Top Chef clearly isn't afraid of letting good chefs go home if they cook a bum dish. First Angelo, now Dale. Either one of them could've won this competition. Honestly, after last week Dale looked like the odds-on favorite. And call me easily manipulated, but it's good to see Dale admit that he was a jerk in his first go-round as a cheftestant.
On a side note, anyone drooling due to the deep frying Quickfire should check out Wiener and Still Champion in Evanston, IL. It's a fried foods paradise.
1. Antonia
Poor Antonia keeps getting screwed over. She could've won an Elimination Challenge if her teammates hadn't flunked their dishes, and now she forgets to plate an additional portion for her Quickfire. Her resume should look much stronger. Otherwise she's cooking like a champ.
2. Richard
Richard and Fabio vacationing together? Comedy gold. Is this the season of bromances or what?
3. Mike
"Plagiarized" dish aside, Mike is cooking competently down the stretch. He's not hitting anything out of the park, but he's not letting the pressure get to him either, which is more than can be said of some of his competitors. Just making it this far is an accomplishment for him - I thought he'd be one of the first to go.
4. Carla
If Carla can stay focused and keep her head on straight, she makes the finale. Knowing Carla, of course, this is easier said than done.
5. Tiffany
Being saddled with Marcel as a sous chef is unfortunate. That said, she should've known to keep a tighter leash on him.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - "Reckoning"
Spartacus has never been afraid to shock and surprise the viewer by killing off major characters or by introducing stunning plot twists. "Reckoning," the next-to-last episode of the prequel series, does not disappoint. TItus? Dead. Melitta? Dead. Gannicus? On his way to Tullius' stable of gladiators. Crixus? The new big dog at the House of Batiatus.
So... where do we go from here?
Sure, there are a few loose ends to tie up. There's no way that Oenomaus doesn't find out about Melitta's mini-affair with Gannicus, or at least that she was visiting him at the time of her death. Tullius is still an asshole, and Lucretia is in the middle of framing him for the death of her father-in-law. Ashur isn't hobbling. But it's all small potatoes. With Titus out of the way, Batiatus can run the ludus the way he wants to. He doesn't have to leave Capua, and he can stay married to Lucretia. He's just lost Gannicus to his arch enemy, but given Crixus' rise, he probably won't lose much sleep over the deal. The penultimate episode of Blood and Sand built to a frenzied climax and carried major implications for the finale. When Spartacus said "There is but one path... we kill them all," it sure as hell made you want to tune in to the last episode. The foreplay was over and the climax was within tantalizing reach. "Reckoning," however, promises no such climax. Spartacus isn't a show based on strong character moments. A dramatic confrontation between Gannicus and Oenomaus regarding Melitta and the shattering of the friendship between Batiatus and Solonius aren't exactly the types of showdowns I'm looking forward to. Capua's new arena needs christening, so the finale probably won't be free of bone-shattering action, but it will be free of any personal investment.
While disappointing, "Reckoning" wasn't a total waste of an episode. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless are good actors playing good characters, and they're a genuine pleasure to watch. They're overly ambitious, untrustworthy, backstabbing serpents and thus perfect for each other. It's even oddly romantic that they're willing to destroy lives for each other. Aww. Nick Tarabay continues to be entertainingly callous as Ashur, and if Dagan busts his leg up before being sent to the mines, I'll be a happy camper. There's the rare Spartacus feat of thematic depth, as Lucretia learns for the first time - but certainly not the last - upon Melitta's accidental death that the best laid plans always go awry. It's even a little sad to see Lucretia's first reluctant dalliance with Crixus (seriously, Lucy Lawless is a good actress).
I don't ask for much with Spartacus. It doesn't take much skill to show some boobs and decapitations every episode. But solid plotting is hard to come by and Spartacus has excelled at it in ways other genre shows haven't. The series has one episode to redeem itself before a long hiatus. Let's hope it delivers.
So... where do we go from here?
Sure, there are a few loose ends to tie up. There's no way that Oenomaus doesn't find out about Melitta's mini-affair with Gannicus, or at least that she was visiting him at the time of her death. Tullius is still an asshole, and Lucretia is in the middle of framing him for the death of her father-in-law. Ashur isn't hobbling. But it's all small potatoes. With Titus out of the way, Batiatus can run the ludus the way he wants to. He doesn't have to leave Capua, and he can stay married to Lucretia. He's just lost Gannicus to his arch enemy, but given Crixus' rise, he probably won't lose much sleep over the deal. The penultimate episode of Blood and Sand built to a frenzied climax and carried major implications for the finale. When Spartacus said "There is but one path... we kill them all," it sure as hell made you want to tune in to the last episode. The foreplay was over and the climax was within tantalizing reach. "Reckoning," however, promises no such climax. Spartacus isn't a show based on strong character moments. A dramatic confrontation between Gannicus and Oenomaus regarding Melitta and the shattering of the friendship between Batiatus and Solonius aren't exactly the types of showdowns I'm looking forward to. Capua's new arena needs christening, so the finale probably won't be free of bone-shattering action, but it will be free of any personal investment.
While disappointing, "Reckoning" wasn't a total waste of an episode. John Hannah and Lucy Lawless are good actors playing good characters, and they're a genuine pleasure to watch. They're overly ambitious, untrustworthy, backstabbing serpents and thus perfect for each other. It's even oddly romantic that they're willing to destroy lives for each other. Aww. Nick Tarabay continues to be entertainingly callous as Ashur, and if Dagan busts his leg up before being sent to the mines, I'll be a happy camper. There's the rare Spartacus feat of thematic depth, as Lucretia learns for the first time - but certainly not the last - upon Melitta's accidental death that the best laid plans always go awry. It's even a little sad to see Lucretia's first reluctant dalliance with Crixus (seriously, Lucy Lawless is a good actress).
I don't ask for much with Spartacus. It doesn't take much skill to show some boobs and decapitations every episode. But solid plotting is hard to come by and Spartacus has excelled at it in ways other genre shows haven't. The series has one episode to redeem itself before a long hiatus. Let's hope it delivers.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Let's talk about June 17, 1994.
I don't remember watching the O.J. Simpson chase on television, nor do I remember where I was at the time. Most Millennials probably don't. Childhood memories from that era tend to blend together. I was nine years old at the time, not even a month removed from the Third Grade. To me, O.J. Simpson was that doofus I saw in the Naked Gun movies, not a Heisman Trophy winner or Pro Football Hall of Famer. Put another way, Justin Bieber was only three months old.
The chase itself, though, is an instantly identifiable image. I'd be willing to bet that a Ford Bronco ranks only below a Delorean as pop culture's most identifiable real-life automobile. The chase is shorthand for an era, an entire murder investigation, a media circus.
What's remarkable, however, is just how much else happened in the sports world that day, and that confluence of events provides the story, as it were, for June 17, 1994, one of ESPN's lauded "30 for 30" series of documentaries. On one coast, Arnold Palmer played his last round at the U.S. Open. New York City held a victory parade for the Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers that morning; that night the Knicks would host the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Moving west, the World Cup opened in Chicago and Ken Griffey Jr hit his MLB-leading 30th home run of the season at Kansas City. Finally, in California, the day-long ordeal in which O.J. Simpson, accused of two murders, failed to turn himself into the police and led them on a low speed chase that ended at his house. Truly, it's remarkable just how much can happen in one day.
Each of these events was captured live for posterity, and that news footage forms the entirety of June 17, 1994. There are no interviews, no talking heads, and no narration, making the film a rarity. It's not a cinéma vérité documentary like Salesman, a concert film like Stop Making Sense, or an experimental movie like Koyaanisqatsi. To my knowledge, only The Atomic Cafe compares. I don't know how many hours of footage director Brett Morgan had to sift through (obvious preference for ESPN footage likely simplified the ordeal) but if anything else, the film is a masterpiece of editing.
The format provides the film's few weaknesses; needless flourishes such as static interference and showy intertitles are added to spice things up, and the score is occasionally obtrusive. June 17, 1994 is otherwise flawless.
Theatrical docs from last year such as Catfish and Exit Through the Gift Shop played with the viewer's trust in reality, asking the audience to question what is real. June 17, 1994 reminds the viewer of what was real and has since been distorted. At the time of the chase, O.J. was still widely seen as innocent. Crowds swarmed overpasses and even the freeway itself to support him (one of the best moments in the film is when a shot of a cheering crowd turns out not to be footage of the Rangers' victory parade, but footage from Los Angeles - or was it the other way around?). Perhaps some of them simply wanted a chance to get a part of the action. How many of them knew that O.J. was being talked out of a suicide attempt at the time? The car chase was not just a media spectacle later parodied with Kramer on Seinfeld, a man's life was actually at stake. It's enough to pity the man. There is a genuine sense of remorse for what he did - or despair at the confusion he got swept up in through no fault of his own. To hear O.J.'s voice in the Bronco is to marvel that somehow he would later write If I Did It.
But then again, there's a lot we can't predict. Ken Griffey Jr wouldn't be able to break any hypothetical home run records; the MLB season ended prematurely due to the players' strike. The Knicks wouldn't win the NBA Finals, nor any in the years since.
It's a funny thing to see a time capsule of a year that you actually lived through. Keith Olbermann has a mustache! Robert was the most famous Kardashian! Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The media remains vacuous and a slave to the 24-hour news cycle. The wisdom of crowds continues to not exist.
Iconography happens at the expense of context. We see an image and forget what happened in the preceding hours, weeks, even years. June 17, 1994 isn't just a dissection of an unusually eventful day, an examination of the low point of a former star athelete, nor a study of the media. It's a restoration of context. It's the best documentary of 2010.
The chase itself, though, is an instantly identifiable image. I'd be willing to bet that a Ford Bronco ranks only below a Delorean as pop culture's most identifiable real-life automobile. The chase is shorthand for an era, an entire murder investigation, a media circus.
What's remarkable, however, is just how much else happened in the sports world that day, and that confluence of events provides the story, as it were, for June 17, 1994, one of ESPN's lauded "30 for 30" series of documentaries. On one coast, Arnold Palmer played his last round at the U.S. Open. New York City held a victory parade for the Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers that morning; that night the Knicks would host the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Moving west, the World Cup opened in Chicago and Ken Griffey Jr hit his MLB-leading 30th home run of the season at Kansas City. Finally, in California, the day-long ordeal in which O.J. Simpson, accused of two murders, failed to turn himself into the police and led them on a low speed chase that ended at his house. Truly, it's remarkable just how much can happen in one day.
Each of these events was captured live for posterity, and that news footage forms the entirety of June 17, 1994. There are no interviews, no talking heads, and no narration, making the film a rarity. It's not a cinéma vérité documentary like Salesman, a concert film like Stop Making Sense, or an experimental movie like Koyaanisqatsi. To my knowledge, only The Atomic Cafe compares. I don't know how many hours of footage director Brett Morgan had to sift through (obvious preference for ESPN footage likely simplified the ordeal) but if anything else, the film is a masterpiece of editing.
The format provides the film's few weaknesses; needless flourishes such as static interference and showy intertitles are added to spice things up, and the score is occasionally obtrusive. June 17, 1994 is otherwise flawless.
Theatrical docs from last year such as Catfish and Exit Through the Gift Shop played with the viewer's trust in reality, asking the audience to question what is real. June 17, 1994 reminds the viewer of what was real and has since been distorted. At the time of the chase, O.J. was still widely seen as innocent. Crowds swarmed overpasses and even the freeway itself to support him (one of the best moments in the film is when a shot of a cheering crowd turns out not to be footage of the Rangers' victory parade, but footage from Los Angeles - or was it the other way around?). Perhaps some of them simply wanted a chance to get a part of the action. How many of them knew that O.J. was being talked out of a suicide attempt at the time? The car chase was not just a media spectacle later parodied with Kramer on Seinfeld, a man's life was actually at stake. It's enough to pity the man. There is a genuine sense of remorse for what he did - or despair at the confusion he got swept up in through no fault of his own. To hear O.J.'s voice in the Bronco is to marvel that somehow he would later write If I Did It.
But then again, there's a lot we can't predict. Ken Griffey Jr wouldn't be able to break any hypothetical home run records; the MLB season ended prematurely due to the players' strike. The Knicks wouldn't win the NBA Finals, nor any in the years since.
It's a funny thing to see a time capsule of a year that you actually lived through. Keith Olbermann has a mustache! Robert was the most famous Kardashian! Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The media remains vacuous and a slave to the 24-hour news cycle. The wisdom of crowds continues to not exist.
Iconography happens at the expense of context. We see an image and forget what happened in the preceding hours, weeks, even years. June 17, 1994 isn't just a dissection of an unusually eventful day, an examination of the low point of a former star athelete, nor a study of the media. It's a restoration of context. It's the best documentary of 2010.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Top Chef All-Stars: week 10 power rankings
Angelo, gone so soon? I thought they would've chucked Tiffany (one of the lesser of the remaining chefs) or Carla (honestly, she deserved it more), but Angelo? Admittedly, he peaked early, but he deserved to last a few episodes longer - certainly longer than his partner in bromance, Mike, who looked heartbroken that his new bestie would no longer be on the show. Ten bucks says he starts the next episode shedding some man tears.
1. Dale
Dale is back! He's taken three of the past four Quickfires, and won tonight's Elimination Challenge to boot. It's the first Quickfire/Elimination Challenge sweep since last season's penultimate episode. And he ramped up the douchiness this episode too, which is always a plus.
2. Antonia
Doing a hundred egg dishes takes guts. Antonia has them.
3. Richard
Demerits for making a Quickfire dish that was not a cookie under any current, historical, or future definition of the term. Credits for making a good dish in the Elimination Challenge that wasn't a soup. By the way, it's no coincidence that the strongest three chefs left were all in the Chicago edition of Top Chef.
4. Carla
Carla's dottiness means that when she falls, she falls big.
5. Mike
His performance tonight was identical to his performance all season: neither good enough to be up for a win nor bad enough to be up for elimination. Every remaining cheftestant has faced the judges at least twice as many times as he has.
6. Tiffany
Prolonging the inevitable.
1. Dale
Dale is back! He's taken three of the past four Quickfires, and won tonight's Elimination Challenge to boot. It's the first Quickfire/Elimination Challenge sweep since last season's penultimate episode. And he ramped up the douchiness this episode too, which is always a plus.
2. Antonia
Doing a hundred egg dishes takes guts. Antonia has them.
3. Richard
Demerits for making a Quickfire dish that was not a cookie under any current, historical, or future definition of the term. Credits for making a good dish in the Elimination Challenge that wasn't a soup. By the way, it's no coincidence that the strongest three chefs left were all in the Chicago edition of Top Chef.
4. Carla
Carla's dottiness means that when she falls, she falls big.
5. Mike
His performance tonight was identical to his performance all season: neither good enough to be up for a win nor bad enough to be up for elimination. Every remaining cheftestant has faced the judges at least twice as many times as he has.
6. Tiffany
Prolonging the inevitable.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - "Beneath the Mask"
Ancient Rome meets John Hughes in this week's Spartacus. Batiatus wants to hold a party at the ludus so he takes his father away for the night, and hijinks ensue! I'll grant that in your average teenage comedy there's a little fooling around in a closet instead of a massive orgy, and nobody's head gets bashed in at the end of the night. Otherwise, this was totally Weird Capuan Science.
Why not? High school, like Roman society, is a caste system. Batiatus wants to eat lunch with the popular kids, and he's trying to gain favor by turning the ludus into a Bunny Ranch. Unfortunately, now he's becoming more known for the sexual exploits of his slaves rather than their prowess in the arena. He's dead set on getting Gannicus into the primus of the upcoming games by any means necessary, though, so his hands are tied. Hosting an orgy is the next logical step.
In my mind, it's Batiatus' way of going big or going home. Word of his house's delights is spreading among Capua's elite quicker than he expected, so it makes sense to satiate everyone's hunger all at once instead of one by one.
But like any big illicit party in a high school comedy, there's always the one uninvited guest who ruins everything. In this case, it's Tullius. And not only that, he was invited by Solonius, for reasons I couldn't quite understand, but I'm assuming are a mix of Solonius miffed at playing babysitter at the party in Batiatus' place, trying to reverse the downward spiral of the ludus, and currying favor with Tullius. Like any good villain, Tullius is single-minded in his pursuits. He doesn't want to drink or screw, he just wants to bring the House of Batiatus down. If that means embarrassing Gannicus in an "exhibition" of fighting skills, that's great. If it means killing Gaia to send a message, even better (Jaime Murray exits the series too early, but bless her heart she got topless in all of her episodes).
Thus we get one of Sparatcus' beloved webs of hate. Tullius hates Batiatus and Lucretia, they hate him back, but Titus wants to ally himself with Tullius so now Batiatus and Lucretia are pissed at him too. In the last episode it seemed a foregone conclusion that Batiatus would commit patricide, now it looks like a footrace between him and Lucretia to see who will kill Titus first - if they don't gang up on him, of course. If there's one thing Spartacus excels at, it's capturing pent-up rage churning into vengeance in overblown fashion, and the final scene with Lucretia was very satisfying.
Elsewhere in the ludus: Gannicus can't hold back his feelings for Melitta, Crixus tries to make nice with Barca, Ashur is a prick, and Oenomaus is slowly learning to throw his weight around (and conversely, how to take orders from his superiors whether he likes them or not). The downstairs action isn't necessarily boring, especially when Ashur is involved, but the upstairs action is far more compelling. Batiatus, by Spartacus standards, is a fully fleshed-out character; we know why he's an arrogant bastard. Why makes Gannicus tick? So many of Gods of the Arena's storylines seem preordained; only his has the chance of surprising come the finale.
Why not? High school, like Roman society, is a caste system. Batiatus wants to eat lunch with the popular kids, and he's trying to gain favor by turning the ludus into a Bunny Ranch. Unfortunately, now he's becoming more known for the sexual exploits of his slaves rather than their prowess in the arena. He's dead set on getting Gannicus into the primus of the upcoming games by any means necessary, though, so his hands are tied. Hosting an orgy is the next logical step.
In my mind, it's Batiatus' way of going big or going home. Word of his house's delights is spreading among Capua's elite quicker than he expected, so it makes sense to satiate everyone's hunger all at once instead of one by one.
But like any big illicit party in a high school comedy, there's always the one uninvited guest who ruins everything. In this case, it's Tullius. And not only that, he was invited by Solonius, for reasons I couldn't quite understand, but I'm assuming are a mix of Solonius miffed at playing babysitter at the party in Batiatus' place, trying to reverse the downward spiral of the ludus, and currying favor with Tullius. Like any good villain, Tullius is single-minded in his pursuits. He doesn't want to drink or screw, he just wants to bring the House of Batiatus down. If that means embarrassing Gannicus in an "exhibition" of fighting skills, that's great. If it means killing Gaia to send a message, even better (Jaime Murray exits the series too early, but bless her heart she got topless in all of her episodes).
Thus we get one of Sparatcus' beloved webs of hate. Tullius hates Batiatus and Lucretia, they hate him back, but Titus wants to ally himself with Tullius so now Batiatus and Lucretia are pissed at him too. In the last episode it seemed a foregone conclusion that Batiatus would commit patricide, now it looks like a footrace between him and Lucretia to see who will kill Titus first - if they don't gang up on him, of course. If there's one thing Spartacus excels at, it's capturing pent-up rage churning into vengeance in overblown fashion, and the final scene with Lucretia was very satisfying.
Elsewhere in the ludus: Gannicus can't hold back his feelings for Melitta, Crixus tries to make nice with Barca, Ashur is a prick, and Oenomaus is slowly learning to throw his weight around (and conversely, how to take orders from his superiors whether he likes them or not). The downstairs action isn't necessarily boring, especially when Ashur is involved, but the upstairs action is far more compelling. Batiatus, by Spartacus standards, is a fully fleshed-out character; we know why he's an arrogant bastard. Why makes Gannicus tick? So many of Gods of the Arena's storylines seem preordained; only his has the chance of surprising come the finale.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Top Chef All-Stars: week 9 power rankings
Poor Fabio. If his dish tasted the way the judges said it did, he was justified in being PYKAG'd, but his burger sure looked good.
1. Carla
Making a huge play to be in the finale. Her three Elimination Challenge victories are the most of any chef this season and she has been in a winning group for four straight weeks, another season high. Disregard her antics: Carla is not to be underestimated.
2. Angelo
Keeping steady, but his last Elimination Challenge win came way back in the second episode.
3. Richard
Coasting. Still a favorite to be in the finale but he's been settling for base hits lately and he needs that home run.
4. Antonia
Fabio thought she didn't deserve to win last week. She gets the last laugh.
5. Dale
It's a tale of two Dales: win the Quickfire, then be up for elimination. He looked invincible for a while but now he's in the bottom group for the second week in a row - a Top Chef first for him. Still capable of making the finale if he can recover his mojo.
6. Mike
Good showing tonight to make up for last week's poor dish, but he won't be around much longer.
7. Tiffany
If she'd been sent home, I wouldn't have batted an eye. As one of the diners said, she made tortilla soup.
1. Carla
Making a huge play to be in the finale. Her three Elimination Challenge victories are the most of any chef this season and she has been in a winning group for four straight weeks, another season high. Disregard her antics: Carla is not to be underestimated.
2. Angelo
Keeping steady, but his last Elimination Challenge win came way back in the second episode.
3. Richard
Coasting. Still a favorite to be in the finale but he's been settling for base hits lately and he needs that home run.
4. Antonia
Fabio thought she didn't deserve to win last week. She gets the last laugh.
5. Dale
It's a tale of two Dales: win the Quickfire, then be up for elimination. He looked invincible for a while but now he's in the bottom group for the second week in a row - a Top Chef first for him. Still capable of making the finale if he can recover his mojo.
6. Mike
Good showing tonight to make up for last week's poor dish, but he won't be around much longer.
7. Tiffany
If she'd been sent home, I wouldn't have batted an eye. As one of the diners said, she made tortilla soup.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: "Paterfamilias"
Quintus' tenure as lanista for the House of Batiatus is experiencing some growing pains.
The Assyrians haven't truly earned the mark of the brotherhood, so the rest of the gladiators don't accept them. Oenomaus isn't comfortable commanding the men who were so recently his equals, limiting his power as Doctore (he can't even crack the whip yet). Crixus is still green. And all of the devious back-door dealings are slowly unraveling.
In fact, it's hard to decide which of the developments in "Paterfamilias" is going to be a bigger thorn in everyone's side.
One is the return of Quintus' father, the titular "Paterfamilias." Titus Batiatus has credentials, he's bona-fide, and the first thing he does upon returning to Capua is walking in on his son cavorting with Lucretia and Gaia (Jaime Murray is now 3/3 for nude scenes!). He's a hard-assed, unforgiving father straight out of Lost and he isn't taking a shine to how Quintus is running things in his absence. He's so disappointed, in fact, that he immediately goes to smooth things over with Tullius and Vettius, removing Gannicus from the primus in the process. It's an act that gets Titus immediate heat - Batiatus is a slimeball, but Tullius and Vettius don't deserve apologies.
Maybe it's a good thing that Titus dragged Batiatus from the ludus for that meeting, because he misses the episode's other big development. Varus returns to the ludus, bringing his pal Cossutius with him. Cossutius heard of the show Gannicus and Melitta put on, and now he wants part of the action. Batiatus has yet to learn the slippery slope of lessening one's standards. Once you whore out two of your slaves, you've got to whore all of them out. It's up to Lucretia to play damage control, and that's how poor young Diona loses her virginity to an unwashed gladiator - and simultaneously loses another kind of virginity to Cossutius. If any of you had a DP scene on your Spartacus bingo card, mark it down!
Things don't turn out too badly for Batiatus in the end, though. Varus spares the life of one of his gladiators, thanks to his hospitality, and Crixus proves his worth in the arena. Even Titus can't help but show some approval for his son. But that doesn't mean that Batiatus won't inevitably kill him a few episodes down the road, as the ending intentionally foreshadows.
"Paterfamilias" wasn't a bad episode but it was more devoted to introducing and advancing storylines than deepening characters or doing awesome things for the sake of awesomeness (compared to the season premiere, the fights in the arena were pretty weak). We're halfway though the season and the endgame is still a tad ambiguous. The climax of Gods of the Arena can't be too earth-shattering, since we already know where most of these characters will be five years later. Gannicus is the presumed centerpiece of the prequel but we still know little about his character. The brilliance of Blood and Sand was how in its final third, it took upwards of eight episodes worth of plotting and brought everything together. Gods of the Arena only has six episodes to work with, period. The clock is ticking.
The Assyrians haven't truly earned the mark of the brotherhood, so the rest of the gladiators don't accept them. Oenomaus isn't comfortable commanding the men who were so recently his equals, limiting his power as Doctore (he can't even crack the whip yet). Crixus is still green. And all of the devious back-door dealings are slowly unraveling.
In fact, it's hard to decide which of the developments in "Paterfamilias" is going to be a bigger thorn in everyone's side.
One is the return of Quintus' father, the titular "Paterfamilias." Titus Batiatus has credentials, he's bona-fide, and the first thing he does upon returning to Capua is walking in on his son cavorting with Lucretia and Gaia (Jaime Murray is now 3/3 for nude scenes!). He's a hard-assed, unforgiving father straight out of Lost and he isn't taking a shine to how Quintus is running things in his absence. He's so disappointed, in fact, that he immediately goes to smooth things over with Tullius and Vettius, removing Gannicus from the primus in the process. It's an act that gets Titus immediate heat - Batiatus is a slimeball, but Tullius and Vettius don't deserve apologies.
Maybe it's a good thing that Titus dragged Batiatus from the ludus for that meeting, because he misses the episode's other big development. Varus returns to the ludus, bringing his pal Cossutius with him. Cossutius heard of the show Gannicus and Melitta put on, and now he wants part of the action. Batiatus has yet to learn the slippery slope of lessening one's standards. Once you whore out two of your slaves, you've got to whore all of them out. It's up to Lucretia to play damage control, and that's how poor young Diona loses her virginity to an unwashed gladiator - and simultaneously loses another kind of virginity to Cossutius. If any of you had a DP scene on your Spartacus bingo card, mark it down!
Things don't turn out too badly for Batiatus in the end, though. Varus spares the life of one of his gladiators, thanks to his hospitality, and Crixus proves his worth in the arena. Even Titus can't help but show some approval for his son. But that doesn't mean that Batiatus won't inevitably kill him a few episodes down the road, as the ending intentionally foreshadows.
"Paterfamilias" wasn't a bad episode but it was more devoted to introducing and advancing storylines than deepening characters or doing awesome things for the sake of awesomeness (compared to the season premiere, the fights in the arena were pretty weak). We're halfway though the season and the endgame is still a tad ambiguous. The climax of Gods of the Arena can't be too earth-shattering, since we already know where most of these characters will be five years later. Gannicus is the presumed centerpiece of the prequel but we still know little about his character. The brilliance of Blood and Sand was how in its final third, it took upwards of eight episodes worth of plotting and brought everything together. Gods of the Arena only has six episodes to work with, period. The clock is ticking.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Top Chef All-Stars: week 8 power rankings
No major changes, just minor shuffling.
1. Richard
Now has the most Quickfire wins this season with three.
2. Angelo
Laughable performance at the Quickfire, but that challenge made everyone look silly.
3. Dale
The first time all season he's been up for elimination.
4. Carla
Just as in Season 5, she's finishing very strongly.
5. Antonia
Picks up the win, but she's been erratic lately.
6. Fabio
Also finishing very strongly. However, he - like the rest of my bottom three - hasn't won any Elimination Challenges.
7. Tiffany
Good rebound from last week, and salvaged what could've been a disaster this week.
8. Mike
Should've gone home instead of Tre.
1. Richard
Now has the most Quickfire wins this season with three.
2. Angelo
Laughable performance at the Quickfire, but that challenge made everyone look silly.
3. Dale
The first time all season he's been up for elimination.
4. Carla
Just as in Season 5, she's finishing very strongly.
5. Antonia
Picks up the win, but she's been erratic lately.
6. Fabio
Also finishing very strongly. However, he - like the rest of my bottom three - hasn't won any Elimination Challenges.
7. Tiffany
Good rebound from last week, and salvaged what could've been a disaster this week.
8. Mike
Should've gone home instead of Tre.
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