Spartacus Vengeance Finale

Friday is the season finale of Spartacus, Vengeance on Starz. I was feeling very lukewarm about the entire season until last week's episode, Monsters, set almost everything right again.

1. Gannicus and Oenomaus finally make peace. Unfortunately it comes out of of Oenomaus losing an eye and probably most of his hand, but their feud, though legitimate, concerned me all season.

2. Monsters (ha) Glaber and Illthyia are for the moment, back in business together. This needed to happen. I love those two as an awful, scheming, couple of hate and death. Good luck raising Spartacus, Jr., though.

3. The secondary stories of Mira and Naevia are done. Thank God.

4. Someone please get rid of Ashur. I can barely help throwing up every time he comes on screen. I hope Lucretia takes care of this creep, once and for all. YUCK.

5. Gannicus. As always, DAMN. His survival pretty much is the deciding factor in whether or not I keep watching the show . . . so far, so good. May the odds continue to be in his favor (!) There would be something oddly thrilling if in the end, he could hook up with the blond German girl, too; she's kind of annoying but seems lively.

Miscellaneous Wins; The Walking Dead, Turn of the Screw, Spartacus

Poor horse. . . 

The Walking Dead, created by Frank Darabont.

So Zombies, finally! I hesitated for a very long time in taking on this show, partly because I'm already committed to so fricking many, but partly also because I knew it would scare me (I won't watch 28 Days Later ever again, nor its sequel because I'm chicken). But, This. Was. Amazing. I'm gonna gush now:

1. One of my favorite sort of characters is an able, attractive policeman (coming in just behind an able, attractive firefighter). This show has one, and damn. There is something ridiculously thrilling about a man with authority having to kick ass or prove himself (Clint Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone choose these roles often and play them skillfully)---and here, Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes succeeds. Every time he takes a gun out I get giddy. Bonus for the patriotic theme that peppered the first episode----framed artwork (not Jasper Johns, but a cleaner, more Oprah version of something of his) in the Grimes house on the wall, and American flags throughout the police station. Zombies (Godless, flesh-eating, maniacs with no souls) are very un-American, after all, so what better to unite the country than a tribe of Americans taking them out with rifles? I LOVE IT.

2. The first episode opens with a crazy car chase/shootout, and then has Rick regaining consciousness in a hospital apparently long after the zombie apocalypse happens, stumbling around in a mostly empty town. This is like The Twilight Zone's "Where Is Everybody?" but, much more terrifying since instead of the military doing experiments on him, zombies want to eat him and his wife and son are missing. Whether these hell-creatures are off on their own shuffling around or in groups, they're horrid. Thanks for the nightmares.




3. Morgan and Duane, a father/son pair, have to not only hide out from the zombies casing their house but deal with the fact that one of them is their recently departed wife/mother. Duane's crying into a pillow after seeing her through a window was bad enough, but when Morgan plans to take her out from an upstairs window (with a photograph of her in her smiling, human form hung on the ledge as motivation) and sobs as he can't bring himself to pull the trigger . . . Jeez. There always has to be a parent/child aspect in zombie stories, doesn't there? I could be selfish and wish there wouldn't be, but those closeups, those human connections, and all that emotion just wouldn't be there, then, and a lot of the urgency would be lost. Ask a parent what their worst fear is and it will be some variation of losing his or her child(ren); I'd say losing a child and then dealing with the zombie version of them (or becoming a zombie oneself while a child is in one's care) blows that one right out of the water. Yuck.

What a show.

yikes!

Turn of the Screw (and other short stories), 1898, by Henry James.

I don't know exactly how to describe these stories as "winning," exactly, as I believe it took me nearly an entire year to finish them and it felt like physical labor every step of the way---but they were very much worth the trouble. But make no mistake----he's treacherously difficult to read, this man, and sometimes my head would hurt with all the effort. For instance:

"My perambulations had given me, meanwhile, no glimpse of him, but they had tended to make more public the change taking place in our relation as a consequence of his having at the piano, the day before, kept me, in Flora's interest, so beguiled and befooled."

And it's literally all like that, every story, 90% of the sentences, the entire book. The fucking commas were out of control. But after probably the fourth story (there were eight) I kind of got used to it and could enjoy whatever the Christ he was blathering about, mostly. The Turn of the Screw is clearly the best in the collection, and genius for what it implies (but never actually confirms), which is most likely child abuse or pedophile behavior. The story scared me very much, mostly in how it had its two enemies hovering around here and there, in all sorts of creepy, disquieting ways. This too, felt to me very much like The Twilight Zone, and how sometimes those enemies would be subtle in their threats, just sort of waiting or lingering, but obviously much, much darker in theme.

I recommend the story highly, but you'll need a lot of patience.

My husband has been strangely giddy and optimistic
since Illythia's triumphant return . . . 

3. Spartacus, Vengeance.

The new Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) is a good one, though every fan of the show's thoughts were obviously on Andy Whitfield and being conflicted about accepting the new guy . . . he's going to be just fine. What better way to come back with a bang than to TEAR UP A WHOREHOUSE, uh, during business hours, as it were. Jeez.

Ilythia is pregs; Lucretia is no longer pregs but alive; Oenomaus is hunted with the rest of the gladiators (where is Ashur?) and Crixus wants his girl back. Spartacus and Mira are now a confirmed item (boo!). Aurellia is out (good riddance, I couldn't stand her). Who were those fools in the arena, and how much longer until Gannicus comes back?

Fridays just got hot again.

News, Updates.

Andy Whitfield died yesterday after a battle with non-hodgkins lymphoma. This is incredibly sad; not just because he was so remarkable in his role in the television show Spartacus or that he was very young, but because cancer is just awful. I'll take a page from my favorite little Twilight Zone freak, Anthony Fremont's book and WISH CANCER INTO THE CORNFIELD. I hate it.



Secondly, I'll be doing a little Spartacus re-watch as a tribute to Andy very soon. Before I get to it, I have 5 more films left of your recommendations, it's been extremely slow going without a computer, but it will happen. I swear I've been reading the same Henry James book of short stories in the bath for the last three months, but you know, better late than never, I guess.

Looking good, Stackhouse.

True Blood ended last night; I think it needed to because if it got any more ridiculous I may have just cancelled HBO. You know things are pretty bad when JASON STACKHOUSE has been given the best story line, but I liked what happened with the vamps for the most part and wish there would have been more of just them, being vampy. Best scene by far was when Bill and Eric, uh, reacted to Nan's little using-Sookie-as-blackmail business, I was like, FINALLY! Heads off, 1, 2, 3, and Nan staked on the ground in a slippery mess (unfortunately no jar was available). Speaking of Talbot, the resurrection of Russell Edgington? Hell YES! Get that old Kraut up and kicking again! (I can say Kraut because I am one; he called Sookie a bitch in German last season so I'm guessing he's one, too). Anyway, the more vampires, the better.

For fall television, there are actually quite a few shows on my roster---Dexter, of course, Pan Am, Person of Interest (Hello, Ben Linus), and maybe the most exciting, American Horror Story, starting in October. Have you seen the ads for it? Nice leather suit creep in the red room! Between this and Insidious (back in March) I'll never be able to sleep with the lights off, again. And if I ever get time, I need to catch up on Mad Men and start Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, and The Killing.

Damn. 

Thursday Treats

There's a new Spartacus trailer out, so I've been told. . . my hopes are that somehow, Gannicus might find his way back to the Ludus, even if Batiatus has fallen.

In the meantime:

Anna Quindlen and Spartacus.

Strange bedfellows, I know, but I don't want to be one of those annoying bloggers that posts things every 30 seconds. My annoying bits will come all at once, thank you.

1. Rise and Shine, by Anna Quindlen, 2006.

I don't really know why I had this; maybe my mother left it here. In any case, I was trying really hard to make it through my Thomas Mann Reader (that I started back in October) but seeing as my nightly routine usually involves at least a couple alcoholic beverages after I eat and come down here to try and write, and then a bath with whatever book I'm reading; the concentration factor was a little lacking these last few weeks . . . I kept zoning out in the tub and then squinting and trying really hard to concentrate on Death in Venice, telling myself that I owe it to myself to have read this . . . Finally I just said FUCK IT this is too heady right now. I'll come back to it again later. And then I picked this up instead.

It was fine, I guess. Not exactly my cup of tea, but competent. She seems to be very descriptive and good with words, so good job there, but here's my thing: Wordy people need to be either funny (Diablo Cody) or I don't know, edge-y (Quentin Tarantino) for me to really say I enjoy their writing. She was just wordy. That's all I can say.

2. How Reading Changed My Life, 1998, by Anna Quindlen.

See? This is probably an example of what will happen to me someday. I'll absolutely shred myself trying to roll out decent, intelligent fiction or media criticisms but people will really only want to hear about my non-ficitonal past and a day in the life of four kids and the 3493898988 fecal incidents that accompany such a lifestyle. People love writers with a flare for describing fecal incidents.

I liked this a lot. I LOVE TO HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT BOOKS, it just makes me happy. And I love reading lists. It could be a complete works of Larry the Cable Guy list and I would still love it just because it was a list of books. And what I was getting at up there before was that fiction writers are usually really gifted at telling their own stories, and I was far more interested in this (of Quindlen's) than the other title.

3. ON BATIATUS: (spoilers, a lot).

So clearly, I've had a little wine, there's a full moon, and I love *everyone* right now, but I've been meaning to say this for a while, now.

Spartacus has really excellent emotional exchanges.

-Lucretia loves Quintus enough to murder his disapproving father. "Tell me I was wrong about you."
"You were wrong. I am far worse."
-Quintus loves Lucretia enough to leave the Ludus with nothing, to give up everything to be with her.
-Gannicus! Being champion gladiator and engaging in drunken three ways fall to the wayside once he falls in love with Melitta. That whole relationship shift between them completely gives me chills. (RIP, Melitta).
-in Blood and Sand, Spartacus OVERTAKES THE HOUSE OF BATIATUS to avenge his wife's death. "Was she really such a woman?" Mira asks him. "She was the sun."
-in Blood and Sand Crixus, the former champion gladiator cries openly to Naevia, "I have ruined us!"
This entire show is an exercise in denied love.

Hot, Crixus, but please do *something* with that mop. . .

Finale next week. :(

Spartacus Love Triangle

Oenemaus? How you doin'?

Is anyone else watching Gods of the Arena? Hot, hot, HOT!






Despite the fact that I love the fighting, love the debauchery, and I love Quintus shouting, "HOUSE OF BATIATUS" every thirty seconds, the thing that's got me hooked is the love triangle between Oenomaus (Doctore), Mellita (his wife), and Gannicus.


Man, they were friends! This is serious!

It's so extremely well done that I'm scared for how it's going to end, and actually sitting here obsessing over it now. And as much as this pains me, I won't spoil it for anyone else by revealing any of the details, just know that it's really excellent.

Now There's a GLADIATOR!

Spartacus, Gods of the Arena: PAST TRANSGRESSIONS


I'll say. This was amazing; an extremely visceral episode. The blood. The urine. The whips. The opium! What an opening!

Newcomers cast:
Dustin Claire as Gannicus
Jaime Murray (Lila from Dexter) as Gaia
I can't find proof of it yet, but I think Jango Fett is playing the Doctore. . .

Well done. A reckless, boozing, womanizing, bad boy for a champion is kind of fun; his resemblance to Colin Farrell doesn't hurt things in the least. And though I long for even a promise of Andy Whitfield down the road, seeing the history of the characters' relationships before Spartacus's time, even in this one episode, was awesome. Talk about the tables turning! Ashur WAS a Gladiator. Crixus! A meek slave! Batiatus, pissed on in the street! And that magistrate? He's a slippery snake, he is. Sex was *wild,* even by last season's standards. Wow.

I'll be tuning in next Friday.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

I really can't tell you how much I dug this show, or how excited I am for the upcoming season, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena that starts January 22 on Starz. I highly, highly recommend it but again, just to be clear, really make sure the kids are in bed. I don't think I've ever seen so much blood. Or sex.

If you haven't had the chance to check it out yet, I'll do you a favor and help you familiarize yourself with some of the characters and goings-on in fair Capua, where our story takes place. Since social networking is most everyone's primary means of communication, I've taken the liberty of creating little faux-facebook bios for each of the characters; there are a few spoilers.

SPARTACUS.
allegiance: House of Batiatus.
position: Gladiator, Champion of Capua.
relationship status: widowed.
known to say: "Kill them All."


CRIXUS.
allegiance: House of Batiatus.
position: Gladiator, former Champion of Capua.
relationship status: complicated. Ties to Lucretia Batiatus, Naevia.
known to say: "There is no greater thing than standing victorious in the arena."



VARRO.
allegiance: House of Batiatus.
position: Gladiator, willingly enslaved for repayment of debts.
relationship status: married to Aurelia, one son.
known to say: "the odds do not favor you."

DOCTORE.
allegiance: House of Batiatus.
position: Trainer of Gladiators.
relationship status: unknown.
known to say: "What is beneath your feet?"

BATIATUS.
also known as Quintus, Dominus, Lentulus.
position: Lanista, trainer and trader of Gladiators; head of the ludus and House of Batiatus. Proclaims position often and loudly.
relationship status: married to Lucretia, relations with many slaves.
known to say: "DO NOT #*&$ing SPEAK!"




ASHUR.
allegiance: highest bidder.
position: former Gladiator, wounded. Batiatus's messenger.
relationship status: procures Naevia, Lucretia's slave and love of Crixus.
known to say: "Whatever you need, Ashur provides."





LUCRETIA.
allegiance: House of Batiatus.
position: Lady of House of Batiatus, Domina
relationship status: married to Quintus, forces relationship with Crixus.
known to say: "A fact known well to many women," about not every venture ending in climax.



ILITHYIA.
allegiance: Legatus Claudius Glaber (husband), Senator Albinius (father).
position: Friend of Lucretia, antagonist to Spartacus who is enemy of her husband.
known to say: "The Gods yet ignore us!"

These were the main characters, but there are many more of interest. The show, while being well cast and well acted is also well driven. Some of the very best scenes are the ones that show the passing of time, done by Spartacus running endlessly against a changing background into different lands or the repeated cracking of the Doctore's whip with the blazing sun at his back, happening day after day. The music, original done by Joseph LoDuca, is brilliant. Tender in parts, ethnic in others, and METAL IN THE ARENA? Nice. Fight scenes, blood, slow motion, and choreography are all really, really good.

I needed this in my winter. Best wishes and prayers to Andy Whitfield, (Spartacus); my wish is that you and every other person that battles cancer can send it to the underworld.

You've Got Mail (and by contrast, something wonderful).

Seriously, zzzzzzzzzzzz.

You've Got Mail, 1998, directed by Nora Ephron.
starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan.

I'm just going to go ahead and say that this film (and anything else Nora Ephron has had her hand in) is not my bag, baby. I won't say that it's bad, but it's really just not for me. And there is something about Meg Ryan that really is not for me, either. In this she was supposed to be quirky, charming, bubbly, and cute, but I just wasn't having it. Also, despite the fact that this little story mostly revolves around books, I couldn't find one likable thing about it SAVE for The Godfather film references. Snore.

In other news, my partner in crime has decided that he's had enough of the bad film list and has taken command of the television for at least an hour each night screening SPARTACUS instead. What a treat this has turned out to be! And I'm not just digging the buffed up gladiators or the slow motion fight scenes or the noblewomen's hair and dresses or anything superficial like that (although these things are nice); it's awesome! I highly recommend it if you have Starz---careful though, it's real steamy. Make sure the kids are in bed, yeah?