MEDIA BUZZ: 'Spartacus: Vengeance' preview

When the Starz original program “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” debuted two years ago this month it underwhelmed. Trailers made it appear to be a serialized version of the movie “300” with plenty of stylized action, scantily clad actors and actresses, and over the top violence. Sounded good to me. Unfortunately “Blood and Sand” failed to deliver on that promise. Its initial episodes were bland and the story moved too slowly and because of that I almost quit watching. I have a rule, however, that I’ll give a new series 3-4 episodes before I give up on it and “Blood and Sand” eventually righted the ship.

Once the series changed settings and John Hannah (“The Mummy” series, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Sliding Doors”) as slave owner Batiatus was brought in, lead actor Andy Whitfield finally had someone strong to play against. The introduction of a number of memorable gladiators and several strong female characters, lead by TV veteran Lucy Lawless, also helped the series create an ancient Roman version of upstairs/downstairs.

The violence, the well written dialogue, the class struggle, and the constant jockeying for position by EVERY character made it a show I couldn’t help but get hooked on. Simply stated, the series kept its “300” look while adding a heavy helping of “Downton Abbey”. If everyone in Downton wore skimpy clothing and tried to murder each other with swords.

The first season was well received and the series was renewed but when Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Starz decided to move forward with a six-episode prequel entitled “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”. A mix of new and old characters, it was just as good as “Blood and Sand” and unlike most prequels made the series formula even tighter.

This brings us to “Spartacus: Vengeance” which premieres this Friday. The series picks up where “Blood and Sand” left off, with Spartacus and his fellow gladiators on the run after escaping the house of Batiatus. Hannah has moved on (his character was killed in the finale of the first season) and a new Spartacus has been cast (newcomer Liam McIntyre replaces Whitfield, who passed away last September) but several key cast members return including two of my personal favorites, Peter Mensah as the dignified and honorable Oenomaus and Viva Bianca as the sultry and conniving Ilithyia.

While I’ve been eagerly awaiting “Vengeance” the series is at a crossroads. Can the show survive without Hannah, the rock of the first two seasons? Will fans be ready to accept McIntyre as Spartacus? The ludus, where the gladiators are trained, was a focal point of the show. Can the series be as strong outside of it?

Starz sent me a screener of the first two episodes of “Spartacus: Vengeance” to help answer these questions.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

In the series premiere, “Fugitivus”, which airs January 27, we find the escaped gladiators as a rebel force divided. Spartacus is the leader but Crixis has a group of men of his own. Tension, as always between these two, is palpable. The rebels are hiding under the sewers of Capua for reasons that will later be revealed. Former gladiator trainer Oenomaus is a lost soul wandering the streets, not knowing what to do with himself after the loss of the ludus. Ilithiya and her husband Gaius, now a high ranking Roman, are forced back to Capua to squash the rebel resistance. Crixis is in search of his lost love and he will do anything (including raiding a house of ill repute in the premiere’s most gruesome scene) to find her. The end of the episode sees the gladiators preparing to leave town, Gaius and Ilythyia moving into the house of Batiatus, and the return of Lucretia (Lawless), who looks like she’s completely lost her marbles.

In the second episode, “A Place In This World” (airing February 3), the gladiators have left Capua and are looking for Crixus’s love interest, Naevia. While Crixus is myopic in his search, Spartacus uses the opportunity to build an army to oppose Gaius. This includes taking over a villa and training its slaves to fight. Batiatus’s father, Titus, makes an appearance as well. Throughout the episode viewers are given the back story on Oenomaus and how he came to be a gladiator. Meanwhile Lucretia is treated as lucky charm of sorts by Gaius for having survived Spartacus’s escape. The episode ends with the return of the traitorous blowhard Asher, dragging a battle weary Oenomaus back to the ludus. 

The series is off to a decent start. Overall I’d give the first two episodes a solid “B+”. The ludus is back in play, most of the major characters are still involved, and the direction of this season, a showdown between Gaius and Spartacus, is clear. What remains to be seen is if McIntyre can fill Spartacus’s sandals (so far he’s not nearly as charismatic as Whitfield) and whether or not the Gaius/Spartacus rivalry can match Batiatus/Spartacus. It’s still too early to tell if “Vengeance” will be as addictive as its predecessors, but with its fun, over the top reputation I’m willing to tune in a few more times to find out.