Spartacus: Blood and Sand - Season 2 delayed

Although Spartacus: Blood and Sand was renewed even before the first Season had aired, the filming has now been on hiatus some time.

Andy Whitfield, who plays Spartacus, was diagnosed with Cancer, and although he is expected to beat it and recover, filming has had to take a break for him to fight and recover.

In this break, producers have been considering a prequel miniseries to keep the actors and crew occupied in the interim. So, I ask, what are you hoping the miniseries will focus on?

Some suggest that a younger actor will be cast to play Spartacus, but I cannot see how this would be useful regarding the cast who remains - none of them would have a part in this life.

I hope that the miniseries will focus on Crixus and how he came to be champion of Capua, how the hatred between he and Ashur grew. If John Hannah and Lucy Lawless were not available, it would still be possible to focus on the goings on in the ludus underbelly and in the arena.

What do you think?

Spartacus: Blood and Sand - Kill Them All, S01E13 - Season Finale

Although many call this show a guilty pleasure, I maintain that Spartacus: Blood and Sand not only has a fair amount of depth considering it is a show which primarily showcases sex and violence, but also, even in the last bloodbath episode, used interesting storytelling techniques.

The episode begins with Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) and Crixus (Manu Bennett) beginning a gladiatorial battle to the death before the elite crowds of Capua, celebrating the prestige of Batiatus (John Hannah) and the honour of patronage bestowed upon him by the Legatus, Claudius Glaber.

Then the flashbacks begin. We see the set up of how this fight came to happen, all the foreplay of Spartacus's plans for vengeance, of Lucretia (Lucy Lawless)'s hatred and yet continued love for Crixus, of Batiatus and Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay)'s insurance that Spartacus would win the final battle, of Aurelia (Brooke Williams)'s continued mistrust of Spartacus for poisoning Crixus, of Ilithyia (Viva Bianca)'s resentment of Lucretia and Batiatus.

I particularly enjoyed the scene where Spartacus and Crixus, finally to fight to the death, shock hands and declared that in other circumstances they might have been brothers. Although Crixus would not be convinced to Spartacus' cause, he promised, should he live, to kill Batiatus one day. Spartacus promised, if the outcome where in his favour, to find and protect Naevia.

When the fight began, Spartacus was reluctant to kill Crixus. He still hoped to bring the man to his side, but Crixus would not be swayed. Batiatus' very fatal mistake was in drugging his former champion. When Crixus began to slow and Spartacus determined the reason for it, their cause became one and the gladiators loosed themselves on the terrified but useless people within the ludus.

Here, Ilithyia's revenge was taken. She left the building as soon as fighting broke out, and instructed her guards to seal all guests within. Many were her friends, whom she had invited her self, but all stayed behind to pay for the grievance she had against Lucretia.

Amid the bloodbath, certain character's had to have their death's properly attended to.

Doctore (Peter Mensah) had to be brought over to the cause, or killed. Although he had been promised freedom by Batiatus, he must have know that once the killing started, his fate was with the rest of the gladiators, and so he took sword and went after the man he blamed for all the dishonour - Ashur.

The fight, the clear dominance of Doctore, and the final appeal to honour that Ashur used to escape death were all in perfect accordance with the personalities we got to know. I am very glad Ashur survived, for I love to hate him.

Of the gladiators, some died and some lived, but only a few remained familiar to us. Of those, the two German brothers suffered the worst. The elder, always the more cautious, was finally saved by the younger in an act of bravery which cost him his life. It was the proper way for him to go - he had never been a particularly strong fighter - and it made the sacrifice of those fighting for their freedom all the more real, since it was obvious they could not all survive.

Numerius (Lliam Powell) could also not simply die. And, although he was considered a man and had cost Varro his life, the lad was only 15. Killing children must always be properly and carefully approached, and I thought his death was exactly what it ought to have been. When he was escaping the enraged gladiators, he fell to the care of Aurelia. A clear indication of how little the Romans thought about their slaves, despite the revolt, she was trusted to keep him safe. Naturally, she asked him about Varro's death, and when he dismissed the man as having absolutely no value, the little wife directed all the pain and anger she had felt over the matter, which formerly had been aimed at Spartacus, as the boy. Varro was avenged by his tiny wife.

Finally, we come to Lucretia and Batiatus. Crixus stabbed Lucretia in the womb, for he would see no child of his born from her. The cut was fatal, but she did not die immediately. She was able, bleeding, to go to her husband. He, surrounded by gladiators, awaited Spartacus. Wishing to go to Lucretia, he was prevented by the man whose wife he had killed. As Lucretia fell dying, her husband was cut down beside her. I could not help but feel some pity for these two, despite the fact that the machinations that led to their deaths were of their own design.

That Lucretia was killed, and not only that, but that she was stabbed so that her child would die, was not what I expected. The cruelty of the act, however, did not affect me as it might have done. I felt that her living, knowing she had lost her child, might have been proper payment for the cruelty she had inflicted on her slaves, even if it had not seemed cruelty to her. That she died was perhaps a kinder fate than she deserved. Still, a horrible act, even if it is not completely unjustified.

Season 1 of Spartacus: Blood and Sand far surpassed my expectations for intelligent television, as well as fulfilled my every wish from a sexy, violent show.

Stargate Universe - Faith, S01E13

Hmmmm...I'm not exactly sure what I thought about this episode. It was certainly still better than most of the first half of Season 1, but it was still very odd. I can only hope all the feelings of uncertainty and confusions I feel about it will be justified in future developments.

When a mysterious star and heavenly planet appear out of nowhere, the team sent down to explore is overcome with a great desire to stay there forever. Maybe some all-powerful alien race created the planet, or maybe it was a god, but it seems likely it was designed specifically for them and that those all-powerful whatevers might be able to help them get home to Earth.

But in the end, no one stayed behind.

I understand the need for the episode. There was little conflict, and so a lot of time to allow the tension between military personnel and civilian to dissipate. It seems to me like those issues, while they are not gone, will not have to be so hot for upcoming episodes, allowing the writers more freedom to negotiate with.

But there was no real point, since there was no real conflict. It very much felt like an episode of semi-peaceful floating through space. Although nothing ought to have changed by the other side, still a lot is now different.

So I am awaiting the next episode to discover how successful this episode was.

Miami Medical - What Lies Beneath, S01E03

Three episodes in, and we get a wedding disaster and a very lucky man suffering from being impaled with a pole. And we also got the beginning of a potentially exciting and curious sexual relationship.

I love how in the first few minutes of each episode, we see our victims right before disaster strikes. In those mere moments, we begin to care about them, to care that they will be able to achieve the hopes and dreams that have just been related to us. When whatever accident the follows, we are already invested in the survival of those people, and would be even if they appeared completely unconscious in the OR.

I also love that our doctors come across as real people, very capable and dedicated to the job, but still human. They have yet to go somewhere annoying, such as having personal problems affect them while they are on the job. Even the youngest resident, Dr. Warren (Elisabeth Harnois), although exchanging text messages with a bow all day, did not bring her annoyance at his lack of distraction into her work. Her job got done, and done well, though on her breaks her personal life distracted.

I think my favourite moment of the episode was when Dr. Zambrano (Lana Parrilla) had to cut the bride out of her wedding dress. Despite the necessity of the act, she still showed the right amount of feminine feeling towards such a horrid thing to have to do.

As I have praised before, the medicine was sound and interesting, with proper amount of concern for the victims. And since that is done well, we can have the romantic attachments forming on the side. I am very anxious to find out this week how Dr. Zambrano went from flirting with Dr. Deleo (Mike Vogel) all day and evening to waking up naked in a bed and having Dr. Proctor (Jeremy Northam) walk in with coffee. Very very anxious.

Are you?

Supernatural - Point of No Return, S05E18

This episode was crazy awesome. I was overcome with delight more than once with the fantastic interplay of the characters, and was pleased beyond measure at the perfection of the choices made both by the writers and by Dean (Jensen Ackles).

We'll start by addressing the business side of things. Dean and Sam (Jared Padalecki) finally got to meet their younger half-brother, Adam (Jake Abel), brought back from the dead by the angels for some nefarious purpose. He, naturally, ended up being the bate that was the bring Dean to saying Yes to Michael.

Zachariah (Kurt Fuller) really botched to job by doing this. While Dean had given up and was fully ready to say Yes in the hopes of saving some of the world, the confrontation made him change his mind. He had hit rock bottom, he felt he had not other choice, but when he saw Sam bleeding to death, fully believing that he would continue to believe and say No, well Dean just could not disappoint. And not only has he refused yet again, his inability to feel is likely going to go away now that he only has one direction to go - UP - and he's taking it.

But, while the progress of the story line was amazing, I will never forget some other terrific moments of this episode.

1. Bobby (Jim Beaver) pulls out a bullet and tells Dean how he wants to shoot himself with it, but he hasn't because he promised Dean that he would not give up.

2. Castiel is in a fiery rage. The glare he gives Dean prompts the comment "The last person that looked at me like that, I got laid." At which point, the part of me that loves the sexual energy between them literally squealed!

3. Zachariah's assessment of Sam and Dean's relationship was beyond accurate. "You know, Sam and Dean are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right?" We know, and we LOVE it.

4. When Castiel beat the crap out of Dean because he had given up everything for him, sacrificed everything for him, and the stupid little human didn't care and was going to waste all that effort.

Those were the moments that made this episode far more than a simple (yeah, really simple) matter of hitting rock bottom so that recovery could me made. Not that things are going to be easy. After all, in all likelihood, Michael is now wearing Adam as his meat suit, as Lucifer is doing with Nick. Well, at least Zachariah is dead. He was SUCH a jerk.

Vampire Diaries - Under Control, S01E18

While the Founder's Day celebrations continue in Mystic Falls, things continue to go from bad to worse. I can't help but pity all the innocent townsfolk who have no idea about the constant dangers that surround them. But perhaps it is worse for all those who have some idea of how bad things are.

The arrival of John Gilbert (the delicious David Anders, whom you may recall as Sark on Alias) carries more danger than Damon (Ian Somerhalder), the recently relapsed blood-addict Stefan (Paul Wesley), and all of Pearl (Kelly Hu)'s recently released vampires combined. I'm not actually certain whom he poses the most danger to - the vampires or those innocent townsfolk - but it won't end well for someone.

Perhaps that someone is Jenna (Sara Canning). She's smart and beautiful and fun, and has worse taste in men than I do. Her attraction to Logan was clearly a disaster, her relationship with Alaric (Matt Davis) is overshadowed by his once-thought-dead-but actually-now-a-vampire wife, and now we learn that she slept with her sister's brother-in-law. And he clearly is not the kind of man who has respect for anybody.

Still, I am deeply interested in discovering what exactly John Gilbert has planned. He knows so much, and yet is telling Damon and Alaric, rather than the town council. I'm not sure how he thinks he can manipulate them, but he must want something...or is he just the kind of prick to revel in monologuing to his enemies because he knows he can't be killed.

Meanwhile, Stefan's addiction continues to get the better of him. He's a crack addict and he's just remembered how much he likes the stuff - my suggestion, he spend the next 10 years locked up...he might get it under control again that way. And Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) has learned everything that Elena (Nina Dobrev) knows about vampires by reading her diary, but he doesn't seem inclined to share his discoveries with her. Might be because she knew that Vicki was dead and she kept that from him. Oh, and Tyler (Michael Trevino) has one heck of a temper that's beginning to show. I wonder when we will learn his secret?

I continue to love this show; it's doing it's mythology perfectly, sticking with mostly known values and explaining additions or modifications with careful precision. Plus, the cast is very attractive.

Bones - The Death of the Queen Bee, S05E17

After last week's landmark episode, it seems like the writers have remembered that the forensics are part of the plot and can be just as interesting as the social dynamics. Not that social dynamics were in short supply! I loved this freaky return to Brennan (Emily Deschanel)'s past and her high school.

When a murder took place near Brennan's high school, she and Booth (David Boreanaz) approach her former classmates simply as an alum returning for her high school reunion with her handsome husband. It was the perfect cover, albeit a little awkward considering last week's revelations. I was quite pleased that those feelings were not ignored, that this week was not simply a return to the status quo.

Brennan has not changed much since her high school days. Back then, she dissected rabbits with her creepy high school janitor, Ray Buxley (played by the super terrifying Robert Englund of Freddy fame), and was called Morticia by her classmates. I'm going to argue that they ought to have called her Wednesday back then, but Morticia is more suited to the grown up Bones.

Bones was back to her socially awkward self, taking Booth's advice about how to interact with her former classmates to show how great she was now, and to learn about possible motives for murder. She did not do well at it. She did, however, manage to determine the murder weapon and crime scene from the evidence her team found in the bones of the murder victim. I really appreciated that the science was back.

Most of all, I appreciated how creepy and stereotypical the janitor was, appearing and disappearing, using very large knives for simple cutting, and most of all, for being creeped out by the smiley happy girls who went to that high school. The discovery that the murderer was one of those seemingly normal girls who had everything, and that she and the victim of the most recent murder had teamed up 15 years before to murder another high school classmate, all over a boy...well, that was just the cherry on the cake for a girl who wasn't prom queen back in her day.

In other new, Wendall (Michael Terry) and Angela (Michaela Conlin) broke up. It was well done and believable and took nothing away from the strong story developing around the murder. If the writers, director, and actors can keep delivery episodes like this one, all they need to do is add an over arching murder investigation to Season 6 and I might say that they have their magic back....but let's wait till we see this week's episode. It may revert back to the disappointment present throughout the first half of this season.

Glee - Hell-O, S01E14

Oh, Glee, the most popular guilty pleasure available these days. Despite the months you were away, we all came flocking back the moment you returned, to enjoy so many things...but most of all Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch)'s comments about Will (Matthew Morrison)'s hair.

While the glory of the music and the hilarity were back in full force, I continue to wonder at the plot development. I mean, really? Is this what you were expecting to have happen when we came back? And do you understand the point? I will just continue to pretend that the music is really the only point, and so enjoy as I ignore the rest.

So what, if Rachel (Lea Michelle) and Finn (Cory Monteith) were suddenly dating. Finn was about as shocked about it as I was. Poor idiot. He's confused because he's not sure he's over Quinn (Dianna Agron), he goes out with the cheerleading bimbos to explore his options, and finally he realizes that he wants to be with Rachel, but it is too late because she's in love with someone else. I suppose Glee has never been a show that required proper time for story development.

I'm also going to ignore how I felt about Will and Emma (Jayma Mays) settling really quickly into a relationship, but then having Will make out with the vocal coach of Vocal Adrenaline (Idina Menzel). I mean, it just came across as cheating, even though it also helped indicate how confused Will was with his divorce and all. And was anyone else disturbed by the idea of him making out with someone who bears such a strong physical resemblance to Rachel?

And so now he and Emma aren't together so that he has a chance to find himself.

I did like the irony of Rachel being presented with the idea that if she did not find the love of her life by 16 she never would, while Will was getting over the mess that his life had become starting at age 15.

I also loved Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff)! Loved the idea of Rachel dating the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline. Love it even more now that they are doing it on the sly. Am not so much a fan of the fact that he's playing her, but I have hope that he'll fall for her anyways. She was actually quite normal when she was with him, and they had great chemistry. I was not so much a fan of his v-collar shirt that he wore in his number. Way too effeminate.

And next, we have the Madonna episode. This show is so much fun, regardless of how ridiculous or nonsensical it might get.

V - John May, S01E07

I have not yet given up on V yet, but I am still waiting to be wowed. The potential is there, the characters are there, the creepy aliens are there...but somehow it still hasn't come together to make a great show. Then again, it took Stargate Universe 10 episodes before it started to work, so I'm not giving up.

What I liked about the episode:

- We learnt that John May (portrayed by BSG hottie Michael Trucco - so excited about his upcoming stint on Castle) has been dead these last 10 years. The slogan John May Lives is about the ideas he spread.

- Better than learning that John May was dead was learning that Ryan (Morris Chestnut) killed him. Not before he had been too affected by his words and by emotions. Reminded me a lot of Equilibrium and Sean Bean and Christian Bale.

- Georgie (David Richmond-Peck) survived Hell, but did not betray his allies. He then allowed his life to be taken so that they would not risk themselves to save him.

What I did not like:

- Anna's pregnancy confuses me. At first I thought she must have laid eggs. But then, it turns out that is not what happened, and that she was pregnant. And suddenly she is laying a whole bunch of eggs in a whirlpool? I mean, I guess that's not far off from how reptiles lay eggs, but either it was trying to be too scientifically exact, or it fell short of that mark, because I am sitting her not understanding proper V reproduction.

- Chad (Scott Wolf) and his revelation of doubts to Anna. He wants a bigger story that they are already giving him, or he's going to reveal what he has been learning about possible nefarious activities. Well, suddenly he's a bad guy, and a stupid one at that.

- Tyler's big secret was such a let down, and his parents are idiots. Especially his father. The reason they divorced is because husband suspected wife of cheating after doctor tests revealed that Tyler was not husband's son. If husband still loves Tyler as a son, he should not be talking about him as if he were not his son. Stupid Stupid Stupid.

So, will next week's episode lean towards what I like or towards what I think is stupid? We will have to wait and see.

Castle - The Late Shaft, S02E20

This week's Castle was a whole new chapter in crime solving. Well, really it was just as goofy and terrific as always. And Castle (Nathan Fillion) is the one who came up with that line, not me. Which is no less than I would ever expect from him.

We did have something completely new this week - Death by Balsamic Vinegar. A rather strange way to go, all things considered, when a normally harmless food combines with medication to give the consumer a heart attack. It would be news-worthy, even if the victim had not been a famous late-night talk show host.

Good thing the man was famous - it made tracking his movements the night before his death much easier. Someone twittered that they saw him driving his awesome car into a parking garage. I guess there are even more things to worry about when you commit murder...especially when you are going up against televised cops. They are the scariest, and they are like the Mounties. They always get their man...eventually.

Following the last moments of the victim made me feel quite sad for him. Despite having had a slew of wives who never lasted more than half-a-dozen years, the one women he always went to talk to when he was feeling down, when he needed support, was his first wife. He was a philanderer, but she was always there for him, would always be there for him. The best friend he had.

A better friend than the man he was in Vietnam with who ended up killing him. One man betrays his friend by planning to replace him on his show, the other man gets vengeance by killing the first man. That's friendship for you! No one ends up being happy.

But don't worry, we still got a lot of laughs. Watching Castle be seduced by a beautiful young actress who wanted to play the roll of Nikki Heat in the upcoming film was very sexy. Watching Beckett (Stana Katic) get a little bit jealous, until she realized the woman had an ulterior motive, was even better.

I can't wait to see the next chapter

Parenthood - What's Goin' on Down There, S01E07

I said from the first meeting of Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham) and her daughter's English teacher, Mr Cyr (Jason Ritter) that the relationship was nothing but a bad idea. This episode, however, gave me a far worse outcome than I would have expected.

I was very surprised that Julia (Erika Christensen) and Kristina (Monica Potter) were encouraging Sarah to go for the teacher. I guess dating a teacher is a good choice compared with all the other men Sarah has likely dated, but there are complications when a child is involved. Leave it to Adam (Peter Krause) to be the only one to question the choice, and to notice very easily and quickly that Amber (Mae Whitman) had a crush on her teacher.

The only thing worse than complicating your child's life by dating her teacher is when you are dating the teacher who is not only her inspiration for not wanting to F_ up her high school career, but whom she also has a crush on. Mr. Cyr was such an important relationship for Amber than even if she hadn't had a crush on him, she still would have been hurt that he was giving her mother more attention than he gave her.

Plus, that he is equidistant for both of them in regards to age just makes the entire situation worse, particularly when society generally considers that men should be older and women younger.

And if all that hadn't been bad enough, for Sarah to simply go into Amber's room a day or two before she had the writer her SATs to break her the news that she was dating her teacher, a move she made as a result of her conversation with Adam who told her that Amber had a crush...well that's just the most idiotic parenting technique I've ever heard of. There should be absolutely no surprise that Amber not only skipped her exam, but then skipped town with her old boyfriend.

What I think Sarah should have done (after not dating him in the first place) was 1. wait until after the exam, and 2. feel out whether Adam's information was correct.

Her actions after she discovered that he was speaking the truth was the end the relationship, but at that point, the damage was already done. Her daughter was already crushed. The only explanation for why she approached the situation the way she did was in the hopes that Adam was wrong, and that Amber would be genuinely happy for her. Selfish.

What do you think Sarah should have done or said?

The Pacific - Part 5: Peleliu Landing

It's been over 65 years since the events we are watching took place, yet the men are still so recognizable. Then, they were brothers, sons, husbands and fathers. Now, those who are left, those whom I knew, all were grandfathers. Yet, to see them portrayed by these young men, these men who are no different from those we work with, laugh with every day, it makes the horrors that much more potent.

The message throughout this episode was that the soldiers who had experienced the Hell of war could not tell anyone who had not been through it what it was like. John Basilone (Jon Seda) had no details to give to his brother, or to any of his fans who were about to leave for the war. Even when Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) finally joined his best friend, Sid Phillips (Ashton Holmes) on the islands, Sid couldn't explain what Eugene was about to face.

He told him that, when the soldiers were in Australia, he had slept with a woman. And that was one side of the specter. On the other side, far, far down the line, as far as you could go, that was what it was like.

And then we got to watch another offensive, meant to illustrate this point. How any man ever could have the courage to throw himself on a beach and crawl or run towards machine guns, I will never understand. The utter luck of the entire thing - if you are on the right, you live, if you are slightly to the left, you die - is unbelievable. Only God or the Fates or some other supernatural being looking out for you could cause you to live, for no choice that you consciously make can make a difference.

No wonder these men could not tell us what that Hell was like - how could we understand without having survived it ourselves. How could we possibly understand.

Murdoch Mysteries - Me, Myself, and Murdoch, S03E05

I continue to sing the praises of Season 3 of Murdoch Mysteries. This week's episode, resembling the Lizzie Borden murders, again coupled a plot line typical of a modern CSI show with the entertaining techniques available at the beginning of the 20th century.

After a man was killed in his study, his daughter, Charlotte, was found holding an ax in her room. When Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) tried to remove it, she got violent and bit Constable Crabtree (Johnny Harris).

Although the evidence pointed towards her, when she told Murdoch that she did not remember killing her father, he refused to allow her to sign a confession even though she believed she had done it while possessed by the devil.

It turned out she was not possessed by the devil; instead, she had multiple personalities - 3, to be exact: Charlotte, a tempestuous and violent Maddy, and a sweet and innocent 3-year-old named Girlie. Girlie was the one who had witnessed the murder, but she had promised Bobo she would not tell anyone who did it.

Although Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) showed little patience for the young crazy woman, refusing to have his constabulary made a mock of as had happened during the Lizzie Borden trial, Murdoch persisted in his investigation. He finally discovered who the murderer was, but that was not the family's horrid secret.

Charlotte's father had murdered her mother when she was three years old, then hacked up her body and buried her in the basement. No wonder the girl, having witnessed the affair, was driven mad.

I thought the best part of the entire episode was the new rhyme that Brackenreid wrote.

Bobby Edwards took an axe

and gave his Step-Father 40 whacks.

Bastard bloody deserved it.

Can't wait till next week's episode!