• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

LTTP: Spartacus

Status
Not open for further replies.
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
So, after years i finally watched the 3rd season (or, 2nd full season) of Spartacus. I loved the first two series.

So, my thoughts:

As I feared, the loss of Batiatus as a character is keenly felt.* He was definitely the star of the 1st two series. A rare lovable villain. Extremely charismatic, yet crude and ambitious. Not an amoral Roman, really, just a product of the culture.

As for the recast of Spartacus, it takes a while to accept, but it's just one of those things. Liam did a fantastic job as stoic Spartacus, but as you know, Andy WAS Spartacus. By the time episode 8 came around, I had finally accepted Liam as a worthy Spartacus. Naevia recast was far more distracting, honestly. As bad as it sounds, I think it was because the two actresses had such a different look.

Anyway, yeah. It started out slow but definitely picks up. But, the show suffers without Batiatus, a bit. That aside, I'm glad I finally got around to picking back up.

EDIT: *- lol! I am speaking like I'm a character in the show right there as a side effect. I WOULD SEE THIS POST EDITED.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
vas_a_morir said:
So, after years i finally watched the 3rd season (or, 2nd full season) of Spartacus. I loved the first two series.

So, my thoughts:

As I feared, the loss of Batiatus as a character is keenly felt.* He was definitely the star of the 1st two series. A rare lovable villain. Extremely charismatic, yet crude and ambitious. Not an amoral Roman, really, just a product of the culture.

As for the recast of Spartacus, it takes a while to accept, but it's just one of those things. Liam did a fantastic job as stoic Spartacus, but as you know, Andy WAS Spartacus. By the time episode 8 came around, I had finally accepted Liam as a worthy Spartacus. Naevia recast was far more distracting, honestly. As bad as it sounds, I think it was because the two actresses had such a different look.

Anyway, yeah. It started out slow but definitely picks up. But, the show suffers without Batiatus, a bit. That aside, I'm glad I finally got around to picking back up.

EDIT: *- lol! I am speaking like I'm a character in the show right there as a side effect. I WOULD SEE THIS POST EDITED.
Click to expand...
I remember feeling the same way at the time. Glaber is not a strong enough villain to replace Batiatus, but the antagonists for the next season are way better. Liam also picks up the slack and becomes Spartacus a lot better, too.
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
Septimus Prime said:
I remember feeling the same way at the time. Glaber is not a strong enough villain to replace Batiatus, but the antagonists for the next season are way better. Liam also picks up the slack and becomes Spartacus a lot better, too.
Click to expand...

I think the difference is you kinda root for Batiatus. He did some bad things, but really, they were all seemingly reasonable. Killing Spartacus' wife seems bad, but if you recall, Spartacus was about to go on a murderous rampage as soon as he saw her. It was actually pretty shrewd! The funny thing is, that upon rewatch, you forget that until the escape, Spartacus and Batiatus have a relatively friendly and respectful relationship... in face to face meetings, that is.

Also, that Crixus has two speeds: neutral and full blast. He's truly a savage brute, but honorable and with a good heart, I guess. I guess he loves like he fights.
 
R

Rogan

Banned
Posts in this thread really made me want to watch it.

Just started the first episode and it looks really good!
 
P

params7

Banned
Rogan said:
Posts in this thread really made me want to watch it.

Just started the first episode and it looks really good!
Click to expand...

First episode is nothing. The series builds up like crazy.

Blood and Sand's finale is the best finale I've seen on TV.
 
B

bidguy

Banned
Rogan said:
Blood and Sand? Are there multiple series? Or is season 1 called Blood and Sand?
Click to expand...

no, its 4 seasons (1 of them is a prequel) but the creators decided to give every new season a new name

one of the best tv shows ive ever watched btw
 
M

MG310

Member
Rogan said:
Blood and Sand? Are there multiple series? Or is season 1 called Blood and Sand?
Click to expand...

Season 1 is Blood and Sand
Season 2 is Gods of the Arena (which is a 6 episode prequel with everyone except Spartacus)
Season 3 is Vengeance
Season 4 is War of the Damned
 
S

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Rogan said:
Blood and Sand? Are there multiple series? Or is season 1 called Blood and Sand?
Click to expand...

Each season has a name.

Season 1: Blood and Sand
Season 1.5: Gods of the Arena
Season 2: Vengeance
Season 3: War of the Damned

EDIT: Beaten like a rented mule.
 
H

Hoodbury

Member
Rogan said:
Posts in this thread really made me want to watch it.

Just started the first episode and it looks really good!
Click to expand...

A lot of people complain about the first couple episodes and say to just stick with it. But like you, I enjoyed it from the very start. But holy cow did each episode just keep getting better and better. You're in for a great ride.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
Hoodbury said:
A lot of people complain about the first couple episodes and say to just stick with it. But like you, I enjoyed it from the very start. But holy cow did each episode just keep getting better and better. You're in for a great ride.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I liked the live-action comic book style of those episodes more than the realism style the show ends up having, but there's definitely a huge tonal shift in visuals and music as the series progresses.
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
Okay, started the final season. It's like they tied up all the loose ends and can actually make a compelling show again.

This is the first time we've seen competent Romans with Marcus Crassus. Compelling character, too.
 
G

Gaz_RB

Member
vas_a_morir said:
Okay, started the final season. It's like they tied up all the loose ends and can actually make a compelling show again.

This is the first time we've seen competent Romans with Marcus Crassus. Compelling character, too.
Click to expand...

Yeah Crassus is actually a competent rival for Spartacus. Glaber was not.
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
Gaz_RB said:
Yeah Crassus is actually a competent rival for Spartacus. Glaber was not.
Click to expand...

I'm going to come out and say it, now that I'm 4 episodes in to War of the Damned: Vengence was total ass. A bunch of characters I never cared about doing pretty much nothing. Lucretia, Glaber, his wife, and so on and so on. It was awful.

BUT, War of the Damned so far might be better than even the 1st season and Gods of the Arena. They actually humanize the Romans and cast doubt on whether or not the uneducated brutes of the arena can fulfill Spartacus' vision. Plus, he is a moral absolutist, it seems, and would sooner die then compromise his honor. Admirable, but not destined for victory. Of course, a fate everyone in the world knew awaited Spartacus, so it's all about the journey.

Maybe this season turns to ass, but I really really like the first four eps. I thought it would be sad when Crixus finally gets got, but they did a good job of making me hate that braindead brute and his Harley Quinn psycho girlfriend Naevia. (she looks super hot, though)

Anyway, what makes Crassus a formidable foe to Spartacus is he seems to have honor (so far). Or, at the very least, relatively high amount respect for the dignity of his enemies compared to other villains in this show. Oh, and Caesar is a huge surprise! never before has he been portrayed like this!
 
C

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
vas_a_morir said:
I'm going to come out and say it, now that I'm 4 episodes in to War of the Damned: Vengence was total ass. A bunch of characters I never cared about doing pretty much nothing. Lucretia, Glaber, his wife, and so on and so on. It was awful.

BUT, War of the Damned so far might be better than even the 1st season and Gods of the Arena. They actually humanize the Romans and cast doubt on whether or not the uneducated brutes of the arena can fulfill Spartacus' vision. Plus, he is a moral absolutist, it seems, and would sooner die then compromise his honor. Admirable, but not destined for victory. Of course, a fate everyone in the world knew awaited Spartacus, so it's all about the journey.

Maybe this season turns to ass, but I really really like the first four eps. I thought it would be sad when Crixus finally gets got, but they did a good job of making me hate that braindead brute and his Harley Quinn psycho girlfriend Naevia. (she looks super hot, though)
Click to expand...

I rarely say it, but this post mirrors my thoughts on the final season 100%

I also like how tired Spartacus looks here. He obviously doesn't approve of his army relentlessly massacring women and children, but can't say a word because his leadership would crumble. It shows how hard is to be the one guy everyone follows
 
M

Moaradin

Member
You'll be happy to know that the last season doesn't disappoint. The finale is probably one of the most memorable TV episodes I've ever seen.
 
D

DedValve

Banned
When this thread first happened I was intrigued. The first episode was trash and idk why the showrunners for season 1 where OBSESSED with slow mo but good lord the abuse of slowmo, especially in the first 2 episodes was ridiculous.
I honestly miss it a little in the later seasons
ehhh maybe not

But holy shit the show picks up speed and never stops. Season 1 finale was simply the best but S2, 3 and 4 are all amazing standouts and fantastic quality. The ending was ballsy and was unexpected
I didn't know about the real life history behind spartacus so the ending was just unreal for me as it was unfolding

Goddamn this show is good. Will definitely rewatch in the future.

EDIT: Yeah +1 for Crassus. That was some death note shit happening between Crassus and Spartacus.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
Neverfade said:
Ashur, lowest of fucking mortals, was great.
Click to expand...

ibsNt6ESnjZaSk.gif
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
Finished.

The last season of Spartacus puts the rest to shame. Simply put. That trashy smut from the first 3 seasons could become what it did... amazing. Seemed like a real tribute to the man instead of exploitation.

Only with Spartacus' last words do you understand the meaning behind the title "victory." A Roman victory? Sure. However, 2000 years later, the legend of Spartacus and his vision of freedom for all men live on and Rome is no more. As Crassus said, history will decide who is the hero and who is the villain. A very moving, satisfying finale. I had heard over the last few years people say that it was the best finale of a tv show they have ever seen. And a lot of people said they cried at the end. Me, having seen only the first two seasons, was like "wut? Spartacus is dumb fun and a little embarrassing. Does this show actually get good?" After "Vengeance," by far the worst season, I couldn't believe it. But, I guess they did it. Did they get knew writers or producers? New director? What the hell happened?

My only question... how did Crassus' son get an erection in the middle of a heated fight to rape Caesar? That's an impressive level of sociopathic savagery! lol
 
S

SURGEdude

Member
Septimus Prime said:
I remember feeling the same way at the time. Glaber is not a strong enough villain to replace Batiatus, but the antagonists for the next season are way better. Liam also picks up the slack and becomes Spartacus a lot better, too.
Click to expand...

The problem with Glaber is he's just run of the mill bad dude. He has no depth as a character like Batiatus had.

And the new Naevia... ugg. Nothing against the actress but she was a really bad casting choice. She didn't even seem like the same character at all even in the face of what she endured.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
SURGEdude said:
The problem with Glaber is he's just run of the mill bad dude. He has no depth as a character like Batiatus had.

And the new Naevia... ugg. Nothing against the actress but she was a really bad casting choice. She didn't even seem like the same character at all even in the face of what she endured.
Click to expand...
I think one of the problems with Glaber is that, while he was set up as the main antagonist for the first two full seasons, he had very little presence in Blood and Sand and was completely absent in Gods of the Arena. It also doesn't help that Batiatus stole the show so much while he was there. There was almost no character development between the very first episode, where Glaber is a self-serving asshole, and Vengeance, where he's suddenly the big bad.

I think the reason Crassus is so good has a lot to do with there not being other characters to impede his character development. He doesn't show up at all for the first two seasons, except in hushed whispers, and when we do finally see him, we are already done with Batiatus and Glaber and Lucretia and Illythia and their drama. And then Crassus' wife, who I thought would be another Lucretia, turns out to have almost no role at all, so that was nice.
 
karasu

karasu

Member
Glaber was such a whiny little shit with that nasally voice. he should have stayed in lord of the Rings.
 
P

Prototype

Member
The first season was amazing. Everything after that is nothing special. After the original spartacus actor died I couldn't hey back into the show.
 
B

Beepos

Member
This is on Netflix Australia and recently of last month got the final season added. Really blowing friends away with the final chapters and that damn finale of epic proportions.
 
S

ScottSullivan

Member
With having last week off for E3, I've also been marathoning this show again for the 3rd time on Netflix. One of my favorites of the last decade.

Crude, Gory, Even Misogynistic at times, but bloody brilliant all the same. The dialogue is simple, but the flowerly language, great acting all around, and superb character development make it just as much fun to watch over and over

Really amazing emotional payoffs in the final season for all the characters that they established believable motivations for, including the villians!

You know how it's going to end, but it still gets me everytime

As for raising this thread from the dead?
43476731.jpg
 
W

water_wendi

Water is not wet!
Only watched the first season. i need to watch the others. The show is the single greatest turn around from pilot to second episode ever.
 
H

Hades Hotgun

Banned
water_wendi said:
Only watched the first season. i need to watch the others. The show is the single greatest turn around from pilot to second episode ever.
Click to expand...

I got all my friends to watch the show but skip the first episode.

After they were hooked we watched the first episode together and most of them said they would have probably dropped the show without even finishing that episode.
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
After the series finished, I've been trying to find some other manly, testosterone filled, fighting show on T.V.

Is there anything else that compares?
 
M

Mammoth Jones

Member
I stopped watching during the original run after Andy Whitfield died. I just couldn't bring myself to keep going. Was such a perfect fit for the role and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Spartacus. I think I'll try to get back to it hearing all the great things. I figured it would have tanked after he was gone.
 
B

Bulk_Rate

Member
Oblivion said:
After the series finished, I've been trying to find some other manly, testosterone filled, fighting show on T.V.

Is there anything else that compares?
Click to expand...

Nope. The final few episodes are a four hour concentrated super-bro solution combining the orgasmic dude-ness of the Predator Arnold/Weathers handshake and the most feels-heavy moments of Braveheart and Gladiator. Nothing since has approached this level of Man-ness. I miss the show and RIP Andy Whitfield.
 
shadow_shogun

shadow_shogun

Member
Mammoth Jones said:
I stopped watching during the original run after Andy Whitfield died. I just couldn't bring myself to keep going. Was such a perfect fit for the role and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Spartacus. I think I'll try to get back to it hearing all the great things. I figured it would have tanked after he was gone.
Click to expand...
Nope, Andy's successor was a great choice. No one could fill Andy shoes but Liam he came very close and made the later seasons watchable. Glad to hear you'll get going back because it's worth it.

Oblivion said:
After the series finished, I've been trying to find some other manly, testosterone filled, fighting show on T.V.

Is there anything else that compares?
Click to expand...
Rome is the closest I can think of. It's one of the best pieces of TV if you haven't seen it.
 
Pilgrimzero

Pilgrimzero

Member
shadow_shogun said:
Nope, Andy's successor was a great choice. No one could fill Andy shoes but Liam he came very close and made the later seasons watchable. Glad to hear you'll get going back because it's worth it.


Rome is the closest I can think of. It's one of the best pieces of TV if you haven't seen it.
Click to expand...



Really liked Rome. Sad they had to squeeze an ending into it since it didn't get another season.
 
R

RS4-

Member
Oblivion said:
After the series finished, I've been trying to find some other manly, testosterone filled, fighting show on T.V.

Is there anything else that compares?
Click to expand...

smG5fnZ.gif


Strike Back. Maybe not as much fighting, but lots of guns, titties, and awesome motherfuckers.

Both the original Brit series, and the US-Brit one.

Anyway, every single ep of Spartacus was a joy to watch. Every single bit, even that cunt Ashur. Except new Naevia.

Losing Andy sucked :( btw, if you guys haven't seen it, there's a docu about him - https://www.netflix.com/title/80061160
 
G

GuitarAtomik

Member
Probably one of my favorite shows of all time. The hype I was feeling at the Season 1 finale hasn't been matched in a while. Andy's death weirdly hit me harder than any other celebrity death that I can think of. RIP

RS4- said:
Anyway, every single ep of Spartacus was a joy to watch. Every single bit, even that cunt Ashur. Except new Naevia.
Click to expand...
So much this lol.
 
Z

ZackieChan

Member
Check out Banshee. The main character (Lucas Hood) is the manliest man since the Spartacus/Crixus/Gannicus trio, imo.

Don't watch the 4th season, though. Or just be prepared for massive disappointment.
 
B

Biske

Member
God damn, one of my favorite series ever. Holy shit.


The only thing they fucked up was the re-casting of Naevia. Though I dunno if the original actress would have been able to sell that story line either. They kind of botched it all around.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Sam Neill reveals diagnosis of stage-three blood cancer in memoir
18
2K
Signal Rockets replied
LTTP: FFXVI was a solid 7/10 *SPOILERS*
2
58
3K
Raven117 replied
LTTP - 'Humanity' A Very Special Puzzler
Opinion LTTP Analysis
9
784
CartesianMan replied
LTTP : The Walking dead (all seasons/spoilers)
Spoilers
19
2K
Badlucktroll replied
Dragon's Dogma II |🐉| You done fucked it up, Capcom
Opinion Analysis 2
87
4K
Agent_4Seven replied
Top Bottom