Whore (19 Mar. 2010)
"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" Whore (original title)

Licinia wants to have a quality time with Spartacus, but Lucretia believes that he has spent so much time without a woman and send a slave to him to practice. When Ilithya learns the ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Hurst

Writers:

Daniel Knauf, Steven S. DeKnight (creator),

Stars:

Andy Whitfield, John Hannah, Peter Mensah

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Whitfield	...	Spartacus
John Hannah	...	Batiatus
Peter Mensah	...	Doctore
Manu Bennett	...	Crixus
Nick Tarabay	...	Ashur (as Nick E. Tarabay)
Viva Bianca	...	Ilithyia
Katrina Law	...	Mira
Lucy Lawless	...	Lucretia
Jai Courtney	...	Varro
Lesley-Ann Brandt	...	Naevia
Craig Walsh-Wrightson	...	Solonius
Daniel Feuerriegel	...	Agron
Ande Cunningham	...	Duro
Brooke Harman	...	Licinia
Tim Foley	...	Hector

Storyline

Licinia wants to have a quality time with Spartacus, but Lucretia believes that he has spent so much time without a woman and send a slave to him to practice. When Ilithya learns the intentions of her friend, she wants a quality time for herself with Crixus, which may affect Lucretia's state of mind.

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Plot Keywords:

blood splatter | male prostitute | male prostitution | having sex while wearing a mask | lesbian kiss | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA Australia New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Viva Bianca (Ilithyia) says in the DVD commentary that her fans knew immediately that it was her in the sex scene with Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) because of the way she had walked. Apparently, despite being masked, she has a very distinct gait.

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Quotes

Spartacus: There is but one path: we kill them all.

User Reviews

Intense fiendish story, Lucy Lawless raging performance, intriguing Spartacus behavior, interesting new character but disappointing ending and conventional editing

Since Delicate Things I have learned to consider the episode titles as wicked. So I was expecting either a romantic story or filthy chain of events. In fact it was both black and white so relationships like the one between Crixus and her slavefriend developed further. However the Mark of the Brotherhood intense ending could only lead to fiendish activities. I worried that Batiatus and Lucretia wouldn't react accordingly but they continued to viciously battle against Ilithyia and their other enemies. Otherwise even if Lucy Lawless performance was definitely the enlightenment of Whore I was very disappointed by the ending. Of course it was surprising but I found the staging awkward and inappropriate. I think the editor could also have done something creative but instead scenes were filmed one after an other without the surreal daydreams and visual effects we have been used to.

Beside these few cons there were still numerous elements to count on. First I really enjoyed Spartacus new behavior and I'm convinced that he'll be rewarded. I'm sure it's only a facade to gain Batiatus trust. But Lucretia is less naive than her husband so I can't wait to see how they will deal with each other. Second I also appreciated the arc involving their new female slave. I really hope she'll be a recurring character because she could be a beautiful and intriguing addition to the existing cast. But she actually reminded me of how much I miss Sura because after her flashback appearances in Great and Unfortunate Things I thought she would become a spooky ludus resident. Spartacus thinks about her all the time so why didn't they decide to show us his dreams and nightmares ? I'm not asking them to turn the show into a Legend of the Overfiend spin-off but I think Erin Cummings proved her talent in the pilot so she deserved better.

So in the end my opinion is mixed even if I still found the episode entertaining and intriguing. Lucretia's mask game was intense but I was hoping for a more subtle and puzzling approach. However I'm convinced the writers are skilled enough to deliver us with great and disturbing upcoming episodes so I can't wait for the season to end. Into a blood bath or dripping quicksand ?