QNBS: Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Chuck has ended, and after 11 reviews, I decided to watch Once Upon A Time. But having the opportunity to criticize anything in a justified manner is so addicting that I have decided to continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. I will not rename it because I don't have enough creativity to think of a new one.

I will adopt the original QNBS method for judging a show. 1. A friend recommends a TV show or I see an interesting review, or hear a sarcastic rant about it in the Internet. 2. I watch two episodes. 3. Write down what I think, Pros-Cons style.

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Many series exist in TV world but today I will write about Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Spartacus

Plot: A Thracian man goes to war, gets captured, loses his wife, trains as a gladiator and sparks a revolution.


PROS:

1. The cast delivered fairly well acting performances. 

1.1 Andy Whitfield as Spartacus. It was too bad he died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and had to be replaced by Liam McIntyre.

Andy Whitfield as the better Spartacus

1.2 John Hannah as Lentulus Batiatus. The role was supporting, at best, but John Hannah portrayed the character really well.

Batiatus

1.3 Lucy Lawless as Lucretia. I didn't recognize the remnants--if there was any--of Xena, which was good because I feared Xena when I was younger. She brought class to Lucretia when another actress wouldn't have.

Husband-wife: Lucretia and Batiatus

1.4 Viva Bianca as Ilithyia. Second to Lawless, Viva Bianca provided the necessary strong woman character. I loved her chemistry with Lucretia in their few scenes together.

Ilithyia

1.5 Craig Parker as Gaius Glaber. I loved how scheming Glaber was.

2. Everyone looked good on the eyes... 

Craig Parker's Beautiful Face: I. Can't. Get. Enough. Of. 

And hers, too.

3. Roman history. Gladiators. It reminded me of my Area Studies roots. 


CONS:

1. For a young barrio lass (read: me) Spartacus is an excuse for soft pornography. Although some of the sexual scenes were nicely videoed, I felt some were unnecessary.

2. The scenes were obviously shot at a studio with blue screen and what-not. It was obvious how everything was so up close and the background looked...so fake.

Everything looked fake, compared to Game of Thrones.

3. The fact that I had to watch the two episodes twice to be reminded what I thought and how I felt about this show is a setback in itself. Goes to show how forgettable all of it seemed to me. Well, the sex scenes I can do without.

Blood, blood, blood.

THE VERDICT: 
This is a guy's show. All the  blood, the sex and the mystery will surely be a hit with the boys. 


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You may want to read other QNBS reviews:


Freaks and Geeks
Bent
Once Upon A Time
The Inbetweeners
Game of Thrones 2
Sherlock
Suits
Game of Thrones 1
The IT Crowd
Rizzoli & Isles
Community
Awkward
New Girl
Outsourced