Who doesn't love to nitpick? I know I do. For me it's less about him killing her (maybe their) child (yes, that probably makes me the worst) and more about him not caring enough to finish the job right there. To him, she isn't worth the energy it would take to cut her throat.

I like the respect Whitfield puts in his reading of the line. He could taunt Solonius, but he has literally been in this man's shoes, and treats him with as much honor as he can.

If he were trying to jump over the balcony, rather than reach up and grab it with one hand, sure. It's actually a detail I really like- there's no way even Spartacus could launch himself all the way over the balcony, and he doesn't try to.

Do! The show only gets better. It's astonishing, frankly, particularly considering the struggles the production went through. How many series could be faced with potentially losing their iconic leading man, rebound with an unplanned prequel season that adds new depths to all involved, then be forced to recast and…

Can't believe I didn't think to use that for How To Speak Spartacus! It was the correct choice.

I don't think they're different at all. Calling the slaves' lack of outward protest, knowing that they could easily be beaten or killed for not complying, "consent" in any fashion is abhorrent to me.

You are not alone. DeKnight and company challenge the viewers tremendously by making Batiatus and Lucretia such clear monsters while simultaneously making them likeable. We want to root for underdog Batiatus. After this episode, we want to root for the mocked Ilithyia. But then she does what she does next… These are…

Batiatus and Lucretia's casual abuse of their slaves is difficult to take, and writing about the show has certainly made this element more prevalent for me. It's extremely rare to follow characters on a show who consistently abuse others and it is far from my intent to devalue the word. I just don't have another term…

Glad you're enjoying the Slice-And-Dice!

Little known fact- Caroline of Brunswick was a vampire.

Oh man, don't remind me, unicyclistperiscopes and Zoe. Its a strong episode, but I am not looking forward to getting to "Party Favors".

I absolutely agree. When looking at the condensed timeline of the series, compared to his entire life with Sura previous to his enslavement, it makes sense that Spartacus wouldn't move on, but most shows would have had him do so, because television. Viewers love a love story and it's easy to get mileage out of one,…

Time to brush up on my late 18th Century history podcasts. Or I could rewatch "Reign of Terror." 60s Who is a legitimate historical source, right?

Of course. One week of reviews without Percy and I lose track- fortunately Darling will be around soon to keep the correct spelling in my muscle memory. Thank you for the correction.

As I'm very much a lay person when it comes to history, though I love learning about it, I went with the dates given in the Encyclopedia Britannica, which marks the beginning of the French Revolution as 1787: http://www.britannica.com/E…

All I know is I was offered the chance to review s1 and fill in the coverage gap, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Of course- typo fixed. Thanks for the correction!

Thanks!

It's similar to the transition in BSG (2004) as the cast got more used to "frak"- the first few episodes are a bit wonky, and certain actors take to it more quickly than others, but after a while it becomes par for the course and everyone feels pretty natural with it.

I still like "Sacramentum Gladiatorum" a little more, but I understand your reaction. The grade is more of a reflection of where the season will go than any significant problems with the episode. Gotta leave myself some space.