Mark of the Brotherhood 

Batiatus purchases a fresh lot of slaves during an auction to be trained as gladiators and ponders the idea of selling Crixus.

Director:

Rowan Woods

Writers:

Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing

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 E. Tarabay	...	Ashur
Viva Bianca	...	Ilithyia
Lucy Lawless	...	Lucretia
Jai Courtney	...	Varro
Lesley-Ann Brandt	...	Naevia
Craig Walsh-Wrightson	...	Solonius
Daniel Feuerriegel	...	Agron
Ande Cunningham	...	Duro
Brooke Harman	...	Licinia
Tania Nolan	...	Caecilia
Mia Pistorius	...	Aemilia

Storyline

Batiatus purchases a new group of gladiator trainees and considers selling Crixus. Meanwhile Crixus is still not fully healed but chafes at Spartacus assuming the role of champion. Ilithyia gets her own gladiator-in-training but trouble arises.

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | swordplay | swordsmanship | swordsman | swordsmen | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode marks the first time Spartacus is seen training wearing two shoulder guards, where as the rest of the men wear only one. Though an explanation as to why is never given, it is likely due to his fighting in the style of Dimachaerus (Dual Swords) which leaves both arms unprotected by a shield.

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Goofs

When Lucretia entertains Licinia, Caecilia, and Aemilia, Lucretia partakes of a dish of large strawberries. While mentioned in Roman literature, strawberries were not cultivated--and thus did not grow to the size featured--until the 14th century CE.

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Quotes

[Placing a bet with Asher on which of the recruits survive to The Final Test]
Varro: Five denarii on the fool who spoke.
[after the recruits take off their loin cloths for Illithyia]
Varro: I wish to alter my bet. *everything* on the one with the horse cock.

User Reviews

Inspiring character development, disappointing beginning, intriguing mirror story and interesting social tensions

If you only watch the show to dry your blood thirst then this episode will definitely disappoint you. Of course there were a few fight and brutal scenes but overall it was more about the controversial relationships and tensions between the characters. However even if I really enjoy these elements I have to admit that the beginning seemed like a lazy solution to skip what could have been very entertaining moments. But I didn't really mind the writers approach because the result was the same, Spartacus embraced his new destiny. In fact it was interesting to see how the story mirrored the Sacramentum Gladiatorum episode one. New slaves joined the ludus so it was the occasion for their peers to welcome them, sand style.

There were plenty of things to appeal the audience as usual but my favorite one was the Crixus driven story. I found his destiny quite inspiring and can't wait to see what will happen next. His experience and relative wisdom allowed some characters to open their eyes and probably redefine the way they see their future. Ilithyia was also back and Lucretia finally meet some of her girl friends. Their little gathering was interesting considering Batiatus and his wife are trying to climb the social ladder. The ending was also quite unexpected and with all the fresh connections developed in this episode the upcoming episodes should definitely be captivating.

Details

Country:

USA Australia New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tapert / Donen / Raimi, Starz Originals

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1