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whatwekeep2010-02-11 05:32 pm
devilc.livejournal.com) wrote in whatwekeep2010-02-11 05:32 pm
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Some meta by way of Spartacus Blood and Sand
The first two episodes of this series can be streamed from the Starz website. The third should be up shortly. I think they are good watching for anybody reading or writing in the AKB'verse.
While my joking nickname for this series is Spartacus: Blood and Crack (and oh my, is it some of the crackiest crack that ever cracked) for all the places that it's completely lolarious, in spite of itself, it's managed to be incredibly frank about the brutality of slavery and the extent to which slaves do not have control over their bodies.
Over on After Elton there's a review of the first few eps that touches on these aspects.
Basically, there were two kinds of people in Ancient Rome: citizens and slaves. If you were a slave – or a gladiator, condemned to die – you were absolutely sub-human, existing solely for the pleasure of the citizens, with no rights or dignity whatsoever.
In one scene in the second episode, surely to be one of the series’ most talked-about, Batiatus (the owner of a gladiator school, played by Four Wedding and Funeral gay guy John Hannah) is having a conversation with his wife Lucretia (played Xena herself, Lucy Lawless). Meanwhile, both are being nonchalantly sexually serviced by slaves.
The dehumanization is shocking, but fascinating. The show could easily have dumbed down this aspect of the show – ignoring any sense of “real” Roman history and made it strictly about the sex and gore. They didn’t, and I found these elements to be the most interesting part of the series.
(Some critics have said, “It’s impossible for modern people to understand the Roman mind-set,” but given the way we treat the poor in other countries, and even our own country, I don’t think the “Roman” mind-set is quite as alien as some of us would like to believe. I think we simply keep our “slaves” hidden far from view.)
There are a few scenes in episode 3 (which is where the series starts to get good on top of all the crack) which manage to be kinky, funny, and a little sad all at the same time.
One of them concerns Varro, who has sold himself into slavery to provide for his wife and child*, and is obliged by his Domina to give a "command performance" in front of an audience. (And consider also the words used by the Citizens to refer to the gladiators.)
Another concerns the relationship between Crixus, his Domina, and her bodyslave, Naevia. The contrast in Crixus' demeanor and expression as he fumblingly, but earnestly attempts to court Naevia and the rote words of passion he expresses for his Domina could not be more marked. (The whole scene is as funny as it is sad.)
Finally, in episode #3, Spartacus, who has already had several brutal lessons in submission gets an equally intense one in obedience when he is thrown in the hole. The men of the ludus (gladiator school) are broken and remade with practiced efficiency by their masters and trainers. Just as Jensen has the goal of being the best Body Slave possible, several of the Gladiators have given themselves over, body and soul, to being the best Gladiators possible. It's not just for physical survival -- it has become their reason for being. It's the only thing they have left.
For all the ways in which S:B&S is stylized and cracky, it's also incredibly frank about what meant in terms of having no choice and no say over one's body, moreso than other "better" series I've seen (eg. Roots, Rome).
*Unlike in the AKB'verse, slaves could be manumitted or purchase their freedom, and many Gladiators did purchase (they were permitted a portion of their winnings) or win their freedom, until they did and became Citizens, they were slaves and had no rights over their bodies at all.
While my joking nickname for this series is Spartacus: Blood and Crack (and oh my, is it some of the crackiest crack that ever cracked) for all the places that it's completely lolarious, in spite of itself, it's managed to be incredibly frank about the brutality of slavery and the extent to which slaves do not have control over their bodies.
Over on After Elton there's a review of the first few eps that touches on these aspects.
Basically, there were two kinds of people in Ancient Rome: citizens and slaves. If you were a slave – or a gladiator, condemned to die – you were absolutely sub-human, existing solely for the pleasure of the citizens, with no rights or dignity whatsoever.
In one scene in the second episode, surely to be one of the series’ most talked-about, Batiatus (the owner of a gladiator school, played by Four Wedding and Funeral gay guy John Hannah) is having a conversation with his wife Lucretia (played Xena herself, Lucy Lawless). Meanwhile, both are being nonchalantly sexually serviced by slaves.
The dehumanization is shocking, but fascinating. The show could easily have dumbed down this aspect of the show – ignoring any sense of “real” Roman history and made it strictly about the sex and gore. They didn’t, and I found these elements to be the most interesting part of the series.
(Some critics have said, “It’s impossible for modern people to understand the Roman mind-set,” but given the way we treat the poor in other countries, and even our own country, I don’t think the “Roman” mind-set is quite as alien as some of us would like to believe. I think we simply keep our “slaves” hidden far from view.)
There are a few scenes in episode 3 (which is where the series starts to get good on top of all the crack) which manage to be kinky, funny, and a little sad all at the same time.
One of them concerns Varro, who has sold himself into slavery to provide for his wife and child*, and is obliged by his Domina to give a "command performance" in front of an audience. (And consider also the words used by the Citizens to refer to the gladiators.)
Another concerns the relationship between Crixus, his Domina, and her bodyslave, Naevia. The contrast in Crixus' demeanor and expression as he fumblingly, but earnestly attempts to court Naevia and the rote words of passion he expresses for his Domina could not be more marked. (The whole scene is as funny as it is sad.)
Finally, in episode #3, Spartacus, who has already had several brutal lessons in submission gets an equally intense one in obedience when he is thrown in the hole. The men of the ludus (gladiator school) are broken and remade with practiced efficiency by their masters and trainers. Just as Jensen has the goal of being the best Body Slave possible, several of the Gladiators have given themselves over, body and soul, to being the best Gladiators possible. It's not just for physical survival -- it has become their reason for being. It's the only thing they have left.
For all the ways in which S:B&S is stylized and cracky, it's also incredibly frank about what meant in terms of having no choice and no say over one's body, moreso than other "better" series I've seen (eg. Roots, Rome).
*Unlike in the AKB'verse, slaves could be manumitted or purchase their freedom, and many Gladiators did purchase (they were permitted a portion of their winnings) or win their freedom, until they did and became Citizens, they were slaves and had no rights over their bodies at all.
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This particularly catches my eye:
The contrast in Crixus' demeanor and expression as he fumblingly, but earnestly attempts to court Naevia and the rote words of passion he expresses for his Domina could not be more marked.
The differences between being forced to "love" his mistress and his genuine love/interest for another slave make for good dramatic tension, I'm sure. Most of the stories in AKB tend to be about slaves who really do love their masters, which is also a great source of tension, but the opposite must be true in many cases.