Spartacus, Episode 1: The Things That Made Us Go "Ew!"
Liam McIntyre
Run! Spartacus and his rebels are on the loose! In the Season 2 premiere of Spartacus: Vengeance, we see that no Roman is safe — not even those spending their hard-earned coin at a brothel!
It's war between Spartacus' unwashed gang and the Romans, mainly Gaius Claudius Glaber and new pup Seppius, whom we foresee will be equally annoying and entertaining. Also, what's with the Folgers-ad-worthy banter and chemistry between him and his sister Seppia? Meanwhile, after the rebels go on a bordello killing spree, Crixus learns that his love Naevia is being sold from dominus to dominus as a sex slave. We also see Oenomaus running around incognito in a hooded robe, Lucretia has survived her abdomen wound but isn't quite sane, and Glaber is forcing his wife Ilythia to hang out in Capua while he seeks to defeat Spartacus.
Spartacus: What to expect in Season 2 (beyond the blood and bodies)
Let's check out this week's "Ew!" moments:
The Blood - Body count*: innumerable. In the opening battle, it was Agron brutally bashing one of the Roman's heads into a stone repeatedly that had us covering our eyes (and ears!). Later, Oenomaus makes short work with some men who attack him in an alley — breaking one assailant's arm so that the bone sticks through the skin and then splitting another guy's abdomen from bottom to top, much as one would do with a human-sized haggis. There's plenty of naked bodies getting sliced and chopped up in the brothel massacre, but two rather disturbing highlights include one large Roman voyeur getting his throat impaled from behind and then Crixus using a ruthless interrogation tactic: wiggling his finger around in the slaver Trebius' fresh sword wound. Ouch!
The Bodies - Total scenes: 2.5. There's minor nudity scattered throughout the episode, and Ilythia gets hot and bothered flashing back to her masked tryst with Spartacus, while in reality, Spartacus is having unmasked relations with Mira. But really, this episode is all about the unique tour of the whorehouse, in which we see ladies and gents alike being manhandled and abused. Although there's plenty of sex, it's not really sexy considering these slaves can't fight back and Spartacus' men are splashing blood and entrails everywhere.
Liam McIntyre takes over as Spartacus' rebel with a cause
Best Line of the Week: From one of Spartacus' men: "You had me at whores."
*It should be noted that we may have to dispense with the body count this season now that it's open season on Romans and freed slaves alike. "I tried to [keep track] this season," series star Liam McIntyre told TVGuide.com in early January, "but because they're not in an arena where it's nice and tidy one-on-one, it's just ridiculously massive."
What did you think of the premiere? How do you like McIntyre as the new Spartacus? Which scenes disturbed you the most?
Also, check out our video interview: