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All Episodes Talk: S01 Blood And Sand


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Ok, I really liked this episode.  Probably the best of the season for me. And I'm going to try to post my thoughts based on it alone, and not on the finale that I watched immediately after. So:

 

I'd almost forgotten Ilithyia was married to Glaber.  I mean, I remembered it in the back of my mind, but seeing him there, I was reminded of how that connected her - as the wife of the legatus - to Spartacus ending up with Batiatus in the first place. Most of the time I think of her as the Senator's daughter and assume her attitude and prestige come only from that.  I kind of wish now that Glaber had had more scenes during the season. 

 

I loved when Batiatus and Lucretia were showing off the improvements to their place and ilithyia and Glaber acknowledged that, yes, those really are improvements - in such a tone as to imply that the place was not much to brag about before, and really wasn't much to brag about now, either.  The more I watch this show and pick up on the little jabs, the more I like it.  I suspect the entire season plays better on rewatching, when the language and characters are more familiar.  As a first-time viewer, I probably missed a few good moments along the way.  But the last several episodes have had quite a bit of humor in between all the bloodshed.

 

I don't know what it is about Ilithyia.  I ought to find her appalling sometimes, but I adore her.  She steals every scene she's in.  And I love her relationship with Lucretia and all its layers of classism and cattiness and trust issues and friendship and affection.

 

Oh, Lucretia's going to have a baby.  I'm guessing it's actually Crixus' and not Batiatus', but...

 

And I've actually begun to feel sorry for Crixus lately.  I didn't used to like him, but he and Naevia are a sweet couple in their own way, and the fact that I like her is making me like him a bit more.

 

Ashur has become a really interesting villain.  Possibly better than Batiatus, IMO (though I think John Hannah's acting is great).  Ashur went from being only barely on the radar for me to mildly interesting but annoying to outright fascinating lately.  I underestimated him.  He plays with people's minds quite well.

 

Speaking of John Hannah - Batiatus working the crowd with his sadness over the death of Calavius was so wonderfully smug and insincere.  He plays that role like he really enjoys it.  (His comment about chastity only being a gift in the breaking of it was pretty good, too.)

 

I have no sympathy for Numerius (sp?).  What an irritating, supercilious kid.

 

I really like the brothers - Duro and Agron.  It's nice to see two characters with a relationship that's not complicated by any other feelings.  Until they came along I didn't realize that there weren't many other relationships in this show that have that kind of genuineness.  

 

I don't dislike Spartacus himself, but for much of this season I didn't find him to be one of the more interesting characters.  It seemed like stuff kept happening to him and he was just there as it did.  But now he's got his edge back and is plotting revenge.  (Yay!)  

 

It was a bit disturbing watching him and Solonius in the arena, though. 

 

Edited because I keep misspelling names.  Arrgh.

Edited by ElleryAnne
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Wow, when Spartacus said, "Kill them all," he meant it, didn't he.

 

Poor Lucretia.  Well, I guess at least she didn't have to mourn for long over the baby.  But still, Crixus went down a couple of points in my eyes, just for how vicious he was there - stabbing her was one thing, but his comment was cold.  And yes, I know he had plenty of reason to hate Lucretia, but still.  Cold, man.

 

Poor Duro, we hardly knew ye.  And poor Agron.  Good scene, but heartbreaking.

 

Poor Doctore.  Freedom in view and then this happens.  I felt bad for him when he realized that Crixus was a part of it all.  Interesting conversation that followed, though, with Doctore as the one loyal to Batiatus and Crixus pointing out that the house of Batiatus had no honor because of the things Batiatus had done.

 

Also, not that I'd expect Crixus to just stand there and die, but when he dodged the sword Doctore threw and it hit the gladiator behind him?  Aw.

 

I loved it that Doctore followed up with Batiatus on what he heard about Barca's death.  If not for the bloodbath that followed, it would've been interesting to see whether Doctore bought Batiatus' version for long.  (Btw - I didn't catch what Batiatus said Doctore's name was.  Can someone provide it for me? eta:  nevermind, I got it from IMDB.  It's Oenomaus (sp?), if anyone else needed to know.)

 

And he should've known better than to associate Ashur with any honorable feelings.  No way was Ashur going to kneel there and accept death.

 

Wow, Aurelia really had some pent-up anger to work through.  Eh, I didn't like Numerius anyway.

 

Ilithyia, Ilithyia.  I don't even.  What a... really...?  Seal the doors.  That was so wicked and so perfectly her.  And the look on her face when she turned to watch the door close behind her.  LOL.  What a brilliant little moment.  Why do I love that crazy chick?  

 

Loved the scene when the cousin (Licinia?)'s hand was revealed.  None of these people in positions of power have any honor, do they?

 

Back to Doctore.  I loved his exchange with Spartacus, with the whole, "How many more must die?" and Spartacus saying that there was "but one more."  (Or however it was worded.)  

 

I liked that little exchange better than the actual lines between him and Batiatus, with the comparison to Spartacus' feelings for Sura and Batiatus' for Lucretia.  That part didn't work as well, probably because even though I know they loved each other in their own way, it didn't have the same kind of devotion Spartacus had to Sura.  Batiatus admitting that he knew about Lucretia and Crixus didn't help.  Still, it was a fitting ending to the season.

Edited by ElleryAnne
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I liked your post a lot but just one tiny correction.  The Doctore did not throw the sword at Crixus nor did the sword strike a fellow gladiator.  He threw it at the Roman soldier who was about to kill Crixus.  It was the moment when he chose his "side" choosing loyalty to Crixus over Batiatus  And why they showed it in slo-mo for that reason I think to emphasis that. 

 

And to make it a surprise "twist" moment since first it would seem he was throwing it at Crixus until the "reveal" that it was intended to save Crixus from the Roman as Crixus and some others agilely duck out of the way cause they are gladiator types who can do these cool moves on TV series.  But at first you are suppose to think "damn is Anamaeus really gonna kil Crix ... oh okay he was saving him, whew." 

 

(It is indeed spelled with an Oe like you spelled it in your post btw.  I just spelled it how it sounded above since an "Oe" is weird to me.  But this guy, as well as Crixus, were real gladiators alongside Spartacus historically.  Not much is known of them personally except that Crixus was indeed a Gaul so the rest the writers filled in with their own imagined backstories).

 

Also, not that I'd expect Crixus to just stand there and die, but when he dodged the sword Doctore threw and it hit the gladiator behind him?  Aw.
Edited by green
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I liked your post a lot but just one tiny correction.  The Doctore did not throw the sword at Crixus nor did the sword strike a fellow gladiator.  He threw it at the Roman soldier who was about to kill Crixus.

 

 

Ooh, I missed that.  Thanks!  Okay, Crixus gets a point back. :)    And that makes sense, because I knew Doctore/Oenomaus had chosen his side by the time he talked with Spartacus, but I just figured Syfy might have cut out a scene.  When I get a chance to rewatch these, I'll have to look at that scene again.  

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I'd almost forgotten Ilithyia was married to Glaber.  I mean, I remembered it in the back of my mind, but seeing him there, I was reminded of how that connected her - as the wife of the legatus - to Spartacus ending up with Batiatus in the first place. Most of the time I think of her as the Senator's daughter and assume her attitude and prestige come only from that.  I kind of wish now that Glaber had had more scenes during the season. 

 

The prestige really does come originally from her patrician class and her father's office of senator.  Glaber owes his title and his own prestige entirely to his father-in-law as was mentioned early on in the season.  And be careful what you wish for regards seeing more of Glaber cause he is still alive and kicking as they say.

 

History nerd speaking here.  Titles and prestige were part of the Roman system of patronage where you could get nowhere without securing a powerful patron.  That's why Batiatus was always trying to toady up to Glaber or the magistrate or whoever.  There was no way to climb the socio-political ladder without a patron.  So while "kissing ass" is a concept we can relate to we can't really relate to just how 100% important and necessary and totally part of the institution it was in the Roman world. 

 

And the patronage system, complete with expected bribes and serving as a henchman for your patron, was consider totally ethical by Romans too.  It was the way the system worked.  Bribes were an integral part of it.  And loyalty was expected both from the down up but from the up down as well.  The old school Mafia always liked to claim their structure of "doing business" was based on this ancient Roman system.

 

Also though Glaber has a patron in his father-in-law the reason Batiatus sought him as a patron is because it worked like a tree.  Glaber would not only need a patron but, if he wants to rise higher, he needs his own henchmen loyal to him so would serve as a secondary level patron to those below him like a Batiaus who is too far down the ladder to approach the senator directly.  This would give a Glaber leverage eventually to become a major patron himself and therefore a major player in the Roman ruling class when either his patron died or if there was a sudden shift in factions and loyalties.

Edited by green
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So this patronage thing was more like a Roman pyramid scheme?

 

LOL.  Yeah but one that worked for the smart and ambitious.  Also the patron did have to deliver.  If he didn't then he lost his henchmen to other patrons because he failed in the loyalty down bit.   He needed to deliver the goods and offices to sustain his position.  So maybe not really a pyramid scheme second thought.

Ok, so I have a few follow-up questions.  I started a Historical Perspective Thread, since I'm probably wandering out of the episode discussion with it.

 

Cool.  Would make a nice place to discuss this stuff outside of individual episodes for sure.  Especially if we have to wait for "Gods of the Arena" for some time.

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He needed to deliver the goods and offices to sustain his position.  So maybe not really a pyramid scheme second thought.

Ah, ok.  Although I have a feeling that Batiatus would at least try to get away with not coming through.

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But you got to give the devil his due.  He did deliver to his henchman, Ashur, what Ashur desired unfortunately.

 

And the Doctore was to be given the ludus for faithful service to his patron, Batiatus.  But only because he was tired of it.

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This episode is the ideal way to do a season finale for an action drama.  Seeing it the first time, there were just chills when Crixus launched Spartacus up to the balcony, when Ill locked the doors, and when Numerius started to trash talk Varro in front of his wife (that look on her face was massively scary).  So sad to see Batiatus die.  He and Lucretia were the absolute best villanous married couple ever.  I loved them while I hated them.  Perfectly done. 

 

That being said, the PG conversion of the show just brings down episodes like this one.  It's just weird to see it so edited with commercials.  Ugh.

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... So sad to see Batiatus die.  He and Lucretia were the absolute best villanous married couple ever.  I loved them while I hated them.  Perfectly done. ...

 

Ah the advantage of the next season (albeit a super short one) being a prequel.  They both will be back this Thursday night plotting and planning like crazy.

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Sadly, though, Spartacus and the crew did not manage to kill them all.

 

I have to call BS on Ashur managing to escape Doctore (and presumably) the rest of the gladiator crew. First of all, the "Hey I just got this nifty sharp object to stab you with" deal -- too coincidental. Are Doctore's reflexes that slow that Ashur could pick the item up from the ground and strike Doctore with it (I think) in the midsection? And is it even conceivable that Ashur could outrun Doctore even with a wound? No thrown sword to cut Ashur down? Not to mention that I would think that the Crixus, among other gladiators, would want to specially look out for and kill Ashur.

 

Illy also survived.I was looking forward to Spartacus getting revenge against her. But then again, perhaps this is setting up Spartacus being able to tell Glaber that he and Illy did the dirty deed. I hope Spartacus also gets to learn that she was behind Numerius ordering Varro's death so that his vengeance is extra bloody.

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After seeing that body, the term "Good Solonius" has a whole new meaning. Love that he put up a good fight and died laughing. Based on wikia trivia...

 

According to the Blu-ray commentary for Revelations, Solonius' death scene was originally written with him attempting to flee Spartacus in the arena, thus dying like a coward. It was decided that it would be more appropriate to have Solonius put up a decent fight, and die with honor. This decision was made in part due to Craig Walsh Wrightson's performance of the character, and in part due to the showrunners' surprise at his physique when he stripped off his shirt!

 

I'm so glad they didn't give him a coward's way out. He was too great of a character to die a coward.

 

Aw, Numerius, your dad died. Boo hoo. Now go consider how Janus doesn't get to grow up with a father because of you.

 

Poor Naevia. The scene between her and Ashur was creepy. The door closing as he undresses her. Very creepy. Then later he makes a point to piss off Crixus and announce that she wasn't virgin. It was bad enough with Pietros, but now he's actively taking joy in hurting innocent people.

 

Aurelia, what the hell? Bad idea! Varro's death should have told you that. Okay, I know she's mad at Spartacus, but she's putting that anger before her son. I like how Mira watches out for her.

 

The first time I saw the scene with Lucretia and Crixus, I thought he stabbed her or something. I had given up on the idea of her being pregnant.

 

Spartacus' fight with Glaber's men was great.

 

Also great, how Licinia didn't, er, disappear as much as we all thought she did. Great blackmailing scene.

 

Ouch. Poor Crixus and Naevia. Beaten/whipped and now separated. Kind of funny how the loss of Guard Grillface's key was resolved. Basically, "btw, he's dead now, and here's his head." Strong moment when Naevia tells Doctore the truth about Barca.

 

I loved when Batiatus and Lucretia were showing off the improvements to their place and ilithyia and Glaber acknowledged that, yes, those really are improvements - in such a tone as to imply that the place was not much to brag about before, and really wasn't much to brag about now, either.  The more I watch this show and pick up on the little jabs, the more I like it.  I suspect the entire season plays better on rewatching, when the language and characters are more familiar.  As a first-time viewer, I probably missed a few good moments along the way.  But the last several episodes have had quite a bit of humor in between all the bloodshed.

Yeah, this is fun. Yes, there are things I didn't notice the first time either, and things I might not have noticed it someone else hadn't pointed it out.
 

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The back and forth works the first few times in viewing this episode, but it does get annoying after that. Probably because I want to get to the "Kill them all" part, and then we have another flashback. Lol.

 

It is a great build up to that jump. In Shadow Games, I noted how Batiatus used a random person as shield when he was attacked. Sadly, I didn't notice that the first time, as it's a good tie in to him doing it here.

 

Mira makes a kill, and she was great at it. Just imagine the fear of being the one to make the first move.

 

Agron and Duro were pretty funny during the fight, so eager to get the revolt started. Poor Duro though. His death made me sad.

 

The end of Numerius, so wonderfully violent. Bet Varro never thought his death would be avenged by his wife. Turns out, pissing off Aurelia is a really bad idea. He probably knew about that part at least, just probably didn't realize how bad of an idea it was.

 

Batiatus goes down in a great way. He even took out a gladiator. Love him screaming "I am your Dominus." His last hope that Doctore will help him. Nope. Then finally trying to get to his wife, but he just can't quite make it.

 

I have to call BS on Ashur managing to escape Doctore (and presumably) the rest of the gladiator crew. First of all, the "Hey I just got this nifty sharp object to stab you with" deal -- too coincidental. Are Doctore's reflexes that slow that Ashur could pick the item up from the ground and strike Doctore with it (I think) in the midsection? And is it even conceivable that Ashur could outrun Doctore even with a wound? No thrown sword to cut Ashur down? Not to mention that I would think that the Crixus, among other gladiators, would want to specially look out for and kill Ashur.

 

Yeah, I really wanted to see him die here. Ashure tends to be underestimated though. The idea of a bunch of gladiators running around, looking to kill him amuses me though. I imagine if that happened, and if they found it, it would not be a pleasant death.

Edited by Meushell
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I'm glad Encore picked this show back up in its unedited glory. 

Season 1 is easily the best of the series, with AW being the better Spartacus.  Liam does a good job in filling those shoes.  He has the anger and the fighting skills, but he lacks the little things that really worked for Whitfield.  AW had a much better sense of humor, and had better chemistry with Manu, Viva, and Katrina in their scenes.  Plus, AW also had that extra hint of madness that gave him the edge.  Liam could do anger, but he lacked the crazy that Spartacus needed.  His scenes early in the season like in the Pits and in Shadow Games are excellent examples.  He really could have helped season 2 with Mira's death, fighting Glaber. and his fight with Gannicus. 

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Yay, it's back, in all its blood-fountaining, equal-opportunity-nudity glory!

 

I originally started watching during 'Vengeance' (S2 I believe) when it first aired, so I only knew Liam McIntyre as Sparty.  I liked him a lot, but then got to see S1 during a full re-showing, and loved Andy Whitfield in the lead, so I'm torn.  I like them both equally.  But it's hard to watch S1 knowing about Andy's illness.  So sad.

 

But it's nice to see the origins of everything, how the relationships started, and their complexities.

 

Plus, Agron is about to make his first appearance, and I can't get over the gorgeousness of Dan Feurerriegel, so there's that to look forward to.

Edited by Kat From Jersey
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Catching reruns on Starz this week, it's bittersweet to see Andy in the role again knowing how he was taken from us so soon. I really love the production values of Season 1, and the sense of the larger Roman society the story is taking place in.

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