For three seasons we’ve watched Spartacus hack, slash and bash his way through hundreds of soldiers and gladiators that would find themselves between him and freedom. Initially fueled by revenge, his motivation eventually grew to include freedom, not only for the small group of gladiators from Batiatus’ ludus, but for the countless number of slaves under Roman oppression. Now, after watching his final battle recreated brilliantly for the small screen, I feel nothing but gratitude for those who brought this wonderful story to life once more and for the historical figures that shed blood for their freedom.

The “I Am Spartacus” opening was a great nod to the Stanley Kubrick classic and also plays well into the strategy being used to confuse both Crassus and Pompey. There’s a sense of unity in those opening moments that will last right through until the ending credits complete. Not only unity amongst those alive to fight in the final battle, but between those who fought for a cause that saw its genesis in Capua. With just under sixty minutes to work with there is a lot of skillful editing and writing that went into ensuring that no one was forgotten.

Why We’ll Miss Spartacus

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Similar to “Separate Paths” there was a feeling of finality in the decisions being made and the conversations being had prior to battle. Every scene holds extra weight considering the overwhelming odds that Spartacus and his rebels are up against. Yet, there is also an eerie sense of acceptance in the Spartacus camp. Everyone knows in the next few hours, live or die, their long journey will be over and they will be free. That simplicity, clarity, of what has to happen next is rare and somewhat refreshing for the series.Agron has proven to be a hard man to keep down throughout the series and in the finale his surprising resilience continues. Nasir’s ingenuity keeps Agron from having to sit the final battle out. Considering the events of the past few weeks it would be hard to imagine Agron surviving all of that only to fall or sit out the final battle. If there was going to be a survivor, it was going to be Agron and I’m glad Nasir made it out alive as well.Spartacus and Crassus’ little one-on-one pow-wow before the final battle was a great addition and absolutely essential. We’ve watched as these two have bested each other in strategy so it was good to finally see them both have an important, if brief, conversation about everything that has led up to this point. The conversation strengthened both the similarities and differences between the two and added a bit more of a personal flavor to the rivalry before they would meet in the heat of battle; almost like a weigh in before a boxing match. It also doubled as a key moment for Crassus to discover the truth about what happened to Tiberius, which I imagine was a big part of his reason for meeting with Spartacus.Crassus’ discovery of what Tiberius had been up to the last few weeks was handled well. As expected, reason overcame mad rage when he discovered the truth. Crushing the mold of Tiberius’ face gives the hint that his son would be wiped from history and is the reason we don’t know about him today. Clever! His handling of Kore was well within character as well. The cruel loyalty he has to the Republic fuels every decision he makes, and as such he has Kore crucified for her brief betrayal. I think there is a part of Crassus that grasps that his unwavering loyalty to the Republic is what led to the corrupt relationship with his son but at this point I think he’s too far gone to ever change.The final battle between Spartacus’ rebels and Crassus’ army is one of the best productions of epic warfare I have ever seen on the small screen. It’s been just under a year since the phenomenal depiction of The Battle of Blackwater Bay on Game of Thrones and I’m confident in saying that “Victory” matches the quality of “Blackwater.” The sheer scale of the proceedings taking place is massive and holding the final battle in daylight instead of under the shadow of night makes the magic behind the presentation all the more fantastic. Obviously there are plenty of camera tricks, CG for background extras, and other special effects being used, but you will be hard pressed to notice any of it.The entire sequence, and it’s a long sequence, is beautifully rendered for television. I recall my very first review of Spartacus: Blood and Sand in which I mentioned the shallow attempt the series took to mimic both 300 and Gladiator. Over the years the show has slowly evolved into its own beast, creating its own visual style, and it has culminated here with an outstanding display of action, emotion and bloodshed. The framing of every movement is handled skillfully with no more camera shake than required to create the illusion of chaos. You’re entrenched in the brutal action and therefore entrenched in the agony and pain as, one-by-one, you watch as the rebels, once slaves, are bested by the overwhelming forces of Marcus Crassus.War of the Damned has done a great job of depicting tactical military warfare on a large scale and the opening of the battle here is no exception. The opening trebuchet bombardment was an exceptional show of force by the Romans and emphasized how outmatched the rebels were. Spartacus endures however and skillfully lures the Roman soldiers into close quarters warfare with many falling into a spiky trench of certain death.Lugo is a titan on the battlefield and his death was striking as he continued to fight after being lit ablaze. It’s a phenomenal visual and such a badass way to go. Watching Saxa finally succumb to the overwhelming numbers was hard to watch. She has been great these past couple of seasons but there was no way she was making it out of this battle alive. Naevia’s death felt like release for her character. She looked frightened, angry but also satisfied to die a warrior’s death.Well, we got our wish, Gannicus versus Caesar, and it was a little bit of a letdown. Their initial swordplay was good but Caesar eventually used his troops to coral and pick away at Gannicus’ defenses. It was a little disappointing to see Gannicus not fall in battle the way you’d expect him. Much like Crixus, you want to see him fall with a sword in his hand. Instead he ends up being one of the crucified along the Appian Way. However, it was good to see that in his final moments he recalled better days as a God of the Arena with an approving Oenomaus looking up at him.The Crassus versus Spartacus fight did not disappoint. We’ve watched as Crassus has prepared for this moment since “Enemies of Rome” and he was absolutely equipped to match Spartacus blow for blow. As I’ve said every season, there is some fantastic fight choreography on this show and the series finale was no exception. The emotional energy from both McIntyre and Merrells also lends plenty of weight to every movement of this pivotal fight. Sadly, and much like Crixus, the final blow to Spartacus did not come from the man facing him but from a spear in the back. It’s tough to watch but Spartacus is near impossible to defeat in one-on-one combat.There are a lot of visions and memories of those who have long since died. It was crazy seeing Varro again and that certainly brought back a lot of emotions from Season 1/Blood and Sand. Seeing those snippets from the past did a lot to give the series a sense of completion and was a great reminder of how long and grueling this journey has been from Spartacus.Crassus manages to escape with only minor injuries and his story, along with Caesar’s is wrapped up rather quickly. There are obviously a lot of threads left hanging that could lead into a potential spinoff series. Crassus not being bothered with Pompey getting credit for the victory hints at greater machinations that we may potentially see going forward and I would definitely be excited to see more of that.As for Spartacus, his final moments before death were peaceful and he was surrounded by those he cared about and fought for till the end. I loved that he acknowledged the fact that Spartacus was his given name and that he looked forward to being called by his real name again. The whole final scene was a fantastic and touching moment. A rather peaceful death for such a fearful warrior and at least he died knowing that some of the people he tried to protect made it out alive. It’s a small victory, but it’s something. Agron definitely said it best when he mentioned that Spartacus would be remembered long after the fall of Rome.Sitting down and watching the end credits recap all the great moments and characters from the entire series was bittersweet, ending with one last look at Andy Whitfield as Spartacus. I think we’re all going to miss Spartacus and I hope that more people discover this series over time. There have been other sword and sandal epics over the years but Spartacus stands above them all as a true achievement. Hopefully Starz will treat us with more of their style of recreated history soon.

Spartacus fans, be sure to check out our post-finale interview with series creator Steven DeKnight, as he discusses how all the big decisions on each character were made and the possibility of a Caesar and Crassus-centered spinoff.