Spartacus: Vengeance - eps 5-8
They are getting Gannicus to kill them?!?!!!!!! Oenomaus’ best friend and Crixus’ sorta-mentor?!?! Also, 1. I missed you, Gannicus and ILY, unless you do go through with it! Please don’t do it! And, 2. Crixus/Lucretia staredown before the start = awesome. She is never going to rattle him now. He will kill her if he gets his hands on her though. So let’s hope that happens.
Allies! That was pretty unexpected and awesome and I am totally loving the Spartacus-Agron dynamic. Bonus points for mentioning Sulla, show!
My OTP is not together but they still manage to remain the epitome of shippiness. I love how Naevia’s whole being transformed and she actually acted radiantly alive as opposed to trembling, shell-shocked zombie she was earlier, when she found out Crixus was alive. And there is monomaniacal and then there is Crixus - they are all about to die on the sands and his main reaction is ‘I am going to embrace Naevia in the afterlife once she eventually joins me.’ No words. Crixus=best boyfriend ever.
“I am for wine and the embrace of questionable women.” Oh, Gannicus! Only you can make me LOL and swoon like a gladiator groupie at the same time!
This scene! OMFG, this scene! When Agron thanked Naevia for saving Nasir - my heart!!! (pls pls let them be friends - I’d love it). When Naevia told Agron that she survived in the mines only by thinking of being held by Crixus once more - my heart!!! But then she adds that what she got was to be held by him for a moment and be torn away forever, and that she wishes he never came for her, and my heart breaks. But it’s nothing to the horror I felt when she said that she wished Lucretia killed her so Crixus wouldn’t have thrown his life away for someone “soiled and ruined.” The fact that she sees herself that way - it’s just horrifying! Noooooooo!!!!! It’s not your fault! None of it is your fault!!! Oh God. You know, even once she and Crixus reunite (because they must, show, they must!), they are going to have a hell of an uphill battle to happiness because she is so broken and traumatized by her experiences - between the rapes and the mines and God knows what else.
When he is determined and so angry yet with an iron grip on his anger, I feel…funny. Good funny. Very good funny.
There is currently major, massive, high-pitched screaming going on in my house. That is all.
Oh, Gannicus, how I love you, and not just because you gave us this ep’s requisite sex scene! (And one which was voluntary and enjoyed by both participants, which is freaking rarer than gold on this show). It’s just that his particular demons are covered by a smirk, a devil-may-care attitude, and a liking for booze and ladies. It’s a fun change from intense-to-the-marrow Spartacus, Crixus et al. I mean, I love them, but a bit of snarky attitude makes for a fun occasional change.
Crixus (after taking one look at Lucretia): “It is a blessing to be forever removed from this fucking house.” Mind you, he is going off to be executed. Heeeeeee! I need that slow-clap GIF.
Never in a million years did I think I would ever feel sorry for Glaber, but Craig Parker is so good, I actually felt bad in this scene. And then I remembered what Glaber had done, and reverted to wanting him eaten by piranhas, slowly.
I ship Spartacus/Mira so much. Because he is happy around her and because she is fierce and fearless and they bring down the arena together and look so amazing all sooty yet delirious with joy. I was very rabid about Spartacus/Sura, but I just want him to find happiness. I think it helps that due to the actor change, I associate Sura with AW’s Spartacus while Mira goes with LM’s Spartacus.
Here because they are all a bunch of BAMFs and the escape/burning down of the arena was the most amazing thing ever. I love Spartacus for pulling that insane plan, for Gannicus helping Oenomaus despite it all, for Crixus being a killing machine even though chained and weaponless, and all of them for taking that freaking arena down and the fight to the Romans.
Why are they so shippy-awesome, why? There is teasing and happiness and everything and it’s so shocking to see gruff angry Agron so happy.
“Do I yet dream?”
“If so, I would never have you wake.”
Much as I ship Nasir/Agron, I confess this was the reunion I was waiting for. The way Naevia scans the crowd, looking for him, and then sees him and moves as if she is not even aware of what she is doing, the way they cling to each other, and the look on his face - oh, the look on his face when she is in his arms, after months of hoping and desperation.
The female part of Team Evil is not having a good day either. I cannot say I feel sorry for Ilythiya and the way Glaber now has her on a short leash (to see one monster bested by another is not a bad thing) but while I hate Lucretia and want her to die, nobody, not even she, deserves what Ashur did. (Pls pls, someone kill Ashur already. I don’t even care who).
I love love love the two of them together with an insane degree of love. And I just love how stubborn and unwavering Crixus is - he’s decided he loves Naevia and she is perfect and nothing is going to change his mind. If someone could be fixed through sheer determination, it would be a cinch. When he told her “I see no scars,” I melted. But when she said: “you risked all for the pale shadow of the woman you once loved,” and he replied: “then let us ignite the sun and strike darkness with its warmth.” I pretty much…well, I couldn’t melt because I was melted already, but I pretty much !!!! and !!!!!!!! and !!!!!!!
“They have taken everything from me, even your touch.” Oh God, I knew I knew I knew something like this was coming. She is too traumatized and damaged and of course trying to make love would bring back all the horrifying flashbacks of her being raped but ohhhhh - they break my heart. It is beyonf awful that the horror inflicted on her is robbing her of the best, happiest thing in her life - her love for Crixus. And of course, the helplessness Crixus is feeling, and the way it tears him apart to see her so hurt - oh good God. I hope they get fixed pls pls pls, show!
I find the underpinnings in the rebel camp between all these strong-willed, different people fascinating. I love how Crixus encourages Spartacus to try to convert Gannicus to the cause (I seriously love their bromance), Gannicus’ cynical attitude (which really is his shield), or the antagonism between Agron and Crixus - Crixus is taking out his unhappiness on a promising target. And Agron made me melt when he told Crixus: “To set eyes again upon your heart, I understand now why men would risk all for such a thing.”
One of the things I love about Gannicus is that he stirs up all the established relationships and takes. I especially love his interactions with Spartacus - especially when Spartacus tells him: “Freedom is not a stick of wood to be presented as obedient dog. It is a thing all men deserve.” And the theme of love keeps running through it all - clearly there are only two criteria to join Spartacus’ army - to be a badass fighter and to love an OTP above all sanity. When Spartacus admits that he has taken on Rome for Sura - !!!!!!. And that is the closest Gannicus comes to unbending because it reminds him of Melitta. Gannicus, like all of them, is a fool for love - when he tells Oenomaus that Melitta always wanted only him (Oenomaus) despite what saying that must have cost him (and despite the fact that it’s not really true) and when she says: “I am to blame, not her, never her” - my heart my heart my heart! My favorite interaction was the one between him and Crixus though - it is by far the least complicated and most friendly, but once again, they talk about loving someone - Crixus’ love for Naevia. When Gannicus says, “the heaviest price is always paid by those we love,” he speaks from experience.
I know I said it before, but I love how fiercely determined Crixus is - he just won’t allow that Naevia is anything less than a perfect Goddess as far as he is concerned, no matter what. When she says he probably wishes he left her in the mines after the disaster that was last night, and he tells her that if he had a thought like that, he’d rip it from his brain with bare hands - he has got to be the most unwavering man ever. And then he tells her: “All that matters is that the woman I love stands before me once again.” Dead. I am dead. But Naevia’s somber reply is heartbreaking: “Does she? Or is it but a faint spirit haunting the memory of a body?” Fixitfixitfixitfixit.
OMG, I literally screamed when I saw her toying with that dagger, clearly contemplating suicide. The amount of pain she is in. And the helpless rage at what has been done to her that Crixus is experiencing. And I love that he asks her what she wants him to do - putting her needs and wants above anything of his own. He was willing to ditch the rebellion and take her and go somewhere far away from Rome’s borders and that is so huge that I have no words. But her reply, it is her reply that made me breathless and then cheer - “I would have you teach. How to breathe again, how to live, how to fight so that no man would ever lay hands on me against my will.” Oh, Naevia. You are fucking amazing. And he promises her vengeance on Romans, and I didn’t think it was possible to love him more but I was wrong.
Mira Warrior Princess. Oh, how I love her. How I love her.
The final sequence was pretty amazing. And not just because we got to watch Gannicus and Spartacus go at each other (be still my geeky heart. Though I suppose we still don’t know who would win, as the fight got interrupted). No, I loved it because Spartacus holds to his credo of free choice - he will not stop Gannicus from leaving because “every man has a right to his own choice.” Oh, Spartacus. I love you.
Before this show, I would have never thought a man teaching a woman how to kill someone in every possible way as efficiently as you can, is the most romantic thing ever. Yet here we are. And Crixus doing his level best to teach Naevia killing blows is pretty much making me swoon. And I love how obsessively driven she is and how fiercely determined to learn and how he is willing to do whatever would make her happier and help her heal, and if that means sword-training with her non-stop, that’s fine (having the biggest monomaniac in ancient Rome as a boyfriend is pretty useful, I suppose, especially if said boyfriend is a legendary killing machine with plenty of tips to pass on :P) I mean - the thing is, when she tells him what she wants, he does his best to get it for her. There isn’t any of the “but you don’t need to, I will be around to protect you” (in part because that’s proven impossible before) or even “it’s too hard for you” or anything. And then Nasir caps the scene by talking to Mira and mentioning that they’ve basically been glued together all week training and he wouldn’t even go to the Neapolis raid so as to stay with her - seriously. Swoon, Crixus=best boyfriend of the ancient world.
Happy reunions make me happy. Happy reunions involving Oenomaus, more so.
A lot of this episode, for me, was about Gannicus being pushed from every direction - by Spartacus, by Glaber, by Lucretia, as well as by his own growing outrage about what Romans are doing, and then reaching his own decision, and not one any of them expected. ILY, Gannicus, just so we are clear!
Various shippy things in ep 7 taught me that:
*Even if I want to strangle Agron otherwise (don’t worry, he redeemed himself in my eyes by the end of the ep), put him within 5 feet of Nasir, and my annoyance disappears and I get happy.
*Mira/Spartacus = awesome, but Spartacus would be the worst party attendee ever.
* Crixus/Naevia still own my heart. Also, mess with Naevia, and it’s 50/50 whether she will do her best to end you or Crixus will.
Agron’s actions for most of the ep made me worry there was going to be a giant rift with Spartacus, so the end made me !!! in relieved happiness. When he said, “I stand with Spartacus,” I wanted to cheer. The ending was pretty amazing to start with, anyway. And since Spartacus looks pretty incredible grim and pissed off, I guess it’s all fine anyway :)
They make me so happy! And Spartacus actually smiles around her and doesn’t act like someone whose soul is in the grave. Pls pls pls keep Mira alive, show!
Gannicus: “Don’t ever say I never got you anything!” Or at least that’s what I think he should have said :) I am rooting for Spartacus to kill her - because of her encouragement the whole chain of events leading to Spartacus’ capture and his wife’s death happened, she made him kill his only friend, and taunted him about his wife and is generally a waste of air. KILL HERRRRRRRR!!!!
!!!!!!!!!! I mean !!!!!! I love how excited she is to get better and better and how proud he gets when she lands hits. And OMFG, she is totally flirting and voluntarily touching and she even initiated a kiss, which means she is healing that way too (I love how stunned Crixus is by the kiss - ohhhhhhhh. My darlings!). Plus, the chemistry - it is insane insane insane.
Jesus H, what is with all the rape potential-babies in this show?! This is the third one! Though since Ilithiya has never spoken truth in her life, who knows if she is lying to make Spartacus spare her life. I seriously gasped and freaked out because I really really really hope it isn’t his! But his face and his eyes OMFG. Stop making his life horrible, show! I mean, you are going to kill him in the end anyway, at least give him some fucking peace first! I did love that even that wasn’t going to stop him and only Ilithiya’s claim that his wife would turn from him in the afterlife for killing her/her unborn child, stopped him. Guuuuh, instead of calling this Spartacus: Vengeance, they should have called it Spartacus: Theater of Pain. Seriously.
Bromance FTW!
Reasons Spartacus is better than anyone else, as far as I am concerned - he won’t kill even Ilythiya because his wife would not like the man he would be if he did it. And he doesn’t tell Glaber that Ilythiya told him the child is likely Spartacus’. But then, of course, Glaber doesn’t care for anyone but himself, so…
!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is all.
I know I should be all about the BAMFs going off to best Glaber, or the fact that Gannicus volunteers even though he doesn’t believe in the cause, because Oenomaus does and he wants to atone to his former BFF. Or even Spartacus’ grin. But I am all about my ultimate OTP (that’s Crixus/Naevia, in case this LJ is confusing on this point :P) and the touching and Crixus’ snark towards Agron and just - guuuuuh. Team Good Guys forever!
“Do you know what it is to love? To be filled with light and hope? To see that blessing returned in kind, in the eyes of the only one that could ever know the true depth of your heart? That is what your husband took from me. I would take the same from him. Yet he chose vengeance against me over your life. Taking it would balance nothing. He does not love you, as I loved my wife.” That was the best ending to an episode ever. No words.
And now on to check out That Winter the Wind Blows