Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)

A lifetime of blood.

The prequel mini-series to Blood and Sand takes what was great about that season and both expands and condenses it, specifically John Hannah and Lucy Lawless chewing the scenery along with bloody violence and Romans being deviant underhanded douche-bags. 

Set some time before the arrival of Spartacus, Batiatus has yet to actually inherit the ludus from his father and is crushed under the weight of his ambition while Gannicus starts as a nice counter to Andy Whitfield's (RIP dude) Spartacus who was all honor and reluctance while Gannicus is all about fleeting pleasure inbetween arena matches. We get the tale of how Batiatus and Lucretia became the ambitious powermongers they are in season 1 and Gannicus' transformation from arrogance to the titular god of the arena. Littered about are backstory to other returning characters such as the sneaky Ashur, and young, naive Naevia.

The show doesn't have the growing pains season 1 did as the producers have more or less gotten the hang of making the show. A lot is squeezed into just 6 episodes which might make it feel a bit rushed, but it feels part and parcel to what is becoming quite a hit franchise for Starz and the writing has been punched up from what was lacking a bit in Blood and Sand. Everything that was indulgent from Blood and Sand plus a little extra.

Episodes to See:

Episode 6 is a great finale with great arena matches and also sets up plots for further seasons.

Buyer's Guide:

Available on DVD and Blu Ray

3½ Wine and Questionable Women out of 5

Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010)

"Your name...your life, is what we decide."

Starz bloody re-imagining of the story of Spartacus, although this series shows his origins rather than the history he is famous for. Spartacus starts as a nameless Thracian hired to be a mercenary soldier helping Roman legions subdue rival tribes, but things go bad when he disobeys orders to save his homeland leading to a Roman defeat and worse, humiliation for his commander ( at least in the commander's eyes.) His old life is destroyed in retaliation as he and everyone he knows is sold into slavery and he ends up in a training house for gladiators. Now he must try to survive the brutal training as well as the schemes of his ambitious masters; Batiatus and his wife Lucretia.

If you came for dramatic tales of human spirit, you will be mostly disappointed, but if you came for excessive violence (blood fountains) and gratuitous nudity (for the men and the ladies) then you're in the right place. The show starts slow, but once it stops trying to mime 300 it becomes great fun watching Romans fuck each other over and just plain fuck. Helped by a cast full of beautiful people who seem to have no qualms mimicking the more deviant side of Roman culture. Paired with great action makes the show very indulgent.

Also of note are John Hannah and Lucy Lawless as Batiatus and Lucretia playing against type and a far cry from Jonathan in The Mummy series and Xena. You will hate them and root for them all at once and they own every scene they're in. If you let it, the show is very entertaining.

Episodes to See:
Ep. 10 Party Favors - One villain plays their hand very well.
Ep. 12 Revelations - As its title suggests, season long plots come to light.

Episodes to Avoid:
Ep. 1 The Red Serpent - The worst offender of the "300 Syndrome." Rough dialogue and production that might be impressive if it were made by teenagers for a film class. Skip it and any details you need from it can be had from other episodes.

Buyer's Guide:
Available as a 4 disc DVD box set and on Blu-ray.

3 Jupiter's Cocks out of 5