The blood and sex continue in this final third season of Spartacus War of the Demned. On the heels of Gaius Claudius Glaber’s inglorious defeat, Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) continues to amass a growing army to outwit and outfight Rome’s best commanders.
Having swelled his to ranks to more than 30,000 slaves, Spartacus and his loyal band of brothers–Manu Bennett (Crixus), Dustin Clare (Gannicus), and Dan Feuerriegel (Agron) have indeed given Rome reason to tremble. No less capable with blade and skill are Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Naevia) and Ellen Hollman (Saxa) who finally “connects” with Gannicus.
A frustrated Rome finally turns to ambitious Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrells) to build an army powerful enough to crush the slave rebellion. Crassus is unlike any Roman commander thus far, enlisting a lanista-trained gladiator to sharpen his personal fighting skills in anticipation of a sine missione confrontation with Spartacus. Crassus is portrayed with unusual complexity, a sympathetic, noble character with a wife and two sons–his oldest being Tiberius (Christian Antidormi), who struggles to prove himself.
Crassus is more interested in “title and honor earned” instead of wealth and power bestowed. He learns to anticipate Spartacus’ moves and succeeds in elevating himself to the rank of imperator (commander and ruler). While devoted to his wife and sons, Crassus finds time for an affair with his beautiful house slave, Kore (Jenna Lind).
In preparing to confront Spartacus’ army, Crassus, a Roman who rose to the senate through political skill, seeks out the insolent and debt-ridden, Gaius Julius Caesar (Todd Lasance) for his successes in numerous campaigns. “You possess name absent wealth; I hold wealth absent name,” says Crassus to Ceasar. “To defeat Spartacus, I must have a wolf at my side.”
Also joining the cast this season is Laeta (Anna Hutchison), an independent Roman; and Sibyl (Gwendoline Taylor), a shy, innocent young slave, who is freed from the Romans and may join the rebels.
The scale of War of the Demand is enlarged, with grander sets and more special effects. We see the city of Rome in all its glory and delight to massive battle scenes. Here, the editing is exceptionally creative. Crassus’ training test with his gladiator slave is tightly intertwined with Spartacus’ final confrontation with Roman commanders, Cassinius and Furious.
Rome’s brutality against slaves, heightened by Spartacus’ attacks against its nobility, takes new form in the stoning of a slave. This is counterbalanced by Spartacus’ men growing increasingly undisciplined as women and children fall victim to the attempted siege of a Roman city.
A grand finale of a season that’s sure to satisfy both fan and newcomer.
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" and "The Search for Dr. Noble"—both now available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
