“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is a seriously trashy show. The fights are bloody, the sex scenes plentiful and the level of (equal opportunity) background nudity staggeringly high. To casual inspection, the Starz-produced “Spartacus” looks like nothing more than pseudo-historical pornography. But the casual observer would be wrong. Despite its lurid trappings and often-cheap effects, “Spartacus” is the kind of series that sneaks up on you — and before you know it, you’re hooked.
The time is 73 B.C. The Roman Republic is faltering, wracked by internal scheming and an overextended military. An unnamed Thracian soldier (played by Andy Whitfield and subsequently by Liam McIntyre) loses his wife and his freedom when he deserts from the Roman army. Enslaved and sold as a gladiator to the desperately ambitious Batiatus (a brilliant John Hannah), he is given a new name, one that will echo down through history as the leader of the largest slave rebellion in Roman history: Spartacus.
The first episode of “Spartacus” is, admittedly, horrible. The visuals are cheap, the pacing strange, the characterization shallow. It is burdened with not one, but two laughable sex scenes, and the violent fights are unimaginative. The second episode is a little better, but still nothing to write home about. But then something strange happens — with every subsequent episode, the show leaps forward in quality, until you are utterly absorbed by the events unfolding inside the gladiatorial school.
“Spartacus” is an eventful show. Slaves and masters feud and scheme for position, loves both public and forbidden sulk in the corridors and violent death is around every corner. Storylines that some shows would milk for seasons often reach their payoff within a few episodes, and the tangle of plots and counterplots make for a thrilling serialized story. It’s pretty much impossible to be bored while watching it, but what makes it rise above the level of guilty pleasure is its thematic complexity.
“Spartacus” focuses strongly on underdogs, and a strong part of its appeal is in how it forces even hugely competent characters into nearly impossible positions. There are no easy choices in the show’s world, and everyone, protagonist and antagonist alike, suffers in the pursuit of their desires. “Spartacus” doesn’t shy away from unpleasant consequences, and the results of any given event tend to ripple out in unpredictable and exciting ways.
Nor do the writers lose sight of the show’s strong moral underpinnings. Despite the rampant gore and sexuality, “Spartacus” never misses an opportunity to point out how the dehumanizing nature of slavery corrupts both slave and master and never for a moment lets us forget that the lavish lifestyle of the Romans is built on the backs of slaves. This gives the series a weird, unpredictable energy; we are as titillated by the sexuality and violence as any Roman, but we see the horror and misery that goes on under the arena, as well.
The best television shows teach you how to watch them, and the same is true of “Spartacus.” If you can look past the lopped arms and heaving bosoms, you’ll find a viciously satisfying and fast-paced story that will have you begging for more.
