Two factions at war. One is led by a calm, ruthless man who willing to lose his own men to make a point. The other is idealistic and ill-equipped to keep his own arm in line, allowing chaos and rebellion to take root.
And so it looks more and more like Spartacus may not survive to the see the end credits of the final episode of War of the Damned. His role, greatly diminished this season, takes a back seat in the chariot to stories of other slaves and their Roman captives, as well as the ongoing relationships between Caesar, Crassus, and Tiberius.
And more and more we sympathize with the Romans. The enemy. And why not? The rebels are proving themselves to be uncoordinated, crazed with revenge, and merciless to their foes.
The episode “Decimated” really begins when Caesar infiltrates the walls of the captured city, and he uses his smarts to incite conflict between Spartacus’ army. But he’s more than just bloodthirsty warrior; when presented with a captured Roman named Fabia, he shows her compassion and kindness. She’s been poorly treated by the rebels, who leave knife incisions upon her battered body once they’ve abused her. Caesar puts her out of her misery, and we can’t help but wonder, where is Spartacus? Why isn’t he doing something about these horrors? He is the brave leader, the savior of all. How can this happen on his watch?
Meanwhile, Tiberius must learn a terrible lesson about not obeying his father. Crassus orders decimation of his son’s army, and five men draw stones to determine who will die. They are to be beaten to death to discourage others from ever retreating without orders to do so. Tiberius must see his own dear friend fall as a result of this punishment. At first, he only watched and cried, and I wondered how a man like Crassus fathered such a boy, but then ice pours into his veins and he deals the death blow to his companion. He is no longer the youth eager to prove himself to a harsh father. He is battle-tested, his hands bloody with war and loss.
“He was my friend, you mad bitch!” –Gannicus to Naevia, upon realizing that she lied about Attius helping Romans escape, and therefore lied about her need to kill him.
The quote above says all we need to say about Naevia. Mad bitch. Yes, her wrath towards Romans is completely understandable, but she has moved from sympathetic character to someone we like and respect to crazy woman. Her heart turns from all as vengeance moves her forward, and Crixus . . . oh, Crixus. How you once towered above your foes and earned title of gladiator. Now you hang tail between legs and follow girlfriend’s commands.
A girlfriend who felled Gannicus with a rock, by the way. And again, where is Spartacus? The show bears his name, does it not? Oh, right. He’s drinking and chatting with the pirate. He only shows up to save Laeta from Crixus’s sword once it had been revealed she’s the one who helped the slaves escape and not Attius.
And this is after his army runs through the already bloodied city, killing any Romans in their path. Once again the walls drip with red as more civilians fall, their lives ended by senseless carnage.
Honestly, this episode made me want to slap everyone with the exception of Marcus Crassus. He’s the only one with a level head, and his decision to decimate the army seemed reasonable in a time of war. And if he bides his time, the rebels will destroy each other long before his army reaches the walls of the city.
In a war of the damned, there are no winners.