Synopsis: “On the heels of the bloody escape from the House of Batiatus that concluded “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”, the gladiator rebellion continues and begins to strike fear into the heart of the Roman Republic in “Spartacus: Vengeance”. Gaius Claudius Glaber and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush the growing band of freed slaves that Spartacus leads before it can inflict further damage. Spartacus is presented the choice of satisfying his personal need for vengeance against the man that condemned his wife to slavery and eventual death, or making the larger sacrifices necessary to keep his budding army from breaking apart. Containing all of the blood-soaked action, exotic sexuality, and villainy and heroism that has come to distinguish the series, the tale of Spartacus resumes in epic fashion.”
If you have not seen this episode yet and do not wish to be spoiled, do not continue reading!
Recap: “Fugitivus” picks up several weeks after the events of the season 1 finale “Kill Them All.” Spartacus (newcomer Liam McIntyre) and a gang of his freed slaves attack a group of Romans, under the order of a young man named Seppius (Tom Hobbs) who is hunting Spartacus, in an attempt to hijack weapons and food. Spartacus carves Gaius Claudius Glaber’s name into one of the bodies before they head back to their current camp.
We cut to Glaber (Craig Parker) in Rome as he learns about his name being written in blood. He is ordered to Capua to personally take care of Spartacus. He is threatened by his father-in-law and told that if he does not go, he will not rise further in the Roman Senate.
Spartacus and his men return to the sewers to the other freed slaves without food. The slaves have been divided as the Gaul’s, led by Crixus (Manu Bennett), want to fend for themselves. They return with food and Spartacus makes him share equal portions with all among them. Spartaus and Crixus speak with a strong understanding regarding the tensions between their men. Crixus informs that he has found a name linked to Naevia and intends to find him.
Next we find Oenomaus (Peter Mensah) watching a gladiator fight in the arena under cloak. He has chosen not to follow with the others because he feels shame in the action against the House of Batiatus. We meet Seppius and his sister Seppia (Hanna Mangan) watching from the balcony. As they discuss Seppia’s men’s’ slaughter with their father, we see that the siblings have an odd relationship yet to be further explored. Oenomaus is pursued into an alley by men who recognized him as being a wanted man. They say that they would let him go for Spartacus’ whereabouts, but he refuses and gruesomely slays the men.
Back in the slaves’ camp, Spartacus informs Varro’s wife Aurelia (Brooke Williams) that he is sending her with some men for protection back to her son. She finally seems to understand that he was not truly responsible for Varro’s death. Back in Rome, Glaber tells his wife Ilythia (Viva Bianca) that they must return to Capua. She agrees after he gives her little choice. We also learn that she is pregnant.
Aurelia takes leave after a kind goodbye. Spartacus, Crixus and their men make their way to find the man that knows Naevia’s location. We come to a very erotic, to say the least, brothel where all men are brutally murdered by the fugitives. Crixus finds the man and tortures information out of him as he lay dying in one of the more gut-wrenching methods possible. He learns that she has been presented as a gift to another Dominus in the south.
Glaber and a cast of Roman soldiers arrive in Cappua. They make the blood-stained House of Batiatus their new temporary home. Ilythia announces her hatred of the house and its memories and pleads that she not be forced to remain. Glaber denies her and tells her to make it livable once again. As she begins to demand her servants, a dazed and believed-to-be-dead Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) appears in the shadow. She has no recollection of what period of time she is in. Glaber chooses to spare her and use her as a symbol of hope for the residents of Cappua, saying that not everyone meets their end against Spartacus. To her dismay, Ilythia is forced to clean Lucretia and tend to her needs.
Spartacus speaks to the slaves as Oenomaus appears to warn them about Glaber. He tells them that Glaber will make a speech in the marketplace at dawn and that they should see it as a distraction and leave. Spartacus asks the former Doctore to join them and he refuses. Crixus begs Spartacus to join his men in their move toward the south as he yearns to meet Glaber, the man responsible for his wife’s slavery, in the morning.
Ilythia talks about several events and people in an attempt to see if Lucretia remembers anything. She is pleased that she does not remember anything, including how she got her wound or what Ilythia did to the cousin of Marcus Crassus. Lucretia congratulates Ilythia on her pregnancy.
Spartacus’ love interest Mira (Katrina Law) also begs Spartacus to join Crixus and he seemingly agrees. In the morning Mira informs Crixus that Spartacus was missing from her bed. Spartacus is cloaked in the marketplace awaiting the arrival of Glaber. Spartacus is shocked to see Lucretia alive, but Glaber brings a bloodied and dying Aurelia to the front of the crowd with promise of getting Spartacus’ location out of her before her end.
Spartacus leaps forward as Lucretia and Ilythia spot him to kill Glaber and a fight ensues. With Spartacus strongly outnumbered, Crixus and the other men jump out to his defense as they rescue Aurelia and flee before Glaber wins. During the scuffle Crixus and Lucretia spotted each other. Lucretia seemed to regain some memory upon his sight and she hid.
Both Mira and Crixus scold Spartacus for his actions, telling him that the slaves need a leader. Crixus informs him that he intended to stop him, not aid him. He says that the death of Glaber would bring an army of thousands, ending the slaves and their quest of vengeance for good. Spartacus is summoned to the dying Aurelia as she tells him to stay away from her son. This is what makes Spartacus realize that he needs to be careful and they decide to move south in search of Naevia.
Things I liked: This show really returned in an epic fashion. Liam McIntyre was splendid as Spartacus. I cannot imagine the fear he must have had when accepting the role played by the late Andy Whitfield. After watching the episode several times, I am looking forward to seeing him continue making the role his own. Every other actor in this show owns their roles and play them as strongly as ever.
My favorite part of this episode is the promise of what is to come. There is so much going on and the stakes are high in the premiere! Lucretia’s return may be the most intriguing storyline of the premiere. Though there wasn’t a lot done with Lucy Lawless, a strong suspenseful feeling fills the air when she is on screen. She sucks you into the atmosphere. You can smell the betrayal looming throughout the episode. The action pieces were as brutal as ever with Oenomaus alleyway brawl being my favorite of the episode. I love when they show off how powerful and dangerous he is. Now that he has nothing to lose, he will be a gem in every scene he is in. I am also excited to learn more about Seppius and Seppia.
The audio and dialogue are also awesome. I love the way that DeKnight writes the dialogue. It is fun and engaging. I look forward to seeing what other treats they can throw into it now that Batiatus’ obscenities are now absent. The music in the episode also followed suit and sounded great.
The visuals were tremendous. It looks much grander than the first season. The stunts were great as well as the special effects. The costumes were awesome and props to Lucretia’s stylist when she first appears. She looked crazy and kind of scary. The episode looked awesome all around!
Things I did not like: The only thing that I wish they would change some is the excessive use of slow motion. It does not bother me a lot at all, but it is overdone at times. This episode is one of those times. A very bittersweet part of the story both pleases me and upsets me. That part is Aurelia. I hated her because of her blind hatred toward Spartacus in Blood and Sand. She redeemed herself in the greater part of this episode. Then there is her final words… I’m back to hating her and she is dead. This pleases me and I wish it did not.
Rating: 4.5 branded Fugitivus out of 5
