So. Peeps. I guess you all know my love for Spartacus. After all, ENSLAVED was inspired by the first season (Spartacus: Blood and Sand). But, even knowing these things, I cannot recommend this show highly enough.

Seriously. NOT HIGHLY ENOUGH.

It’s really difficult for me to articulate why I love it so much. Because I love it, I don’t really want to dissect it. I don’t want to tarnish my enjoyment by picking it to bits and figuring out exactly what it is that makes me react with such love and adulation. But, seeing as it’s you peeps, I’ll give it a go. 😉

Spartacus is a show that doesn’t pull any punches. It builds and builds and builds and then it frakking delivers. Spartacus WILL depict both the noble and the unsavoury aspects of a character. Spartacus WILL destroy them, WILL rip their hearts out and show them the pulsating, bloody mess, and laugh while it does it. Spartacus will, as the last episode of the first series is so deliciously called, Kill Them All.

*happy sigh* God damn, but I love it.

The showrunner and creator, Steven S DeKnight, worked on Buffy and Angel so already I’m pretty fricking envious of him. He’s worked with Joss, peeps! Like, face to face and stuff! He probably has talked with him MORE THAN ONCE.

Anyhoo, I think there’s a definite Joss influence to Steven’s writing. That awesome Joss quote, where he says you don’t give audiences what they want, you give them what they need totally applies to Spartacus. We might wail and scream, tear our hair and ask why? Why did you kill off that character? Why are you going down that path with this character? WHY CAN’T THEY JUST ALL BE HAPPY AND FROLICK IN FIELDS WEARING SCANTY LOINCLOTHS AND GLISTENING OIL*??

But this isn’t what I need. What I need is for Spartacus to be misguided. For Gannicus to drink wine and shag chicks and shake his head at the future he know is coming. For Crassus to be a worthy foe for Spartacus, and to bring about his doom. It’s going to be horrible, but I know this season is going to end spectacularly well.

Thank you, Steven S DeKnight. You are the Shizz.

*This is a very happy place for me, peeps. Don’t believe me? Check out the pretty, pretty people in this show.

NB_Oh, and Spartacus is filmed in New Zealand with a high proportion of Australian actors. You have NO idea how freaked I was when I watched the first episode and heard the accent of my birth spill from these characters’ lips. It was seriously weird, peeps. And then they started with the swearing. Sheesh.

NBB_Also, Liam McIntyre, who plays Spartacus, is from Adelaide! I’m from Adelaide! I might have stood next to him at the footy, peeps!