Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Reception
Inciting incident — Arrival and Breaking Spartacus MMXII- The Beginning -2012-
The Beginning works best when viewed as a mood piece. The score is a heavy, percussive thrum—part Hans Zimmer, part industrial metal. The actors speak in grunts and whispers. The editing is fast, choppy, designed to disorient you just as Spartacus is disoriented by the chains. The editing is fast, choppy, designed to disorient
The plot ignites when Quintus Batiatus (John Hannah, delivering a career-best performance), seeing his inheritance slipping away, convinces a powerful Roman noble, Tullius, to allow his gladiators to compete in the new arena. To do this, Quintus needs a champion. He purchases the arrogant, peerless Celt: Gannicus (Dustin Clare). He purchases the arrogant, peerless Celt: Gannicus (Dustin
The season's conclusion sets the stage for the third and final season, Spartacus: War of the Damned (2013), which sees Spartacus facing off against Marcus Licinius Crassus in an epic battle.