TV Verdict

This past Friday, Starz wrapped up the first season of its hyper-stylized, MA-rated (to the extreme) gladiatorial saga–Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

When I first saw the promos for this, I was intrigued, less about the historical retelling of the Spartacus (and his eventual running point on a massive slave rebellion) and more because it looked a lot like 300 and 300 was awesome.

And that first season looked a lot like 300, to the point where I nearly checked out, unwilling to endure what looked to be a show that was even too derivative for me.

But I hung with it and I’m glad I did, because as creator Steven DeKnight and his corral of writers got their footing and settled into the characters and story, Spartacus blasted off and for 13 episodes delivered some hearty thrills.

Here is why I think Spartacus is one of the bigger, more bad-ass surprises to come along in series form in a long, long time–in handy list form!

The slaughter.
Spartacus is bloody. Real bloody. Like one of the bloodiest pieces of entertainment I’ve seen, big or small screen. The gladiator combat is well-choreographed and blends slow-motion with utter barbarism. And when the killing blows are landed, watch out: the effects crew churns out cascades of blood and sinew. The stylized filming offsets the disturbance factor some, but really, there’s not much you can do to temper a man’s face being sliced off or a crucifixion/castration combo. If you can stomach it, the thrills in Spartacus are top shelf.

Something huge happens every episode.
No filler here. Each show contains a massive plot development, which would consistently alter the characters in big ways. Groundwork was laid for future conflicts sure, but the series sports a great balance of prepping the season-long arc for its conclusion, while also giving the audience game-changers on a regular basis. Fridays could not come soon enough.

Andy Whitfield is terrific.
As the title role, Whitfield does everything he needs to craft a great protagonist; he’s a bruising physical presence and can emote when called upon. Spartacus goes through a lot this season, and these experiences shape him into the historical figure he becomes, a character we glimpse at the tail end of the finale. Unfortunately, Whitfield is currently battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, putting Season 2 no indefinite hold. Get better, dude. You’re a future star.

About that finale.
Spartacus ended with one of the craziest, bloodiest, most consequential finales I’ve ever seen. That is not hyperbole. The title of the episode was “Kill Them All” and the show lived up to it!

Anyway, great show, endlessly entertaining and genuinely engrossing. If you missed it, you can catch up with Netflix or indulge in what no doubt will be a fantastic home video release. It is not for younger viewers, obviously, and the sex and nudity can be far too gratuitous (despite goofy disclaimer at the beginning of each episode stating that this was how Rome was and the show’s just trying to be historically honest), but if you’re up for a wild and woolly time, Spartacus is the bee’s knees.