| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
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| 3 | [[folder: Tropes A - G]] |
| 4 | * {{Anvilicious}}: If there's any Aesop or moral to be taken from ''Spartacus'', it's that [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavery is BAD]]. The series is about as subtle on this as it is on [[{{Gorn}} violence]] and {{Fanservice}}. |
| 5 | * AlasPoorScrappy: [[spoiler: Naevia was not a popular character, but it was still sad to see her die in the same way that Diona had.]] |
| 6 | * AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: |
| 7 | ** Literally [[BlackAndGrayMorality every character]] can be interpreted as the "good" or "bad" guy at some point. What's interesting is that three of the main characters in ''Vengeance''--Spartacus, Crixus, and Agron--all have different opinions on almost everything that happens, despite being on the same side, which makes for very different interpretations of their characters. Is Spartacus a brave and compassionate man, or a single-minded idealist? Is Crixus's devotion to Naevia admirable or selfish? Is Agron a pragmatic leader or a selfish brat? |
| 8 | ** It's often taken as canon that Mira was only LovingAShadow and that Spartacus didn't return her feelings, but certain scenes could point in the other direction - it's her whose arms he cries into after [[spoiler: Varro's death]], he has very little hesitation when she asks him to make love to her with "a pale shadow" of what he felt for Sura, and he is extremely heartbroken [[spoiler: when she dies in battle]]. One could easily interpret him as having genuine feelings but being afraid that moving on is disrespecting Sura's memory. It helps that Liam [=McIntyre=] and Katrina Law have excellent chemistry. |
| 9 | ** By ''War of the Damned'', Naevia is particularly savage in dishing out cruelty to anyone with even the vague hint of 'deserving' it. While the victim of trauma that would mess anyone up, one moment in particular could be read as extremely manipulative. After Crixus calls her on slicing off the fingers of an innocent man who was just forced to kill someone else for bread to feed his pregnant wife - that Naevia had watched with obvious glee while Crixus [[EveryoneHasStandards showed discomfort with]] - she has a tale of woe at the ready to stop Crixus from being annoyed at her brutality. Whether it's true or not, the fact that she never shared it before and waited until it could be used to deflect valid complaints about her behaviour makes her come across as very manipulative. Granted, someone in her situation likely would never have a chance to learn healthy communication skills. |
| 10 | ** Come ''War of the Damned'', Crassus is open to considerable interpretation. Is he a loyal servant of Rome who fights out of a sense of patriotism, or a power-hungry politician who fights for greed and personal advancement? Is he a a BenevolentBoss who genuinely cares about his slaves, or a ControlFreak who desires to own people as property, even though he could afford to free them and then employ them if he chose to? Are the disciplinary actions he inflicts on his troops barbaric and overly harsh, or a necessity given their repeated failures against Spartacus? [[spoiler: Was his crucifixion of Kore really necessary? Even if he couldn't spare her life, surely he could have given her a more merciful end?]] |
| 11 | ** For that matter, was ''Caesar'' in love with Kore too? He does try to seduce her at first, only stopping when he is reprimanded by Crassus, and he understands that the two are together. He is extremely devoted to getting some kind of justice for [[spoiler: her rape at the hands of Tiberius long before he experiences that himself]], although he showed the same concern to a rape victim of Nemetes, so it could be a case of [[EveryoneHasStandards his standards showing]]. He seems extremely protective of her right up until the end, including trying to [[spoiler: help her cover up Tiberius's murder]]. |
| 12 | ** Lucretia's attitude towards Naevia in ''Blood & Sand''. There are moments where she seems to view the girl with some fondness, and even says she's been her most trusted slave; and she's annoyed at her being given to Ashur. Not just because she could have been used for a better match, but she seems {{Squick}}ed out at the thought of that being Naevia's fate. One could even interpret her NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of her as coming from that affection - feeling betrayed that someone so close could have slept with Crixus. And was sending her away a CruelMercy, hoping for her to experience AFateWorseThanDeath, or could she still not bring herself to kill the girl? Or what's more - given that the next episode still has her trying to get Crixus to tell her that Naevia seduced him, did she suspect that killing Naevia outright meant she would lose influence over Crixus forever? |
| 13 | ** In ''Gods of the Arena'', was Lucretia intending to kill [[spoiler: Titus]] before [[spoiler: the murder of Gaia]], or was she just trying to [[spoiler: make him ill enough to force him to seek healthier climes]], and his treatment of herself and her loved ones tipped her over the edge? |
| 14 | ** In ''War of the Damned'', a lot of people blame Naevia for goading Crixus into wanting to kill all the Romans and destroy Rome, but is it entirely her fault? Crixus himself is known to be short-tempered and vengeful with an 'attack first, ask questions later' attitude long before Naevia became a BloodKnight. He is the one who starts teaching her to fight in the first place and he praises her for being a strong warrior, either overlooking or outright encouraging her violent behaviour. Therefore, are they just goading ''each other'' in regards to their RevengeBeforeReason attitude? |
| 15 | ** In ''Vengeance'', just how insane is Lucretia really? It's clear that she's [[spoiler: putting it on at least a little to appear harmless and she's very capable of cunning and rationality]]. However, [[spoiler: cutting Ilithyia's baby out of her womb and then throwing herself off a cliff with the child, all so that she can give her dead husband a son]], isn't exactly 'sane' behavior. It raises the question of whether this was Lucretia's endgame from the start, or if she was making it up as she went. WordOfGod is that she was always intended to be insane pretending to be sane, but that still raises lots of questions. |
| 16 | * AluminumChristmasTrees: [[spoiler: Historically, Pompey's only contribution to the war was mop up duty, coming in and slaying some rebels who had fled from Crassus while Crassus defeated Spartacus' main force. Pompey claimed that while Crassus had defeated some rebels, [[ExactWords he had ended the rebellion]], thus getting credit for it the senate. As much as Pompey may have been built up in the show, his actual contribution is historically accurate.]] |
| 17 | * SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: A soundtrack the blends end the feel of Film/300 and actual ancient music of the setting along with jittery instrumental rock and metal right beside traditional classical orchestra.... But then again this shouldn't be surprising, considering the man behind the music is Creator/SamRaimi's go-to composer Joseph [=LoDuca=] of ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' fame. |
| 18 | * BaseBreakingCharacter: There's very little middle ground regarding Sibyl. One half, particularly the Gannicus/Saxa shippers, sees her as TheLoad and a bland DamselInDistress compared to even the non {{Action Girl}}s like Laeta and Kore, who get moments of ActionSurvivor and SilkHidingSteel to make up for their lack of battle prowess. Others however welcome a character defined by goodness and kindness in such a CrapsackWorld, find her romance with Gannicus sweet, and note that she ''does'' contribute to the plot in plenty of ways. |
| 19 | * BestKnownForTheFanservice: A lot of people watch for the equal-opportunity {{Fanservice}}. In fairness, the show is extremely explicit, so it being known for its nudity isn't exactly a wrong assessment. However, due to this trope, some viewers dismiss it as a mindless {{Gorn}}-fest full of breasts and penises; ignoring that there's actually quite a complex story being told in addition to EverybodyHasLotsOfSex. |
| 20 | * CatharsisFactor: The Season 1 finale is a pretty epic one, as it features a whole season's worth of LaserGuidedKarma coming down on Quintus and Lucretia. [[spoiler: The entire Ludus rebels against them, and Illythia gets her revenge by actually having the gates sealed and locking them inside. Spartacus kills Quintus personally, while Crixus stabs Lucretia and their unborn child - giving them brutal punishments for murdering Sura and torturing Naevia respectively]]. |
| 21 | * CompleteMonster: |
| 22 | ** ''Gods of the Arena'' & ''Vengeance'': [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Cossutius]] is a {{smug|Snake}} Roman [[AristocratsAreEvil aristocrat]], highlighted for his hedonistic and morally bankrupt nature. A SerialRapist, Cossutius is known for repeatedly raping his own slaves, referring to himself "not having any virgin slaves". At the House of Batiatus, Cossutius has the slave girl Diona brutally raped by a filthy gladiator to prove that "ugliness and beauty co-exist" before raping Diona himself. Cossutius later shows glee at Diona's execution and revels in the gladiators' bloodshed. Cossutius later appears taking immense pleasure in [[ColdBloodedTorture torturing captured rebel Acer by tearing off his flesh]]. |
| 23 | ** ''Vengeance'' & ''War of the Damned'': [[TokenEvilTeammate Nemetes]] proves that not even the rebels are devoid of evil in their ranks. Initially a callous jerk of the German slaves, Nemetes would repeatedly attempt to execute Roman prisoners once the rebels have taken a Roman city despite Spartacus doing his best to ensure that the prisoners are treated with every respect and courtesy. Nemetes kidnaps a Roman Domina and rapes and tortures her for sport, prostituting her to be tortured or brutalized by soldiers he knows will go for it. When UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar is disguised amongst the rebels, Nemetes [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten demands he show his loyalty]] by hurting the brutalized girl even more, [[EvenEvilHasStandards which horrifies even the hardened Roman]] and forces him to deliver a MercyKill. When Caesar sheds his façade and puts Nemetes at sword point, Nemetes simply tries to bargain to betray Spartacus and turn over all the armies and civilians with them to the Romans if he can escape, an offer Caesar rejects. |
| 24 | %%Do not add any other entries without discussing it in the cleanup thread first. |
| 25 | * ContinuityLockOut: You don't strictly have to watch the prequel season to understand ''Vengeance'', but it does provide some important context around Gannicus' character, his relationship with Oenomaus and the fate of Oenomaus' wife. While you can get the basic gist of things just from watching ''Vengeance'', ''Gods of the Arena'' explains it in a lot more depth; watching the prequel first also avoids Gannicus seeming like a case of RememberTheNewGuy. |
| 26 | * CrossOverShip: |
| 27 | ** A small group of fans ship [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Gannicus]] (or, far more rarely, Spartacus) with [[Series/GameOfThrones Daenerys Targaryen]]. It kind of makes sense…Given Dany’s track record, we know she has a thing for long-haired, hard-drinking bad boys, her propriety and aloofness is a nice contrast to Gannicus’s more laid-back manner, and they both hate slavery with a passion and campaign to end it. |
| 28 | ** There's even a small fanbase that ships Gannicus and [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]]. Which is freaking hilarious when you remember that Lucy Lawless plays ''Lucretia'' on this series. |
| 29 | * CryForTheDevil: |
| 30 | ** Ilithyia may be an amoral FemmeFatale and self-absorbed AlphaBitch, but not even she deserved [[spoiler: to be put through a TraumaticCSection before watching her newborn child die, [[AlasPoorVillain knowing she'd soon follow]].]] That's not to mention that even before then, she was used by Lucretia and made the victim of rape by fraud because of the latter's own jealousy, and her husband hit her once they used her to blackmail him. [[spoiler: Said pregnancy is also a ChildByRape, albeit one where the man was just as unwilling as she was]], and one can easily understand why she struck back in ''Vengeance''. |
| 31 | ** For a ''small'' moment you feel bad for Glaber once [[spoiler: he is made aware of the conspiracy to not only have his marriage dissolved but his child aborted by his wife, father-in-law, and rival.]] |
| 32 | ** Tiberius crosses the MoralEventHorizon several times over, but it's impossible to not feel for him as he is [[spoiler: forced to kill his best friend and possible lover]] to win his father's approval, as beforehand he seemed like a decent, well-adjusted kid who defended Kore from Caesar's advances, and wanted to make Crassus proud. |
| 33 | * DamselScrappy: Naevia is viewed as being one by some people in ''Vengeance'', as she spends a lot of the season getting into trouble and needing to be rescued, often to [[TheMillstone the detriment of the other rebels]]. At one point, she states the rebels [[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike shouldn't even have bothered trying to rescue her]] in the first place. However, some viewers cut her some slack as she's obviously traumatised from her ordeal; part of the reason she thinks the rebels shouldn't have rescued her is also because she [[ItsAllMyFault feels guilty]] so many of them died in the attempt. She also makes an effort to [[TookaLevelInBadass start combat training]] late in the season and so actually contributes to rebellion, becoming badass enough to take out [[spoiler: Ashur]] singlehandedly and [[BattleCouple keep up with Crixus]] on the battlefield. By the next season she is a full-fledged ActionGirl...unfortunately, she [[TookALevelInJerkass takes a huge level in Jerkass]] as well, which only cemented her as a Scrappy for many viewers. |
| 34 | * EnsembleDarkhorse: |
| 35 | ** [[BreakoutCharacter Gannicus]] is probably one of the most well-known and popular characters besides Spartacus himself, mostly for being a genuinely endearing, awesome ChivalrousPervert with an interesting story arc. |
| 36 | ** Naevia was actually this originally. Her screen time in the first season was not that much, as she was absent from the premiere and finale episodes, and spent her first couple of appearances as a LivingProp. She became beloved for her romance with Crixus, her CharacterDevelopment into SilkHidingSteel and being one of the kindest characters in a CrapsackWorld. Creator/LesleyAnnBrandt's beauty definitely helped. Unfortunately it was not to last (see below). |
| 37 | ** Caesar from ''War of the Damned'' is one of the most popular characters from that season, mostly for being a swaggering badass who actually manages to outsmart the rebels despite seeming like DumbMuscle and also [[HiddenDepths displays some surprising compassionate and sympathetic traits]] as the season goes on. That, and being [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar Julius fucking Caesar]], arguably even more famous than Spartacus himself. His portrayal in this series is also a rather unique one, in that here, he's presented as being [[YoungerAndHipper younger, more rebellious and still finding his feet in the Roman world]]. The fact he kills [[spoiler:[[TheScrappy Naevia]] in the finale]] and has a direct hand in [[spoiler:[[HateSink Tiberius]]'s]] downfall and death makes him a fan favorite too. This was possibly intentional, as the creators had been considering having a SpinOff centred around Caesar. |
| 38 | ** Lucretia is probably one of the most well-known villains in the series, who people LoveToHate, and proved popular enough on and off set that she was brought back for the second season (originally, she was meant to die in the finale of the first season). |
| 39 | ** Sura's ActionGirl and SageLoveInterest traits make her interesting and likable enough that she's well-liked by the fandom despite [[SacrificialLamb dying quite early on]]...well, that and being MsFanservice to the max. The fact she continues to have a reasonably significant presence within the plot even after her death (her murder is one of Spartacus' main motivations for [[CrusadingWidow starting a rebellion]]) helps too. |
| 40 | ** Varro is one of the few genuinely {{Nice Guy}}s on the show and a true friend to Spartacus, who tries and partly succeeds in [[CharacterDevelopment overcoming his vices]], genuinely [[FamilyMan loves his family]] [[spoiler: and dies in an [[SacrificialLion extremely tragic and unexpected manner]] late into the first season]]. |
| 41 | ** Gaia from ''Gods of the Arena'' only appears in four episodes, but is beloved for her SpoiledSweet persona and Jaime Murray's charismatic performance. Her being a positive bisexual character, and Lucretia's MoralityPet helps big time. |
| 42 | ** Diona is a very sweet and ''very'' [[TheWoobie sympathetic]] character, who goes through [[BreakTheCutie absolute hell]] and has a heartwarming friendship with Naevia, with some viewers wishing she'd [[spoiler: survived the prequel and perhaps even reappeared in ''Vengeance'']]. |
| 43 | ** Nasir is popular for [[TookALevelInBadass going from]] a body slave who tries to kill Spartacus for 'ruining' his life, to a GuileHero and ActionSurvivor and eventually one half of a BattleCouple with Agron. He remains one of the [[NiceGuy kinder and more moral characters]] and his relationship with Agron is seen as [[OneTruePairing genuinely endearing and believable]]. It helps that he's also a gay character who is not solely defined just by his sexual orientation or made up of stereotypes. |
| 44 | ** Agron replaces Varro as TheLancer to Spartacus, being [[UndyingLoyalty utterly devoted]] to him even if he doesn't always agree with him. While Spartacus and Crixus are both prone to brooding at times, Agron tends to be a lot more HotBlooded and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]], making for a nice contrast. Like Nasir, he's also a gay man who isn't purely defined by his sexuality. His relationship with Nasir is also one of the most [[OneTruePairing popular pairings]] in the series. |
| 45 | ** Saxa is a [[TheLadette boisterous, hard-drinking and foul-mouthed]] ActionGirl with a HiddenHeartOfGold, who is completely unashamed about any of this and can fight just as well as the guys. |
| 46 | ** Lugo is popular for being a funny and badass BoisterousBruiser, wielding a huge hammer. He's one of the first Germans to pledge allegiance to Spartacus in ''Vengeance'' and remains loyal to him to the very end, as well as becoming VitriolicBestBuds with Nasir, [[OddFriendship of all people]]. [[spoiler:He also [[DyingMomentOfAwesome dies in a pretty badass way]], taking out several Romans and yelling "Fuck your mothers!" while ''on fire'']]. |
| 47 | ** Sabinus has minimal screen time in ''War of the Damned'' and a pretty FlatCharacter all things considered, but his presence as Tiberius's MoralityPet, the implication that they might be more than JustFriends, and [[spoiler: his tragic death in the Decimation]] makes him ripe for interpretation in the fandom. |
| 48 | ** Kore is also quite well-liked for her tragic romance with Crassus, SilkHidingSteel persona, extremely sympathetic backstory, and [[spoiler: being the one to kill Tiberius and save five hundred of Spartacus's allies in the process]]. |
| 49 | * EstrogenBrigade: ''Spartacus'' is a pretty 'manly' show for the most part, but has plenty of female fans. Part of the reason may ''[[SarcasmMode possibly]]'' be due to the smorgasbord of hunky, scantily-dressed gladiators that make up a large portion of the cast. |
| 50 | * EvenBetterSequel: Or in this case, ''prequel''. Out of all the seasons, ''Gods of the Arena'' recieved the best reviews, and it also introduced one of the fan-favourites, Gannicus. |
| 51 | * EvilIsCool: [[TheChessmaster Batiatus]], [[ManipulativeBitch Lucretia]], [[ArchEnemy Glaber]], [[FemmeFatale Ilithyia]], [[OpportunisticBastard Ashur]], [[ImplacableMan Theokoles]], Caburus and [[GeniusBruiser Caesar]] all breathe this trope. |
| 52 | * EvilVersusEvil: Aside from the Roman elite constantly screwing each other over, the rebels eventually fall into this as well. Crixus, heavily goaded by Naevia, develops such an unrelenting hatred of Romans that he wants them ''all'' dead. Not just the wealthy slaveowners, but even the common people. When he finally breaks with Spartacus in ''War of the Damned'', it is because he will accept nothing less than total slaughter and the destruction of Rome itself. Not that this would end slavery as an institution, as other nations also practiced it. Plus the rebels already had more than a little bit of a MightMakesRight social hierarchy forming amongst themselves. So the final battle between Crixus and his forces against Crassus and his legions takes on this tone. |
| 53 | * FanPreferredCouple: A fair few fans prefer Melitta with Gannicus than Oenomaus, [[ShipToShipCombat though others will vehemently disagree]]. A few viewers TakeAThirdOption by [[OneTrueThreesome shipping all three together]]. It's even messier by ''War of the Damned'' (see ShipToShipCombat below). |
| 54 | * FanPreferredCutContent: Early plans for ''War of the Damned'' were to have [[spoiler: Mira survive to become Gannicus's lover]]. Fans who felt that season was lacking in more female characters would have preferred for her to stick around. |
| 55 | * FandomRivalry: There tends to be one between this and ''Series/GameOfThrones'', due to being early 2010s shows full of {{Gorn}} and nudity that premiered around the same time, also featuring CharactersDroppingLikeFlies. Fans of ''Spartacus'' often point to the infamous SeasonalRot of the later seasons of ''Game of Thrones'', particularly the show's egregious use of PlotArmor when it came to the GrandFinale as a comparison. Indeed, a lot of mainstream critics and reviewers tend to compare ''Spartacus'' and ''Game of Thrones''. There are however plenty of fans of both. |
| 56 | * {{Fanon}}: Despite the show itself only implying Tiberius and Sabinus were JustFriends, most fans interpret them as lovers in some way, whether they acted on it or not. |
| 57 | * FansPreferTheNewHer: |
| 58 | ** Acknowledged in-universe. Lucretia looks quite good when she goes back to wearing her red wigs in ''Vengeance''. Unfortunately she's wearing them at Ashur's orders - after he's been raping her. Notably there's one scene where Illythia complements Lucretia on how good the red hair looks, only for the latter to shudder. |
| 59 | ** Spartacus looks better with short hair than the messy long hair he had in the first two episodes. The short hair comes about in a TraumaticHaircut that marks his start as a glorified slave put into the arena. |
| 60 | * FirstInstallmentWins: The first season is agreed to be the best, not just because of Creator/AndyWhitfield in the title role. It also had the brilliant villain team of Batiatus and Lucretia, Creator/LesleyAnnBrandt as Naevia, the interesting upstairs/downstairs setting of the Ludus and other beloved characters like Varro, Aurelia, Sura and Illythia as a WildCard. |
| 61 | * FriendlyFandoms: With many of the show's alumnae appearing in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'', ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' and even the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'', one won't be surprised if fans of the show are in good vibes with Creator/{{DC|Comics}} fans. |
| 62 | * GeniusBonus: |
| 63 | ** The very first episode has a subtle quote of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Joseph#Nez_Perce_War Chief Joseph]]'s famous line, "I will fight no more forever." Spartacus's wife asks him a hypothetical, "You will fight no more?" His response begins, "Forever." |
| 64 | ** At first glance, Creator/AndyWhitfield, and Creator/LiamMcIntyre even more so, seems like a case of {{Race Lift}}ing as a casting choice for Spartacus. Thrace is basically Greece, right? But the Thracians actually were partly Germanic in origin and the Roman stereotype for them was red-haired and blue-eyed. |
| 65 | * GrowingTheBeard: |
| 66 | ** The first couple episodes of ''Blood and Sand'' are generally agreed to be not very good. The show starts hitting its stride around episodes three and four, for various reasons; the actors are obviously getting used to the sentence structure of their lines, the show isn't trying so hard to be ''300'' (the influence is still obviously there, it just isn't as blatant), Hannah started really hamming it up as Batiatus, and characters in general became more fleshed out. |
| 67 | ** Episode 6 ("Delicate Things") is the definitive turning point. Batiatus shows his true colors as a ManipulativeBastard BadBoss, Spartacus is shattered by Sura's death (which Batiatus arranged, unbeknownst to Spartacus,) and pretty much every character's main motivation for the first half of the season has been shattered and must be rebuilt. If you weren't hooked before, you will be at this point. |
| 68 | * GuiltyPleasure: The show is very violent and sexual, but it is also very enjoyable, so many watch it with a little bit of guilt. |
| 69 | [[/folder]] |
| 70 | |
| 71 | [[folder: Tropes H - P]] |
| 72 | * HarsherInHindsight: |
| 73 | ** Episode 11 of ''Blood and Sand'' involves Spartacus being bedridden due to a severe infection and the medicus doing everything he can to save him. There's even a scene where Spartacus sees his dead body on a morgue. Creator/AndyWhitfield, the actor who played Spartacus, had to leave the role due to cancer. Tragically, he lost the battle a year later. The Season 1 DVD special also featured Whitfield joking after getting exhausted after a workout, saying he hopes he's still around when the series ends. |
| 74 | ** The entire show emphasizing how much Spartacus wanted to be eventually TogetherInDeath with Sura becomes harder to watch when Sura's actress Creator/ErinCummings also got cancer in 2016. Fortunately unlike Whitfield, Cummings eventually made a full recovery in 2019. |
| 75 | ** In ''Vengeance'', Gannicus comments that Spartacus is going to lead the Rebels to their deaths. Whilst it isn't really Spartacus actually goes down trying to lead the Rebels to freedom, almost everyone who follows him does in fact end up dying (including Gannicus himself). |
| 76 | ** In ''Blood and Sand'' Naevia tells Crixus she doesn't like watching the arena games and only attends because she's Lucretia's body slave. This takes on a new layer of meaning in the final episode of the prequel, where we learn Naevia was ForcedToWatch [[spoiler: her closest friend Diona be executed]] in the opening games of the arena. |
| 77 | * HesJustHiding: [[spoiler: Illithyia's death comes when Lucretia performs a C-section on her, and she's last seen collapsing as the latter jumps off the cliff with her child. Some viewers didn't even realise she was supposed to be dead until the ''War of the Damned'' premiere]]. |
| 78 | * SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Retroactively. Jai Courtney would infamously be typecast in a lot of generic action roles in the 2010s, leading to him being accused of DullSurprise in everything. Fans of this series point towards his heartfelt performance as Varro as an indicator that he did have more to offer as an actor. |
| 79 | * HilariousInHindsight: |
| 80 | ** When you consider the great length at which Lucretia extols her hatred of Thracians and then you remember Series/{{Xena}} was Thracian, it is hard not to chuckle. |
| 81 | ** Before Agron was revealed to be gay (though it was hinted at as soon as he joined the cast), the show caught a lot of flack for apparently playing up the BuryYourGays trope. [[spoiler:Agron and Nasir are the only two of the main protagonists to survive the war.]] |
| 82 | ** After this show wrapped, large chunks of the cast moved ''en masse'' to ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', two of which are Creator/ManuBennett (Crixus) and Creator/CynthiaAddaiRobinson (Naevia.) Considering they play ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} and ComicBook/AmandaWaller on that show, going back and watching them as a couple on this show looks like a match made in hell. |
| 83 | ** Saxa kissing Mira becomes this after Creator/KatrinaLaw gets cast as a LipstickLesbian in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. Her character [[ActorAllusion is even]] an archer. |
| 84 | ** After the show wrapped, three alumni will went on to play Creator/DCComics villain Captain Boomerang in three different adaptations; Nick E. Tarbay (Ashur) in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'', Creator/JaiCourtney (Varro) in the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'', and Creator/LiamMcIntyre (the second Spartacus) in the ''WesternAnimation/DCUniverseAnimatedOriginalMovies''. |
| 85 | ** Creator/LiamMcIntyre appears in ''Series/{{The Flash 2014}}'' as the (second) Weather Wizard, which is kinda appropriate for an actor who played a character whose RedBaron is "The Bringer of Rain". Additionally, Liam's character will be replacing said character's brother after he died, much like how Liam himself becomes [[TheOtherDarrin the new Spartacus]] after Creator/AndyWhitfield's death. |
| 86 | ** Seeing Varo getting a hard time in training is amusing if you've seen Creator/JaiCourtney in ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' where ''he'' is the DrillSergeantNasty. |
| 87 | ** If you're aware of the New Zealand sitcom ''Series/DiplomaticImmunity'', both Creator/CraigParker (Glaber) and Creator/LesleyAnnBrandt (the first Naevia) starred together in that as ''love interests''. Hilariously in that case it was Brandt's character who outranked Parker's (she was the king's niece). |
| 88 | ** Creator/CraigParker (Glaber) previously portrayed the heroic elf, Haldir, in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy, whilst Creator/ManuBennett (Crixus) portrayed Azog, one of the main villains of ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy. |
| 89 | ** Creator/LiamMcIntyre plays Spartacus, one of the most famous {{Rebel Leader}}s in history who opposes a corrupt and ruthless republic (that later become an [[TheEmpire Empire]]. He later went on to voice Commander Pyre in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'', who is a top enforcer of a group that want to restore an evil empire and is opposed by a rag-tag group of rebels. |
| 90 | * HoYay: Almost pointless on a show where HideYourGays is a strongly averted trope. But it still happens. |
| 91 | ** Hints of this between Glaber and Marcus in ''Vengeance''. Especially given Marcus' obvious devotion and Glaber's tendency to heed his advice over anybody else. It is notable that Marcus is the only fatality that Glaber shows actual sorrow over (or even more than casual interest in). WordOfGod is that it was intended to be this, but the confirmations wound up being cut before production. |
| 92 | ** ''War of the Damned'' introduces Tiberius and Sabinus, who may be [[ChildhoodFriendRomance more than best friends]]. Although Christian Antidormi has said they were not a couple, he and Aaron Jakubenko ''really'' missed their marks in their performances if that was meant to be the case. [[note]] What Antidormi said is that their relationship was supposed to appear ambiguous in early scenes, but it resolved itself as just friendship as the arc went on. [[/note]] Also, the fact that Tiberius seeks revenge for Sabinus' death by raping his father's lover adds the subtext that taking his father's lover was somehow recompense for the loss of his own. He also demonstrates [[spoiler: when he rapes Caesar]] that he is [[DepravedBisexual not averse to sexual contact with men]]. GeniusBonus: You can square the WordOfSaintPaul and the onscreen behaviour of the characters perfectly well if you know that male Roman citizens weren't allowed to have sexual relations ''with each other'' (fucking one's slaves or freedmen prostitutes was fine, though). So the two boys probably were attracted to each other and maybe a little bit in love, but didn't go through with it because they knew that doing so would cost at least one of them their civil rights. (A male citizen who voluntarily bottomed or provided oral sex got saddled with the legal status of "infamy", just like a prostitute, actor or freed gladiator; meaning he couldn't be elected to public office[[note]]Which was an absolute must in the careers of men from their social class.[[/note]], he could be subjected to corporeal punishment under the law [[note]]which citizens normally weren't, except for the rare death penalty[[/note]], and he lost the right not to be raped by anyone who wanted to.[[note]]Raping a citizen - female or male - held the death penalty under Roman law. Not because of consent issues, but because of the sacred inviolability of the private civil body. But everyone else - slaves, freedpeople, foreigners, and former citizens who acquired "infamy" through their life choices - was considered "publicly available".[[/note]]) |
| 93 | ** It was around even as early as ''Blood and Sand'', especially between Spartacus and Varro. On a further note, Spartacus seems just as distressed by [[spoiler: Varro's death as his wife's]] and he [[BerserkButton really doesn't take it well]] if people bring it up, as Nemetes [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown finds out the hard way]]. Also, in the final episode, when fighting Crassus, Spartacus thinks of [[spoiler: the deaths]] of those closest to him to spur him on, including his wife Sura, his lover Mira…and Varro. |
| 94 | --->'''Spartacus''': [After a sparring match] Your head is mine. Now, how shall I mount it? [Big goofy grins from both of them] |
| 95 | ** There's a little bit between Crixus and Spartacus. They're rather hands on with each other at times and seem oddly intimate, especially when they argue, often grabbing onto each other and getting up in each others' faces, to the point where it can almost seems they're just going to start making out. In fact, at one point in ''Blood and Sand'', they tackle each other and start wrestling on the ground ''stark naked''. Combined with them repeatedly saving each other despite their disagreements, Crixus taking it ''really'' personally when Spartacus leaves him LockedOutOfTheLoop and Spartacus really going out of his way to avenge and honour Crixus after he's killed, it can make their bickering seem like BelligerentSexualTension or SlapSlapKiss (though minus the kissing). |
| 96 | ** Even though it's Nasir who is Agron's one true love, come ''War of the Damned'' and he and Spartacus begin to have several tender moments involving {{Held Gaze}}s and soft words that can make their affirmation of being "brothers" sound like a SuspiciouslySpecificDenial. [[spoiler: Agron weeps at Spartacus's death more than he does at his own brother's]]. |
| 97 | * InformedWrongness: A big fuss is made in ''War of the Damned'' of Agron being a CrazyJealousGuy over Castus and Nasir. However, this wasn't a case of Agron getting irrationally jealous of any man who spoke to "his boy." Castus was openly attracted to Nasir, and Nasir admitted (in an angry outburst when he thought Agron was dead) that he had some level of attraction towards Castus as well. Agron may have been an insensitive ass about his jealousy because, well, ''he's Agron,'' but it's certainly not unreasonable to be unhappy that your partner is spending increasing amounts of time with someone who is blatantly interested in them. |
| 98 | * IronWoobie: |
| 99 | ** Spartacus. His village is destroyed, his wife is taken away from him, he's MadeASlave, his true name is taken from him, he's forced to fight to the death for the profit and entertainment of the Romans, goes through TrainingFromHell, has his wife die in his arms [[HopeSpot just when he thought they were going to be reunited]], is tricked into sleeping with a woman he despises and is forced to [[spoiler: kill his best friend]]. And this is just in the ''first'' season. He uses all his suffering and losses as motivation to start a GladiatorRevolt. |
| 100 | ** Crixus, overlapping with JerkassWoobie. As a boy, most of his family were killed when his village was attacked, while he was enslaved. He bases his entire identity and self-worth around being champion, only for this to fall apart when he's badly injured by Theokeles and Spartacus takes his place. He finds love with Naevia, but they're forced to keep their relationship secret, until Ashur rapes Naevia and deliberately flaunts it to goad Crixus into attacking him. Naevia is taken away to a FateWorseThanDeath, with Crixus [[ItsAllMyFault blaming himself for it]]. In ''Vengeance'', he discovers that she's been passed around as a SexSlave and spends a brief time believing she died in the mines. Like Spartacus, Crixus tends to channel this into fighting back against the Romans. |
| 101 | ** Mira. She's used as a [[SexSlave concubine]] by the ludus and is used to being treated as a mere plaything for her masters, with no control over what happens to her. She falls in love with Spartacus, one of the first men in a long time to treat her like an actual person, but she soon becomes aware that he [[AllLoveIsUnrequited cannot love her back]] [[LoveHurts as fully as she'd like]]. She hardly ever complains about this, focusing instead on helping the rebels get organized and [[TookALevelInBadass learning how to defend herself]]. |
| 102 | * ItWasHisSled: If you do not know that Spartacus ends up leading a nation-wide slave rebellion and ultimately dies (see: ''Film/{{Spartacus}}''), you probably live under a rock. Though there is no proof that Spartacus was killed, however, as [[NeverFoundTheBody his body was never recovered.]] |
| 103 | * JerkassWoobie: |
| 104 | ** Ashur, especially in light of the prequel season, where the entire universe seems to be conspiring to make his life as difficult as possible. Despite trying his hardest to become a gladiator legitimately, he gets continually [[ButtMonkey shat upon]] and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer bullied]], is forced to do Batiatus's dirty work and just gets [[NoRespectGuy no respect]] from anyone. His understandable resentment over this and his CareerEndingInjury causes him to act out against those who have hurt him, and put himself first in order to gain anything resembling comfort and safety in a harsh world. He becomes a [[TookALevelInJerkass lot less sympathetic]] by the end of ''Blood and Sand'' and particularly in ''Vengeance'', where he proves himself no better than the other villains in terms of cruelty and ruthlessness, but earlier in the series it's hard not to pity him. |
| 105 | ** Ilithyia becomes this in ''Vengeance''. Despite being a royal cunt, it's hard to not feel sorry for her after Glaber fucks her life up. It's mainly due to Creator/VivaBianca's acting though. In addition, while Ilithyia truly was a horrible person with little-to-no-regard for the wellbeing of others, she most definitely ''did not'' deserve [[spoiler: to have Lucretia perform a C-Section on her and [[DrivenToSuicide kill herself and Ilithyia's unborn baby]] while she watched during her final moments]] |
| 106 | ** Lucretia. Oh, Lucretia. It's easy to forget how she sent Naevia to a fate worse than death after everything that's happened to her since then. She essentially spends the first season being a {{Jerkass}}, and the second brings the Woobie part to the forefront. |
| 107 | ** Tiberius. As incredibly vicious as he is, it is very clear that his father's often cruel attempts to harden him are what turns him evil. In particular being forced to kill his HeterosexualLifePartner (or [[HoYay possible lover]]) in the decimation it is easy to see why he went sailing right across the MoralEventHorizon. |
| 108 | ** Naevia in ''War of the Damned'' can be seen as one (see TheWoobie). Though for others, she's UnintentionallyUnsympathetic. |
| 109 | * KarmicOverkill: The fate of Numerius in the ''Blood & Sand'' finale is to be repeatedly stabbed to death by a furious Aurelia - as his comeuppance for ordering Varro's death. However, his actions surrounding that are rather a grey area. It was Illithyia who put him up to it, solely to KickTheDog with Spartacus, and how she went about it. While a man by Ancient Roman standards, Numerius is a child/teenager by modern ones. And he was propositioned by an adult woman, making him technically a victim of statutory rape. While he does make derogatory comments about Varro being a "fool" (possibly to make Aurelia look better for killing him), he seems a little undeserving of quite such a gruesome death. Especially when Lucretia, who had done significantly worse things, was given a tamer comeuppance. |
| 110 | * LesYay: |
| 111 | ** Between Ilithyia and Lucretia. |
| 112 | ** Saxa has bisexual tendencies and seems to pursue an offscreen relationship with one of the rebel slaves named Belesa, as they have at least three intimate moments together in ''War of the Damned''. |
| 113 | ** Also Between Naevia and Diona in ''Gods of the Arena''; They're close friends, who've both stayed virgins (not so easy in the House of Batiatus) especially since they're seen early on thinking dirty about the gladiators. After [[spoiler:Diona is raped by a Roman,]] Naevia worries to Diona that they aren't as close as they used to be. [[spoiler: And in episode 5 as Naevia helps Diona escape, they share a kiss on the lips goodbye, and a promise to see each other again one day]]. |
| 114 | * LGBTFanbase: With the occasional gay storyline, Creator/LucyLawless, and tons of [[{{Fanservice}} sweaty, half-naked men]] (some of whom actually have sex with each other!), it's unsurprising to find this show popular with gay male viewers. |
| 115 | * LoveToHate: |
| 116 | ** Quintus Batiatus is a shit-tier human being who literally arranges for Spartacus's wife to be fatally attacked minutes before reuniting with him so he can watch her die and be forever bound to him as a result. He also has no problem murdering innocent civilians and children if it'll serve his revenge. But he is also the personification of EvilIsCool in this series, and John Hannah's magnificent LargeHam performance makes him beloved. |
| 117 | ** Lucretia Batiatus is every bit as rotten as her husband, and she even is later revealed to have poisoned his father. Not to mention she's been keeping Crixus as her sex slave for six years, and does some horribly petty things to those she dislikes. But again, Lucy Lawless's charisma and the layers to her character make her a fondly remembered villainess. |
| 118 | ** Illithyia wavers between this and DracoInLeatherPants - where sometimes from episode to episode, she'll either get a cathartic comeuppance or else an Awesome Moment. Even within the same scene in the "Whore" episode - where [[spoiler: being tricked into sleeping with Spartacus rather than Crixus]] is seen as fitting karma for trying to have him killed (and Spartacus even tries to strangle her). But then also, Licinia pulling an EvilerThanThou means that Illithyia [[spoiler: going mad and beating her to death]] seems quite triumphant. |
| 119 | ** Glaber grows into this in ''Vengeance'', becoming absolutely despicable and Craig Parker just revelling in the character's descent further into vileness. |
| 120 | * MagnificentBastard: |
| 121 | ** The nameless Thracian general who is later known as Spartacus rises to become the finest gladiator of the House of Batiatus, before learning Batiatus had his wife murdered. Arranging a coup for the Gladiators' freedom, Spartacus kills Batiatus and leads his followers to safety, even infiltrating the arena in a scheme to save his gladiators. Trapping a Roman force under his nemesis Glaber, Spartacus engages the Roman general and kills him after seeing his force annihilated. With followers in the thousands, Spartacus infiltrates and takes an entire city, before engaging with Marcus Licinus Crassus, forcing captured Romans to fight in gladiator games in honor of their fallen comrades. Spartacus later faces a fatal wound against Crassus, dying happily at the prospect of seeing his beloved wife once more and knowing he has become a true symbol of freedom for all who stand against tyranny. |
| 122 | ** UsefulNotes/MarcusLiciniusCrassus is a self-made Roman aristocrat who showcases an odd respect for slaves and gladiators. Having his gladiator teacher fight him to the death to truly understand Spartacus, Crassus gives him nothing but respect when Hilarus dies, even having promised to free him and make him rich should he kill Crassus. Directing his rivals to die at Spartacus's hands, Crassus later introduces decimation to the roman ranks to make his men fear him more than Spartacus. With a series of intelligent strategies, Crassus slowly wins the Servile War, ending in single combat with Spartacus, and ending with Crassus's victory. |
| 123 | ** [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar Gaius Julius Caesar]] himself is a cunning soldier who proves his mettle by infiltrating a city taken by Spartacus's rebels as a freed slave himself. Playing the freed slaves perfectly, Caesar ends up repulsed when he sees one of the rebel leaders Nemetes is keeping a Roman woman captive, and only gives her a MercyKill when she begs for it. He then turns them into an opportunity, having gladiators kill Roman prisoners to increase tension between rebel factions. Later embracing his role in the legions, Caesar proves a brilliant and deadly combatant, even defeating the nearly unparalleled warrior Gannicus via tactics by using his legions. |
| 124 | * {{Mangst}}: The male heroes are, for the most part drenched in more of this than they are blood. |
| 125 | ** Spartacus continues to carry a torch for his [[TheLostLenore dead wife Sura]], to the extent that it prevents him from forming meaningful relationships with other women (notably Mira) and [[CrusadingWidow motivates his entire war against the Romans]]. |
| 126 | ** Crixus takes this all the way to the point of {{Wangst}} over Naevia. Unlike Spartacus, who mostly mourns privately and generally only mentions his late wife to people he is close to, Crixus indulges in [[DramaQueen dramatic public displays of woe]]. |
| 127 | ** Gannicus feels deep guilt over Melitta, and his betrayal of Oenomaus, as well as various other things. He usually [[DrowningMySorrows covers by drinking]]. |
| 128 | ** Agron is a notable exception here, in particular averting the GermanicDepressive trope. [[CynicismCatalyst He expresses his rage and hatred towards the Romans over his brother Duro's death pretty openly]]. But he also seems able to move past it when there is no actual battle to fight and is often the most jovial of the major heroes. Nor does it usually interfere with his relationship with Nasir in any way. |
| 129 | * MemeticMolester: Cossutius, also known as [[FanNickname Mr. Rape Face]]. |
| 130 | * MemeticMutation: |
| 131 | ** "Wow, Naevia, the mines sure did change you!" and variations thereof. [[labelnote:Explanation]] Jokes about Creator/CynthiaAddaiRobinson [[TheOtherDarrin replacing]] Creator/LesleyAnnBrandt as Naevia in ''Vengeance'', who was [[PutOnABusToHell sent away to the mines]] near the end of ''Blood and Sand''. [[/labelnote]] |
| 132 | ** "Hold... Hold... NOW!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]A meme template used to describe striking at the right moment, like waiting for a gaming console to go on sale or for a ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' NPC to look the other way.[[/labelnote]] |
| 133 | * MisaimedFandom: UnintentionallySympathetic he may be, Ashur's retribution methods against his tormentors are still not morally acceptable. He also hurts or screws over a few innocent people who never did anything to him personally along the way. |
| 134 | * {{Moe}}: [[TheCutie Pietros]] is viewed as being very huggable by many fans. He's an enthusiastic, sweet-natured and genuinely kind young man, who always tries to help others, keeps pet pigeons and dreams of buying his freedom and living HappilyEverAfter with his boyfriend Barca, who despite being generally a JerkJock, clearly loves [[MoralityPet Pietros]] and is very affectionate and protective of him. [[spoiler: This is just one of the reasons his [[BreakTheCutie eventual]] [[DrivenToSuicide fate]] is so heartbreaking...and makes it [[CatharsisFactor very satisfying]] for many viewers when Spartacus gets revenge on the gladiator that abused him and eventually the entire House of Batiatus]]. |
| 135 | * MoralEventHorizon: |
| 136 | ** It's debatable precisely ''when'' Lucretia crossed this, as chronologically the first cruel thing she did was poison her father-in-law, but that could be interpreted as something resembling justice over [[spoiler: Gaia's murder]]. Enlisting Crixus as her SexSlave would count too, given his inability to say no. Tricking Illythia into sleeping with Spartacus out of jealousy is up there too, considering it's rape by fraud, and it got another person killed, albeit an AssholeVictim who got killed because she took part in the trick. But she definitely crosses it when she tortures Naevia after discovering her affair with Crixus, and then arranges for Naevia to be sent from villa to villa specifically to be raped and mistreated by other Romans as punishment. |
| 137 | ** Tullius (from ''Gods of the Arena'') at first is just as vile as the other Roman nobles. He crosses this with [[spoiler: the murder of Gaia]] who was somewhat likable. Even worse, he did it just to show that he could do it and get away with it. He now is a complete psychopath with no redeeming qualities. This leads to Titus's Moral Event Horizon when he blames Lucretia and the victim for the aforesaid murder and forces her and Quintus to cover it up. |
| 138 | ** Ilithyia crosses it when she [[spoiler: manipulates Numerius into forcing Spartacus to kill Varro. She'd done some bad things before that, but even killing Licinia in a blind rage doesn't quite compare to forcing Spartacus to kill his best friend because she just ''hates him that much'']]. Making it even worse, she accomplishes this by having sex with a ''thirteen year old boy.'' Granted, he was considered a man in Roman society, but he's still looked upon as a boy by most of the cast. And Illithyia is still married. |
| 139 | ** If he hadn't crossed it already, Glaber definitely crosses it when he crucifies an innocent slave, just to show his power over Ilithyia. |
| 140 | ** Naevia, of all people, showed signs of crossing this since ''War Of the Damned'' started. [[spoiler: She crosses it fully in ''Decimation'' when she batters Gannicus with a giant rock after he tried to get Crixus to snap out of his madness. Then she gleefully participates in the slaughter of every Roman citizen within the city.]] |
| 141 | ** Batiatus [[spoiler:having Sura killed on the way to the ludus so she can die in Spartacus' arms.]] |
| 142 | ** Ashur crosses it in ''Blood and Sand'' by forcing Naevia to [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe become his wife]], [[MaritalRapeLicense raping her]] and then flaunting it in front of Crixus to goad him into attacking him, all so he can get revenge of Crixus for bullying him. Crixus was wrong for his treatment of Ashur, but his actions are [[DisproportionateRetribution comparatively much worse]], especially as the person who gets the worst of it is the completely innocent Naevia (which Ashur expresses zero remorse about; he in fact ''[[KickTheDog mocks her]]'' about it in the second season). Ashur manipulating Dagan into being sodomized by a Roman elite in ''Gods of the Arena'' could be considered an earlier example for him, though this wasn't revealed until the prequel. |
| 143 | ** Tiberius [[spoiler:raping Kore]], who had always behaved more warmly towards him than even his own mother, as a way of getting revenge on his father for Sabinus' death in the decimation. |
| 144 | * {{Narm}}: For viewers in the Australia/New Zealand region, the barely-disguised Kiwi accents can be this. |
| 145 | * NarmCharm: The reason many viewers who don't think it's awesome watch the show anyway. The intentionally over-the-top fight scenes in particular can count as this. |
| 146 | * NeverLiveItDown: [[spoiler:Tiberius raping Caesar]] for some level of DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale. |
| 147 | * OneSceneWonder: Licinia has minimal screen time, and only appears in a supporting role in two episodes. But she's very much a SmallRoleBigImpact - for how she pulls EvilerThanThou on Illithyia. |
| 148 | * OneTruePairing: The vast majority of fans ship Nasir and Agron and strongly believe they [[spoiler: [[{{Fanon}} started up a goat farm together]] and lived HappilyEverAfter after ''War of the Damned'']], to the point that [[http://screencrush.com/spartacus-war-of-the-damned-series-finale-steven-s-deknight/ even the series' creator likes this idea]]. |
| 149 | * PortmanteauCoupleName: "Nagron" for Nasir/Agron. |
| 150 | [[/folder]] |
| 151 | |
| 152 | [[folder: Tropes R - W]] |
| 153 | * ReplacementScrappy: A case where it's the ''actors'' for specific characters being replaced rather than the characters themselves. |
| 154 | ** Creator/CynthiaAddaiRobinson is this for Creator/LesleyAnnBrandt as Naevia. It didn't help that the casting change also coincided with a massive personality change for Naevia, who had gone through a TraumaCongaLine that eventually leads to her becoming obsessed with getting revenge and becoming a BloodKnight. General consensus seems to be that Brandt would have been able to make Naevia seem sympathetic despite this while Robinson's performance made it seem like it was a completely new character, and [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic a very abrasive one at that]]. |
| 155 | ** Fans were divided over Creator/LiamMcIntyre's casting as Spartacus, with the main reasons cited being Creator/AndyWhitfield's ToughActToFollow performance and [=McIntyre=]'s notably slimmer figure[[note]][=McIntyre=] slimmed down for another role before being cast and had to bulk up as much as possible before production for ''Vengeance'' began[[/note]]. Fortunately, he gave a strong performance in the following season (which will be detailed below). |
| 156 | * RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: |
| 157 | ** Fans were initially divided over Creator/LiamMcIntyre's casting to replace the beloved Creator/AndyWhitfield. However, [=McIntyre=] literally GrowingTheBeard in the final season and his strong performance in it allowed him to make the role his own as it did Whitfield's in the inaugural season. |
| 158 | ** Naevia was late in ''Vengeance'' for some viewers, as she TookALevelInBadass and became one half of a BattleCouple with Crixus after spending much of the season as a DamselInDistress. Unfortunately, [[TookALevelInJerkass her]] [[RevengeBeforeReason character]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero arc]] in the following season dumped her right back on the Scrappy heap (if not ''more so'' than before) for several viewers. |
| 159 | * RetroactiveRecognition: |
| 160 | ** Creator/JaiCourtney hit it big in the 2010s for his roles in ''{{Literature/Divergent}}'', ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' and ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard''. |
| 161 | ** Katrina Law would later become known for playing Nyssa al Ghul on ''{{Series/Arrow}}''. |
| 162 | ** Creator/LesleyAnnBrandt would later become far more famous for playing Mazikeen in ''{{Series/Lucifer}}''. |
| 163 | ** Creator/CynthiaAddaiRobinson become known for her role as Naevia, but later she would get her {{Breakout Role}}s as ComicBook/AmandaWaller in ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and Tal-Miriel in ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower''. |
| 164 | * TheScrappy: |
| 165 | ** Naevia came be seen as this in ''Vengeance'' and especially in ''War of the Damned''. Some viewers found her irtitating in ''Vengeance'' for being a DamselInDistress and TheMillstone, but did still sympathize with her (see DamselScrappy). However, by the final season many viewers found Naevia to be insufferable due to her violently unstable behavior, self-righteousness, lack of empathy for even Roman civilians and tendency to exacerbate conflict between the rebels, with her tragic backstory being used to excuse much of her behavior. She does get better towards the end of the season, mellowing out and acknowledging her mistakes, though for some viewers it was too little too late. To be fair to Naevia, she was recovering from trauma in an environment where everyone around her talked about "spilling Roman blood" as casually as tying one's shoelaces, and Crixus spent the majority of his time trying to talk Spartacus into more attacks on Romans even ahead of Naevia saying anything. She is hardly the only rebel to be indifferent or eager towards spilling the blood of Roman non-combatants; Agron openly states he would do so were it not for Spartacus, and even Gannicus on the whole seems indifferent to the fate of the Romans, aside from Attius who is his personal friend and who helped them. The main problem is that Naevia was previously defined by her kindness and compassion to others, despite her situation, and most of those virtues were lost in favor of making her a DarkActionGirl. |
| 166 | ** Barca is seen as one in ''Blood and Sand'' and to a lesser extent ''Gods of the Arena'', due to being a sadistic bully who goes out of his way to torment and humiliate new recruits purely because he finds it funny rather than anything they've actually done, although his final episode [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap made him more sympathetic in some viewers' eyes]]. |
| 167 | * ShipToShipCombat: The Gannicus[=/=]X[=/=]Saxa vs. Gannicus[=/=]X[=/=]Sibyl shippers in ''War of the Damned''. Saxa shippers prefer her and Gannicus' more laidback (and [[{{Fanservice}} sexual]]) BattleCouple relationship, and some view Sibyl as being a boring DamselInDistress with a serious case of StalkingIsLove. Sibyl shippers see her and Gannicus as having a more emotionally deep and romantic relationship, believing that Sibyl's sweet and compassionate nature [[LoveRedeems helped Gannicus face his demons and become a better person]], whilst seeing his relationship with Saxa as being based solely around sex. Of course, there are also fans who believe ''Melitta'' is his OneTrueLove... |
| 168 | * SophomoreSlump: The ''Vengeance'' season was technically the third produced, but it's the second chronologically (''Gods of the Arena'' is a prequel set six years before the first). It had to deal with two major cast changes in Liam [=McIntyre=] taking over from Andy Whitfield and Cynthia Addai-Robinson from Lesley Ann Brandt. The latter was especially contentious, as the resulting personality change for Naevia turned a once EnsembleDarkhorse into TheLoad (although she did win some fans back over towards the end of the season). It also had a habit of killing off major characters seemingly for shock value, with Aurelia dying suddenly in the first episode, and six in the finale alone. It also suffered slightly from the change in setting from the ludus to now being out in the open. It is however still praised for good action scenes, some good character development for the likes of Mira and Agron, incorporating fan-favourite Gannicus from ''Gods of the Arena'' into the main cast, and introducing widely liked characters such as Nasir and Saxa. And it was still critically acclaimed, meaning this is very much downplayed overall. |
| 169 | * SpecialEffectFailure: It tends to be very obvious when the sets use green-screens; the copious amounts of CGI blood flying about are also obvious. Then again, the show is ''supposed'' to be over-the-top with stylized action, so it matches the overall aesthetic. |
| 170 | * StoicWoobie: Oenomaus. He's very much TheStoic, living his life by a code of honor and discipline. ''Blood and Sand'' sees him become [[BrokenPedestal disillusioned]] with the House of Batiatus as his master delves into unsavory doings to further his own ambition. It gets worse in ''Gods of the Arena'', where we learn the tragic circumstances behind the death of his wife, [[TheLostLenore Melitta]]. He's forced to kill [[spoiler: Ulpius, his beloved mentor, who falsely believed that Oenomaus deliberately asked Batiatus to make him doctore]]; Oenomaus doesn't even understand why [[spoiler: Ulpius]] attacked him. It gets worse ''still'' for him in ''Vengeance''; Oenomaus feels so ashamed for betraying the House of Batiatus he takes himself off to the Pits so he can die with some honor intact, then gets captured and tortured by Ashur, who cruelly reveals to him that [[spoiler: Melitta had slept with his best friend Gannicus and that she was with him the night she died]], leaving him feeling [[EtTuBrute betrayed]] by both of them. Then there's the sheer fact that for all Oenomaus speaks of honor and glory, he was still a slave forced to fight for the entertainment of his masters. |
| 171 | * TakeThatScrappy: A minor example, but in ''War of the Damned'', after finding out that Naevia [[spoiler:wrongfully killed his friend Attius for helping prisoners to escape]], a furious Gannicus finally confronts her over her actions and calls her a "mad bitch", mirroring what many viewers were thinking at this point. Previously, Atius himself had called her a "mad cunt", and Tiberius later kicks her in the head during battle. |
| 172 | * TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: |
| 173 | ** Diona in ''Gods of the Arena'' is mainly a side character who gets minimal screen time. [[spoiler: She's killed off in the finale to wrap things up, when she could have played a bigger part in ''Vengeance'' especially as a character besides Crixus who has a connection to Naevia]]. |
| 174 | ** The show sort of dropped the ball when it came to Naevia's character development. ''Blood & Sand'' saw her going from a passive slave to learning to rebel in her own way, and asserting herself to Crixus. Rather than building on those foundations, the show's depiction of her coping with trauma just has her becoming extremely abrasive and as ruthless as their enemies; when one of Naevia's defining characteristics in the first season was her kindness and empathy for others (tending to Pietros's birds after his death, trying to help Diona escape). It's not helped by the change of actress, making the character seem like a completely different person. |
| 175 | ** One way to avoid the drastic changes in Naevia's character, and to portray the interesting idea of trauma turning a once-innocent slave into a BloodKnight would have been to have that storyline given to Aurelia - who had already shown herself to have a spiteful streak and putting blame where it wasn't warranted in the final episodes of ''Blood & Sand'', with her [[spoiler: brutalising the young Numerius as revenge for ordering Varo's death]]. Some of Naevia's actions in ''Vengeance'' and ''War of the Damned'' seem more consistent with Aurelia's characterization. |
| 176 | * TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: |
| 177 | ** In the first season, it's mentioned a few times that Licinia, Ilythia's friend, is the cousin of Marcus Crassus, whom viewers familiar with history know will be the one who ultimately defeats Spartacus and indeed is the BigBad of the final season. However, the fact that Licinia is Crassus's cousin [[spoiler: and died a violent death in the House of Batiatus, which Spartacus knew of - he in fact having an unwitting role in her murder]] never comes up, even though it's set up as potentially having future implications for Spartacus and could've added a personal level to he and Crassus's conflict. |
| 178 | ** In the second season, Illithyia ends up suffering BreakTheHaughty from her husband, becomes aware of how life as Glaber's wife is not that different from being a slave, briefly captured by Spartacus's army and reveals [[spoiler: the baby she's carrying is actually his]], and she is momentarily [[EvilCannotComprehendGood stunned that Spartacus spares her life]]. It seems as though the series was laying the groundwork for Illithyia being cast out by the Romans and eventually getting a HeelFaceTurn to join the rebellion... but then she gets a HeelFaceDoorSlam to win her husband back over by [[spoiler: killing Seppia]] and then [[spoiler: dies anticlimactically in the SeasonFinale via TraumaticCSection, never to factor into the plot again]]. Strangely, the following season ''did'' have a Roman noblewoman (Laeta) defecting to Spartacus and his crew. |
| 179 | ** Oenomaus and Gannicus never find out that Lucretia was the one responsible for Melitta's accidental death, and likewise, Quintus never finds out that she poisoned his father. The latter would be hard to get mileage out of, what with it only being revealed in the prequel, and [[spoiler: Quintus being DoomedByCanon to die in the ludus massacre]], but Lucretia's survival in ''Vengeance'' and the fact that she shares scenes with the two meant there was potential to be tapped into. In fact, throughout the whole series, Lucretia never speaks directly to Oenomaus. |
| 180 | ** Glaber likewise never finds out the big plot twist of ''Vengeance'' - that [[spoiler: Spartacus is actually the father of Illythia's baby]]. Especially since Spartacus himself knew of it and could have revealed it at many points. |
| 181 | * TooBleakStoppedCaring: It's perfectly understandable for one to stop caring about the characters by ''War of the Damned'' due to ForegoneConclusion and the sheer amount of character deaths. ''Vengeance'' killed off eleven main characters, six of whom died in the season finale ''alone'', so it's pretty obvious that by the end of the series, nearly everyone who's still standing will end up dead. |
| 182 | * TooCoolToLive: ''Everyone''. It's a ForegoneConclusion, though... |
| 183 | * UnintentionallySympathetic: |
| 184 | ** Ashur is a complete dick and his actions are utterly despicable, but still, it's easier to understand where he was coming from, especially by audiences who were/are victims of bullying. Making Lucretia his SexSlave in ''Vengeance'' is treated as the ultimate MoralEventHorizon...except Lucretia is a rapist herself, having made Crixus her own personal sex slave for ''six years'', and her treatment of Naevia led to that girl's TraumaCongaLine; while Ashur did rape Naevia too via MaritalRapeLicense, Lucretia is the one who beat her up, scalped her and sent her from villa to villa to be raped repeatedly, and then to the mines. Add those to the list of awful things Lucretia did in both ''Blood & Sand'' and ''Gods of the Arena'', and it's hard to see becoming Ashur's slave as anything but PayEvilUntoEvil. Not to mention he lost his chance at being a gladiator thanks to Crixus, and was basically forced into the life he's in. |
| 185 | --->'''Oenomaus:''' [You] bear the mark of treachery! |
| 186 | --->'''Ashur:''' Treachery? When did you stand forth for Ashur?! When did any of you greet me short of mockery and scorn?! You... fucking cunts! |
| 187 | ** Caesar near the end of the series becomes this. Whilst he's an arrogant {{Jerkass}} with a few KickTheDog moments, he's a lot nicer than some of the other Romans and has some moments that make him quite likable, such as becoming genuinely upset when he sees what the rebels did to the Roman woman in Sinuessa and by Tiberius's murder of the prostitute, protesting the harsh treatment of Laeta and going out of his way to help Kore, who is a slave. He's really only brutal towards the rebels, which is somewhat understandable, given he ''is'' on the opposite side of the conflict, and none of his actions really warrant being [[spoiler:brutally raped and humiliated by Tiberius, especially as he had been rightly calling him out on his appalling behavior]]. |
| 188 | * UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: |
| 189 | ** Barca during [[spoiler: his death]]. Despite being a [[TheBrute literally]] huge {{Jerkass}} since his introduction, the show suddenly establishes him as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold in his last episode. And while [[spoiler:his death]] wasn't treated with AndThereWasMuchRejoicing, the general attitude towards [[spoiler:his demise]] was "he had it coming", especially since his habit of bullying Rookie gladiators borders on extreme KickTheDog, with the mastermind behind [[spoiler: his FrameUp]] being [[TheDogBitesBack his constant victim for a number of years dating back to the latter's rookie years]]. Speaking of which, it doesn't help that the prequel didn't portray him in a positive light either except for two brief PetTheDog moments. |
| 190 | *** Really, the saddest part of [[spoiler:his death]] is the effect it has on poor [[TheWoobie Pietros]], who certainly ''does not'' deserve any of the horrible things that happen to him in the aftermath of [[spoiler:said death]]. |
| 191 | ** Naevia from ''War of the Damned'' and onward, which caused her to go from being TheWoobie to TheScrappy in no time flat (not helping was that her original actress was [[TheOtherDarrin replaced]] with another actress who had a radically different performing style). Simply put, many viewers just didn't feel that her experiences in the mines, as horrific as they were, in any way justifies or excuses her violent behavior and callous dismissal of the Roman civilians, especially seeing as several other characters are shown or implied to have suffered similarly horrible things but don't take them out on innocents. Her attitude runs counter to Spartacus' view that the rebels shouldn't stoop to the Romans' level and even starts to go right into TautologicalTemplar and BlackAndWhiteInsanity territory, especially when she kills [[spoiler: Attius]] on little more than an assumption he [[spoiler:freed their prisoners]] - upon finding out he was innocent, she tries to downplay her actions as him being 'just' a Roman, apparently ignoring that he [[spoiler:willingly helped the rebels infiltrate Sinuessa]] and that she's known at least a few Romans who were pretty decent people (Varro, Aurelia, Lucius Caelius etc.). It does ''not'' help that some of her actions also [[NiceJobBreakingItHero contributes]] to the rebels splitting apart, which ultimately gets many of them killed. The fact that she has zero accountability for her actions and when she's called on the Attius situation, has an unrelated sob story ready to distract Crixus from having a problem with her behaviour, makes her seem as manipulative as Lucretia and Illythia. |
| 192 | ** Aurelia. While still generally sympathetic for her TraumaCongaLine, some viewers think she goes ''way'' too far with her anger towards Spartacus for [[spoiler:killing her husband]]. She can be extremely venomous towards him and even ''prays for his death'', despite the fact Spartacus has done nothing but show her kindness, empathy and go out of his way to help her on several occasions. It doesn't help that the whole reason she ends up a slave in the first place is because she spurned Spartacus' offer to give her his winnings, purely out of pride and spite (especially as this was also Spartacus trying to honor [[spoiler: her husband's LastRequest]]). It gets even worse when one considers that [[spoiler:killing Varro]] is the last thing in the world Spartacus wanted, it was [[{{Misblamed}} not actually his fault]] as he was forced to do it [[spoiler:(they would both have been killed if Spartacus refused and Varro actually begged him to do it, so at least one of them would live and see his family provided for)]] and he was left [[HeroicBSOD utterly distraught by it]]... and yet she keeps acting like he deliberately [[spoiler:murdered her husband]] and even accuses him of ''rigging the match'' so he could win. While some people still find her sympathetic for the sheer amount of shit she's gone through and reason that her grief is making her irrational, others feel the amount of vitriol she directs towards Spartacus is completely disproportionate and uncalled for. Her final taunt to Spartacus right before she dies is warning him to keep away from her son in case he goes the same way as her and Varro for associating with him - when it was her own choice to become a slave, join Spartacus's rebellion and then leave it when she was attacked. |
| 193 | ** Mira in the "Revelations" episode taunts Spartacus about the above with "you put the woman at risk when you killed her husband" which, whatever his own hypocrisy is, is a completely uncalled for low-blow - and especially ungrateful, considering he saved her from being assaulted by a guard previously. |
| 194 | ** ''Vengeance'' tries to pull a FaceHeelDoubleTurn with Lucretia and Illithyia, where the former suffers BreakTheHaughty with some {{Gaslighting}} on Illithyia's part and becoming Ashur's slave. Except, the previous two seasons had shown Lucretia to be an unrepentant villain who is responsible for every bad thing that happened to her. Lucretia had likewise proved herself to be ''worse'' than Illithyia, whose DesignatedEvil of having the ludus doors sealed shut during the slave revolt was brought on because Lucretia was blackmailing her for a murder that was also caused when Lucretia got her drunk and tricked her into sleeping with the wrong man. Any attempts at generating sympathy for Lucretia at this stage just feel like KickTheDog. |
| 195 | * WinBackTheCrowd: |
| 196 | ** A prequel season was not exactly anticipated, since it was a last minute change in the hopes of Andy Whitfield recovering in the process. But ''Gods of the Arena'' was extremely well-received for introducing fan-favourite Gannicus, providing backstories for Oenemaus, Naevia and Barca, and showing an intriguing StartOfDarkness for Batiatus and Lucretia. Getting John Hannah and Lucy Lawless back was also welcomed. |
| 197 | ** The ''Vengeance'' season was somewhat polarizing in light of two major cast changes and a format switch from the ludus to the wilderness, although still well-received overall. ''War of the Damned'' won back the crowd, and in fact has many fans tout it as the best season. Positives included Liam [=McIntyre=] settling into the role of Spartacus, an extremely well-regarded portrayal of Marcus Crassus and Julius Caesar, an enjoyably hateable villain in Tiberius, and Anna Hutchison's performance as Laeta. All the more impressive considering Steven S De Knight had stories planned to go for more seasons, and this was a compressed version of all of them. |
| 198 | * TheWoobie: |
| 199 | ** Pietros, a genuinely kind young man who dreams of earning him freedom alongside his lover Barca, spends about an episode as this after [[spoiler: being alledgedly abandoned by Barca, resulting in him being raped and beaten by Gnaeus]]. In despair, he [[spoiler: ends up committing suicide]] and Batiatus doesn't even care, calling him "shit from a whore" who is easily replaced. Even worse, Pietros never learned that [[spoiler: Barca didn't abandon him at all; he was murdered by Batiatus via the machinations of Ashur]]. |
| 200 | ** Diona, who undergoes a spectacular TraumaCongaLine involving her being [[spoiler:repeatedly pimped out and raped by her masters to secure favors]], that seems to have ended in her emancipation when [[spoiler:Naevia helps her escape]]. [[YankTheDogsChain It hasn't]]. |
| 201 | ** Naevia, if you can ignore her {{Scrappy}} status in ''War of the Damned''. In addition to being a slave all her life, everyone she cares about has a habit of dying or being taken away from her. In ''Gods of the Arena'', she loses both her childhood best friend Diona and her mother figure Melitta in traumatic circumstances; Diona's fate is particularly devastating for her because [[spoiler:Naevia had helped her escape to save her from abuse, only for her to be caught and executed]]. In ''Blood and Sand'', Naevia is consumed with guilt when [[spoiler:Pietros]] kills himself after being repeatedly raped, believing his lover had abandoned him, when Naevia knows he was actually murdered but is threatened into secrecy. She finds happiness with Crixus, only for Ashur to use their love to get revenge on Crixus; first claiming Naevia as a wife against her will, then revealing her romance with Crixus publically, resulting in Naevia being beaten and humiliated by a jealous Lucretia. Naevia then endures an absolutely horrific TraumaCongaLine, being sent from one dominius to another and repeatedly raped and abused, before being [[FateWorseThanDeath sold to the mines]]. She is left severely traumatised, seeing herself as DefiledForever and even feeling she would be better off dead. Though she gets over this somewhat, her trauma turns her into a borderline AxCrazy BloodKnight who sees enemies everywhere. She doesn't snap out of it until she is ForcedToWatch as [[spoiler:Crixus is killed in front of her, robbing her of the man she loves and the happy future she dreamt of with him]]. She then gets sent back to the rebels with [[spoiler: her lover's ''decapitated head'']]. Finally, she is [[spoiler: killed in battle along with most of her remaining friends and allies, with her killer mockingly referring to her as a "slave" before stabbing her through the neck and leaving her to bleed out]]. Naevia may have been an absolute pain in the ass at times, especially ''War of the Damned'', but considering all that she's been through, it's hard not to pity her by the end. |
| 202 | ** Kore. She's [[spoiler:brutally raped by Tiberius, whom she treated [[LikeASonToMe like a son]], in revenge for his father forcing him to kill his friend]] and her whole life goes to shit. She struggles to tell Crassus because she doesn't want to ruin his relationship with his son and she's afraid of what Tiberius will do; he at one point threatens to [[spoiler: rape her again and tell Crassus ''she'' tried to seduce him]]. When she finally works up the courage to tell Crassus, he reveals he intends to leave her in Sinuessa as an advisor to Tiberius, believing he is honoring her, before remarking that nothing Tiberius could do would make him turn from him. Kore, taking this to mean that Crassus would do nothing and terrified at the prospect of being stuck alone with [[spoiler:her rapist]], [[spoiler:flees to [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere join the rebels]]]], even though she doesn't want to hurt Crassus. She doesn't have much fun with them either; upon learning she was once Crassus's slave, [[spoiler:Spartacus interrogates her until he is satisfied she is not a spy]]. She eventually kills [[spoiler:Tiberius]] and [[spoiler:rejoins Crassus as part of a deal to save some captured rebels, eventually being forced to come clean about killing his son and her reasons for doing so, which devastates them both]]. In the end, Crassus [[spoiler:has her [[CruelAndUnusualDeath crucified]] for her involvement with the rebels, despite having forgiven her reasons for doing so]]. |
| 203 | ** Aurelia, Varro's wife. Good grief. Her husband has to become a gladiator to pay of gambling debts that have left them broke, and she is [[spoiler:raped and impregnated by a 'family friend' whom she had turned to for help]]. Her husband then ''blames her'' for [[spoiler:the rape]] and rejects her. [[spoiler:Her rapist then comes back for her, forcing her to castrate and/or kill him in self-defense and flee town]]. Just when she and Varro have been reconciled and things are looking up for them, he is [[spoiler: killed by his best friend for the entertainment of a spoilt rich kid]]. With no way of supporting herself, Aurelia [[spoiler:gets an abortion and sells herself into slavery to Batiatus]]. Then, just when she's set free and is off to rejoin her son, she is [[spoiler:captured by the Romans, beaten half to death and nearly publicly executed before being rescued... only to die a slow and agonizing death from her injuries in the middle of a sewer, begging Spartacus to stay away from her son so that he will be spared his parents' fate]]. |
| 204 | ** Laeta. She's one of the nicest Roman elites in the series and goes through a non-stop TraumaCongaLine for much of ''War of the Damned''. First the rebels invade her city, killing her husband, turfing her out of her villa and keeping her prisoner; the only reason she isn't killed is because Spartacus intervenes...and he's the guy who is technically responsible for her predicament. She then finds out her late husband was [[spoiler: secretly doing deals with Silician pirates behind her back, resulting in a BrokenPedestal]]. She does everything she can to protect the surviving Romans, including risking her life to hide some of them. When she's finally rescued by Crassus however, he [[spoiler:declares her a traitor for having cooperated with the rebels at all and gives her as a SexSlave to Heracleo. And as she's fleeing the city she once called home, she gets stabbed with a spear; although she lives, she feels so downtrodden by it all she even seems to wish she were dead. Luckily, things start looking up for her near the end of the season; although she does end up losing Spartacus, whom she had fallen in love with, she knows he died so that she and the other rebels could live in freedom]]. |
| 205 | [[/folder]] |
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