "300" overtones, which was clearly a fantasized version of history. Admitedly, though a lot about the show is exagerrated (the bloodspray, that Shadow of Death guy), there are no truly fantastical elements in it.

Then again, with all unabashed nudity and beautiful well, maybe we could call it fantasy of a different sort?

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Checkmate]

It's very much a low fantasy show based on history. You don't have to have magic, elves, and places with ridiculous names like the Mountain of Perilous Doom in order to be fantasy. 300 is another example, and it's clear they're following the same kind of mentality here. Complete with their monstrous "orcs" that we saw in the premiere.

 

[Forbin]

And there really is no point in being disappointed that the show is taking a different turn from reality. I mean, really, if you were expecting a historical re-enactment, you're really watching the wrong type of show!

Oh, I'm not remotely disappointed! I'm just interested in the real history, and making observations. I truly love the show.

Pardon my asking, but is the series sci-fi? My impression was that it was merely period.

Not remotely sci fi. There's no science at all in the fiction. It's a semi-historical period drama based on real-world events with a shitload of made-up soap opera thrown in.

Basically, the entire first season is built around the following tiny bit of real history: that Spartacus was was a slave/gladiator at the Capua Ludus, that Cnaeus (NOT Quintus) Lentulus Batiatus was the Lenister, that another gladiator named Crixus was there, and that they led a rebellion in the spring of 73 BC. Period. Every other thing in the whole first season was made up.

The following years of the slave wars are pretty well documented by Roman historians, so, if the show's writers care (), they'll have some more facts to fall back on.

 

[Iasius]

I'll nominate this series as "most improved over the course of the first season."

The first episode or two was basically a 300-like blood/nudity/gore-fest.

Since then it has really turned into one hell of a great show with excellent characters.