We know Batiatus was a bastard, but would he have been operating within roman law for having (what I assume) a free man killed for losing the key?

I’m watching Spartacus for the first time, and I’m wondering if I can go straight from Season 1 to Season 3, as I’m not interested in the prequel and I want to continue following the main story.

Heya.. sorry to disappoint u.

I watched Gladiator 2 yesterday in theaters. Loved some things ( battles/fights, some actors (Denzel, the gladiator-doctor, the emperors etc..), but mostly the scenery of rome. Beautiful and realistic. Just incredible. Then there were alot of bad things aswell.. Didnt feel connected to the main character as in gladiator 1. I couldnt really care about him, no real depth in the movie at all.

Whatever. I wanted something in the same caregory. Miss this type of movies.

Came over a series called spartacus.

Turned on the first eposode s1e1. So far i almost cant stand it. The actors are overplaying their roles, the cgi is terrible.. (i understand the budget and all, but even the backdrop is like a youtube-production-quality) i guess alot of ppl get hooked by nude girls, but pornhu* is better.

So far it feels like andy withfield is worse than paul mescal as a gladiator.

Tell me. Did you guys get hooked by the first episode? How much time do i need?

I have watched 34 minutes of the first one.

I was so happy to see him in the cast, but how do you screw this so bad? You even had him in the arena once again, only for him Not to fight??

Cmon man, ridiculous.

The fact the movie literally starts with Oenomaus actor had me hooked from the beginning. Then the training scenes and even the mess hall reminded me of Spartacus, especially the joking around while eating together.

https://preview.redd.it/trhxt06iox1e1.png?width=1919&format=png&auto=webp&s=f2445549be078fd0c3962c2d9823783dcba605b2

https://preview.redd.it/1l6r516iox1e1.png?width=1919&format=png&auto=webp&s=2ce3fdc92d6d90f2cf559faf2e001121322eec30

https://preview.redd.it/ydr5d16iox1e1.png?width=1919&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a452dfe0cbd4753eb417705b0e6221cdc78992b

Simply put, he’s a beast!!

Cut cirlce with straightest line: The writers, not the actress, deserve most of the Naevia 2.0 hate.

There have been many discussions about hate for Naevia 2.0 and I've been trying to understand it. I don't believe it was the actress, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, or how she approached the role, I believe it is how she is written and specifically during Vengeance and to make sense of War of the Damned. First, we must go back to Blood anid Sand.

In B&S, Crixus woos Naevia. After winning her affections, Ashur becomes aware of it, slithers, and has Naevia gifted to him by Batiatus for his service. At this time, Naevia is unaware that Ashur knows of her and Crixus. To spite the latter, Ashur lets it be known that he is the one that Dominus gave Naevia to. Crixis goes nuts, gets lashed, and then caged as base animal. Naevia is beaten senseless, given a haircut, and sent to be used by the Roman elite before reaching the mines.

In Vengeance, Naevia 2.0 is found in the mines and is a fragile and scared creature. Bit by bit, she slowly reclaims her agency, learning to fight with the sword and use the bow and arrow. Her character goes sideways when the rebels are trapped on Vesuvius.

Misdirected Anger

Naevia 2.0 claims "None has been more wronged by Ashur." Anybody who watched the show KNOWS Ashur has done far worse to others. Ashur maneuvered Barca to his death. Why? Over coin owed to Barca that Ashur couldn't pay. Back in B&S, Naevia accepted her fate as a gift to Ashur. In Vengeance, she is PISSED because Ashur snitched. Really? Her anger should be directed at Lucretia.

If anyone had a claim on Ashur's life, it would be Crixus. If it was he that parted Ashur's head from body, we would have been satisfied. Instead, the writers gave us a victim, built her up a little bit, and gifted her an unearned win against the same man that DOMINATED Glaber's lackeys in a previous episode. Naevia 2.0 was overmatched and wore plot armor that was heavier than that donned by Spartacus himself.

A True Warrior

Fast Foward to War of the Damned and we find 2.0 a much better warrior and intensely loyal to her man. Like many of the rebels, 2.0 hates the Romans. Her pain is made more personal by having us visualize how a particular Roman who held no threat brutalized her and then transformed back into a family man the following morning. Unfortunately, the writers forgot that we already witnessed Roman brutality throughout the show before 2.0 came to be so rudely handled.

Then, there was Attius, a Roman who didn't deserve to die but was given a horrific death by 2.0. Just another reason for us and Gannicus to hate her. Face it though, even Crixus pondered why the Roman continued to darken walls with presence within the city. Yet, 2.0 was working with what was given to her.

But 2.0 pushed Crixus away from Spartacus. Sure, I'll go with that. She wasn't alone though in the feeling. Even Agron would have those Roman sh*ts life, but for the mercy of Spartacus. Gannicus agreed that Roman heads would be better upon pikes. Hell, Crixum proclaimed that the Romans were blessed because Spartacus stands a fool! We can't hate 2.0 for that can we? We can hate the writers though.

Finally, 2.0 was once again blessed as the Romans were because the writers were some fools in dealing with 2.0. in her fight against Tiberius. Did 2.0 have a claim to his life? Absolutely! Do any us believe that she could have beat Tiberius? NOPE! In fact, to believe 2.0 could defeat Tiberius, you would also have to believe a proper Roman Legion is an inferior soldier to what amounts to a gladiator trainee. Hilarus showed Tiberus the deal when the former was asked to couple words with action and prove belief of being superior to any slave. Would any of us equate 2.0 with Hilarus, a champion of the arena? Yet, she still nearly dispatches the mere shadow of the name Crassus, her hand being stayed at the last moment.

Fall to reason, brothers and sisters and let us direct our annoyances about 2.0 to those most deserved.

Edits:

I have come to agree that 2.0 had a bit higher claim on Ashur's life.

Regarding Naevia's rape by Ashur. She was gifted to Ashur by Batiatus. Prior to that, he did not force himself inside Naevia as he would later do to Lucretia. I can see the logical line being drawn here, i.e., he raped Lucretia multiple times so he probably did the same to Naevia even after he was awarded her as a gift. In the context of the show, body slave Naevia would have seen this as doing what Dominus commanded.

Regarding overacting, I still believe the script is the downfall. I'll spread some blame to the director as well. Ultimately, if the director doesn't like how the actress is portraying the character, it is up to the director to provide direction. I feel 2.0 is consistently portrayed by Cynthia Addai-Robinson and it is indicative the director was well satisfied.

What would have happened if the real Spartacus never revolted? How would have Rome turned out between Pompey, Crassus, And Ceasar? The Third Servile War kinda sparked the whole Triumvirate thing, but what if Spartacus never happened?

I bought it but thought I’d share my find.

TLDR/Cut circle with straightest line: No way House of Ashur comes close to Spartacus

I've watched Spartacus from beginning to end many times. Today, I watched the final episode of War of the Damned completing the entire series yet again. I signed up for Starz because of the upcoming House of Ashur. I'm not excited about it after another rewatch of Spartacus. The series is an epic ride with incredible conflicts, heroes, villains, maneuvering, and intrigue. House of, Ashur has an insurmountable mountain to attempt to climb. I feel like, leave well enough alone. I did most of my Spartacus rewatches on DVD (yes, I'm old); however, with streaming, Starz can get real data on the potential demand for more of what we all love about Spartacus. Do you think the creators of this new series can recapture the magic of life in the ludus even though Blood and Sand is all about that wrapped around Spartacus' resistance to becoming a gladiator, his quest to be reunited with his wife, his ascension to champion of Capua, and his mission to "Kill Them All?"

Since House of Ashur assumes the serpent becomes a lanista, consider Blood and Sand for a moment. The fights in the arena are not what defined the series as a whole even though some series-defining moments occurred in the arena. Batiatus' ambitition is as strong as Spartacus' desire for reunion with his wife, Barca's desire for freedom, Crixus' desire to once again be Champion of Capua, or Glaber seeing Spartacus fall to deserved fate. One of the reasons, Blood and Sand works is because we meet the characters for the first time and learn of their motivations as the show progresses. We already know who Ashur is. Anything less than peak Ashur, i.e., Blood and Sand and Vengeance, is a colossal disappointment.