Most of us are probably familiar by now with the thumbs up / thumbs down gesture of Ancient Rome: up means life, down death. Varro and Spartacus give a good show, giving the crowd the hint of blood and sword clash that they’re looking for. Numerius, who has been given the power to order the gladiators around during his special Big Boy day, switches out Crixus for the unsuspecting Varro. The latter, for all his starry-eyed wonder at the site of gladiators, is easily hoodwinked by Ilithyia, a fact we see tragically play out during the climactic exhibition fight. The seeds of deceit and dark triumph both are set when Ilithyia finds herself alone - very alone if you can dig – with young Numerius. And Batiatus invites Colonius (Craig Walt Wrightson), a chief rival now down on his luck, so that he may cram his turn of fortune down the latter’s throat.Īnd just as Batiatus and Lucretia are anxious to press their victories – letting them ride on the great wheel of chance, perhaps – so to Spartacus acts as cocky as we’ve ever seen him: gloating over “former” Champion of Capua Crixus (was I the only one thinking about the Champion of Philadelpia getting soft circa Rocky III during those scenes?), and even one-upping conniving Ashur (Nick Tarabay) over a board game in front of a wildly approving Batiatus. The conflicts that have been swirling throughout the season came into sharp relief in this episode: Spartacus and Crixus (Manu Bennett) are selected to fight each other for an “exhibition” match to please Numerius, the son of the magistrate, who is coming of age and will have a toga-related ceremony that seems to be something akin to a Roman-style Bar Mitzvah. Victories had seemingly abounded for the House of Batiatus, as Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) pressed her advantage over Ilithyia in the wake of the latter’s impetuous murder of Licinia. Ilithyia (Viva Blanca) is cast as a pawn stemming from the wild events of “Whore,” in which Licinia (Brooke Harmon) is murdered by Ilithyia in a fit of rage after the Lucretia – in a well-orchestrated move in her own right – positions Spartacus to make love to the cousin of rich Crassus right in front of Ilithyia’s jealous eyes.
The craft in how this event plays out too is a stroke of brilliance. It’s a “power move” of epic proportions – even more so than Russell taking out Tyson recently on Survivor: Heroes and Villains, I dare say – one that Lucretia and Batiatus and poor pure hearted Spartacus could not have seen coming.
Speaking of fear: for fear of burying the lead (and as they say in the newspaper biz, if it bleeds it leads), the scene in which Ilithyia orchestrates the death of Varro –with her body and her cunning and her will – is one of the most striking and effecting I’ve seen in a long time. I’m guessing that most are too timid to call this fact out for what it is for fear of being labeled a perv or a low brow. I’ll say this, too: for all its gratuitousness and camp, this show is one of the best on television right now. It’s a gripping and blood-soaked epic of ancient times, where life and death mean little, and fortunes and dizzying rises to power and falls to disgrace are plotted by those in the shadows, or cast off to the will of the gods. But really, it’s a lot more at the same time. Let me say this: the many cries that Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a 300-derivative, romp are hard to dispute. I had this review somewhat drafted, but with the final scenes I had to stop and turn it all on its head.
RANK – #2 of Spartacus’ 13 Season 1 episodes Spartacus, “Party Favors” (S0110) review GENRE – Drama, Period Show, Historical Epic, Swords & Sandals Here’s why “Party Favors” was ranked as the #2 episode of 13 Spartacus Season 1 episodes. Spartacus’ “Old Wounds” came in as the #2 ranked episode of Spartacus’ 13 Season 1 episodes! “Spartacus is merely the beast that you ride upon.” – Lucretia to Batiatus Spartacus Season 1 Rankings: where did “Party Favors” rank?
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