MovieChat Forums > Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010) Discussion > what a frustrating show

what a frustrating show

posted 4 years ago by jakemon45 (971)
8 replies | jump to latest

It's a fantastic show as a whole. BUT. The first few episodes (the pilot especially) made me not even want to keep watching. Several other episodes throughout the series were not easy to get through, either. One episode I was about halfway through before I realized that I'd already watched it. Recasting of 2 major characters were major fails. The new Spartacus and Naevia were duds compared to their original actors. Don't like introducing a new, never before seen villain for the final season. Feels almost tacked on after the death of Glaber, who was a villain set up and fleshed out over 2 seasons.

Great show, just so inconsistent.

[–] janelsenor (2042) 4 years ago

It's a great show, especially when you consider all the troubles it had in production.

Crassus had been built up a bit in the earlier seasons via dialogue. We just don't see him until the final season. It probably would have been fleshed out more, but Rob Tapert had a feeling Starz would drop the show after what ended up being the final season. So they decided to do a time jump and wrap it up before they could be canceled. I think they made the right call.

[–] beavis (3249) 4 years ago

I agree it's a entertaining show if you're bit perverted. Viva Bianca was such a small minded slut in this, I wanted her so bad.
Sucked it puttered out with the replacements in the spartacus lead and crixus's love lady.

[–] Volley (3368) 3 years ago

I found the pilot is much better if you watch the 6 episodes of Gods of the Arena first, then jump into Season 1, and watch the rest in order from there.

This show is highly rewatchable, I just started my fifth rewatch of the series.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

That’s a very good point. I just rewatched all the seasons and wondered if I should have watched the Gods of the Arena first, but I decided to watch in the order in which the seasons where presented. I’m sure you know the hastily-created prequel, Gods of the Arena, was a “vamp” to continue the series in the hopes that Andy Whitfield would beat his cancer. He succumbed, so do they end of this amazing show, or do they soldier on? They moved on, and I’m glad they did. The CBS series, Cover-Up, faced a similar problem when the male lead, Jon-Erik Hexum, tragically committed inadvertent suicide by putting a prop gun to his head as a joke and pulling the trigger, firing the gunpowder of the blank into his skull and killing him with his scullbone shards. They replaced his character and the show went on—for 1 more season. I think this was a good call.

What was NOT a good call was recasting the original, beautiful, kind and feminine Navia with a harsh and unattractive Harpie. Bad call. Bad, bad call; but I did love that she CRUSHED that maggot, Asher. I’d have preferred the original, beautiful, brutalized Navia to have done so.

Spartacus was effectively recast. Navia was not.

Not for nothing, Michael Hurst has always been an asshole.

[–] Volley (3368) 2 years ago

Indeed, Gods of the Arena was very well put together, and so quickly, I almost wonder if they used a script they already had somewhere, as they were able to film very quickly after Season 1 and Andy's diagnosis still to be revealed.

Absolutely agreed about the Navia recast, not only did her appearance change into a harsher and less attractive, as you said, but her personality was completely different than Gods of the Arena & Season 1 Navia. Surely there would have been other options...

[–] movieLoader (112) 3 years ago

> "Recasting of 2 major characters were major fails"

Jeez, chill out. The actor who played Spartacus died in real life after 1st season, so not much can be done except get a new actor.

Calling the new Spartacus a "dud" is unfair. By the final season he owns his role and does a great job.

I agree with Volley, it's highly rewatchable, and starting with Gods of the Arena is the way to go. The dialog is fun, it's entertaining, and there hasn't been anything else that's come close since.

[–] jakemon45 (971) 3 years ago

Obviously I'm aware that Andy Whitfield passed, and that's the whole reason for the existence of Gods of the Arena. If they were to continue the show, he had to be recast. I personally thought the replacement didn't come close to matching the original's charisma, which I found important to the role. I don't even dislike Liam McIntyre, he just made it feel like an entirely different character to me.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

Jake, life is the art of compromise. As my greatest teacher taught me, “If we cannot have perfection, can’t we be satisfied with mere excellence?” Andy Whitfield was superb, but there is more than 1 road to joy. The rest of the series is wonderful.