‘Spartacus’ season finale seeped in blood and promise

By April MacIntyre Apr 17, 2010, 5:35 GMT

Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, courtesy of Starz

How sad we are, the faithful who waited every Friday night for the bloody spectacle known as "Spartacus" Blood and Sand," Steven S. DeKnight's epic Roman potboiler set in a ludus replete with naked flesh, and the inequities of life par for the course in the time.

Slaves and masters, patricians who were better by birth and set apart from the trade classes. The season finale of “Spartacus” takes the period drama to new heights, and unabashed violence.

The gladiators have their day in the sun to rampage and slaughter the masters who bind them to the bowels of the ludus, and no one is more torn than the ex slave and trainer Doctore (Peter Mensah), given his freedom at the eleventh hour only to see his charges alight and kill the Romans guesting at Batiatus' (John Hannah) home.

We will miss Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) and Batiatus, the scheming couple who were undone by their own hubris and deceit.

We look forward to Ilithyia's (Viva Bianca) payback, and how her story will continue.  She was the worst of them all.  And what of Glaber? Spartacus has a bone to pick with him still.

Will Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) and Crixus (Manu Bennett) stay close or separate? Season two will be full of so many story possibilities.

Crixus tells Spartacus, “You know, that in another life, you and I may have been as brothers. But not in this one.” But he came around.

Starz renewed “Spartacus” for a second season even before its January debut. The network was wise in doing so.

Now we fans wait and hope for the recovery of Whitfield, diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and currently undergoing treatment.

Tonight sees the winners for the Twitter contest for Starz Spartacus T-shirts:

@falcon0365
@idkmybffkatie
@joshkocurek
@BillIvoryLarson