Spartacus: Vengeance - The Complete Second Season (2012)

Spartacus and his band of rebels – comprised of former gladiators and slaves – have escaped the House of Batiatus after killing its head and leaving Batiatus' wife Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) mortally wounded. The escapees are led by Spartacus (now played by Liam McIntyre, who effortlessly slips into the role left by the late Andy Whitfield), the champion gladiator both revered and reviled by those closest to him and those who would see him dead for his crimes against Rome. The escaped rebels have terrorized Capua in the weeks following their escape. They're wanted men and women, and the government is hellbent on putting an end to the uprising at all costs. Seppius (Tom Hobbs) has dispatched his mercenaries to squash the rebellion, to track down the gladiators and put an end to their misdeeds. It is his hope to use to rebellion to his advantage, to steal the spotlight and lay claim to the title of hero of the people and see his stock rise in the national political spotlight. But it's Praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker) going to Capua under the orders of his father-in-law Albinius (Kevin J. Wilson), officially tasked with putting an end to the rebellion. He insists on his pregnant wife Ilithyia (Viva Bianca) accompanying him. There, they establish a base of operations at the former house of Batiatus where a shocking discovery is made that Glaber efforts to use to his public advantage as a sign of favor for his task from the gods. Ashur (Nick Tarabay) arrives with a captive Oenomaus (Peter Mensah) in tow. Ashur proves his allegiance to Glaber but is unable to glean any information on the rebels' whereabouts from the man once known as "Doctore." The rebels, however, are not as organized as they might should be. Spartacus aims only to sustain the group, gather food and weapons for the fight, and ultimately kill Glaber, a man involved in the capture and death of his wife Sura. Meanwhile, Crixus (Manu Bennett), former champion of Capua, wishes to head South and locate Naevia (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) instead, the divide threatening to tear the group apart. What follows is perhaps the bloodiest chapter in the history of the Spartacus story, one that will forever leave the Roman landscape scarred and its future in peril.

Dark deeds, dirty politics, general debauchery, and plenty of graphic violence shape this – and the other – seasons of "Spartacus." The series seems to almost gleefully push limits as it weaves together tales of intrigue and hate and lust and personal and political maneuvering on one side, a bit less on the other but the rebels are certainly no strangers to divisiveness, unshared goals, and sticky quagmires that threaten to destroy everything for which the've so laboriously fought and won. It's through all these complexities that the series often shines. It's not the blood and the sex – the truth is that those things can be consumed elsewhere and in greater quantities – that shape the show, it's the characters and the stories they make that give this show its appeal. However, "Spartacus" most certainly seems externally defined by its excess. Indeed, the sex and violence may be over-the-top, but they're so much a fabric of the "Spartacus" experience that they seem almost necessary, and to be sure the raw appeal of the forbidden fruits that are so prevalent throughout actually serve to carry the series in those rare moments when the drama becomes a little too hackneyed or overbuilt even for a soap opera 2,000 years in the making. Certainly, audiences sensitive to the kind of things the series portrays (though not necessarily glorifies) should rightly stay away, but most viewers who watch for the entire package and not simply the newest orgy, naked bath scene, or CGI sword slicing through a torso will be rewarded with a juicy, complex tale of politics, freedom, and fate. The characters are superbly developed, all very well shaped and nuanced so that the intricate details of the relationships, and not merely "sides" in a conflict, serve as the series' foundation. In fact, it's often the drama that unfolds in each respective camp and amongst their own from which the series derives much of its drama. "Vengeance" in particular almost works better focusing on the inner-workings of Glaber, Ilithyia, Lucretia, and Ashur. While there's not quite the same level of intrigue amongst Spartacus, Crixus, Mira, Gannicus, Oenomaus, Naevia, and the other rebels, their own in-stories are suitably complex and rise above the elements that give the series but a visual appeal.

Yet even if the series is shaped by the drama and the violence and sex are more window dressing than anything else, they're still a major factor in the "Spartacus" experience that cannot be ignored. The series is almost comically bloody, and the computer-animated effects never look so real that the audience might be completely turned off by some of the terrible visuals that appear throughout the series, not the least of which are bloody gashes, beheadings, and all manner of brutal injury. The blood splatters to an almost jovial extreme. It flings towards the screen with regularity and looks so glossy and artificial that the effect becomes nearly ruined. To be sure, it's more about quantity than quality when it comes to the bloodletting, and ditto the fairly repetitive sex scenes that saturate the series. Yet as noted, the sex and violence merely accentuate the story, and for better or for worse they are both so prevalent and laid on so thickly they just become an accepted part of the larger puzzle. Fortunately, the entire show is so well put together that the blending effect really does work save for a few extreme cases. The rhythm is so constant and the story so often engaging and crazy and awe-inspiring all at once that it all seems to gel regardless of what's in store next dramatically, sexually, or violently. This third season in particular works very well in that regard. At ten episodes in length, it never overstays its welcome and manages to tell a complex tale without becoming bogged down by unnecessary runtime. There are moments when it seems there's nowhere to go, no way to stretch things out, but "Spartacus," more than any other show, makes nearly every scene a cliffhanger, each episode a dizzying collection of dramatic developments that keep things fresh even as it traverses a well-established course of action. The characters enjoy significant development, and the series never shies away from killing them off or setting them up for future victory or defeat. Ultimately, it's not much of a surprise where things are headed, yet the finale captivates with a barrage of killings and happenings, all of the drama and death and dismemberment and eye-opening shocks that viewers have come to expect and experienced all season but brought to a startling climax in a single hour of must-see television. Yet it culminates with the inevitable more than the incredible, which perhaps shows that while pushing boundaries is not out of the series' purview, it shies away from bucking trends in the drama department. Where the series can possibly go with "War of the Damned" is anyone's guess, but the smart money is on more of the same. And that can't be a bad thing.

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