Looking back at Spartacus:
Blood and Sand, I remember feeling vicarious discomfort for all of the
slaves and gladiators that had to fight and work in that sweltering heat,
especially during the drought. Watching tonight's episode of Spartacus:
War of the Damned, I'm thinking many of the rebels probably miss that
weather, if nothing else from their days of enslavement. Freedom comes at a
cost. Tonight's episode was evidence of that, as what it evidence that bad
weather brings out stronger emotions.
The episode began with a pile of rebel bodies, indicating bad things to come as the story pulled back and showed what led to that horrible decimation. As it turns out, it was a snowstorm that took the lives of a thousand rebels. I suppose Crassus and his army can take credit for that, since they're the ones that have the rebels cornered at the ridge. When the storm came in, some died due to lack of proper shelter. Others out of choice, deciding to stay outside and pray to the gods to "reveal path." They revealed path alright, in the form of a thousand rebel bodies, which were used to stack up in the trench and give the rest of them safe passage across and out of reach from the Romans. A dark means of escape sure, but effective. Kind of like that wall of bodies the soldiers used in 300, except in that case, I'm pretty sure the bodies were their enemies.
The episode began with a pile of rebel bodies, indicating bad things to come as the story pulled back and showed what led to that horrible decimation. As it turns out, it was a snowstorm that took the lives of a thousand rebels. I suppose Crassus and his army can take credit for that, since they're the ones that have the rebels cornered at the ridge. When the storm came in, some died due to lack of proper shelter. Others out of choice, deciding to stay outside and pray to the gods to "reveal path." They revealed path alright, in the form of a thousand rebel bodies, which were used to stack up in the trench and give the rest of them safe passage across and out of reach from the Romans. A dark means of escape sure, but effective. Kind of like that wall of bodies the soldiers used in 300, except in that case, I'm pretty sure the bodies were their enemies.
This war is as much of the minds as it is the numbers. Spartacus and Crassus
are constantly trying to anticipate each others' moves and use that to their
advantage. Donar - the rebel and former gladiator who was killed (or killed
himself, technically) at the end of last week's episode - was crucified and
left as a message for Spartacus and his rebels when they stormed a Roman camp.
The words "Mors
Indecepta" were carved into his chest. "Death is
Undeceivable." The ploy was only a partial victory for Crassus, as
Spartacus and his men escaped, though Naevia suffered from injuries.
Spartacus and Crixus threw down after the battle with the Romans, and once
again, the difference in their approach is made evident. Spartacus leads with
his mind, trying to make good strategic choices based on his experience with
war and his knowledge of his enemy. That may not involve simply throwing his
entire army's weight against the enemy at every turn, which seems to be Crixus'
preference for attack. And that applies to Crixus' approach to dealing with Spartacus
tonight. When yelling didn't work work in making his frustration clear, he
settled for smashing a jug over Spartacus' face. I can't help but wonder if
maybe Crixus is a little bit jealous of Spartacus. I want to believe he's above
that though, even with the memory of their Blood and Sand rivalry
still floating around, so let's say that Crixus' increased aggression tonight
is due to Naevia's brush with death after Spartacus made the choice to attack
without more people.
Gannicus and Saxa seem to be about five seconds away from over. Has Gannicus
fallen in love? It's been pretty clear for a few episodes now that there was
something between Sibyl and Gannicus. That grew stronger last week when
Gannicus rescued her from the city. Tonight, they sealed the deal during the
storm in a love scene that was more romantic than it was steamy as the two
found a way to get warm in their flimsy shelter while the worst of the storm
passed through. This came after Gannicus shot down Saxa's
offer of sex. After the storm, Saxa eyed Gannicus and Sibyl like she knew
something might have happened, but with so many lives lost, it wasn't the time
to talk about it. That seems inevitable though. And I wonder how Saxa will take
it. She and Gannicus seem to share a mutual appreciation for sex and wine, but
how deep do her feelings really go? And the same question for Gannicus and
Sibyl?
Castus and Laeta seem to be the odd man/woman out among the rebels. Castus is
taking heat from people for his connections with the pirates, even though his
participation in their betrayal seemed minimal-to-non-existent. But Agron cut
Castus free tonight and he and Nasir seemed to exchange a bit of amusement, if
not warmth between each other, which I'm taking as a good sign. Laeta,
meanwhile, is recovering from her injuries and trying to deal with the reality
that she's now officially a former slave… even though she was only a slave for
like two seconds. She's still been through a lot, having lost her husband, her
home and then her freedom, cast out by the Romans and now stuck with the rest
of the rebels. On the bright side, she's alive and she's on a first-name-basis
with Spartacus, which puts her in the VIP tent… if there was one.
Kore enlisted the help of Caesar in dealing with Tiberius when she learned she
was going to be forced to serve him. Her plan seems unclear. It looked like she
was going to tell Crassus just how "deeply" she'd been
"pierced" by his son, but instead, she slept with Crassus and then
snuck out of his tent in the middle of the night, off to join the rebels.
It seems fitting to end this write-up with a nod to Caesar, considering today
is March
15, otherwise known as the Ides of March - the
historical day Caesar was known to fall. With that in mind, Caesar's comment
about giants falling seemed particularly well timed…
"Many a giant has tumbled to the afterlife believing himself too big to
fall."
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