Talking about "morals" of the slaves, I found it strange that Gannicus and Oenomaus's wife find themselves unwilling to admit to Oenomaus that they were asked to have some sexytime in front of an audience. They're slaves, and Oenomaus must know that. There's no shame in what they did and hiding it from him doesn't make much sense. So yeah, that line I found a bit unrealistic.

I understand that view but it dismisses a lot of emotions that would come from the situation. It doesn't really matter that they had no choice in the matter.

Also, I got the impression that they both kind of wanted it and both kind of liked it.

I got the impression that they did not want it, started to like it, and then started to feel guilty about liking it. Which would be another explanation for not wanting to tell her husband.

I just watched the 3rd episode and did not enjoy it at all. I hate watching shows with rape scenes and they just went over the top.

That was pretty gruesome however I think it served to demonstrate that the era was disgusting and not quite as romantic as some would have us believe. However, technically, it wasn't rape. By their standards, that is.

You know what we haven't done yet? Threesomes. Check. ****ing rape? Done. Bestiality is next.

I increasingly feel like I'm watching a pornography the less fighting there is. Otherwise it's kind of boring. The good parts of this show were so well paced with the other stuff that it worked, but when it doesn't it comes off really tacky and excessive.

This sounds ****ty. I'll wait for season 2 to come out on netflix in 2013 or something.

I agree with you except for the pornography part because they don't show disturbing rape scenes in any of the porno I've ever seen. I don't know if they're trying to continually increase the shock value or if they really think that was everyone's favorite part of the show (sex, etc.). For me it's not good. There are only 3 episodes left this season apparently. Hopefully it will get better.

The other thing that bothers me is that that scene served no purpose in the story so far. We've already got one scene that convinces us of how evil every person in that party is, why introduce a new character and do the exact same thing? Makes no sense. Then they just disappeared. Maybe they'll be back later and slaughtered.

They did get an extra creepy guy to play the rapist, though.

Wookie, you said to them it wasn't rape, well the main lady was clearly disturbed by it.

i just watched the first two episodes last night. went back and forth between really enjoying it and thinking they just went further than necessary. it would be interesting to go back through and count how many peoply get their throats slit... theres a lot of that.

There was a threesome in one of the episode's already.

Brian make's the point though that me and Kirby are getting at. There is no purpose to the narrative/story aside from satisfying the visual needs of some guys sitting on their sofa's. i.e catering to the lower iq viewers.

On the one hand, I agree with that, but on the other, the entire show is just cheap thrills...even the story/plot/drama is essentially just cheap drama thrills, like an soap opera. So to me, it seems pretty silly to nitpick the sex and/or violence. It's all the same cheap entertainment...and guess what? It IS entertaining.

The point was made in the conversation of the two deviants immediately after the incident in question. That they are using that house to do things that they couldn't so openly do in other places.



But not enough to refuse their requests. Their hunger for riches, glory, and power is what leads to the decline and ultimate destruction of their house.

But you said it wasn't rape to them. That's different than thinking it's rape but doing it anyway. I think clearly the main lady and the dudes who took part believe it's rape but are choosing to do it anyway.

I don't think they would say it is possible to rape property. Besides, he was given his choice to do with as he pleased. Was it disgusting? Yes, I believe that was the point.

So is 'Blood and Sand' as "bad" as 'Gods of the Arena'?

I think Blood and Sand is perfect. Much better than the new Gods of the Arena. Kirby, did you watch the first season?

Anyone watch the latest episode? I haven't yet and might not. Any more rape scenes ? If so, I'll probably just skip it.

Not per se. They moved on to orgies.

Yeah, pretty much the usual type of rape scenes that have been in the show since the last season. There is a murder though.

Yeah, and I ended up liking it overall, but it still isn't a 5 for me. The ending seems kind of muted and drops off since he no longer has the love of his wife to drive him, and their revolution is a cheap revenge plot with lots of retribution and little story. I think it would've been more true to the show if the slaves were all still ****ed by some kind of pre-planning. Overall I'm sort of glad this didn't get multiple seasons and start to rot. Considering how the prequels are going, I think they hit their one note, one-hit wonder.

That's interesting, the last half of the 1st season is what made me love the show so much. I don't think I was really into it until he had to kill varo and actually starting having some emotion about something other than his wife. I thought the last episode was brilliant.

Total agreement about the current season, though, they took away the good stuff and added more nakedness/sex in its place. I think they got the balance right in the first season and it's way off this time around.

I think both season are awesome but I'm on the fence about how well a sequel season would compare. I think what makes these seasons great are the politics of the house. That should be notably absent in a sequel series that would presumably be about gathering a slave army.

Most recent episode (next to last for the season) = Wow.

I watched it last night. It was much better than the previous 4 episodes. I hope they keep it up for the last episode. I thought it was cool how they killed off the two and how they revealed that xena has been so evil the whole time -- I know some of you thought she was just being drawn into it, but this proves otherwise . I still wonder what's going to happen to gannicus or however you spell it. I like him and his character but we know that he must die or get banished or something in the next episode since he wasn't in the first season -- and isn't that the problem with prequels!?

I think you're reaching to prove it otherwise (although I understand why you've reached that conclusion). The acts she committed in the recent episode were entirely reactions to events contained within this season. I'm not saying she wasn't evil prior to this season, practically every non-slave character in the show fits that definition, but that the acts she is committing are (partially? mostly?) due to the decline of the House that seems central to the season.



Not really a problem, per se. Hell, we thought we found out what happened to him but at the end of the episode that gets thrown out the window. There are so many possibilities I can think of and I'm going to assume they've come up with one more shocking than I've guessed. We'll find out soon enough though and I'm glad that we can agree on at least one thing. The most recent episode rocked!

Something else I thought of last night is that there is an interesting angle from which these stories can be revisited and that is from the point of view of the guards. They witness everything but we've seen so little of and about them.

Not buying it, she spelled out exactly how she'd been poisoning him before he left in the first place, which was prior to the beginning of this season .

Exactly, which is why I said I understood why you reached that conclusion. However, she specifically said she gave him quantities of poison designed to make him think the arid environment was making him ill and drive him to fairer weather. Upon his return from the coast he was unhappy with what he observed. Specifically the debauchery and criticized her for not bearing a son. Her friend was brutally murdered and her father in law accepted gifts and dealings with the murderer. He demanded his son dissolve their marriage. Under the imminent threat of the destruction of her lifestyle she poisoned the man. Also, note how disgusted she is with her first sexual encounter with Crixis which was specifically motivated by a desire to get pregnant to produce a son.

She started using drugs, engaging in immoral activity, and committing murder all during this season. The initial indications in the first episode was that she was not inclined to that sort of behavior, or had shunned it, until her friend arrived. By the time we get to Blood and Sand she is quite the evil wench but we she her decent in the current season.

If the arrival of an old chum is enough to make a girl lez out and cheat on her husband, I've been wasting a lot of money on tequila all these years.

Yeah but I think you missed the episode where the husband was in on it, too

I guess poisoning without intent to murder is a bit less evil, but still evil in my book. I never thought her getting together with Crixus was ever a big deal. I'm not sure the husband would care (although in the first season they make it pretty clear that she's doing it behind his back). Remember, they have all sorts of extra-marital dealings with their slaves together anyway.

Yeah, I'm not saying that she was never evil but just that there was a big change within this season which is the crux of our disagreement. I think that the depravity they engaged in in the current season led to the significant moral decline of the House and, ultimately, to their destruction. When getting with Crixus she had a serious look of disgust although there could be many explanations for that and we might find out more in the next/last episode.

So, last episode was awesome. Method for Gannicus' departure was excellent. Season 2 of Blood and Sand is announced for 2012 with Liam McIntyre (imdb here) to play Spartacus.

Not watching the right porno man

So I finally got to watch the last episode and it was freaking awesome. It made me change my two-star rating for the show to 5 stars. I was totally surprised by the fact that Gannicus didn't die! . This season looks like they set up a lot of villains for the next season, ( plus it looks like Crixus will indeed seek out Gannicus so he'll be in the next one, too! Awesome, as I said before, I didn't like him at first but he became my favorite character ). The battle scene in the arena was so awesome, I was just sitting there with my jaw on the floor. I really thought Crixus would kill Gannicus . I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to see more of Barca fighting though. I think there was only one fight with him in it the whole season. I was also cheering when Ashur got cut down, although I didn't think him as much a pussy after the fight because he actually did take some guys out on his own . Can't wait for the next season, although I'm very disappointed Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia) and Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) won't be in it. Hopefully the new actors won't suck.

Eh, I felt like it just tied up the loose ends that it created for this short foray, I don't see any of it coming back for a sequel to the prequel. I find it more likely that we'll see a continuation of the Spartacus storyline after he flees.

That's exactly what I'm saying -- but it will be the slaves against the *******s from the prequel (the rapists, etc.) and they will team up with Gannicus . I don't think the storylines will be completely independent, I think all these people from the prequels (at least the ones that didn't die) will come back, along with the main dude from season 1 who screwed Spartacus in the first place (and his wife).