Oh, Minerva! The Sparty Party continued its sick third season run, placing sword and spear to knave and spleen, digging for bloody treasure. “A Place in This World” didn’t have the return-to-glory shock value that episode 1 had (how does one top the Orgy that Went South anyway?)… but it certainly showed the placement of its players. And that will pay dividends with episodes to come.
Before I get to the meat of this latest offering from Spartacus: Vengeance, I need to say this: I love the “historical depiction” blurb at the beginning of the show, mostly because so many people scoff at it. Yet at its core, the truth is spoken. Was there waxing in Roman times? Why yes, yes there was. No, they certainly didn’t say fahhk as much as we see—the Romans had many different colorful words for fornication. So I never see any of the language as out of place.
If you want to level a charge at the show, you can accuse it of despising pronouns; “I will take my (expletive) and ram it down your (expletive)” becomes “I take (expletive) to (expletive).”
If you have difficulty wrapping your brain around it, just consider it slang, yo. Quicker, shorter sentences. Possessive adjectives are overrated.
The opening-scene introduction to the gangly Numidian who would one day become Doctore Oenomaus (the solid Peter Mensah) was, as expected, rife with lovely gore. “He’s not a man, he’s a demon.” Indeed. (A pity the young actor they cast in the role looks nothing like Peter Mensah—but at least they got someone with a solid African accent. More on accents in a bit.) Pair that with Oenomaus’s current lifestyle, elbow deep in the death pits of underground pit fighting, and you end up with an interesting bit of Full Circle.
Crixus (the intense Manu Bennett) continues to pursue Naevia. “How could I know that she held meaning?” The Dominus asked Crixus, and that was the end for him. I like how his death was pretty much offscreen; almost like what happened was too horrible for even STARZ to show. (No, I don’t think that’s how it will go with most meaningful deaths, but I liked the touch.)
Bennett was better in this episode than he was in the last one, as was Katrina Law (Mira), who struggled with her accent in the first episode but was smoother in this one, seeming to gain confidence. That said, there are still problems with some of the younger actors. It’s what you get with young actors one supposes.
Regarding accents for Spartacus: Vengeance, The rule of thumb seems to be pretty simple: English accents for Roman nobility, Aussie or Kiwi accents for the lowborns. (No, I can’t tell those two apart, but I’m a bloody Yank.) And it pretty much works, even when the casting net is widened:
Lucy FLawless—born in New Zealand—dons an English accent for Lucretia
Viva! Bianca—born in Australia—dons an English accent for Ilithyia
Katrina Law—born in New Jersey—dons an Australian/Kiwi accent (usually) for Mira
Craig Parker—born in Fiji of all places—dons an English accent for Claudius Glaber
Peter Mensah—born in Ghana, raised in London—dons an African-tinged accent for Oenomaus
Lawless, Bianca, Parker, and Mensah are outstanding, and I’m very hopeful of Law, because so many other facets of her acting are strong. Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Bennett, and many of the other gladiators are locals with regard to the production, so their native accents fit.
(No, I didn’t really have a point, I just wanted to point out the excellent acting that goes into this production, and how they seem to be a step ahead of most other shows in terms of “accent placement.” Some shows could give a turd.)
Where was I before I began this ramble? Oh! “A Place in The World.” We finally got to see Ashur (the razor-sharp Nick Tarabay) and … well, I hate to say it of a villain, but I love it when his plans come together. Tarabay plays reptilian deceit with a twinkle-eyed charm. He’s like…
Well, he’s like Satan. Really. But don’t tell him I said that.
(And as showrunner Steven DeKnight once said, Ashur believes he is doing what’s right.)
I like the setup, with Oenomaus hauled back to the ludus, and the hint that Lucretia’s “madness” may not be so all-encompassing. Ilithyia seems to be the only one who realizes the danger they’re all in. “Is it wise to allow such unsteady hands to play with knives?” And why do I get the feeling no one will believe her until it’s too late?
Now I’m just waiting for Gannicus (Dustin Clare) to make his reappearance. All will be right in the Sparty world then. I’m liking the shape of things to come.
If you want to see Lucretia playing with knives, follow me on Twitter! That’s @Axechucker!
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