Going into Those About to Die on Prime Video, it’s hard not to think of Spartacus . With familiar faces like Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon ( Game of Thrones ), expectations lean toward something equally brutal, emotional, and character-driven. But this isn’t that show. At first, the series feels less impactful—less bloody, less raw, and less focused on personal journeys. Instead, it leans heavily into politics. This is not just about the arena; it’s about the machinery behind it. The power plays. The manipulation. The “games behind the games.” That shift can be jarring, especially if you’re expecting something more visceral. It took me a few episodes to adjust—but once I did, the show started to reveal its strengths. A Slow Burn That Starts to Pay Off While the beginning feels uneven, the series gradually finds its footing. As characters develop and storylines intertwine, it becomes more engaging. This is very much a slow-burn narrative. It doesn’t grab you immediately—it grows o...
The 4th episode of season 5 arrived, and with it, a great disappointment. Yes, after the great last episode , everything would feel small, but this was just a waste of time. This is the final season; it is supposed to evolve and give us closure, not add meaningless subplots. The boys fighting because of some invisible force that was enraging them was not interesting; Starlight meeting dad was unnecessary; and even the Homelander/Soldier Boy scenes, usually funny, were quite boring. The Quest for the V1 We knew this was coming. V1 protects the supes from the terrible virus that, by the way, they don't have anymore. So, obviously, this was the logical path. The Last of Us vibe was kind of cool, but not enough to save the idiotic scenes ahead. Honestly, I liked that Hughie (Jack Quaid) called Starlight a bi***, because she can truly be one, but other than that, those were just empty, meaningless scenes. By the way, Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) was way more in...