Spartacus Season 2

Right now you can watch Spartacus Season 2 on and — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. The show says what it needs to say in a single season, no filler. 2,993 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Liam McIntyre sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Spartacus Season 2 earns its spot. Spartacus Season 2 takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. On the heels of the bloody escape from the House of Batiatus, the gladiator rebellion continues and begins to strike fear into the heart of the Roman Republic. Gaius Claudius Glaber and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush the growing band of freed slaves that Spartacus leads before it can inflict further damage. Spartacus is presented the choice of satisfying his personal need for vengeance against the man that condemned his wife to slavery and eventual death or making the larger sacrifices necessary to keep his budding army from breaking apart. Liam McIntyre and Manu Bennett lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2012. Spartacus Season 2 resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

Drama fans who appreciate slow-burn storytelling will feel right at home with Spartacus Season 2. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete run is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Liam McIntyre's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.