 Betrayed by the Romans, forced into slavery, reborn as a Gladiator. The classic tale of the Republic's most infamous rebel comes alive in the graphic and visceral new series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man, more than a gladiator. He must become a legend. Storyline: The inspiration behind this series is the Thracian Gladiator Spartacus, who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republic. The Thracians had been persuaded by Claudius Glaber to serve as auxiliaries in the Roman legions in a campaign against the Getae, who had often plundered Thracian lands. However after Glaber reneges on the deal and switches his attentions from the Getae to attack Mithridates in Asia Minor, the Thracians feel betrayed and mutiny. Captured by Glaber, Spartacus is condemned to death as a Gladiator, whilst his wife Sura is condemned to slavery. Spartacus, however, proves to be a formidable gladiator, and defeats the four gladiators tasked with executing him. He becomes a favorite of the crowd, leading Senator Albinius to commute his death sentence to a life of slavery. Spartacus is purchased by Batiatus for gladiator training, who promises to help him find Sura if he proves himself in training... Written by WellardRockard 1.01 The Red Serpent - In the series premiere, in 73 B.C., a Thracian warrior and his fellow fighters align themselves with Rome to protect their homeland. But disenchantment with the Romans soon sets in when their allies' battle strategies leave their villages unprotected from barbarian invaders. The warrior leads a rebellion and deserts the Roman army to return to his village and his wife. Invaders attack and he and his wife escape, only to be captured by the Romans. The warrior's wife, Sura, is forced into slavery and he and the other deserters are taken to the arena in Capua to publicly be put to death by gladiators, whereupon he proves his worth and is given the name Spartacus. 1.02 Sacramentum Gladiatorum - Now the property of Quintus Batiatus, Spartacus finds himself at Batiatus' gladiatorial combat school. He is anything but cooperative and refuses to do as he is told leading to frequent conflict with his trainer and other gladiators, particularly Crixus. Claudius Glaber would still like to see him dead and takes delight in telling him that his wife is still alive and that his men raped her after they were taken into bondage. Batiatus, who is having severe financial problems and is in debt to money lenders at usurious rates of interest, is hoping to gain favor with Glaber. A evening of food and entertainment doesn't go as planned when Glaber and his wife, looking down on their provincial hosts, leave as quickly as they arrive. Glaber's visit does provide the carrot Batiatus needs to reign in Spartacus: cooperation in return for the promise of finding Sura. 1.03 Legends - Spartacus continues to train in Batiatus' gladiatorial combat school. His tempestuous co-operation given in exchange for Batiatus' promise to search for Sura. Meanwhile Batiatus' money troubles and the drought continue. With the Vulcanalia approaching, Spartacus is determined to get nominated to the primus, the feature attraction, though it means fighting the undefeated Crixus. 1.04 The Thing in the Pit - After being defeated by Crixus in the arena, Spartacus is sent to the underworld to fight for Batiatus, who now is plagued by debts. There, in a place called "The Pits", the men are no longer men and are forced to kill their opponents in order to survive. After some victories, Spartacus has a dream about his wife, in which he believes he will not survive his next battle. Because of this, he agrees to die in the battle and encourages Batiatus to bet against him, only if he promises to keep searching for Spartacus' wife after his death. But things didn't result as they expected after Batiatus is attacked by two unknown men. 1.05 Shadow Games - The drought continues as Capua prepares for a series of gladiatorial games in hopes of bringing rain; Spartacus, still recovering from his stint in the Pits, and Crixus are chosen to compete in the arena- not as enemies, but teammates much to their dismay. Their opponent is Theokales: a legend in the arena; Doctore is charged with preparing the two men for the fight of their lives but receives little cooperation from either man; Meanwhile, Naevia and Crixus grow closer but must keep their feelings for themselves for fear of discovery; Spartacus tries to find common ground with his archenemy at the behest of Batiatus but Crixus remains stalwart toward any allegiance; Crixus finds that there's more to life than just being a gladiator; Varro and Spartacus' friendship deepens. 1.06 Delicate Things - While Spartacus gets comfortable with the title of champion of Capua and learns of its perks, Barca is granted his freedom- but not in the way he hoped; Crixus is barely alive after a near fatal fight with Theokales; Spartacus tries on new armor and meets the magistrate and his son, who is completely entranced with the Saviour of Capua; Spartacus invites the Magistrate to the ludus and when the latter accepts, Batiatus is delighted; the hunt for the killer of Ovidious and his family continues; Spartacus uses some of his winnings to buy wine and women for his gladiator brothers, but his motives aren't completely selfless; Spartacus plans escape with Sura; Batiatus keeps his word of retrieving Sura, but her and Spartacus' reunion is short lived. 1.07 Great and Unfortunate Things - A visit to the past and embrace to the future. Suspicions surrounding Barca's death are explored as those he left behind suffer. Spartacus is tormented by the best memories of his wife as he is confronted with her death. A renewed death hits close to home as retribution sends Spartacus over the edge of reason once again - to the expense of a life. Varro seeks to comfort Spartacus in his loss through subtle guilt but quickly finds himself ridden with strife. Seeking to quell the concern, Varro reunites with his family but soon finds that his dream is similarly crushed. Doctore's strong suspicions turn to quick accusations towards Spartacus but despite acting in Dominus's will, he begins to question it unknowingly. The line blurs between reason and morality just as Spartacus's being and present situation come to blows. When finally confronted with a challenge that seeks to test his morals however, we see Spartacus sublimate the past and solidify a new devotion to the gladiator life, one guided by the remnants of what are celestial. 1.08 Mark of the Brotherhood - Batiatus purchases a new group of gladiator trainees and considers selling Crixus. Meanwhile Crixus is still not fully healed but chafes at Spartacus assuming the role of champion. Ilithyia gets her own gladiator-in-training but trouble arises. 1.09 Whore - Lucretia and Licinia grow closer as the former prepares an intimate agreement between Licinia and Spartacus. Ilithyia and Spartacus bond; Batiatus promotes Ashur for his service in the field; Crixus resumes training against Duro, who is anxious to prove himself against the former champion; Spartacus receives a special request from Batiatus and in return for accepting the arrangement, gets a helping hand from an unexpected source; Agron and Duro are finally able to train as gladiators; Varro borrows money from Spartacus so that Ashur can deliver a personal message to his wife; Mira, a house slave, is sent on a mission outside the ludus; Lucretia tries to "tame" Ilithyia with unforeseen consequences and puts the house of Batiatus in danger. 1.10 Party Favors - Spartacus and Varro work as a team in the arena; Batiatus and Lucretia attend the games and conjure a plan to climb the social ladder, using the magistrate's sons obsession of the games and fascination with Spartacus as a catalyst to host a party for the boy's birthday; Spartacus shares the spotlight with his best friend; Crixus continues to goat Spartacus as a match is prepared between the two to finally prove who's the best gladiator, but things don't go as planned; Ilithyia uses her seductive powers while battling her conscience; Mira acheives Spartacus' objective to bring Aurelia and Varro back together; Duro finally proves himself against Crixus; Spartacus gives a tour of the ludus and training area; Ilithyia arranges to punish Spartacus by ridding him of the thing he is most attached to; Mira and Spartacus bond. 1.11 Old Wounds - Dark times cloud the house of Batiatus as Spartacus mourns Varro while being blamed for his death by Aurelia; Agron defends Spartacus in front of the other gladiators; Batiatus busies himself planning revenge against the magistrate for the disastrous party; Crixus secures the primus in hopes of reclaiming his title; Spartacus falls dangerously ill and revisits his past in the form of visions, telling him to tend to his wounds- both new and old; Mira is sent to help Medicus take care of Spartacus and helps him learn the truth of his wife's murder; Lucretia uses her leverage against Ilithyia to convince her husband, Glaber, to give patronage to the the house of Batiatus; Mira continues to fall for Spartacus; the magistrate takes one last bite out of life; Batiatus finally settles a long standing rivalry with Solonious. 1.12 Revelations - Spartacus and Solonious face off in the arena and Spartacus reveals to him that Batiatus will pay for his crimes; Ilithyia begins to break away from Lucretia's tight reign; Spartacus plans his revenge, despite being informed by Mira that if he takes his vengeance, every slave will die for his actions; Crixus and Naevia reconnect but their moment is not as private as they think; Ashur uses his newfound position to even the odds against Crixus; Glaber visits the ludus and is convinced there is more than meets the eye with the magistrates murder and probes into Batiatus' ambitions; Batiatus boasts of Spartacus' talent to Glaber in hopes of securing patronage; Spartacus swallows his pride while Crixus lets his get the best of him, causing a domino effect of truths to be revealed unexpectedly; Spartacus proves his skill is unmatched in and out of the arena, impressing even Doctore; Crixus and Naevia are punished. 1.13 Kill Them All - An epic battle between Spartacus and his gladiator brothers, against Batiatus and his Guards. ------------------------------[CSW] -4- It grew from a -2- for the first four chapters to a -3- for the next four chapters and then to a -4- for the last five chapters, and I absolutely loved the very last chapter. So don't dismiss this series too early. See it through and like the user comment above "If you like it you will love it, if you don't like it you will hate it." But you'll have to see it to know. [V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box. Cast Notes: Andy Whitfield (Spartacus [13 episodes, 2010]), John Hannah (Batiatus [13 episodes, 2010]), Manu Bennett (Crixus [13 episodes, 2010]), Lucy Lawless (Lucretia [13 episodes, 2010]), Peter Mensah (Doctore [12 episodes, 2010]), Nick Tarabay (Ashur [12 episodes, 2010]), Viva Bianca (Ilithyia [11 episodes, 2010]), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia [11 episodes, 2010]), Jai Courtney (Varro [10 episodes, 2010]), David Austin (Medicus [9 episodes, 2010]), Siaosi Fonua (Hamilcar [8 episodes, 2010]), Craig Walsh Wrightson (Solonius [8 episodes, 2010]), Erin Cummings (Sura [7 episodes, 2010]), Antonio Te Maioha (Barca [6 episodes, 2010]), Eka Darville (Pietros [6 episodes, 2010]), Raicho Vasilev (Gnaeus [6 episodes, 2010]), Daniel Feuerriegel (Agron [6 episodes, 2010]), Ande Cunningham (Duro [6 episodes, 2010]), Janine Burchett (Domitia [6 episodes, 2010]). IMDb Rating (03/22/11): 8.8/10 from 23,643 users
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