Trailer: SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE

Most sequels aspire to be bigger and better, and that certainly appears to be true of Spartacus: Vengeance if this NSFW trailer from Starz is to be believed. Liam McIntyre already feels like a worthy replacement for Andy Whitfield as hero Spartacus, the action's as ludicrously blood-soaked as we've come to expect, some fan-favourite characters are back for more (Lucretia, Ilithyia, Gannicus), and most impressively the show looks three times bigger than its predecessors because the rebel gladiators are out on the road.

I'm very excited about this show's return, knowing how magnificently entertaining and shocking it can be, how about you?

SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE returns to Starz in January 2012.

Comic-Con 2011 panels: DEXTER, FRINGE, SPARTACUS, TORCHWOOD, TRUE BLOOD & THE WALKING DEAD

San Diego Comic-Con is winding down for another year. I'm sure most of you have been watching and reading the coverage online in some capacity, but I thought I'd embed a few videos of various panels that are relevant to DMD's own coverage. Below are the panels for Dexter, Fringe, Spartacus, True Blood, Torchwood and The Walking Dead. Most were filmed using the "wobbly-cam" that's all the rage, so the quality's not great, but I commend Starz for ensuring their Spartacus panel was professionally recorded in its entirety. (You can click through the subsequent "parts" of each video via YouTube.)

A few more panels may be added soon, when they become available. But in the meantime: enjoy!

Trailers: SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE & THE WALKING DEAD, season 2 (Comic-Con)

Starz apparently showed a fantastic trailer for Spartacus: Vengeance at Comic-Con yesterday, but that hasn't hit the internet yet. But we do have the briefer tease (above), which gives you an idea of the increased scale of production in season 2 (horse-riding sequences set against greenscreen will be achieved), plus our first look at Liam McIntyre (replacing Andy Whitfield as the eponymous Thracian warrior).

McIntyre, speaking at Comic-Con:

"It's a great privilege, a great honor, it's a great responsibility. I was a fan. I would have been sitting down there [in the audience]. All of a sudden, I find myself sitting up here. Everyone can agree Andy [Whitfield] was amazing. The best thing I can do is bust my ass and honor that legacy trying to make season 2 as amazingly as exciting as season 1. And that's all I can do."

The Comic-Con panel, which included showrunner Steven S. DeKnight, also confirmed the return of Ashur and that the story will cleave close to how Stanley Kubrick's movie version ended.

SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE returns to Starz in January 2012.

Comic-Con also gave us a four-minute trailer for The Walking Dead's second season, which certainly looks promising. I didn't really like the first season, which fell flat for me after an entertaining feature-length pilot. Showrunner Frank Darabont has apparently recruited a team of writers who are actually fans of the comic-book now, so I hope that means there'll be more passion on display. Last year's was almost excruciatingly earnest and lacked a sense of pace, rhythm, and... well, enough zombies biting people.

I still have my doubts about The Walking Dead, though. I think there's an audience who will watch anything with zombies in it, those people number greatly, and there's no alternative for them on TV. This will be a hit whatever it does. But for me, I didn't really like any of the characters, and because I can't see a plausible solution for a zombie apocalypse, a TV series of this nature has a constant feeling of futility and depression. A zombie movie can be brilliant if depressing, but you're done with it in two-hours. The Walking Dead could be on-air for another five years or more. By the time Andrew Lincoln's blasting a corpse in the head for the sixtieth time, I'm just not sure I'll care, but we'll see if season 2 manages to change my mind. At least from the trailer it looks like the characters are on the move, instead of hanging around that tedious mountain camp.

THE WALKING DEAD returns to AMC on 16 October.

Competition Winner: 'Spartacus: B&S' DVD!

Last week, I held a competition to win a copy of Spartacus: Blood & Sand on Region 1 DVD. This competition was only open to US residents, with the prize kindly provided by Direct Choice Satellite.

The question posed was: In which Italian city do the events of Spartacus: Blood & sand mainly take place? The answer was (a) Capua.

The winner, chosen at random from the correct entries received, is Sonia Rojas from Texas. Congratulations, Sonia! Your Spartacus DVD box-set will be shipped later this week, courtesy of Direct Choice Satellite.

Competition: WIN 'Spartacus: Blood & Sand' DVD

I have a box-set of the action-packed gladiatorial series Spartacus: Blood & Sand to giveaway on Region 1 DVD, courtesy of Direct Choice Satellite, an authorized retailer of DirecTV packages.

SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND is a stylized story based on historical truth, about a Thracian warrior sold into slavery to fight as a gladiator. As "Spartacus" adjusts to a life of violent servitude, only the hope of reuniting with his beloved wife keeps his spirit alive, before the desire to lead a rebellion begins to fill his heart. The Starz Original Series stars Andy Whitfield, John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett & Peter Mensah.

This competition is only open to residents of the United States of America. To be in with a chance of winning this popular Starz cable series on DVD, just answer the question below:

In which Italian city do the events of Spartacus: Blood & Sand mostly take place?

(a) Capua
(b) Rome
(c) Verona

To enter, simply e-mail your answer to me, marking your entry "Spartacus" somewhere in the subject header. Failure to do so may result in your e-mail being misplaced. You must also include your full name and a valid US address for delivery.

This competition closes on Saturday 14 May @12PM EST. All entries received after that time will be discounted, as will entries from non-US residents. The winner will be chosen at random and announced shortly afterwards.

A list of Terms & Conditions can be read here. If you have any questions, please leave them as a comment below.

TV Ratings: 'Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena', Sky1

The six-part prequel to Spartacus: Blood & Sand made its UK debut last night (Sky1, 10pm), attracting a healthy average of 482,000 viewers. Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena was expected to air on Bravo (where Blood & Sand's premiere drew 365,000 viewers last summer), but following Sky's buyout and closure of Bravo Spartacus was inherited by Sky1 (along with Hawaii Five-0.)

On a related note, I've heard a rumour that Sky are close to agreeing to let Virgin Media carry Sky Atlantic, which would bring the UK's new "home of HBO" to an additional 3 million homes. There's been no official word on this, but hopefully it's true.

'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' – "The Bitter End"

The finale of Gods Of The Arena was as gruesome, gripping and violent as we've come to expect, although perhaps not quite as edge-of-your-seat thrilling as hoped. I blame the fact there wasn't enough in "The Bitter End" that could compete with the previous shock deaths of Gaia and Titus, as it was practically a foregone conclusion that characters like Tullius (Stephen Lovatt) would be eliminated. Still, the fact so much of the story appeared to have been wrapped up halfway through gave the second half a more unpredictable feel, and I was delighted so much of this prequel's events dovetail into Blood & Sand in ways I didn't expect.

The funeral of Titus brought a somber air to the ludus, with black attire and the gladiators wearing full regalia, although it didn't last long before Batiatus (John Hannah) was plotting to avenge his father's murder by killing Tullius, unaware it was his wife Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) who was behind the poisoning. The plan itself was a beauty: Solonius (Craig Walsh Wrightson) pretending to have turned traitor from his best-friend, alerting Tullius to Batiatus's plan to have Gannicus (Dustin Clare) conveniently "escape" so he can't honour his father's debt. Poor Tullius and his lapdog Vettius (Gareth Williams) fell for the story, walking straight into an ambush by Batiatus's men. The ultimate fate of Tullius, knifed multiple times and bricked up in the foundations of his beloved new arena, was particularly grim and darkly poetic. He's such a detestable character you couldn't totally sympathize (certainly not after his unwarranted murder of Gaia), although knowing he didn't actually kill Titus and the ghastliness of his death elicited some degree of compassion.

Once Tullius was removed from the picture, the finale arguably lost some of its tension, as there were no big villains left to defeat. But I really enjoyed the surprising way Solonius and Batiatus's friendship dissolved, with the former being handed young Vettius' ludus in exchange for keeping him alive to provide an alibi about Tullius's absence from the games. It was an underhanded maneoever on par with Batiatus's best efforts, and instantly transformed Solonius from background player to a prominent lanista with the most gladiators in all of Capua. Out of all this nastiness, it was rather fitting that Solonius would be the one who benefitted the most (now privileged enough to sit a row ahead of Batiatus in the VIP box), but it was also a slight distress to realize many of Batiatus's cutthroat traits has rubbed off on the levelheaded Solonius, who had proven himself a great friend. It was a strong and unexpected way to setup their rivalry, and probably the most successful part of the prequel in terms of making you watch Blood & Sand with fresher eyes now we know their history together.

A large portion of the finale was given over to the inaugural games themselves, in Capua's impressive new arena, and they were as bloodthirsty and brutal as usual. But a more significant moment arrived with the pre-games execution of petty criminals, which included the fugitive slave girl Diona (Jessica Grace Smith) that Naevia had helped escape (Lesley-Ann Brandt). Adding to the torment was the presence of the perverted Roman nobleman who took her virginity and set her down this path, who took great delight in seeing her current circumstance, and the fact Batiatus relented to having her slaughtered in public simply because he didn't recognize the girl and was in a foul mood. That's the horror of this ancient era, encapsulated right there: life is cheap, death is but an entertainment, and your end may come simply because someone's having a bad day.

What impressed me about "The Bitter End" was how it reached its conclusion in ways I didn't expect, while also laying groundwork for season 2 of Blood & Sand. The climactic fight between the outnumbered gladiators of Batiatus and the inherited might of Solonius's fighters was a thrilling spectacle (not least because it took place in a literal ring of fire), but it shook off predictability in some key ways. I'm sure most people were expecting the last man standing to be Crixus (Manu Bennett), given we know he becomes the Champion of Capua and Gannicus isn't in Blood & Sand, but the fight took an interesting turn; with Gannicus knocking Crixus out of the fiery circle, then winning the championship and his freedom. The latter was an especially clever move, seeing as Solonius suggested this show of mercy as a means to remove Gannicus from future competition, making the whole event something of a hollow victory for Batiatus. He may have won the primus, but he's lost his most trusted friend, turned him into a great rival, and his God Of The Arena has become a free man. On a lesser note, Ashur (Nick Tarabay) received the fateful leg wound that ended his days as a competitive gladiators, but it was a nice surprise to realize the deed was done by Crixus. Their frosty relationship in Blood & Sand is thus more understandable.

And as I said, quite a few things feel like they'll be returned to when Blood & Sand resumes its story next year: given his parting words to Solonius, Vettius is likely to return and reclaim his ludus; I get the feeling there's unfinished business between Naevia and the smug Roman who crushed her friend's spirit; Gannicus will undoubtedly return to help Crixus and Spartacus in their quest, as the history books show he was a general in their army; and the denouement confirmed that pregnant Lucretia wasn't slain, so she'll be out to avenge her husband's death. It remains to be seen if Gannicus will ever reveal to Oenamaus that his wife was unfaithful before her death, but he wisely kept the matter a secret here.

Overall, "The Bitter End" was a slight muddle at times, but the pure spectacle and inventive ways it concluded its six-part story managed to compensate, while the prequel succeeded in the tricky business of both deepening Blood & Sand season in hindsight and laying groundwork for its continuation. It also marks something of a fond farewell, seeing as the show will never quite be the same again. Obviously John Hannah's role on the show has come to a definitive end (we were lucky to get this encore prequel) and he's become the show's beating heart in many ways, but there's also the fact Spartacus is turning away from the gladiatorial combat that, for some, is the show.

It remains to be seen if Spartacus: Vengeance will soar or flounder without the ludus as a backdrop, but hopefully it will broaden the show's ambition. As much fun as it's been, I'm not convinced the writers could get more mileage from the existing premise, so a change is probably for the best. Just as long as they continue to give us big emotions, treachery, shocking deaths, fizzing melodrama, buckets of blood, vicious violence and plenteous nudity, they should be fine.

Asides

• Yes, I'm aware now that Gannicus's fate should have come as no surprise if you know your Ancient history. I actually made a point of avoiding too much real-life information on Spartacus's uprising during Blood & Sand, and I'm glad I did. I spent these past six weeks thinking Gannicus could be killed at any moment, which gave the show added life.
• Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, giving his thoughts on the successes of prequel Gods Of The Arena and the return of Blood & Sand next year. Well worth a read.
• Spartacus has hardly shied away from graphic violence, but Gannicus's victorious final move (shoving an arrow into his opponent's mouth and snapping the man's jawbone and face in half) was surprisingly graphic even for this series!
• I'm not sure why, but I only just realized that Lucretia is wearing Gaia's red wig, in honour of her late friend. Isn't that a little ghoulish, though?
• The fact Solonius fancies Lucretia was hinted at again, with him offering her sanctuary at his home, but nothing really came of this late development. I can't remember his secret love ever being alluded to throughout Blood & Sand, either, so I'm not sure why the writers bothered to include it. Maybe just to confirm to a few people that he isn't homosexual?

written by Steven S. DeKnight / directed by Rick Jacobson / 25 February 2011 / Starz

'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' – "Reckoning"

Penultimate episodes can be just as dramatic as season finale's these days, as they tend to bring various storylines to a conclusion (usually the secondary ones), so the finale can better focus its attention while dealing with some fresh, tasty aftermath. This was certainly the case for the marvelous, compulsive "Reckoning"; a beautifully-acted, gripping hour of drama from a prequel miniseries that's been far more consistent than Blood & Sand.

This week, Titus (Jeffrey Thomas) arranged for his gladiators to compete in an in-house contest to decide the champion of the House of Batiatus, with underperforming slaves facing expulsion to the mines. Ashur (Nick Tarabay) thus began to fear for his future, especially now his colossal friend Dagan (Shane Rangi) is learning how to communicate without him to interpret; Titus increased pressure on son Quintus (John Hannah) to dissolve his marriage to Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), as she's unable to bear him children; Gaia's murderer Tullius (Stephen Lovatt) returned with a peace offering of wine, proceeding to offer Titus a place in the forthcoming tournament if he'll relinquish Gannicus (Dustin Clare) to his care; Melitta (Marisa Ramirez) grew fearful of her sexual liaisons with Gannicus behind her husband's back; Naevia (Lesley-Ann Brandt) helped her violated friend Diona (Jessica Grace Smith) escape the ludus, before her optimistic spirit is extinguished forever; and infertile Lucretia decided to have sex with rising star Crixus (Manu Bennett), believing his Gaul seed will be strong enough to deliver the offspring her father-in-law craves.

There were some superb moments in "Reckoning" -- such as Quintus and his father reminiscing about their early relationship amongst the ruins of the old arena, with Titus unaware his son's deciding whether or not to bludgeon his old man to death with a stray beam of wood, to both save his marriage and secure total ownership of the ludus. Thomas has been a fantastic addition to this prequel (a contrasting example of a lanista trying to regain former glories by obsequiousness, rather than his impatient son's underhandedness), and their moment here was almost Shakespearian in its magnitude. A son on the precipice of committing patricide at a venue that meant so much to both him and his father in the past, before Titus inadvertently saved his own skin by showing his son uncharacteristic warmth and regret.

I also liked the moment when Lucretia lowered herself to having sex with a slave, considering she's spent this season disgusted with turning the House of Batiatus into a brothel. The expression of disgust on Lucretia's face as she offered herself up to the dutiful Crixus was brilliant, given extra weight because we know from Blood & Sand that her need for Crixus' "services" will grow into unquenchable desire through the prism of sinful pleasure. Crixus meanwhile became a formidable opponent in the ludus championship, eventually besting his biggest rival Gannicus in their climactic fight, but only because Gannicus knew defeat will remove him from the painful gaze of Melitta and away to Tullius' training camp. I think it's now inevitable we'll see a rematch between Crixus and Gannicus in the finale of the new arena's inaugural tournament, with Gannicus' fate not looking rosy given his absence from Blood & Sand, but hopefully the writers will find a way to make the specifics unpredictable and surprising.

This episode also dealt two killer blows which rocked the show's foundations, despite the fact one was inevitable from the start. Titus was taken ill and sent to bed, while his son and some men searched Capua for rare herbs to aide his condition, as Lucretia played nursemaid and revealed she's actually been poisoning him for many years -- initially just to ensure he'd leave Capua for sunnier climes, so her overshadowed husband could blossom in his absence, but recently to finish him off once and for all. It was a twist I'd predicted a few weeks ago, given Lucretia's constant demands for honeyed wine, but was nevertheless delivered very well by Lawless (who's been magnificent in this prequel.) And as an extra twist, poor Melitta suffered the same hideous fate as Titus, having drank the same poisoned wine, dying a gruesome death while in the throes of passion with Gannicus. The intercut death scenes were fantastic pieces of edge-of-seat drama, particularly becaue of the screeching violins on the soundtrack, which gave everything a nightmare quality. Ending the episode with the heavens (or the Gods) "weeping" rain gave everything added impact, while seeing Oenomaus rush to his dead wife's side actually deepens our understanding of the sympathy he showed in Blood & Sand when Spartacus suffered a similar tragedy.

Overall, "Reckoning" was yet another delicious and gripping installment of this excellent series, which has been a delight from the start. It's sidestepped most of the problems prequels have; deepened our understanding of several Blood & Sand regulars (Batiatus, Lucretia, Crixus, Doctore, Ashur), and finding fresh and interesting ways to tell big emotional stories in an environment you'd imagine would be constricting for writers. But with ther regimented focus on character, that belies the show's undoubted fondness for showing gore and nudity, the Spartacus brand has really come of age. I await next week's finale with the fanaticism of those bawdy, mesmerized crowds in Capua's old arena.

Asides

• The death of Titus could be blamed on his established sickness, but the "coincidence" of the much younger Melitta dying an identical death can't be ignored. It seems likely Batiatus will blame Tullius for both murders, as he provided the wine that Lucretia later spiked.
• Poor Dagan; blinded by Ashur and dropped from the Brotherhood. No wonder Ashur's so reviled in Blood & Sand, and I can't wait to see exactly how he becomes invalided next week.
• History lesson of the week: "subligaria" means underpants.

written by Brent Fletcher / directed by John Fawcett / 17 February 2011 / Starz

'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' – "Beneath The Mask"

We're approaching the end of this six-part prequel already, so it's no surprise to see Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena beginning to capitalize on the relationships of the characters now the groundwork's been done. "Beneath The Mask" was a marvelous episode of what's quickly become a fantastic series; ripe with operatic extremes and embellished visuals, yet anchored by relatable drama and compelling characters facing tough choices and impossible situations. I find myself enthralled by this series once again, especially now it's hitting a stride.

This week, it became clearer than every that Quintus (John Hannah) and his father Titus (Jeffrey Thomas) have very different approaches to being a lanista; with Titus preferring humility and hard-work, trusting that good things will come to those who wait, whereas his son's impatience means he demands quick success and hungers for revenge whenever he's wronged. In this episode, another Roman nobleman crossed paths with Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), enquiring about another of the sex parties the House of Batiatus is becoming famous for in certain circles. I'm enjoying Lawless' performance more in this prequel, as her character's on a downward trajectory that's more interesting to watch, quite aware she's become the madam of a brothel in important people's eyes. And given that we later learn Lucretia comes from a lower class, because Titus needles his son about marrying beneath him, I suspect this Lucretia is particularly upset she can only help her husband by lowering herself to a level she thought she'd move beyond.

Still, a deal is made for nobleman Petronius to enjoy a debauched evening at the ludus with his rich friends, and Batiatus talks his father into accompanying him to a slave market in the nearby town of Neapol, leaving his friend Solonius (Craig Walsh Wrightson) to help Lucretia and Gaia (Jaime Murray) with the preparations. Interesting to see that Solonius isn't very happy about the degrading spectacle that ensues, and that any former sense of secrecy amongst the House's slaves is destroyed because everyone's assembled to participate. Gannicus (Dustin Clare) even had to suffer the indignity of letting himself be beaten in an unplanned bout with Tullius (Stephen Lovatt), who gatecrashed the orgy and proceeded to float around the party refusing to get drunk and putting Lucretia on edge in case word of this "entertainment" gets back to her unapprised father-in-law.

The orgy was the highlight of the episode, but there was plenty going on around its edges to draw you deeper into Gods Of The Arena's story. I particularly liked the detailing that Ashur (Nick Tarabay) is still finding it impossible to gain acceptance as a gladiator (despite winning his first real battle in the arena) and later realizes he's only being tolerated because he can communicate with his more impressive foreign friend.

Titus also claimed that Gannicus will never be a true champion because his heart doesn't beat for anything, dismissing the gladiator's riposte that his heart belongs to the House Of Batiatus. Of course, it became clear in this episode that Gannicus has developed feelings for slave girl Melitta (Marisa Ramirez) after he was forced to have sex with her, and by the end of this episode they share a kiss, so perhaps this relationship will deliver the beat to Gannicus' heart that Titus is looking for in a champion. Ironically, this love may also be the very thing that stop his heartbeat if Melitta's husband Oenomaus (Peter Mensah) discovers his successor in the arena is also trying to steal his wife. Speaking of whom, it was great to see the new Doctore finally embrace his role as a gladiator trainer by cracking his whip for the first time.

Of course, the talking point of "Beneath The Mask" will be the grisly fate of poor Gaia, who took it upon herself to help Lucretia by sleeping with Tullius in an effort to mollify his behaviour, only to be brutally murdered (her signature red wig ripped from her head, before she was apparently bludgeoned.) A heinous act of crime that has aggrieved Lucretia and her enraged husband fixated on revenge, whereas Titus instead takes the incident as the last word on a matter that's spiraling out of control. Gaia's corpse was thrown over the balcony, her death to be blamed on a drunken accident. It was a shocking and relatively early demise, for a character I never expected to survive beyond this prequel, but also didn't expect to die in such circumstances -- her friendship and self-sacrifice untarnished, but a life extinguished by a childhood admirer only seeking a nasty way to punish a rival.

Overall, "Beneath The Mask" was a wonderful episode of high drama and low blows. There's a certain level of predictability if you've seen Blood & Sand, regarding where the main characters will find themselves, but there's also enough uncertainty with the likes of Gannicus, Melitta, Tullius and Titus to make the journey worthwhile. Lessons have been learned from the previous year's lobotomized early episodes, and now Spartacus is functioning as a captivating spectacle of ultra-violence, scintillating sex, tough betrayals and gruesome murder. There's no other show on television like this, and it's rapidly become the highlight of my TV week. It's a shame the prequel's already entering it third and final act, but that's undoubtedly where all the fun's going to be.

Asides

• I couldn't resist a smile as Batiatus' words when he was surveying new slaves at the market ("Thracians aggravate Gauls"), knowing how that becomes a significant problem for him in Blood & Sand.
• There was one haunting moment when Naevia (Lesley-Ann Brandt) noticed her best friend having exhibition sex in the middle of the orgy, catching sight of her dead-eyes. The girl's innocence has been ripped from her soul after she was forced to lose her virginity as part of a nobleman's depravity, and now she's little more than an compliant feminine husk.
• Did anyone else get the impression Solonius has an eye for Lucretia? And will this come into play before the finale in a few weeks, explaining why Solonius and Batiatus are enemies during Blood & Sand?

written by Seamus Kevin Fahey & Misha Green / directed by Brendan Maher / 11 February 2011 / Starz

'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' - "Paterfamilias"

Any concerns I had that Gods Of The Arena wouldn't be able to recapture latter Blood & Sand's glory were utterly quashed by "Paterfamilias", which was another great episode in what's proving to be a terrific prequel series that's avoiding the traps George Lucas fell into. In this halfway episode, Quintus Batiatus (John Hannah) was further explored through his relationship to ageing father Titus (Jeffrey Thomas), whose reputation casts a shadow over his only son, while Crixus (Manu Bennett) turned a corner in his steely quest to become a celebrated gladiator.

The "daddy issues" of Batiatus were hardly original, but they were nicely handled; Titus painted as someone who doesn't have much faith in his comparatively young son's ability to run their family's ludus, and doesn't agree with his progeny's underhanded methods to rise to the top. He has a point in the sense that Quintus has an almost pathological desire to become powerful figure in Capuan society, and we know from Blood & Sand that his ambition will extend towards Rome and politics. The irony is that everything Titus dislikes about his son's methods is born from the fact Quintus ultimately wants to exceed the accomplishments of his illustrious forefathers and, with the help of Gannicus (Dustin Clare), secure his place in history.

Tellingly, Titus sees Gannicus as nothing but a cocky playboy (a handsome rock star of his era), lacking the discipline and prowess of his own favoured gladiator Oenomaus (Peter Mensah). The only thing I'm having difficult accepting is how Titus clearly believes he's still a big deal, as the House of Batiatus is clearly underperforming with him in charge, but maybe this is intentional and we should be viewing Titus as a self-delusional patriarch in the autumn of life. A man unwilling to accept that it's a dog-eat-dog world and his ludus will only ever regain its former eminence with his son at the helm, driven by vigorous determination.

Very interesting to note how the rot's beginning to seep into the upstanding House of Batiatus, as Roman nobleman Varros returned seeking more debauchery to impress his sexually-deviant friend Casutius, putting Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) and Gaia (Jaime Murray) in a very awkward position. Unable to risk offending the man who's arranging for Gannicus to compete in his illustrious primus, Lucretia was forced to allow Casutius to indulge his sick fantasy of watching a slave girl lose her virginity to an squalid gladiator, then joining them in a threesome. Impressive work from Lawless throughout this episode, but particularly in her twitchiness when it became clear she's allowing the ludus to become a brothel. The ensuing sex scene was another of the show's haunting moments, nicely handled by director Michael Hurst, particularly when fellow virgin Naeva (Lesley-Ann Brandt) saw her friend's traumatized expression after Casutius left, which screamed "there but for the grace of God, go I."

"Paterfamilias" was also the episode where Crixus rose above his position, thanks in part to Gannicus's combat advice and an inspiring pep talk from Batiatus, who desperately wanted his Gaul to win because a match that was essentially a gladiator of his father's choosing versus his own unproven slave. The Batiatus father-son power struggle enacted with Crixus and Auctus as their muscled proxies. It's been very interesting seeing Crixus in Gods Of The Arena, as he's far from the Alpha Male that dominated the ludus throughout Blood & Sand, with a curtain of unkempt hair giving him the shy appearance of a teenage boy trying to cut it with the big boys.

The Crixus vs Auctus fights was another of the show's thrilling spectacles, helped enormously by the prequel's contests taking place in a small arena that isn't expanded to gigantic proportions by smeary greenscreens. The action is more claustrophobic and realistic than it's ever been, and seeing Crixus heed Gannicus's words (by taking away the fearsome spear Auctus relies on), and winning the match to secure the branded mark of the Brotherhood he's long coveted, was a palpable thrill. Gods Of The Arena is undoubtedly heading towards a Crixus vs Gannicus matchup at the primus in the finale, and I daresay it's predictable what the outcome will be if you've seen Blood & Sand, but we'll see if the writers have some surprises up their sleeves.

It was also great to see Oenomaus struggling to adjust to his new role as Doctore. He's not yet prepared to use the whip of his predecessors, he still chooses to eat with the men he's supposedly above, and allowed a petty brawl at the ludus to spiral out of control minutes before Titus returned home. Peter Mensah was always a strong presence on the series, but he's getting some real opportunities to shine in this prequel, and I look forward to seeing him cope with the inevitable reveal his wife Melitta (Marisa Ramirez) was ordered to sleep with his former rival Gannicus.

Overall, "Paterfamilias" was another brilliantly entertaining mix of extremes, somehow balanced and given nuance by the actors and the fact the script remembers to give the sex and violence clear and comprehensible context with the characters. There's meaning behind most of its excessive sequences, and when it's there for cheap thrills (Batiatus sucking poured wine from Gaia's breast) there's usually something equally eyebrow-raising for the female audience (such as full-frontal nudity from Crixus this week.)

Aside

• Is Lucretia poisoning Titus, thus explaining his coughing fit while watching the fights alongside Tullius? If you remember, Lucretia was quick to stop her husband drinking some of the wine she offered her father-in-law.

written by Aaron Helbing & Todd Helbing / directed by Michael Hurst / 4 February 2011 / Starz

'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' - "Missio"

I'm relieved to see Gods Of The Arena quickly reaching the highs it took Blood & Sand half a season to achieve. The writers clearly understand their show now and, despite feeling that a few ideas are being recycled with different characters, "Missio" delivered more of the deviousness and sharp emotion that became so compelling last year. In the wake of Batiatus (John Hannah) being beaten in the street by flaxen Tullius (Stephen Lovatt) and pressured to remove his gladiators from competition, this week the battered lanista unleashed a plan to go over the head of Tullius by endearing his fighters to the game's visiting organizer Varrus, with a little help from his wife's friend Gaia (Jaime Murray).

A key feature of Spartacus is how the institutionalized slaves come to realize they're just meat-sacks, to be controlled on the whim of their master, often at the expense of their self-respect, principles, sexual orientation, moral code, and physical or emotional wellbeing. Batiatus isn't as callous as he was in Blood & Sand, and his marriage is certainly much stronger with Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) because she hasn't yet started her affair with Crixus (Manu Bennett), so it was interesting to see him look a little disgusted with himself when entertaining Varrus took unexpected turns: such as allowing champion Gannicus (Dustin Clare) to have sex with slave girl Melitta (Marisa Ramirez), the beautiful wife of his most trusted gladiator Oenomaus, just to satisfy their guest's taste for voyeurism. It was a surprisingly difficult scene to watch for viewers, too -- knowing the irony that Gannicus boasted to Melitta that he can fuck his way out of most situations, and the show's done a solid job selling the devotion Melitta has for her faithful husband Oenomaus, which was being despoiled behind his back.

"We do what we must in this house" Melitta told her husband after her humiliating experience, just as Oenomaus himself had been given a similarly abrasive wake-up call when Doctore (Temuera Morrison), angry at news he's to be replaced by Oenomaus, challenged his successor to a no-holds barred fight that led to his unfortunate death. And with Doctore's demise leading to Oenomaus's succession, thus comes the end of the gladiator's dream of returning to the arena and reclaiming the glory that's since been taken by Gannicus, the man who's also now betrayed him with his wife. The writers are once again doing a great job building relationship drama by twisting characters and their situations into tough shapes. These are soap-like stories, but the added zest of its ancient setting gives everything a strong punch.

Also fun to see Crixus rising from his lowly position as a mere slave, desperate to achieve the mark of the Brotherhood and prove himself a worthy gladiator, even growing close to besting Gannicus in a fight overseen by Varrus. It seems that Crixus has the Spartacus role this year, while Gaia (who clearly fancies the Gaul) is being written as an early version of evil Ilithyia from Blood & Sand -- although, as of right now, she seems very genuine. Perhaps she'll end up getting close to Crixus, only for a jealous Lucretia to steal him away from her, which will result in an acrimonious breakup to their friendship. Part of the fun with prequels is trying to guess how certain events come to pass, and we know that Gaia won't be around.

Overall, this was an impressive second episode and I was pleased to see so much happening (aided by the extended 52-minute runtime of Starz dramas), but more importantly it's great that new characters like Gaia and Gannicus already feel like part of the furniture. This is a great sign for Blood & Sand's second season, which returns later this year with Liam McIntyre replacing Andy Whitfield in the title role.

What do you make of Gods Of The Arena so far? If it avoiding the pitfalls most prequels face, or are you slightly bored because you know certain characters won't die. In "Missio", there was a moment of high drama when Crixus's life was put in the hands of Gaia, who could have ordered his death, but we know from Blood & Sand that Crixus is safe and will eventually become the Champion of Capua. Does this damage the show Gods Of The Arena too much, or should we just focus our attention more on the characters whose fates are a mystery to us, and treat the rest as enjoyable back-story brought to vibrant, blood-spattered life?

WRITERS: Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon
DIRECTOR: Rick Jacobson
TRANSMISSION: 28 January 2011, Starz, 9/8c

'Bedlam' & 'Spartacus' UK releases

Bedlam, Sky Living's new psychological drama about a haunted apartment block, has been given a release date of 7 February @10pm. Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena, the six-part prequel to Spartacus: Blood & Sand, will be broadcast on Sky1 in the third week of March. The latter delay is annoying, as the Starz miniseries was scheduled for 7 February (four weeks behind the US), whereas now it'll be over by the time Sky1 start airing it. Still, to keep positive, at least it's not a Sky Atlantic exclusive.

'SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA' - "Past Transgressions"

Hack n' slash your way over to Obsessed With Film, where I've reviewed the premiere of SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA, the six-part prequel to Spartacus: Blood & Sand, brought to you by the majesty of Jupiter's c*ck:

A prequel to the Starz hit Spartacus: Blood & Sand, Gods Of The Arena was originally a flashback idea the producers wanted to pursue in season 2. However, following the cancer relapse of the show's star Andy Whitfield, the concept was expanded to became a six-part miniseries and stopgap while they recast the role of Spartacus. Continue reading...