Rewatched it recently(ish). A second run through makes the series far less confusing. In hindsight, I should have been faithful to the hourglass motif of the series.
Oh, I found out I got a LOT more of it than most of the people around me did the first flythrough. Then again I was aware of the insanities of 18th and 19th century warfare and was familiar the idea that societies with scarce resources would engage in ritualized combat in order to avoid total war but...
...Up until the last episode I was LOST on why any of it had started in the first place :P
Link
GordonFawks
I thought I recognized that! Such a good but confusing show.