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* The season premiere was simulcast on both [[Starz]] and [[Encore (TV network)|Encore]]. On Encore, the premiere garnered 580,000 viewers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110106152808/http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/39210607/m/711106382?r=200100192|title=Spartacus Ratings|last=Berman|first=Marc|work=Mediaweek|date=April 26, 2010|accessdate=July 6, 2015}}</ref>
* The season premiere was simulcast on both [[Starz]] and [[Encore (TV network)|Encore]]. On Encore, the premiere garnered 580,000 viewers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/39210607/m/711106382?r=200100192 |title=Spartacus Ratings |last=Berman |first=Marc |work=Mediaweek |date=April 26, 2010 |accessdate=July 6, 2015 |deadurl=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106152808/http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/39210607/m/711106382?r=200100192 |archivedate=January 6, 2011 }}</ref>


==Production==
==Production==

Revision as of 19:25, 2 April 2016

Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Starring
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkStarz
Original releaseJanuary 22 (2010-01-22) –
April 16, 2010 (2010-04-16)
Season chronology
List of episodes

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is the first season of American television series Spartacus, which premiered on Starz on January 22, 2010. The series was inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus (played by Andy Whitfield), a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Executive producers Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert focused on structuring the events of Spartacus' obscure early life leading up to the beginning of historical records.

Plot

The story begins with an unnamed Thracian's involvement in a campaign against the Getae (Dacian tribes, in what today is Romania) under the command of the legatus, Claudius Glaber. In 72–71 BC, Roman general Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus, proconsul of the Roman province of Macedonia, marched against the Getae, allies of Rome's enemy, Mithridates VI of Pontus. The Getae frequently raid the Thracians' lands to the south, so the Thracians are persuaded by Glaber to enlist in the Romans' service as auxiliaries. Glaber, persuaded by his wife Ilithyia to seek greater glory, decides to break off the Getae campaign in order to confront the forces of Mithridates in Asia Minor. The Thracian preferring to protect his homeland as promised, feels betrayed and leads a mutiny against Glaber, but returns to find his village in flames. The Thracian finds his wife Sura, but they are captured by a vengeful Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the gladiator arena, while Sura is condemned to slavery.

The Thracian is shipped to Capua in Italy, a center of gladiator training. Against all odds he slays the four gladiators appointed to execute him in the arena and becomes an instant sensation with the crowd. Senator Albinius commutes the punishment from death to slavery. The prisoner's true name unknown, Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of a ludus in Capua, suggests the name "Spartacus" because he fought like the ferocious Thracian king of that name. Noting well the Thracian's fierce raw talent and popularity with the masses, Batiatus purchases him for training within the walls of his ludus under the tutelage of the doctore (or instructor) Oenomaus, a former gladiator and fellow slave. He is befriended by Varro, a Roman who sold himself into slavery to pay his debts and support his family. He is harassed by more senior gladiators, notably Crixus, an undefeated Gaul, and Barca, a Carthaginian. Spartacus soon learns that Sura was sold to a Syrian slave trader. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, returns a makeshift garter of hers, and promises to find Sura and reunite them in exchange for his cooperation in the arena.

After many near-fatal ordeals and much further training, Spartacus attains the status of a living legend and is named the "Champion of Capua". Batiatus arranges the purchase of Sura, but she is delivered mortally wounded, supposedly having been waylaid by bandits en route. Her murder was secretly ordered by Batiatus to keep Spartacus loyal and focused. Spartacus casts off his heritage as a Thracian and forgets his dream of freedom, becoming content with life as champion.

The turning point comes when Spartacus is set to fight his only friend in the ludus, Varro, in an exhibition match celebrating the coming to manhood of the Capua magistrate's son, Numerius. Ilithyia, who has hated Spartacus since he embarrassed her husband Glaber by his mutiny, seduces the young man and convinces him to demand death for the loser of the match. Spartacus wins (as expected), and when the young man gives the "thumbs down", Batiatus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the boy's powerful father, forces Spartacus to comply and kill Varro. Suffering from both a wound received during the match and his remorse over having to kill his friend, Spartacus has feverish dreams that lead him to suspect that Batiatus arranged Sura's death. He is later able to confirm his suspicions. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resistance of his enslavement, he resolves to "kill them all" and lead a revolt against the ruling house he once fought for.

In order to get his revenge, Spartacus enlists the help of Crixus and the rest of the gladiators to defeat the house of Batiatus once and for all. A battle to the death between Crixus and Spartacus is arranged for the Capuan elite at the ludus. The doctore, Oenomaus, confronts Batiatus about Barca's death and Ashur's hand in it. Spartacus gains support from Mira, who agrees to surreptitiously open the gate to the villa from the training area. Crixus initially refuses to aid Spartacus in the hope of being reunited with Naevia. However, after learning during the fight that he has been deliberately drugged to ensure Spartacus' victory, he helps Spartacus get within reach of Batiatus. At the first attack, the doctore Oenomaus prevents Spartacus from killing the lanista. In the ensuing chaos, the gladiators kill the guards and some guests. Crixus persuades Oenomaus to join him with Spartacus; Ilithyia flees and orders her guards to protect her by sealing off part of the ludus. Oenomaus, fulfilling his word, tries to kill Ashur, but Ashur barely manages to escape. Crixus grievously wounds Batiatus' wife, Lucretia, with a sword stab to her abdomen, piercing her womb and killing their unborn child. Aurelia slays Numerius after revealing to him that Varro was her husband. Spartacus finally kills Batiatus in front of the seriously wounded Lucretia. After the massacre, Spartacus vows to make "Rome tremble".

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Spartacus characters

Slave

Roman

Style

The program is preceded by a warning that it purports to portray a "historical portrayal of ancient Roman society that contains graphic violence and adult content". Incidental nudity and scenes of a sexual or of a violent nature are present throughout.

Episodes

See also: List of Spartacus episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"The Red Serpent"Rick JacobsonSteven S. DeKnightJanuary 22, 2010 (2010-01-22)SPS1010.66[1]
22"Sacramentum Gladiatorum"Rick JacobsonSteven S. DeKnightJanuary 29, 2010 (2010-01-29)SPS1020.77[1]
33"Legends"Grady HallBrent FletcherFebruary 5, 2010 (2010-02-05)SPS1030.86[1]
44"The Thing in the Pit"Jesse WarnAaron Helbing & Todd HelbingFebruary 12, 2010 (2010-02-12)SPS1040.66[1]
55"Shadow Games"Michael HurstMiranda KwokFebruary 19, 2010 (2010-02-19)SPS1050.85[1]
66"Delicate Things"Rick JacobsonTracy Bellomo & Andrew ChamblissFebruary 26, 2010 (2010-02-26)SPS1061.08[1]
77"Great and Unfortunate Things"Jesse WarnBrent Fletcher & Steven S. DeKnightMarch 12, 2010 (2010-03-12)SPS1070.97[1]
88"Mark of the Brotherhood"Rowan WoodsAaron Helbing & Todd HelbingMarch 19, 2010 (2010-03-19)SPS1080.88[1]
99"Whore"Michael HurstDaniel KnaufMarch 26, 2010 (2010-03-26)SPS1091.11[1]
1010"Party Favors"Chris Martin-JonesBrent Fletcher & Miranda KwokApril 2, 2010 (2010-04-02)SPS1101.27[1]
1111"Old Wounds"Glenn StandringStory by: Dan Filie & Patricia WellsApril 9, 2010 (2010-04-09)SPS1111.13[1]
1212"Revelations"Michael HurstBrent FletcherApril 16, 2010 (2010-04-16)SPS1121.29[1]
1313"Kill Them All"Jesse WarnSteven S. DeKnightApril 23, 2010 (2010-04-23)SPS1131.23[1]
  • The season premiere was simulcast on both Starz and Encore. On Encore, the premiere garnered 580,000 viewers.[2]

Production

On December 22, 2009, the show was renewed for a second season but its production was postponed after Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[3][4] Starz announced in May 2010 that it would develop a six-episode prequel series, entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, to allow star actor Whitfield to undergo medical treatment.[5] The prequel featured both new and returning characters; it was headlined by John Hannah (as Batiatus) and Lucy Lawless (as Lucretia). Whitfield also provided a brief voice-over role. Filming began in New Zealand in the summer of 2010. The prequel aired beginning January 2011.[6]

In June 2010, season two's pre-production resumed after Starz announced Whitfield was cancer-free.[7] But when his cancer recurred, Starz replaced Whitfield (with the actor's consent) with Liam McIntyre as Spartacus for season two which is titled Spartacus: Vengeance.[8][9][10] Andy Whitfield died on September 11, 2011.[11]

International broadcast

Three days after the US premiere, the series began airing in Canada on TMN beginning on January 25, 2010.[12] RTL 5 announced in their January newsletter that Spartacus: Blood and Sand would debut in the Netherlands in March 2010.[13] In the United Kingdom, Bravo began airing the series on May 25, 2010.[14][15] Following the axe of the Bravo network on UK television, Sky1 picked up the rights to the series with plans to carry all subsequent seasons. The series was also scheduled to premiere in Poland on HBO Poland starting from June 19, 2010[16] and in Hungary on HBO Magyarország starting from June 1, 2010.[17][18] The series aired in Ireland on TV3.[19] In Brazil, the show aired on Globosat HD. In Turkey the show releases on CNBC-E TV, while in Italy Sky Television gained the rights of the series. In India and Pakistan, the show aired (as of June 2011) on HBO.[citation needed] In Slovenia, the series started airing on Kanal A on January 2, 2012, from Monday to Friday at 9.45 pm, and ended January 18, 2012.

Reception

The premiere episode of the series set a record for Starz, with 553,000 viewers on their network, and another 460,000 on Encore, where the show was available only that weekend. For the rest of the season the show had an average of 1.285 million viewers. Critical reception of the first episode was mixed; the review aggregate website Metacritic which assigns a normalized average score out of 100 gave the show a score of 54% based on 22 reviews.[20] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave it the grade B+, saying it "might prove to be the not-at-all-guilty pleasure of the season."[21] Barry Garron of the Hollywood Reporter suggested that with "such thin stories... it's small wonder that sex and violence are used to take up the slack." Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote that John Hannah as Batiatus "keeps the show grounded with a persuasive portrait of a man engaged in a stressful daily business" and called Whitfield as Spartacus "handsome and buff and smart and beastly."[22] Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald gave the season finale a positive review, rating it a B+. He commented on the improvement of the series throughout its first season.[23]

Josh Donaldson: Bringer of Rain

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson has said that his popular internet moniker, "Bringer of Rain,[24]" was directly inspired this series.

Other media

Novels

In 2012 Titan Books announced the publication of a series of novels based on Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The first, titled Spartacus: Swords & Ashes, was written by J.M. Clements and released on January 3, 2012.[25] The second book in the series was Spartacus: Morituri by Mark Morris.

Board game

In 2012 Gale Force Nine announced the creation of a licensed board game based on the series. The English language release, Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery, had a limited release at Gen Con 2012 and a general release to game and hobby stores on September 28, 2012.[26] Gameplay involves players taking on the role of Dominus, or head of a Roman house in ancient Rome, buying and trading assets, scheming with and against the other players, and battling in the arena.[27] In May 2013 an expansion entitled Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf was released.[28] The expansion allows for two extra players (to an updated maximum of six) with the addition of two more houses and includes alternative rules allowing for group battles in the arena.[29]

Comics

Earlier, in 2009, Devil's Due had published a four-part prequel comic series titled Spartacus - Blood And Sand. Each issue spotlighted a character from the planned television series, mostly the minor gladiator rivals of the main cast.[30]

The series was adapted as a 4 part motion comic adaptation called Spartacus – Blood and Sand – Motion Comic. Ray Park and Heath Freeman were cast. Kyle Newman was the director, and the producers were Andy Collen and Jeff Krelitz.[31][32][33][34]


# Title Spotlights Writer Artist Run Time (Motion Comic)
1 Upon the Sands of Vengeance Arkadios, the Red Serpent Steven S. DeKnight Adam Archer 16 minutes
2 Shadows of the Jackal The Gargan Twins Jimmy Palmiotti Dexter Soy 16 minutes
3 The Beast of Carthage Barca, the Beast of Carthage Todd & Aaron Helbing Jon Bosco & Guilherme Balbi 9 minutes
4 The Shadow of Death Theokoles, the Shadow of Death Miranda Kwok Allan Jefferson 12 minutes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Seidman, Robert (April 19, 2010). ""Spartacus: Blood and Sand" Season Finale, "Kill Them All" Sees Ratings Highs With Adults 18–49". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  2. ^ Berman, Marc (April 26, 2010). "Spartacus Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ IGN.com
  4. ^ "Spartacus Halts Production Of Season 2". IGN. News Corporation. March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
  5. ^ "Starz Homepage".
  6. ^ MacIntyre, April (May 11, 2010). "Spartacus Prequel announced by Starz, Whitfield to star". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 8, 2010). "'Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield Is Cancer-Free & Ready To Return To The Starz Series". Deadline. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "'Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield's Cancer Is Back: Won't Return Next Season To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  9. ^ Crumpley, Elliot (January 18, 2011). "'Liam McIntyre confirmed to take over Spartacus role, as Whitfield passed away on September 11, 2011. In March 30, Steven S. DeKnight announced there would a be a new season coming in 2013". College News. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  10. ^ Video on YouTube
  11. ^ McConnell, Donna (September 13, 2011). "'A beautiful young warrior': Spartacus star Andy Whitfield loses his battle with cancer at age 39". Daily Mail. London.
  12. ^ "Spartacus: Blood And Sand – Schedule". The Movie Network. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  13. ^ "Programmering en Sales Promoties" (in Dutch). Retrieved January 23, 2010. RTL 5 ends the week with a double episode of the spectacular new series Spartacus: Blood & Sand. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Preview: Spartacus – Blood and Sand". Beehive City. April 27, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  15. ^ "Spartacus fights his way to UK pay-TV" (Press release). March 8, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  16. ^ "Spartakus: Krew i piach, odc. 1 – HBO Polska". Hbo.pl. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  17. ^ "Spartacus: Vér és homok 1. – HBO Magyarország". Hbo.hu. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  18. ^ "SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND / Spartacus: Vér és homok". HBO Magyarország. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  19. ^ "Spartacus – TV3". The TV3 Group. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  20. ^ "Spartacus: Blood and Sand". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  21. ^ Tucker, Ken (January 20, 2010). "Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
  22. ^ Lloyd, Robert (January 22, 2010). "Review: 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' on Starz". Lost Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  23. ^ Perigard, Mark A. (April 16, 2010). "'Spartacus' season finale is a bloody good time". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  24. ^ "Josh Donaldson Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  25. ^ "'Spartacus' Spins Off Book Series From Titan Books". TheHollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  26. ^ "GF9 release Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery". GF9.com. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  27. ^ "Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery". Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  28. ^ "Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf shipping now!". Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  29. ^ Melia, Luke. "Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf". Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  30. ^ "Devil's Due, Starz announce joint "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" project". ComicBookResources.com. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  31. ^ "Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Motion Comic". TV.com. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  32. ^ "Spartacus Motion Comic". Manga. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  33. ^ "Spartacus: Blood and Sand – Motion Comic". Youtube. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  34. ^ "Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Motion Comic". Hulu.com. Retrieved January 8, 2012.

Further reading

Frank Jacob, Blood, Tits and the Modern Depiction of Antiquity – Sparatcus: Blood And Sand and The Display of a Historical Myth [1]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
  1. ^ "Blood, Tits and the Modern Depiction of Antiquity – Sparatcus: Blood And Sand and The Display of a Historical Myth". academic paper. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
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