So the Starz network has started a new show called, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" and it takes pride in bringing the most authentic rendition of ancient Rome and that means that must mean Rome was completely naked. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man. More than a gladiator. He must become a legend. The show stars Australian actor, Andy Whitfield from McLeod's Daughters as Spartacus, Lucy Lawless, best known in her role in "Xena: Warrior Princess" as Lucretia.
The show takes the amazing artistry reminiscent of films like Sin City and mixes in the slow-motion displays of fighting like any great Jet Li film. It is breaking ground in authenticity and complex story lines that keep me recording it every Friday at 10pm. But the quality of the cinematography is not what is creating a buzz around this show. IT'S THE EXPLICIT CONTENT!
In just this past episode, Spartacus decides to buy wine and "whores", paid from his wins in the arena in order to boost the morale of his fellow gladiators. Normally, this would be depicted with loosely slung robes and possibly a suggestive slit of one woman's garment giving the audience a glimpse at nudity, but not this show. This show unravelled the entire plot while explicit intercourse provided as background visuals and noise. Not only is the nudity placed in delicate points to add to the intensity of the plot, but it is sometimes borders on frivolous in nature. One scene from the same episode was a dialogue between Lucy Lawless's character and her husband, the gladiator slave-owner. They were talking of the next gladiator games but instead of it being a sit-down back-and-forth, it featured Lucy being bathed (naked) by her two servant women (also naked). Then, her husband joins her in the baths and while he talks of his opinion (naked), he is having intercourse with a different submitting slave (again, naked).
The nudity is not necessary, even comical at points, but an interesting view into the insight of the future of television. I am an avid fan and outspoken advocate for liberating all media and allowing the audience to choose what is too much for them and their kids. But, funny enough, this show almost proves too much for the Deputy's eyes. They have paved the way because they show full frontal nudity of women and men. Then they have two women going at it for the public to view during a gladiator announcement party. Not to exclude anyone from the game, they even have a male gladiator who has an eye for a slave, also a male. Nudity, explicit sex scenes, homosexual content and blood that could fill the Superdome, this show gives anyone more than they could ever bargain for. So for the bigoted viewers or the faint of heart, this may not be a show for you.
As a progressive TV watcher who wants to give ratings to a ground-breaking show, the Deputy stays tuned and endures through the uncomfortable. But, as they say, "When in Rome..." HA!
Remember, Friday at 10pm on Starz!
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