Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

After my relationship with the thrillingly raw and mythical ‘Game Of Thrones’ came to an end, I immediately experienced major withdrawal symptoms, resulting in a desperate search for a worthy rebound. It was then that an advert displaying gore, sex, blood and testosterone graced my TV-I now believe in love at first sight. I sacrificed asking for seconds of my dinner that night and ran up to my room to download the first season.

 The show is set in ancient Rome, 73B.C. It follows the key protagonist who was given the name Spartacus. This man is shown from the very first episode to have an issue with authority, as he leads a mutiny against his selected general. This resulted in brutal fight scenes and slashes of Tarantino-style blood filling the reflection in my glasses, as I gazed at my computer screen. To top it all off, the reason for this mutiny and bloodshed was of course for the manliest reason possible, love. His longing to rescue his wife Sura drove away his fear and fueled his rage and determination. Unfortunately, bad luck and heroes tend to come as a pair. In this case, the hero Spartacus is captured and sentenced to death via the infamous Gladiator arena. Spartacus against all odds slays four fully trained Gladiators and becomes an instant celebrity. His original sentencing of death commutes to slavery in the form of forced enrollment into a Gladiator training camp. The sheer intensity of these first few episodes gave me no choice but to continue this TV series affair while my beloved ‘Game Of Thrones’ was away. 

Spartacus: Blood and Sand left its mark on me and I became a different person while following the series. I spent every night pretending to go to sleep then tip toeing my way to the computer to watch just one more episode. A week later, I had completed the first season and was left extremely satisfied. Following the journey of Spartacus as he rose from a mere slave to a gladiator and then finally a leader of a rebellion was enthralling. However, the entire atmosphere the show created was my guilty pleasure. I become certain that Spartacus truly must be good when I remember hopelessly attempting push ups in my room with the idea that I would end up as muscular as the Gladiators after one night. I am a lazy person, the fact Spartacus was able to get me out of my chair was proof enough it is a great show. 

Despite the testosterone overload of men and murder, it is interesting to discover that the women in the series should definitely not be overlooked. Their devious ways and use of seduction allows some characters to get anything they want. The curves under a dress replaced that of a Gladiators shield and razor sharp whispers from the tongue replaced the edge of any sword. Many would argue that the women have more power than the men. At the ear of every general, was a woman with an ulterior motive and the reason for every Gladiator to survive was the longing for a woman. In a way, I compare the title Blood and Sand not to the spilling of blood onto the sands of the arena, but of the two different threats on the show. The sand represents the men: gritty, dry, and hard and the blood represents the women, as it is required as a ‘fuel’ for men to live, the silky smooth texture and the colour of deep lustful red add to my justification of this comparison.

The finale left me wanting more as it ended with Spartacus vowing to make ‘Rome tremble’. Now to prevent giving too much away, I will conclude by saying that I strongly recommend this show to anyone who favours intense drama. If you are wondering how a slave ends up with Rome at his feet then I suggest you download the first season ASAP. 

Harjan.