When I look back at 2013, I realize that five of my television series have ended or will be ending shortly. Granted, I stopped watching Dexter during the atrocious Season Six. Yet all of my series have ended (or will end) with a lot of fanfare or discussion. The cult-favorite Fringe, the resurrected comedy Futurama, the once-great Dexter, the “best show on television”™ Breaking Bad. Seriously, I’m so excited for the series finale of Breaking Bad, I can’t even handle it.
Yet there’s one more amazing television series that concluded its run earlier this year. And that television series was Spartacus. Yes, that Spartacus; the one filled with blood, violence, sex, and catchphrases like, “By Jupiter’s c**k!” Seriously, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase on this show…
There’s no reason that Spartacus should have been good. On the surface, it was nothing more than incredibly graphic violence laid on top of incredibly graphic sex. Billed as a sword-and-sandals epic, it felt like a bad mashup of 300 and Gladiator. And at first, that’s really what it was. It took about five or six episodes for the series to really find it’s voice, to know what it was about. But once it did, Spartacus took off running and never, EVER looked back.
Delightful melodrama without being campy. Insane plot twists that never felt out of character. Amazingly emotional relationships that created the core of the television series. The constant struggle of the oppressed, whether that struggle is for greater power or for freedom. Spartacus became a truly brilliant television series. Frankly, it’s a shame that it never really broke out into general popularity.
Airing on Starz from 2010 to 2013, Spartacus had a somewhat troubled production. After concluding the first season (subtitled Blood and Sand), lead actor Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and took a leave of absence. In order to fill the gap, the series creators crafted a six episode prequel miniseries subtitled Gods of the Arena to keep the series going and to provide Whitfield time to recover. Sadly, Whitfield was unable to return to the role, and he gave the producers his blessing to recast. He passed away on September 11, 2011.
Season Two (subtitled Vengeance) aired in January 2012 with Liam McIntyre taking over the role of Spartacus. Against all odds, he rose to the challenge, effectively succeeded Whitfield, and the series managed to improve on the already fantastic first season. Season Three (subtitled War of the Damned) was the final season, and while it may have suffered from a slight drop in quality, the awe-inspiring series finale more than made up for the potentially lackluster season.
Spartacus is a tough series to nail down to just five episodes. After all, it follows the story of the historical figure Spartacus, a Thracian taken into slavery by the Romans who escapes from captivity and led a failed slave rebellion against the Roman Empire. It’s completely and totally serialized, with each episode depending upon the previous ones. For those going into the series cold, I will tell you that it gets better. So much better. The first half of Blood and Sand can be pretty rocky, but if you ride out the wave, you’ll be satisfied with one of the greatest (and most underrated) television series of the past ten years.
As I discuss the top five episodes of Spartacus, I’ll try to avoid direct spoilers. However, some broad strokes of the series will likely be discussed, and some specific early moments will be spoiled. Please keep that in mind as you continue reading. With that said, let’s get down to business.
Spartacus (Andy Whitfield).
Delicate Things (aired 2/26/10) – This is it. This is the episode that really shows that Spartacus is not messing around. Before Delicate Things, we’ve got a relatively assured status quo. Spartacus has been sold into slavery as a gladiator, and he fights for the House of Batiatus. In exchange for fighting, Batiatus has promised Spartacus that he will try to find Spartacus’ wife and reunite them. There are some subplots going on but nothing of real weight or resonance. The audience wants to see Spartacus reunited with his wife, but we expect that that will take some time.
SPOILERS – Imagine my surprise when that reunion occurs in the sixth episode of the series. And she dies. And not only does she die, but we discover that her death has been arranged by Batiatus to look like a random attack. Batiatus murdered Spartacus’ wife, and in one fell swoop, we discover that Batiatus has no actual care or concern for Spartacus. Rather, he is simply interested in his own status, his own power, his own position. It’s the first time that we see the true cruelty of the Roman society up close and personal, but it’s certainly not the last. END SPOILERS
Honestly, the episode Delicate Things isn’t particularly great. It’s still got some early problems and some growing pains. But the conclusion, the final revelation, is what kicks the entire series into high gear. The writers have played the first of many hands, and everyone else has risen to the task. It’s glorious to watch as it unfolds, and it is a sign of great things to come.
Batiatus (John Hannah) and Lucretia (Lucy Lawless). Scariest power couple EVER.
Reckoning (aired 2/18/11) – Prequels almost never work very well. Look at the Star Wars prequels. Look at Caprica. Look at Star Trek: Enterprise. It’s difficult to create a compelling story when the ending is already predetermined. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena plays on this assumption by telling meaningful character stories that add depth to characters we already know. Furthermore, the show does some quite unexpected things regarding brand new characters. I mean, if we see new people in the prequel, it’s usually a safe assumption they won’t survive. Not so in Gods of the Arena.
Reckoning, the penultimate episode of Gods of the Arena, is probably the best showcase for these ideas. Character-wise, the miniseries shows us the rise of Quintus Batiatus, how we works to remove himself from the shadow of his father and make a name for himself. It also shows us how devoted his wife, Lucretia, is to him. She comes into conflict with Batiatus’ father, and that comes to a head in Reckoning in a completely unexpected way and with devastating and unforeseen consequences.
It’s a brilliant revelation, both as a character piece and as a plot device. We see the things that Batiatus and Lucretia have done to get where they are in Blood and Sand, and rather than diminish the importance of those events, it enhances them. It’s an extraordinary coup of storytelling, and it makes Gods of the Arena one of the greatest prequels I’ve ever seen.
Spartacus (Liam McIntyre).
Libertus (aired 2/24/12) – Spartacus is not a series that really delights in the status quo. More often than not, the series moves at too rapid a pace for any status quo to be established. That being said, there are certain elements that characterize much of Spartacus, and the arena is one such recurring element. Yet when Spartacus comes up with a daring plan to rescue the captives held hostage in the arena, the status quo will be shattered and nothing will be the same.
Coming right at the halfway point of Season Two, Libertus feels like a season finale. It’s huge, expansive, action-packed, and just plain awesome. And it’s only five episodes into the season! The narrative courage of the creators of Spartacus is simply mind-boggling as they destroy the status quo with such flair and drama that I could really only sit back slack jawed in amazement when the end credits started rolling.
Furthermore, Libertus sees brutal honesty in one relationship and a long-anticipated reunion for another. The effects of both are completely and totally mesmerizing. I haven’t spent much time yet discussing the characters of Spartacus, but they are truly fantastic, and Libertus is a great showcase for that.
Ilythia (Viva Bianca) and Glaber (Craig Parker). Second scariest power couple ever.
Wrath of the Gods (aired 3/30/12) – The best season finales are the ones that provide a good deal of closure to the ongoing plots and themes of the season while opening up exciting new avenues for the next season. The season finale of Spartacus: Vengeance largely forgoes the latter aspect of this. But it delivers on the former, and it delivers in spades.
No stone is left unturned, no vengeance left untaken by the end of this episode. Vengeance permeates the second season as the overarching theme. Lucretia’s vengeance on Ilithyia for the death of her unborn child. Spartacus’ vengeance on Glaber for selling him into slavery. Naevia’s vengeance on Ashur for raping her. All of these plots (and more) come to a head in this absolutely stunning and mesmerizing episode.
Furthermore, Wrath of the Gods does a brilliant job at playing out actions that completely change everything we know about the characters beforehand. I won’t dare spoil the specifics here, but let’s just say that quite a few comments from earlier in the season made a lot more sense, and it’s simultaneously terrifying and brilliant. Frankly, Wrath of the Gods works so well, I thought that it would be the perfect series finale.
“Once more unto the breach…” I’m just kidding. Shakespeare, this isn’t. This is SPARTACUS! (I couldn’t resist.)
Victory (aired 4/12/13) – But I was wrong. Oh, was I wrong. Spartacus: War of the Damned had its work cut out for it from the beginning. With a lot of new supporting characters to introduce, there were questions as to whether the series would maintain its quality. And honestly, War of the Damned is probably the weakest of the series. The old characters are all expectedly fantastic, but the new ones don’t really get enough of a chance to make a solid impression.
Yet all of that can be forgiven with this absolutely stunning series finale. Seriously, Victory is a perfect series finale. I’ve never seen one better than this. The storyline, the themes, and the characters are all brought to a close in a glorious and emotional package. I’ve never cried so much watching a series finale (except maybe Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). I can’t really get into the specifics of why Victory is so effective, but trust me, it is.
Ultimately, Spartacus is a brilliant story surrounding the notions of freedom and power. It’s wrapped up in a larger-than-life package filled with violence, language, and sex. But when you look past the exterior, it’s a powerful and meaningful story about the idea that attempting to do something can sometimes be more powerful than accomplishing the act itself.
Honorable Mentions: Party Favors (3/26/10), Kill Them All (4/16/10), Monsters (3/23/12), Blood Brothers (3/1/13), Separate Paths (3/22/13)
I'm just a grad student who happens to have a fascination with film and television. It's a fun time.
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