Tag Archives: Spartacus

Spartacus: Blood and Sand Season 1

Did you ever watch the greatest series ever? The Spartacus series was great! God of the Arena. Season 1 aired on 412, Astro Max Channel every Sunday midnight (replay on Wednesday night). Spartacus: Blood and Sand Season 2 is now casting. Looking forward for it.

Season 1 –The series begins with an unnamed Thracian’s (Andy Whitfield) involvement in the war against the Getae in Roman auxiliary under the command of the Legatus, Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker). Glaber, persuaded by his wife Ilithyia (Viva Bianca) to seek greater glory, instead decides to confront the forces of Mithradates. The Thracian, feeling betrayed, leads a mutiny against Glaber, and returns to find his village destroyed. The Thracian and his wife Sura (Erin Cummings) are captured by Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the arena – he is forced to fight four gladiators – for inciting mass desertion of the auxiliary, and Sura is condemned to slavery. However, he manages to kill the gladiators, and Senator Albinius (Kevin J. Wilson) commutes the prisoner’s punishment to slavery. Since the prisoner’s true name is unknown, Batiatus (John Hannah) suggests to Albinius to name him “Spartacus”, because he fought like the ferocious Thracian king of that name.
Seeing the Thracian’s skill and popularity with the crowd, Batiatus purchases him for training in his ludus in Capua. Spartacus joins Batiatus’ ludus under the tutelage of Doctore (Peter Mensah), a former gladiator but fellow slave. He is befriended by Varro (Jai Courtney), a Roman who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts and support his family. However, he is harassed by more senior gladiators, notably Crixus (Manu Bennett), an undefeated Gaul, and Barca (Antonio Te Maioho), a Carthaginian. Soon, Spartacus learns that Sura was sold to a Syrian slave trader. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, discovers the instrument of his taming, and persuades Spartacus to fight for his and Sura’s freedom.

Season 2— Andy Whitfield, who played the title character in the series, will appear in the prequel briefly, but Lucy Lawless and John Hannah take center stage in this story of the rise of the House of Batiatus and its champions before Spartacus arrives as a captured Thracian slave.

John Hannah returns as Batiatus, owner of the Ludus, along with his wife Lucretia, played by Lucy Lawless. Other returning actors include Peter Mensah (Doctore), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Antonio Te Maioha (Barca), Nick E. Tarabay (Ashur), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia) – and others. New characters will also be added – most notably the gladiator who was champion of the House of Batiatus before Spartacus or even Crixus – who will help fill in the story about the people and politics in the House of Batiatus and ancient Capua as a whole.

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