S01.E10: Let the Games Begin

[AnimeMania]

Pitted against one another, Kwame and Viggo fight to the death to save their families; Tenax decides to spare Cala in exchange for her help; Domitian stops Titus from finding out the truth before it's too late.

Premiere Date: July 18, 2024      Peacock    

[thuganomics85]

Had a feeling that Viggo was a goner when he first met him.  Going to dive back into the Spartacus comparison over it definitely reminding me of Spartacus/Varro and how that all played out.  Right down to the unexpected thumbs down.  I wonder why Titus decided to kill him.  Was it all to spite Domitian since he suggested mercy?  The crowd initially seemed to want to spare him, so was it just his way to put them in their place?  Either way, Kwame wins and gets the wooden sword, but he gives it to the youngest sister instead, so I guess he's still a gladiator.  But no doubt stories will be told over him killing that lion!

Against all odds, Tenax and Domitian's plan actually works and Titus is now dead, with Domitian ruling as the new Emperor.  I know Tenax is hoping that he'll be the one actually pulling the strings, but I suspect that will be easier said than done.  Domitian is not one that can be controlled.

Called it wrong: Tenax actually was quite mad at Cala's betrayal and was actually prepared to kill her for it.  Instead, she talks him down by pointing out that she can now run the gambling and over underground stuff, while he is up with the Romans.  That seemed to pacify him for now, but we'll see how this goes.  Iwan Rheon did a good job at making Tenax somehow look both angry at her still, but still kind of falling for her in his own weird way.

Antonia kind of disappeared after the initial fight finished, but I wonder if she'll factor back in (assuming this show gets another season.)

Surprised we didn't get another flashback for more Anthony Hopkins.  I think his entire screen time for this series was barely ten minutes: if not less.

Certainly not the worst show I've seen, but I can see why it seems to not be taking off: at least here.  I'll definitely watch another season, but I'm going to be torn up if we don't get more.  I guess we shall see!

[AntFTW]

I was expected some betrayal toward the end, some kind of surprise when Domitian is declaring himself Emperor... but nothing.

[shrewd.buddha]

This show perfectly fits the description of overstuffed and undercooked.
So many characters, so many tropes, so many cliches..
Not once did I worry that any of the prominent characters were going to die - until it was glaringly obvious that their time was up.

Cala and Kwame's family seemed to have the strongest plot armor.

Most of my sympathy went to the poor giant lion, dragged to Rome to be killed for sport - and it wasn't even real.

[blackwing]

If there is a second season, I think I'm out.  I know that TV shows often play loose with history, but Titus didn't die mere weeks after Vespasian died.  He reigned for two years.  It was still a short reign, but the show made it seem like it was over instantly.  Maybe I missed a chryon of "two years later" or something?

My biggest issue is the depiction of Domitian.  This show portrays him as a cartoon.  The evil gay brother who has been overlooked for far too long and will go to extreme lengths to get noticed.  Usually with evil characters, they should have at least some nuance to them, but he's just all evil, all the time.

The writing is just so bad... Kwame is written as one of the heroes of the show, and yet the character depicted as "winning it all" is doing everything he can to kill him.

Don't think I can stomach watching Domitian for another season.