The Starz cable channel has gone full-on fantasy. And why wouldn’t they? Last January’s Spartacus: Blood and Sand and this summer’s The Pillars of the Earth miniseries were their two highest-rated series ever.

Now Starz is continuing along the same fantasy theme with a new 10-episode series, Camelot, coming in 2011, starring Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Eva Green as Morgan, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Arthur.

Eva Green (Morgan)

But after literally hundreds of movie and TV adaptations of the King Arthur legend (one currently airing on the SyFy Channel!), is there really anything left to tell?

Maybe not, but the producers promise it’ll be unlike any Camelot-themed project so far: smart, sophisticated, and realistic to the Dark Ages in which it’s set.

“The magic really lies in the political essence of the piece,” star Joseph Fiennes told a gathering of critics at the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles last week. The characters have “very strong agendas politically, and that’s what I’m excited about, where the power lies rather than sort of slaying dragons and things like that.”

Still, Fiennes was quick to point out, “Yes, there will be some dark arts and we’ll see people changing shape and things disappearing!”

As most Camelot-themed projects do, Camelot uses Thomas Malory’s classic Le Morte d’ Arthur as its source material.

“We’re starting right from the birth of Arthur, and we’re going through,” said the show’s showrunner and head writer, Chris Chibnall. “We’re just about to [film] our version of the sword in the stone this week, which is not like any other version you’ve seen. And we’ll go through and kind of try and tell what might be the truth that lies behind the myth. What would have been the [real-life] events that could have contributed to these myths? What was interesting to me when we were talking about Camelot was excavating what it might be like to have lived then, and how these stories might have come about.

“We have a grand plan,” Chibnall said, “which, if we get things right, I hope we’ll have multiple episodes, multiple seasons.”

Joseph Fiennes (Merlin)

As for the all-important relationship between Merlin and Arthur, “Their relationship really is from when [Arthur] was born,” Fiennes said, noting that Merlin carefully plans the trajectory of Arthur’s life.

“I think of Merlin as a sort of cross between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Donald Rumsfeld,” Fiennes joked, referring to Kenobi’s mentoring qualities and Rumsfeld’s political agendas.

“Their relationship takes many different turns and shifts,” Fiennes said. “[Merlin is] sort of tutor. He’s a father figure. He’s a brutal headmaster. He’s got to give this boy all of the tools to be king in a ruthless world, and he has to do it in a very short space of time. So there’s a lot of ‘cruel to be kind.’”

According to the Chibnall, Camelot won’t have quite the sex or violence of Starz’ envelope-pushing Spartacus.

“This is an adult drama, of course, but I think we are our own show,” Chibnall said. “The amazing thing about Camelot is you can talk about political pursuits.”

That said, expect plenty of romance. “The extraordinary thing in all the versions of Camelot and the Arthurian legend is it’s all about the romance,” he said. “It’s all about the passion. It’s all about great ideals compromised by falling in love with the wrong person … And also, we have some beautiful actors as well, so, frankly — anyway, let’s move on.”

Said Fiennes, “There will be, I’m sure, scenes of intimacy, scenes of violence, but I think really underpinning that, and I think it’s a big difference in what I’ve witnessed, is that there’s a very deep sense of character and narrative.”

Interestingly, Fiennes actually grew up near Stonehenge, a place that factors into some of the Merlin legends.

“I used to climb those rocks, and there was some kind of myth that Merlin brought those stones and built that himself for some pagan ritual,” Fiennes said. “But I certainly, at the age of nine or ten, was climbing them — marauding all over them. And they’re very full of energy, so maybe there’s some lineage to that moment to where I am now. Who knows?”

The project, an Irish-Canadian co-production, started work in June at
Ardmore Studios, just outside of Dublin, which, for the record, is where John Boorman’s 1981 movie Excalibur was also shot.

But the producers say they’re taking strong advantage of the Irish countryside as well.

“”We want the richness and vibrancy, and we want a sense of reality to it,” Chibnall said. “Big and bold and cinematic and epic. It’s like the country has been waiting for Camelot to be there because the landscapes are perfect for the Dark Ages.”

This past January, Spartacus: Blood and Sand premiered on the Starz network to much hype and expectation, and in a truly shocking twist, it actually delivered.

The show almost immediately gained a cult following which soon became legion, an army of fans who just couldn’t get enough of the adventures in the ancient gladiator training camp. While many critics turned their noses up at the excessive gore and violence (not to mention the generous helpings of full-frontal nudity and sex scenes), websites across the blogosphere began to pop up, honoring the new series. That Spartacus was a hit, there can be no doubt.

On its surface, Spartacus was the ultimate guys’-guy show. Each episode seemed to be injected with a superdose of testosterone, and with each limb that was excised from a body, the fans became more and more bloodthirsty. The thirteen-episode first season culminated in what has to be one of the most shocking, blood-soaked climaxes in the history of television, in which Spartacus and his fellow slaves rebel and lay waste to an entire houseful of Roman citizens, brutally murdering men, women, and children.

Just as the network promised, Spartacus pushed the envelope farther than any show that had come before it.

But it did even more than expand the limits of violence and nudity on television. It accomplished a much higher goal, and it did this — if you can believe it — subtly.

Spartacus is the first of its kind: a guys’ show that is inclusive of women, minorities, and gay and bisexual characters, without ever calling attention to itself for this fact. It never pats itself on the back for being forward-thinking. There was never a “very special” episode of Spartacus that dealt with a character’s sexual identity, or a story in which they learn that beyond our skin color, we’re all really the same.

Spartacus just assumed this to be true, and in a rare display, it respected its audience enough to assume they would be on the same page.

So were they?

Most of them were. But not all, of course. Recently, series showrunner Steven S. Deknight spoke to TheTorchOnline.com writer Michael Jensen about the show’s two most significant gay characters, Barca and Pietros, who were killed halfway though the first season.

MJ: You’ve had some time since the season ended and people reacted to what happened with Barca and Pietros. Has any of the negative reactions changed how you write gay characters? Do you feel like you’re more aware of the issues than you were before?

SD: It still comes down to the story and what works best for the characters. The only time I had a reaction to anything that’s said, is every once in a while I’ll come across a comment on the Facebook site or the official site, and I’m sure all your readers have read similar things, where someone will say—usually a guy—”I love the show but can you cut out all the gay shit.” That’s the only thing that will trigger a violently negative response from me.

For me, and I think Rob too, it’s even more reason to continue including that in the story until people come to accept it. I don’t understand how you can watch Season 1 and fixate on that, especially when I think the Barca/Pietros storyline was beautiful and tragic. I was very heartened that even people who were a little uncomfortable with the gay content, when Barca got killed, they were very upset and very moved, which I think is a step in the right direction.

MJ: And a testament to the storytelling and the acting. You guys were able to overcome that internalized prejudice people have. Now, the show obviously had a lot of female nudity, but it had more male nudity than any show I’ve ever seen. It was very homoerotic, yet clearly it was a smash success. The show was hugely popular. Did you expect more negative reaction or less?

SD: I’m honestly always surprised by negative reactions to sexual content, language content, I was even surprised by some of the negative reaction to the violence in the show. For me, I look at shows at being entertaining and hopefully moving, but first and foremost our job is to entertain. I look at the show as something I would love to watch even if I wasn’t working on it. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I live in Los Angeles and things are a little bit different here, as they are in any big city. I’m always shocked when other people are shocked.

There are moments in the show where I’m like, “Oh, alright. I understand you being shocked when Segovax is castrated.” I mean, I cringed myself. At the end of the day, the important thing for us is we’re not actively trying to promote any single agenda. Everything comes together because we’re just trying to tell the best story we can, and if there’s a little bit of social activism in there, all the better.

Deknight casually makes a reference to social activism as an almost incidental side effect of their storytelling, but that is where the show is truly remarkable. That the show could be considered progressive is not a statement they’re attempting to make. It just is.

As stated above, the show has its share of gay and bisexual characters, and there are more to come in the coming seasons. Both Barca and Pietros were also people of color, as are other prominent characters like Doctore and Naevia. And speaking of Naevia, she was one of a batch of strong, resourceful women showcased on the show, in such company as Lucretia, Illyithia, and Mira.

Spartacus is an action show for the 21st century, truly the first of its kind. It is a landmark series and should be applauded for that fact. Of course, in a perfect world, such inclusion wouldn’t be newsworthy. But until we reach that day, it’s a good thing we have shows like Spartacus.

The Starz network really put itself on the map this year with the breakout success of its flagship original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The low-fantasy sword-and-sorcery epic attracted a huge following, largely due to the fact that it was just so original – there really was no other series like it. (And we really dug it here at TheTorchOnline.com!)

When the schedule for the upcoming season was announced, it was interesting to note that the network had added not one but two more fantasy or fantasy-ish series with Camelot and Pillars of the Earth (a mini-series). They’re also co-producing the next season of the UK sci-fi series Torchwood in collaboration with the BBC.

This, from a network whose only other original programming is currently a couple of reality shows (non-fantasy programming like Party Down was recently canceled).

Pillars of the Earth isn’t exactly fantasy, but rather historical fiction, set in Medieval England and focusing on an architect named Jack Jackson.

From Starz:

“This epic tale of passion and greed begins when a mysterious secret disrupts the succession to the English crown and an unlikely member of King Henry’s family takes the throne. A power struggle between Henry’s daughter, Maud, and nephew, Stephen, causes England to be torn by war as battles rage for the rightful heir. Meanwhile, Bishop Waleran Bigod and the Hamleigh family manipulate the conflict to satisfy their own ruthless ambitions. Within this tumultuous setting, Prior Philip fights insurmountable obstacles to keep Kingsbridge and his dream of building a magnificent cathedral alive. The task is daunting, but master-mason Tom Builder, his gifted stepson, Jack, and noblewoman Aliena work together to achieve their dreams. And in the process, the long-hidden secret is revealed.“

Despite its lack of magic, I’m going to hazard a guess that Pillars will have enough palace intrigue to keep readers of TheTorchOnline.com satisfied.

Their other medieval England series, Camelot, is yet another adaptation of Arthurian legend — apparently, the landscape has room enough for this and Merlin. Production has yet to begin, and no word has come out yet as to whether the tone will be similar to Spartacus – over the top, stylized, comic book aesthetic — or a more sober, serious Arthurian affair, such as the TNT version of Mists of Avalon.

What we do know is that they’ve amassed a number of reputable actors, including Eva Green as Morgana and Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, which is a sign of good things to come — good actors usually choose good projects.

So what do you think? Is Starz quietly branding itself the Fantasy Channel?

Five Torches (Out of Five)

A few years ago, I shivered with anticipation when I started seeing video of stuntmen and actors training for 300, which looked to be the most epically awesome movie I’d ever see.

Then the trailers came out, and I was blown away by the visuals, this comic book aesthetic set to heavy metal, featuring roided up man-gods running around gutting each other. My bloodthirst was whetted, and I could barely contain myself.

Then I saw the movie. Meh.

After that disappointing episode, I didn’t let myself get too worked up when previews began appearing for the very 300-esque-looking new series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Oh, sure, this would push television to a whole new level, bringing eviscerating violence and nigh-pornographic sex to the forefront in a way never seen before.

“Whatever, Starz,” I said. “See if I believe your hype. I’ve been hurt before. Check out how thick my skin is.”

I was cynical. I had lost my ability to believe. And I was wrong.

From the very first episode (which some fans of the show call the worst episode, but I personally loved), it was clear that this truly was going to be a show like no other. There was a clearly-established and unique graphic novel feel to the show, with its CGI blood-spurting and green-screen backgrounds. The fight choreography included some of the best stunt work ever seen on television, much of which was performed by the actors themselves. Characters were written to be scenery-chewers, and inhabited by actors like John Hannah, Craig Parker, and genre goddess Lucy Lawless, they were just that.

As the series went on, it introduced us to a wide array of characters, some of whom quickly became dear to the audience. Characters like Varro and Pietros, who seemed like such good-hearted men in the midst of unbearable violence, were showcased and given enough screen time for us to really care about them, just to watch, mouths agape, as they died horrible deaths.

The show challenged the straight-washing of history that almost every Roman epic is guilty of by showing what is probably the first gay couple to ever exist in a filmed story about gladiators, the aforementioned Pietros and the alpha male, Barca. It showed that women could be unbelievably powerful in this male-dominated world if they were clever enough, as seen in the characters of Lucretia and Illyithia.

But more than anything, it was a damn good story, one the writers carefully and meticulously plotted out to advance with every installment of the 13-episode season, culminating in a climactic finale the likes of which have never been seen on television before.

Part horror movie, part revenge fantasy, the last third of the season finale, accurately titled “Kill Them All,” was an unbelievable, 20-minute-long orgy of blood and beheadings that your average Tarantino fan would feel quite at home watching. After three months of shocking us, they upped their game once more, with an open-ended conclusion that leaves us frenzied for more.

Sadly, the last few episodes were punctuated with the very real fact that Andy Whitfield, the handsome, charismatic, and utterly bad-ass lead actor, has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Needless to say, his fan base is enormous after this season, and a lot of good will is being sent his way.

We love you here at TheTorchOnline.com, Andy, and we wish you the speediest recovery.

While his treatment has caused a delay in the filming of the second season, there is the possibility of a prequel season being aired in the interim. With the plethora of characters in the ensemble, they could focus on pretty much any one of them. But my advice would be to either follow Crixus or Barca (or preferably both), who begin the first season as established kings of the gladiator arena. It would be fun to see how they got there.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand did that rare thing in the world of television: it lived up to its hype. It certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it achieves all its goals as a down-and-dirty genre show.

It’s just damn good television.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Five Bajillion Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Kill Them All” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Wow. Wow! WOW!

Where to begin … for those fans who, along the way, had any doubts that the writers of Spartacus were prepping for a huge finale, let it be known their doubts were in (a huge heaping pile of) vain.

This was, without a doubt, the single most gruesome, barbaric, bloody, violent, and insanely game-changing season finale I have ever seen. For a show as grandiose as Blood and Sand, they knew they had to go big, and holy crap, did they ever.

The previous episode was all set-up for what was to come, in which basically all the back-stabbings were revealed, and characters began to pick sides. As tensions grew, the one character who remained on the fence was Crisco, who began the season as a fairly standard bully and morphed into a tragic hero.

The use of time-switching and flashbacks was a surprise, since the show hasn’t ever told a non-linear story before, but the surprise was more than welcome. What better way to send off the show by mixing it up a little?

Oh, wait, I know. By mixing it up a lot.

Beginning with the revelation that Doctore’s real name was, in fact, Oenomaus (who history buffs will know was an ally of the rebel Spartacus), the show played like a game of “Let’s up the ante with each scene,” culminating in one of the most electrifying (and merciless) climaxes in recent memory.

There was blood. Oh, there was blood, drawn in ways we would never expect. Remember how shocking it was when Illyithia killed her rival? Multiply that by a thousand and you have this episode.

It takes a lot to shock me — I grew up in the internet age, after all — but I literally found myself holding my breath as Crixus stabbed Lucretia’s belly, intent on killing a child that may very well be his. I’ve never seen something so viscerally terrifying, and while the show unexpectedly displayednuance by not focusing on the actual stab, the effect was still chilling.

Varro’s wife, Aurelia, a relatively new character, shocked us all when she went all Norman Bates on the young boy Numerius out of revenge for his decision to have her husband killed. I don’t think I’m going to get that image out of my mind for a long time.

The show brilliantly weaved together all its loose ends, such as Doctore finally seeking revenge on Ashur for Barca’s death, and the eventual friendship of Spartacus and Crixus — although, if I have one gripe with the episode, it was that Crixus seemed to make that huge switch too easily. However, it’s all forgiven for the insanely awesome moment when he calls Spartacus to use his shield as a launching point, just as they did in their fight against Theocles.

Quite simply, I was blown away. This is not a show that has potential, this is a show that reached its potential and then blasts right past it. I’m aware it’s not for everyone, but for those who are into this kind of thing, this is hands-down the best show on television.

All the best wishes to Andy Whitfield for a full, speedy recovery. I’m sure he’s just eager to strap on the armor again, and I, and the world, cannot wait for him to do so.

Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Revelations” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

One thing you can never accuse Spartacus: Blood and Sand of is false advertising. The show certainly gives us plenty of Spartacus, plenty of blood, and plenty of sand, and in the most recent episode, entitled “Revelations,” a whole butt-load of info was revealed.

Not to us, mind you. The writers generously kept us, the audience, in the know for the most part as to who was backstabbing who. But what made this episode such a Five-Torcher was the fact that secrets were finally exposed (I got tired of saying revealed) to the characters, and watching the you-know-what hit the fan was a pleasure that was twelve weeks in the making.

Similar to last week’s hallucination-inspired deductions on the part of Spartacus, in which he pieced together that Batiatus is actually working against him and killed his wife, this week also uses threads we may have forgotten about to push the plot forward, proving to any doubters that the writers know what they’re doing.

The show was easy to call “plot-lite” in its earlier life, as much of the story seemed centered on CGI blood and naughty body parts. But it turns out that the writing team was much craftier than many of us (myself included) realized, and that even in these earlier episodes they were laying down groundwork for the season-ending payoff.

For example, characters seem as disposable as old loincloths at first, only to be important later. Remember Barca, that bad-ass gay gladiator who was secretly killed by Batiatus for disobeying orders? At the time it seemed such a waste on the writers’ part, creating this unique character only to kill him off. Insult to injury was that Doctore seemed determined to get to the bottom of his death for all of five seconds, only to decide he had better things to do. The world moved on, and Barca was forgotten.

But he wasn’t! The slave girl, Naevia, knew the reality of his death, and kept it to herself for six episodes (months upon months in the ludus). After her affair with Crixus is exposed, she is beaten savagely by Lucretia while Batiatus orders Crixus to be whipped. Afterward, the lovers hold each other, and Crixus vows to get his freedom. This sets off Naevia’s panic, because she knows what happened when Barca desired his freedom, and finally tells Doctore the truth, something Batiatus had been hiding from him.

If this sounds complex and operatic, that’s because it is. But Spartacus has always teetered on the edge of melodrama, and after so much time, it’s extremely satisfying to witness. Formerly ambiguous characters like Ashur, Doctore, even Batiatus (remember when we liked him?) have clearly fallen on the side of either good or evil, and with one episode to go, the show is at its absolute season best.

I have little doubt it will climb to its creative zenith next week, and I for one cannot wait.

Four and a half Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Old Wounds” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

After last week’s devastating episode, fans of Starz’ epic gladiator series were starting to squirm, wondering just how long we could take this. Week after week, something unbelievably awful happens to Spartacus and the rest of the gladiator’s in Batiatus’ ludus, which, given the body count, is the last place on earth you would ever want to be.

And week after week, the cunning and wicked Batiatus, as well as his equally cunning and wicked wife Lucretia and servant Ashur, always come out on top, with Spartacus believing his master to be a good, caring, and helpful man.

So how satisfying that finally — finally – we get a bit of a turnaround. Spartacus finally catches wind of what’s going on, and ironically he does this in an episode where he is the least proactive, at least physically. Spartacus spends much of the ep in a fever-induced dream, which allows his subconscious to piece together clues and deduce Batiatus’ treachery.

With our hero sidelined, the action is played out by Crixus, who regains some of his former self when battling an opponent in the arena, and Batiatus, whose plot of revenge against the Magistrate who insulted him and his rival Solonius finally comes to fruition.

The show has certainly moved away from insane, 300-style action sequences in favor of palace intrigue, and I’m okay with that, especially when the plot becomes as riveting as it was in “Old Wounds.” Having definitively proven that no character is safe, the writers keep you on the edge of your seat, because the audience knows the plot can spin in a whole new direction in seconds.

For example, the moment where Lucretia starts to swoon while watching Crixus fight in the arena was captivating because we know it can mean any number of things. Is she moved at seeing Crixus in fighting form again? Could she, at long last, be pregnant? At this point in the series, I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had poisoned her wine and she dropped dead right there. The entire show is swiftly becoming the final scene in Hamlet.

While I applaud the writers for daring once again to tread where few other shows will in their gleeful dispatching of beloved characters, I do wonder if we’re supposed to get attached to anyone, since they all live their lives in a crosshairs. I miss those who have died: Barca, Pietros, Sura, Varro … and while I enjoy the new batch of characters, I just don’t know if I can open myself up to them emotionally.

I’ve been hurt before, you see.

All in all, “Old Wounds” was an engaging episode, with perhaps the most exciting denouement the show has had yet. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Five Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains silers for the “Party Favors” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

As I’ve said before, one of the reasons why this show kicks so much ass is because it takes chances like few other shows ever do, and when the showrunner, Steven DeKnight, warns fans that no character is safe and anyone could die, he actually means it.

Last week ended with the most disturbing death we’ve seen so far, because while we’re expecting the gladiators to hack each other to bits, the last thing we think we’ll see is a woman of nobility like Ilithyia smashing a rival’s face into the ground until there’s nothing left but a bloody pulp. As we saw in the final scene, no one was more disturbed than Ilithyia herself, who is racked with guilt and fear, and so the villainous Lucretia stations herself as Ilithyia’s protector.

The scary thing about social climbing in ancient Rome is that it required a body count.

Much maneuvering (for good, bad, and libido) occurs in this episode, with a tryst between Naevia and Crixus spied upon by Ashur, who himself is secretly allying himself with Batitatus’ rival, Solonius. Batiatus is attempting to ingratiate himself to the Magistrate by hosting his son’s coming-of-age party, all so Batiatus might one day climb to the ranks of the senate. And Ilithyia, once she regains her reason, pulls a move of her own that’s just, well, gross, but ingenious in its quest for vengeance.

Cleverly, these moves and more, chess-like as they are, are symbolized in a central scene in which Batiatus and Spartacus play a rather chess-like board game, one based on military strategies. While Spartacus proves to be quite adept at battle strategy, we soon discover that once he’s off the game board and out of the battle field, he is easily, and tragically, out-maneuvered.

The episode culminates with the aforementioned party for the Magistrate’s son, Numerius. Spartacus is set to fight Crixus in exhibition as opposed to a death match (though Crixus has other plans). But after a bathtub rendezvous with Ilithyia, Numerius instead puts Varro in Crixus’ place. At first, Varro is excited to see his station elevated, until we all learn that Ilithyia whispered another piece of advice to Numerius in that bath tub: make sure the match culminates in death. Though Spartacus resists, he ultimately has no choice but to kill his friend.

Several episodes back it began to be apparent that Ilithyia, not Glaber, was Spartacus’ true nemesis, and here we see the extent of her evil — she could have had Spartacus fight Crixus and hope for his death. Instead, she designs events so that Spartacus is forced to kill the man she knows is his only friend. Her gift at psychological torture is truly disturbing, and her actions place her above even Batiatus in that category.

I can’t say I’m surprised that Varro died, since he never seemed to be a central character, but I was surprised it happened so soon (I had a expected a season finale death), and I was shocked by how it had happened. As soon as Numerius switched the bill, my heart leaped into my throat, because I knew this was the last time we’d see Varro. (And while I’m sure the actor portraying him, Jai Courtney, is saddened as well, he must be grateful to no longer have to bleach his hair.)

Spartacus: Blood and Sand offers us a world of pain with very little relief, and yet it’s the kind of show you just keep coming back to for more, because the writing is engaging and you care about the characters. As I said before, once things start working out well for someone — Varro had finally made peace with his wife and was thrilled to be starting over with her, while at the same time increasing his gladiatorial fame — chances are they’ll end up with a target on their forehead.

I recently noted I’ve begun to grow attached to the slave girl, Naevia, who’s coming into her own and proving her intelligence. But I hesitate to even put that in writing, because we all know what that means …

In a move that seems to have been inspired by their break-out success with Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the premium cable channel Starz has okayed a second TV fantasy series, Camelot, a contemporary retelling of the King Arthur legend.

Despite its modern setting, the show will be based on Le Morte d’Arthur, Thomas Malory’s 15th compilation of most of the King Arthur mythology.

The ten-episode series will reportedly debut in mid-2011.

Last year, NBC aired Kings, a contemporary retelling of the King David legend, but without much ratings success.

Camelot will be produced by Graham King, who won an Oscar for The Departed (and who also has in the works movie versions of the children’s fantasy The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the sci-fi novel Hyperion) and two producers of The Tudors, Morgan O’Sullivan and Michael Hirst.

Starz’ first original TV series was Crash, but has had its greatest success with their second offering, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, a ratings sensation that was renewed for a second season before it even debuted.

Five Torches (Out of Five)

The following review contains spoilers for the “Whore” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Just like its titular character, Spartacus: Blood and Sand is continuing to kick ass and take names, and the most recent ep proves that when it sheds light on the best-kept secret of the ludus: it’s also a whorehouse.

In fact, the episode is called “Whore,” and like all the best titles it has several meanings. In the more colloquial, non-professional context, we have Lucretia, a loose woman if ever there was one, who is constantly cheating on her husband with the studly Crixus. Batiatus is equally slutty in the way he uses his female slaves for his carnal pleasure.

But really, the title refers to the gladiators themselves, who we learn are called upon to sexually service noble women who come to the ludus incognito. (One would imagine in the world of this show, they’re also expected to service noble men, but we have yet to see such a transaction take place.)

How does Spartacus react to learning of his new status as a whore? Pretty well, all things considered. After all, in the wake of his wife’s death, he’s now fully committed to Batiatus and life in the ludus.

For now, that is.

This episode was probably the darkest of them all, thanks to a shocking fourth-act plot point that I won’t even dream of spoiling here, even with our disclaimer. What I will say is that it concerns Ilithyia and Lucretia, and if you thought their relationship was disturbing before, this episode will give you nightmares. Seriously.

In other shocking news, as we reported earlier this week, this ep goes there in terms of full-frontal nudity for our lead character (not lead actor, mind you), as a masked Spartacus bares all to his “john,” a beautiful, blond, and equally masked noblewoman.

One would imagine the trouble one can get into with all these masks floating around.

One of the significant moments in this episode that I really enjoyed was a new side to Naevia, who so far has been so docile and passive as the slave girl to her domina. We see a hint of her ability to scheme when she seductively tricks a guard with her feminine wiles and ends up stealing his keys, so she can unlock the gate that separates her from her beloved Crixus. I’ve been waiting for Naevia to take some action, and it was worth the wait. Of course, now that I really enjoy her character, I’m terrified she’s going to die.

Spartacus continues to be a crowd-pleaser, and it seems that each week they push the envelope in a new direction. I wonder what’s in store for us down the line…

Three and a Half Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Mark of the Brotherhood” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

So, the past couple of episodes have been real downers. Therefore, it’s refreshing that with “Mark of the Brotherhood,” Spartacus: Blood and Sand starts to return to form.

At this point, though it’s been shy of two months for us, time has marched along a tad quicker in the ludus, and Batiatus is ready for some new blood to bolster the ranks of his academy. He heads out to the market to bid on new gladiators, and after a brief bidding war with his rival Solonius, he ends up overpaying for a slew of fresh blood. He doesn’t mind, however, since he now has coin to spare, and he rather gets a kick out of showing up Solonius in public.

The new recruits arrive, and in an echo of the second episode, Doctore indoctrinates them into the ludus with his speech, only this time it’s Spartacus who provides the grace notes rather than Crixus. It seems old Sparty is really taking to his new identity as the Champion of Capua.

Ilithyia watches the goings on from the balcony with Lucretia and Batiatus, and by now her fetishistic enjoyment of the gladiators is so obvious that Lucretia suggests she becomes a patron to one of them. To further goad her, Batiatus orders all of the new recruits to disrobe, and we get a gander at what I imagine has to be one of the show’s notorious prosthetic penises. If I’m wrong, the actor playing the new Gaul slave has a lot to be proud of. A lot.

The major sub-plot running throughout is Crixus’ attempts to win back the favor of both Lucretia and Batiatus (though he uses very different methods for each, natch), and after seeing him bully around Spartacus and Varro for so long, it was gratifying to see him become the underdog.

In the scene where he challenges Spartacus to a fight, I was suddenly reminded how the show use to focus on heavy-metal-driven slow-motion fight scenes, and, in fact, that they were integral to its identity. But, as will happen, the show has evolved to focus more on the characters and less on the spectacle, so it was fun to see a bit of the old Spartacus return as Crixus and our champion threw down.

The show has also done a good job exploring the role of women in this society, and the bitchapalooza that ensued when Ilithyia brought her friends to the ludus was a fun, snarky diversion, while also setting up what will be an important plot point in the episodes to come.

I have to say, when the show began, I never imagined that Ilithyia would grow to be such a villain while her husband Glaber is largely absent, so the writers deserve credit for the ingenuity. The only character who is truly pure of heart is Spartacus, as many others, even Varro, have succumbed to ignoble desires, while Crixus, who began as a one-dimensional bully, is evolving into a sympathetic character.

The show deserves praise for taking chances, as much for its willingness to show the dark side of every character as its daring displays of violence and nudity. As I’ve stated before, it treads where other shows dare not. While it saddened me that Barca and Pietros are seemingly forgotten by every single person in the ludus, I guess I have to move on and realize that for those living in this world, an untimely death is as common as the sun rising in the morning.

Spartacus remains a kick-ass show. And wait until you see the next episode …

Three Torches (Out of Five)

Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the “Great and Unfortunate Things” episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Okay, so last week’s episode was a bummer. We know that.

But it was also an example of the kind of terrific writing we’ve come to expect on Spartacus. Was it upsetting to see Barca and Sura killed off? Of course. But it also made for the kind of intense drama that will keep us coming back for more.

I won’t lie — this episode was even more of a bummer than last week. But I can’t fault the powers that be behind the series; they promised a shocking television show, and they’re delivering.

It almost seems that the writers are coming to the table with this philosophy: make life as hellish as possible for, well, every single character. Considering that the majority of the cast are slaves who are forced into life-or-death matches every week, that takes some doing.

I didn’t realize how emotionally attached I had become to Pietros. Seeing him wandering around the ludus, a lost soul who believes he was abandoned by his one true love, was bad enough, but then on top of this he becomes the favorite victim of another gladiator, one who routinely beats and rapes him. When he started appearing with swollen black eyes and cuts, it set off every protective instinct in my body.

It was not really such a surprise, then, when the character hangs himself, but it did make me shake my head and think what a shame it was to see yet another victimized young gay man end his life on television. I know many fans were looking forward to the possibility of Pietros finding an inner strength and joining Spartacus in his eventual rebellion. Now, it just seems a waste.

But that aside, this particular episode gets only three torches — a low for the series so far — because the storyline was very meandering, with nothing really to drive it forward. Sure, there was the fight in the arena looming on the horizon, but at this point we’ve both been there and done that, and there was no suspense upon learning that Spartacus will be fighting six men at once because, well, check out the title of the show. Are any of us that worried about him?

To be fair, it does set up nicely what I imagine might be a future storyline, in which Doctore discovers the truth behind Barca’s “departure,” but I’ve seen the next two episodes and that doesn’t factor into either of them. But I will say this — the next two episodes are pretty awesome.

Even at its lowest point, I’m consistently impressed with Spartacus, because it doesn’t remind me of any other show, and that’s one of the greatest compliments I can give. Sure, it looks a little like 300 and Rome, but do any of its storylines really seem similar? Its premise may be reminiscent of Gladiator, but I can’t imagine two projects being more different.

Spartacus is truly its own animal, and that is a remarkable accomplishment.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.