One of my favorite shows is Spartacus, both the first season and the prequel. It's going to be two years soon since it began January 22 2010. From the very beginning I've been a staunch supporter of the show. However, I still see people referring to it as pornography. Something I have always argued against. But lately I find myself asking: could I be wrong? Me be wrong? It could happen, right?
Nah....
I've watched porn. Both soft-core and hard-core. In porn everything revolves around the sex scenes. Plot(or lack thereof), dialogue, scenery, direction, acting(don't laugh), are all about getting to the next sex scene. Fill time in between sex scenes with bad acting, terrible dialogue, awful storyline, and then hurry up onto the next sex scene, because that's all that matters!
In Spartacus however, everything revolves around storyline, plot and characters. Not the sex scenes! This is why I can clearly see the difference.
But why do people say that? Are they very young, perhaps teenagers, or just lack maturity? Sheltered? Maybe under-exposed is the best word. Not that I'm advocating to go out and watch pornography, but when I hear Spartacus wrongly referred in such grand sweeping statements as being pornography, I think to myself: are they watching the same show as me? The sex scenes, and indeed the nudity and violence as well, are there because they are integral to the story in that moment. The quality of the writing, acting and directing is
top-notch. There is so much difference between this and porn that's it's beyond illogical to even apply that word.
Unfortunately I've seen some critics of well known magazines apply that label as well. Some dislike the show, so much so, that it's almost vitriolic. In their grand estimation of things, they have decided that they not only do not like the show, but they don't want others to like it either, and therefore wrongly cast a negative label of pornography upon it. These are supposed to be seasoned intelligent people that by all rights should be fair and logical and stand up to their responsibility as a writer. They know their words can cause sway! They should at least be correct in their assessments.
Some seasoned intelligent people, eh?
Spartacus isn't for everyone. That's why it's on a premium pay network. Not everyone will like it. I can understand that, and that's fine with me. I don't like everything on TV either.
Season two of Spartacus, Vengeance will begin airing the end of January 2012. I plan on watching it. I will do so in perfect clarity of knowing the answer to my question. Is Spartacus pornography? The answer is no.
Recent Posts