Four Torches (Out of Five)
Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Legends” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
In the show that continues to kick ass and take names, we begin with Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) slowly, meditatively strapping on pieces of armor (although it seems kind of negligible, considering his most vulnerable body part is protected by what barely qualifies as a handkerchief), before busting some dude’s face open in the ludus.
And this opening is just one reason why we love Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
The episode takes us further into the world of the ludus (the gladiator school), and we learn more about the brutal training that the gladiators undergo in order to become the killing machines that they are.
We also start to feel bad for the whole sorry lot of them — the gladiators, led by the trainer Doctore, pump themselves up by making impassioned speeches about how gladiators are “more than men,” gods walking among mortals, etc. But at the end of the day, they’re slaves. Their lives are tossed around by their owners in order to make rich men richer, and you start to feel the gladiators know this, but can’t admit it, hence all the “gods among men” talk.
It’s clever writing, and it makes for great character moments in a show already notorious for its fetishized blood-spattering.
Crixus, who up till now has been a fairly standard bully, gets fleshed out (no pun intended). We see he’s the object of lust for Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), who as the domina, or lady of the house, can command the slaves to her will, and even blatantly cheat on her husband, firm in the knowledge that the slave will never speak of it.
And here is the paradox of the gladiator: Crixus has to bend to her will, because disobeying her means his life. All that muscle and physical power, and he’s just a toy to someone much weaker than he is.
Further complicating things is he’s very clearly in love with one of Lucretia’s slaves named Naevia, and he also draws the attention of the Paris Hilton-esque Ilithyia. Ladies, can’t you see there’s more than enough burly, half-naked men to go around? Come on, now. As if life in the ludus isn’t complicated enough, now we have to deal with a love rectangle.
Much of the episode concerns the upcoming tournament, and Spartacus manages to finagle his way into the main event against Crixus, a rematch of sorts from their fight in the previous episode. But unlike their last fight, Spartacus realizes he is outclassed, and Crixus beats him to a pulp. Just as he’s about to have his throat slit, Spartacus, who earlier scoffed at the idea of submission, does just that, begging for his life. A lesson in humility for hour hero.
The show is coming along nicely, and is much smarter than many people (and critics) realize. It’s exactly what it claims to be — a firmly genre-rooted, graphic-novel show — while at the same time offering us genuinely interesting and sympathetic characters.
The advantage of a television show over a movie is the writers can take their time developing characters, as opposed to forcing arcs to fit into 120 minutes, and the bullies (Crixus and Barca) who would be one-dimensional in less capable hands are allowed to be real people.
I also enjoy the friendship between Spartacus and Varro. Is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling that Varro is just itching to be a comedic character? I suspect there may be a clown underneath all that bleach-blond hair and muscles.
Similar Posts:
- SPARTACUS BLOOD AND SAND Episode Review (1-5): Behold Spartacrix!!
- SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND Episode Review (1-8): Things are Gettin’ Real
- SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND Episode Review (1-2): First Day of (Gladiator) School!
- SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND Episode Review (1-7): The Laughs Keep Rollin’ In
- SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND Episode Review (1-4): Spartacus vs. Leatherface!
![[Bloglines]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[Digg]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Fark]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/fark.png)
![[Google]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Agreed: it’s a comic book come to life. The thing most people don’t realize about comic books — er, graphic novels! — these days is how dark and sophisticated they can be.
A great episode! This show just keeps getting better and better!
Quibbles include, the “accent” of the net-throwing gladiator (I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying), the fact the actors playing Spartacus and Varro couldn’t communicate the stink that would have been present in the “pit” and the fact they’re taking their time providing details about being a gladiator and running a ludus. I would like to see Doctore teaching the new recruits about the different styles of fighting, etc and I wouldn’t mind some more info about the ludus. Is the only way they make money by being sponsored to have gladiatorial battles by the rich men of Rome?
Good points include everything else. I especially liked the “helmet” camera shots (both internal and external), the character development on the parts of both Crixus and Spartacus and all the cool back-stories for Crixus, Barca and Doctore. Could the un-seen Theocoles being a “major” villain later in the season?