Spartacus: Gods of the Arena starts off with a simple recap of the impressive finale of Spartacus:Blood and Sand,"Kill them All". Gods of the Arena is the story of how the house of Batiatus ,gained prominence and rose to the position it had in Blood and Sand.John Hannah reprises his role as a younger Batiatus. Still his swearing,conniving self, his was one of the most well etched out characters from the first season.Giving him company is the younger looking Lucy Lawless,as Lucretia.Both of them,as,in the first season,power hungry and looking to gain favor in the eyes of officials by any means possible to garner favor for their house which has just happened to come under their control.Bataiatus seeks to pursue a more"aggressive" attitude in matters concerning the ludus as opposed to his father.
We are also introduced to the new additions this season.The heavy drinking-womanizing-gladiator Gannicus,played by Dustin Claire. Fan favorite Doctore from first season is back as well along with Ashur. Gaia(Lila from 'Dexter'),played by Jaime Murray is also introduced in this episode.
This season seeks to dwell upon the rise of the house of Batiatus along with the first Champion of Capua in the form of Gannicus,while the politics surrounding the bloody sport provide a tantalizing setting for another season of gratuitous sex,over the top violence,cringe worthy language which has made the first season achieve near-cult status among its legion of faithful fans.
My Score - 8/10