Its totally understandable that Spartacus: Blood and Sand isn't going to be to everybodys taste. The show has a certain reputation for lurid excess and deliberate provocation, a reputation that is, in fact, totally deserved. You dont have to a delicate flower to be turned off by the sensory assault of creative profanity, sensuous writhing and messy mutilation. But that doesn't mean that theres no reason to tune in apart from some lazy titillation and a cheap thrill. Spartacus is skilfully-executed, envelope-pushing television that plunders every Classics-themed pop cultural hit of the last decade (along with the mandatory nods to its celebrated cinematic predecessor) and re-forges their most potent plots, themes and visual gimmicks into a bronzed and bloodied whole. Its a rollicking blood-and-thunder saga that seizes your attention in a vice-like grip of awe, horror and exhilaration. Trying to unpack the shows awesomeness is a bit like trying to dissect a ravenous tiger while its still alive, but it doesn't hurt to try Internet! Shall we begin?