Spartacus: Gods of the Arena; a Review – By Miss Bunny

So following on from my review of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, below is my review of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

The premise for the second season of the Spartacus drama is centred on a time (perhaps a few years) before Spartacus first graced the sand of the arena in Capua, and when Batiatus senior was still in charge of the ludus. The main character is a gladiator who also happens to be Batiatus junior’s original champion. His name is Gannicus, a Celt, who wields a sword with skill and chops down any opponent who faces him with ease. Batiatus ploughs a fortune into Gannicus, believing that he too holds as much ambition for glory and riches as Batiatus himself does. Gannicus is advertised as the best champion that the House of Batiatus has ever seen – he enjoys the screams of the fans and wine and women that come as the spoils of his success.

During this prequel we are also introduced to Crixus, a Gaul who will later (in Blood and Sand) become Batiatus’ second champion. During this season he is mocked and hated by the other gladiators and receives death threats. This is all the more poignant to people who have watched Blood and Sand, because they know what Crixus can and will become after some training. We also get to see how the relationship between Lucretia (Batiatus’ wife) and Crixus develops, and how and why it started.

I must say that I am hard pressed to choose which season I enjoyed the most. Gods of the Arena shows us a time when the House of Batiatus is still finding its feet within the upper echelons of Capua’s elite society. We see Batiatus junior take control of the ludus, we see Oenomaus become Doctore and we get to meet his wife Melitta. Perhaps my favourite aspects of this season are that we get a sneak peak of just how ruthless Lucretia is, which explains some of her actions in Blood and Sand. We also see why Solonius, who is in this season a close friend of Batiatus, ends up hating him so much.

I definitely suggest watching these two seasons in the correct order. Don’t be tempted to watch the prequel first, it won’t have the same effect on you and you won’t gasp in the right places when a story or mystery comes together! But seriously, go and buy/download now or risk missing out!

I will be back with a review of Spartacus: Vengeance next year

--Miss Bunny x