Episode 3 - Men of Honor
12 February 2013
Synopsis: Crixus makes two Romans fight over a scrap of bread as many of the rebels question why the Romans still live. Spartacus tells Laeta that he will treat the Romans well if she will help him. Cilician pirates arrive asking for the seal of the Aedile who they had a deal with. Spartacus offers to buy grain from them and they arrange an exchange. A slave girl who Gannicus saved offers herself to him but he turns her away. Tiberius hears of Sinuessa’s fall and hurries to the scene. He leads an attack when he sees Spartacus meeting with the pirates. He is wounded as Heracleo proves himself to Spartacus. In the city Naevia accuses Attius.
The Good: This was packed full of story and incident, advancing a number of plots and giving time for minor characters to enjoy some development.
I really enjoyed the situation in the city. The rebels are made up of former slaves and gladiators. It is not hard to believe that they would treat their Roman captives with disdain and indignity. To see Nemetes exploiting their suffering to enrich himself felt entirely true to life. That exploitation led organically to two Romans fighting over bread and it felt appropriate that Crixus would then force the men to fight just as he had been made to. The conflict over how to treat the Romans was well presented. Agron points out that the Romans are absorbing scare resources while Crixus understandably sees Attius as potentially seditious. Yet Spartacus makes his moral stance clear and Gannicus, having lived freely amongst them for some time, takes no pleasure in their suffering.
It was slightly surprising but very interesting to see Naevia fall squarely on the side wanting the Romans to suffer. Given the evils she suffered it makes perfect sense but it was an excellent choice to have her abandon justice in favour of vengeance. First she cuts the hand of the poor man who survived the fight and then she kills Attius for imagined crimes. Her unjust but understandable behaviour should present Crixus with a dilemma. I assume his love and support will soon come up against Spartacus’ desire for justice to apply equally to the Romans.
Liam McIntyre shined here as Spartacus got to stand tall against slaves, pirates and Romans. The script aided him as he batted back Laeta’s accusations and complaints with moral certainty. Even though the writers seem to be pushing for romance his fair treatment of her seemed logical. I liked his refusal to propagate the slave trade as an excuse not to hand her over to Heracleo.
Heracleo was a breath of fresh air with a different look and accent to break up the parade of six packs and fake English accents. The character seemed well formed and his stance on the beach (not bringing grain to shore) left him nicely open to looking both reasonable and potentially treacherous. I also appreciated that last week’s pitch spilling (over the grain) led to the need for the Cilician pirates to be allowed in.
Gannicus remains in an interesting place as the man apart from the rebellion. His refusal to sleep with Sibyl and his attempt to shield her from the grubby world he walks in showed nice moral concern. After the erotic scene with Saxa I guess the producers felt it was time to give us a Nasir and Agron sex scene to continue their admirable commitment to displaying intimacy from every persuasion. It’s important that those relationships continue to develop or else those scenes do become hard to justify.
The Bad: I’ve never been happy when Romans just kill people for no good reason. Rome was a society built on the law as well as its brutality and men would not have been allowed to go around committing murder with no consequence. I’m sure there were better ways to show us what a hot head Caesar is than having him split an innocent man’s head open.
It was very convenient that Heracleo’s men knew that should he toss a torch into the air they should open fire on the Romans. The burning effect as the missiles hit Tiberius’ men looked silly.
The Unknown: I wonder if Crassus will admire his son’s strategy or punish his disobedience?
Best Moment: I liked the scene in the courtyard a lot. There was a lot going on and a lot to consider as Crixus made the Romans fight and Gannicus and Attius looked on in disapproval. The producers played the moment as it was. The rebels now looked cruel and unjust as the Romans have done the last three seasons.
The Bottom Line: I was very pleased with the character development and the plot rattled along at a great pace.
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