By all that Rome holds sacred,
I will see her honor restored.
I will not rest...
until this Spartacus...
hangs, crucified, at the gates of Rome.
Move and kill! Move and kill!
Again.
Move and kill! Move and kill! Faster!
- They're looking better. - Against wooden posts.
We'll see what they're like when the target fights back.
- Orsino is here. - The Sicilian pirate?
What do we have to talk to him about?
A lot.
The key would help.
Spartacus.
I could tell at once. You have such an air of command about you.
You here to do business or flatter me?
You've done well.
We like to think of it as back wages, long owed.
Is it enough to buy us passage out of here?
- For yourself? - For all of us.
Take us beyond the borders of the empire and they won't follow.
It would require a great many ships and make me many enemies in Rome.
- So how many trunks of gold? - At least five more like this.
When we are ready, how do I signal you?
Get to the coast and fly this where it can be seen from the sea.
Take it.
A gift for our new alliance.
I'll take it as a down payment.
I'd better get some help.
That was a fortune you just gave away.
We can't eat gold, nor will it keep a sharp edge.
Crixus, let's keep this arrangement among ourselves for now.
- We can't trust that man. - Orsino or Crixus?
Either one.
Hyah! Hah!
Over the walls!
As word spread of the revolt, slaves from all over the country ran away
and flocked to join Spartacus.
We all knew there was no turning back.
It was freedom or death.
And so we marched from city to city,
taking what we needed for the day we might be free.
But the fight for freedom was tainted by revenge.
No mercy was shown to those who fell into in our hands.
Is this wise?
If they obey the laws we made, it's better to let them have their way.
They're still a mob.
- Take everything! - Making an army will take time.
Intelligence reports the slaves are squatting on the coast at Nola.
- We must attack and annihilate them. - With what?
We'll be three months rebuilding the garrison.
Glabrus was the wrong commander.
- Your choice as I recall, Senator. - By default.
- There were and are better options. - Pompey, for example.
Recalling him will jeopardize the Spanish campaign.
I haven't your experience in the field. Oh, wait...
- Yes, that's right. You have none.
Very well. For now, let us focus on Rome's defenses.
We cannot, however, under any circumstances allow the slaves to escape.
- I say we march on Rome!
There are 16 cohorts in Rome.
We were outnumbered at Vesuvius, and now their bones rot in the fields.
But taking a city is different than ambushing a sleeping cohort
that's too lazy to build a proper camp.
We have no siege equipment.
We can build it.
And while we do that, what will Rome do?
Recall their legions. The real soldiers.
Not these city boys who play at soldiers.
I say we march north towards Transalpine Gaul,
and over the mountains to freedom.
Rome is north.
Then when we march past we'll thumb our noses at them.
There are many cities between here and the Alps. Not just Rome.
And many of them would be more than happy
- to pay us our back wages. - Then we march!
Yesterday, you had your fun with me in the Senate.
Today, let's get down to business.
This Spartacus is turning a rabble into a real army.
I don't think that we can count on him
doing anything as ill-conceived or impetuous as attacking Rome.
Still, it would probably be wise,
as someone has already suggested,
to strengthen the city walls.
Those would be large contracts.
Plenty enough to go around.
But if you really want to be confident about Rome's security...
I cannot support your bid for consulship.
General of the next army sent against Spartacus.
60/40 on the contracts.
I make no promises.
I also think we should make an example.
There are 100,000 slaves in Rome
and they have all heard the story of Spartacus.
What do you propose that we do?
I say we make the price of rebellion painfully clear.
What is it?
200 Roman slaves...
picked at random...
and burned alive this morning.
Hold, Crixus.
We can't sacrifice everyone to save a few.
We're moving on.
Ugh. The stench is appalling.
Breathe deeply, Flavius.
This is the smell of Crassus' new world order.
Although it goes beyond anything I would have thought him capable of.
I'm sorry. The child is dead.
- Varinia? - She must rest.
- Our son. - No.
You're alive. That's what matters most.
I have failed you.
There will be others. I promise.
Our scouts indicate that the slave army is headed toward the Alps.
But what message does that send
to the hundreds of thousands of slaves in the republic if we just let them go?
It pains me to say it but Crassus is right.
We have to stop Spartacus.
But no more city cohorts.
We must bring down the sixth and the seventh legion from Transalpine Gaul.
Frontier troops.
The slaves have never encountered experienced soldiers before.
Agreed.
And we might even go one step further
and say that such experienced troops
require a commander of firm resolve and unshakable dedication,
which is why I nominate as general...
Publius Maximus.
I never promised you leadership of the army.
Did it ever occur to you that I might be exactly what Rome needs right now?
If Spartacus defeats this army and turns on Rome,
where will your precious little democracy be then?
It reminds me of the Nestos Valley where I grew up.
I thought you didn't remember anything about Thrace?
I remember a few things.
Our farm. Sheep and goats.
- You still have kin there? - No.
I know that your mother died in childbirth but you never talk of your father.
My father's dead too.
- How? - He was the village headsman.
The Romans crucified him because our people were late with their taxes.
We have never talked of where you and I will go once we leave here.
We haven't left yet. And at this rate...
Did you notice on the road how quiet it was?
The slaves have stopped joining us.
They're afraid.
Rome has made its decision.
They won't let us go without a fight.
We saw two full legions encamped less than ten miles north of here.
- Can we get around them? - They've blocked all major passes.
Their general? Publius Maximus.
What do we know about him?
He runs his army firmly. Fierce but unimaginative.
Two legions. Frontier soldiers.
We'd better start fighting early or we'll still be killing them by moonlight.
We won't surprise this one at night like the last one.
This battle is on their terms.
How do we fight that?
I remember a story about Hannibal fighting a rock.
- A foolish tale. - Tell me.
In the Alps, Hannibal's army came to a pass blocked by a huge rock.
No way around it. For three days and nights he thought.
And then it came to him.
He ordered fires built against the rock.
The wood that they had carried for themselves was sacrificed to the rock.
Oh, how the people cried.
But when the fires burnt out,
he ordered vinegar to be poured on the hot rock.
And?
It cracked.
Nordo, you're a genius.
You cannot beat the rock
unless you use the strength of the rock against itself.
The advantage of the Roman army is size and discipline.
But if you force their lines together,
their strength becomes their weakness. The rock will break against itself.
If the slaves don't move out soon, drive them out with the archers.
Gannicus, your cavalry will attack the Roman cavalry on the wings,
and destroy them or draw them away.
Next, we drive off their skirmishers with slings and arrows,
and then you, David, will charge the center.
On my signal, break ranks in the middle of your line
and make them believe you're running for your life.
The Romans expect us to run and will charge after you into the center.
Crixus, wait for my signal - not a moment before.
Enough talk. Let's fight.
- Tell the skirmishers to move forward. - Skirmishers!
Left! Left! Left!
- Send in the first line. - First line!
Since when do slaves fight with cavalry?
Stop the Romans!
Cavalry back!
Slings and arrows!
Now!
Hold your position!
Stand firm!
Kill him!
- They're killing them! - Stay where you are!
Signal the retreat!
Pull back!
- They're breaking, my Lord. - Finally.
Follow at will. And take no prisoners!
Left! Left! Left!
Charge!
Come on!
I killed him! Publius Maximus is dead!
Where is the rest of the Roman cavalry?
- We drove them off. - In which direction?
South, I think.
We've left the camp unguarded! Give me your horse!
Hyah!
Varinia!
We fought back as best we could.
We... we...
It's all right.
What are you doing out here?
Thinking.
You shouldn't be off by yourself like this.
Am I in danger?
She's carrying my child.
I was trying to pray but I don't know who to pray to.
My people pray to a god who doesn't answer.
Who leaves it up to us to decide how to behave.
A good god for a free man.
Not when answers are what you need.
Maybe that's the price we pay to live in a world where we get to choose.
- What is it? - Crixus.
Why should we leave?
Rome threw their best at us and we slaughtered them.
We cannot fight the whole Roman army.
Let them come. I will hammer them to an early grave.
And when we've destroyed their armies, we will be kings!
We are with you! Yeah!
Unless you haven't got the stomach for it.
In that case...
run away.
No one here will stop you.
If we separate we will be destroyed.
No.
Crixus is right.
He is right!
How clearly my wise brother Crixus sees the future.
Why should we run? But let's not settle for a little plunder.
Let's turn south, march to the sea and cross the straits to Sicily.
The slaves there will surely join us,
and we'll be kings of the island, the breadbasket of Rome.
And they'll come crawling to us, begging for mercy.
- Who is with me?
Spartacus.
Who is he?
What kind of man am I dealing with?
Everybody blames me for this mess.
Nobody has suffered like I have.
I'm ruined. I've lost everything.
My villa burned down, my slaves run away,
the school and 30 years of work destroyed.
Perhaps this will ease your suffering.
Thank you, my Lord.
- Spartacus? - Oh, yes, yes.
Erm... you met him once...
Spartacus.
He was one of two pairs you hired a year ago
to entertain Cornelius and Helena Lucius.
Terrible thing, their murder.
I never trusted him. My trainer, Cinna, thought the world of him
but I always thought that he was trouble.
Too much pride.
I heard rumors that Spartacus was wed.
You mean Varinia?
That bitch from hell disguised as an angel.
I never get sentimental about slaves.
I mean, they're animals, nothing more.
But those two, they worked something out.
You could see it when they looked at one another.
How did he become a slave?
They say that as a young boy,
he watched his father crucified.
His father.
If we split up before we're ready for Orsino, we're doomed.
Our strength is in our numbers.
We could go.
Just you and I. Leave them to this madness if that's what they want.
We are entitled to a life.
These people put their trust in me.
How can I desert them?
You are an honorable man.
But if you are dead it will be of little comfort to your son.
What else do I have to leave him but my honor?
Two legions destroyed!
And now the slave army, glutted with blood and victory,
turns south, perhaps to sack Rome herself.
We have listened to the fainthearted for too long.
No more half measures.
I pledge upon the sacred honor of my ancestors
to raise and equip six full legions at my own expense.
I will lead this army myself,
and I will stamp out this rebellion for once and for all.
Yes!
Noble Senators!
Do not rise to this honeyed bait!
What Crassus proposes is nothing less than a private army
answerable only to himself.
Consider the consequences to the republic
if one man were to be given such terrible power.
Consider the consequences if Spartacus gets inside these city walls.
This is no longer a mere question of pride
or economic impact.
Our national security is at stake. Our very lives.
Only a fool or a traitor could possibly oppose such measures.
Yes! Crassus! Crassus!
Soldiers of Rome,
never before has the republic been more in need of your courage,
your strength, your determination.
Our lives, our families,
civilization itself,
stands at an abyss,
upon the brink of destruction.
And I say to you,
let every man here today simply do his duty,
as I have no doubt he will,
and we will defeat the evil at hand.
History has given us this role,
and we will fulfill it.
There can be no hiding place
for those who would strike terror
into the heart
of the greatest nation known to man!
Three cheers for Marcus Crassus, the savior of Rome!
Crassus! Crassus! Crassus!
Don't the legions traditionally cheer Rome?
Crassus thinks he is Rome.
We may win this battle with the slaves
but lose the war over Rome's soul.
We need to enlist some allies.
Caesar will help.
He has a much more practical approach to politics.
You mean he can be bought.
Contact him, Flavius.
Tell him I wish to correspond with Pompey the Great.
Crassus! Crassus! Crassus!
We will meet in three months,
and then you will ferry the army across the straits to Sicily.
I suggest we meet at Calabria.
There are no Roman garrisons and I can bring the boats close to shore,
Where it will be easier to load your people.
The next installment.
The rest you get when we reach Sicily.
Orsino?
If you betray us I'll find you wherever you go,
- and I'll kill you myself. - Unless you are killed.
Glabrus and Publius Maximus underestimated me too.
It didn't end well for them.
I have no reason to betray you, Spartacus.
You are richer than any Roman, and far more generous.
Spartacus, Rome has sent a new army against us.
I think you'd better see this one for yourself.
The camp looks heavily fortified.
- How many legions? - I count six standards.
- Commander? - We caught a scout.
Their general is Marcus Crassus.
Crassus.
You're uneasy, my Lord?
He's out there... somewhere, as we speak.
The slaves took over a fort barely ten miles from here.
- Their scouts are watching us. - No. No, no.
He is watching us.
Spartacus.
I can feel him.
Spartacus.
- Attack! Attack! Attack! - Is that your answer for everything?
It is the warrior's answer, not the slave's.
Have a care, Gaul, how you talk to me or I'll cut that throat.
Enough.
We dealt with Publius. We can deal with this.
Publius was nothing compared to this.
And how do you know?
We've met this man.
He paid a fortune to watch men from different tribes fight to the death.
This is a merciless, calculating man commanding the best army money can buy.
But he still bleeds red, and I say attack!
And I say no, and I'm still the commander!
For now. For now!
When it's time to fight, we'll be glad he fights with us.
Our position is good.
I say we wait and let Crassus come to us.
He's picked a good solid defensive position and he shows no signs of leaving it.
He wants us to come to him. And we will.
Is that wise? Both Glabrus and Publius played into his hands.
Exactly.
I will advance as he expects me to, with three full legions,
the arrogant Roman falling into his trap.
However, you and Mummius will take the other three legions behind him.
We will penetrate his defenses from front and behind,
and trample them like daisies.
Listen.
Do not, under any circumstances, attack without my command.
Crassus has mobilized, his men are marching against us.
They don't seem to be in any hurry to get here.
- Halt! - Have the men rest for an hour.
I don't want them tired, I want fresh limbs for the slaughter.
Mummius and Servius must be given plenty of time to get into position.
Yes, my Lord. Stand the men down!
Look at them. They have no idea we're here.
I'll send word to Crassus.
Why share the glory that could be ours alone?
Spartacus!
We're being flanked! They're attacking from the rear!
But in order to do that he had to split his forces.
- How long before they reach our front lines? - Two, maybe three hours.
Time enough.
Grab your weapons!
You come in good time. The attack begins shortly!
My Lord, the troops under Servius and Mummius have been destroyed.
The generals have been taken prisoner.
We have your generals, Crassus!
Where's your great Roman army now, Crassus?
What's next?
- You're next, Crassus! - Tell the men to withdraw!
What shall we do with these great Roman generals?
Kill them! Kill them!
Kill them?
Who would throw away a fortune?
Aristocrats. Sons of important families.
What would Rome pay to have them back?
We could live well on the ransom.
You speak of ransom like we're thieves.
These men made whores of our daughters and gladiators of our sons.
We had to fight for their entertainment. They should fight for ours!
Fight!
This isn't justice.
This is revenge.
Don't lie to yourselves.
Do this and you'll become what Rome tried to make you - animals!
There can be no greater shame...
for a Roman soldier...
than cowardice in the face of the enemy.
Our founding fathers understood this
and they had an answer for it.
Decimation.
Count off!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Fight like men!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Every tenth man step forward.
Now wipe away the shame...
that stains your honor and the glory of Rome.
You executed 150 of your own men?
Roman citizens.
Discipline distinguishes the Roman army
from every other army in the world.
Discipline or brutality?
And where is Spartacus now?
Traveling south, tracked by my troops.
His goal remains unclear.
But I believe that he means to move against Sicily.
Noble Senators, we need not dwell long on noble Crassus' failure.
Let him retire in disgrace
and let us recall Pompey and Lucullus at once.
Recall them as you wish
but retire me...
at your own peril.
It will take weeks for Pompey to move his troops.
Do you think that Spartacus will sit
and wait patiently for him to arrive?
He is...
a contaminating parasite!
And he crawls from limb to limb
and organ to organ
until the great body of this republic
has been brought to its knees.
Now then,
I may not meet Agrippa's exalted standards as commander in chief
but for better or for worse I am your only miracle.
I am your only cure.
It's all a bluff on Crassus' part, don't you think? He's beaten.
For someone who's just suffered a humiliating defeat,
he seems very sure of himself.
Crassus has something up his sleeve.
The question is, what?
Orsino. May I offer you something to eat?
No. Thank you.
I had just finished my lunch when your... invitation arrived.
Sit down.
I expect that you're aware of our dilemma with the so-called slave army?
Along with the rest of the world.
I have concluded that the slave general, Spartacus,
- intends to leave by sea. - Why would you conclude that?
Because it's all he can do.
And because he seems to show an inordinate interest in plunder,
leading me to wonder what he is planning to buy or whom.
I'm afraid I can't help you.
Yes, you can. You will.
I can't believe you'd disturb the understanding
between my people and yours for a group of slaves.
Consider the long-range costs.
Spartacus will leave the country or he will die.
Either way, he will be gone.
Whereas Rome and I shall still be here.
And you will be made to suffer the consequences.
- Rome has no navy. - I'll build one!
Because either you are with me or you are against me.
The coastline of Calabria.
Set up the signal. Let them know we are here.
How long will it take them to get here?
By tomorrow. Time enough for us to catch our breath.
Hurry up or I'll have the lot of you whipped!
Get that in here!
Get it in place, you dogs!
You - move it!
Put your back into it!
Spartacus!
They've gone.
It's a trap.
It's a trap!
Archers!
I've got you now, you son of a whore.
Get back to work!
Fight, starve, or surrender. Those are our choices.
We're trapped. We'll never get past that wall.
Perhaps we can make a deal.
Rider approaching!
Stand down! Lower your weapons!
Spartacus.
I'm told I saw you fight once.
- I remember. - I don't particularly, but then...
I have seen so many gladiatorial contests
and all slaves do look alike.
Except the one who cuts your throat.
Well, I wouldn't try that. There are archers on the walls behind me.
You wouldn't stand a chance.
I have a proposition for you. My people go free.
They leave the Roman Empire and I surrender to you.
I can't accept those conditions.
Unconditional surrender for all of you - man, woman and child.
Spartacus...
Where did you acquire the arrogance to believe
that you could possibly challenge the undefeated Roman Empire?
I have you to thank.
That day at Capua.
Draba - the man who tried to spear you.
I don't understand. He inspired you?
He showed me how to fight back.
But you, Roman, you gave me a reason.
I don't need to negotiate. Your food can't last,
you've nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
And I have all the time in the world.
Do you?
My scouts tell me that Pompey has been recalled.
What glory will be left for you when he arrives?
I will destroy your army
and then I will wipe away even the memory of your existence
from the face of this earth.
- That is your fate. - And this is yours.
Help me!
For the love of Rome, Marcus!
I will cut down every tree in this land
and then I will erect crosses enough for you and your mongrel tribe.
Look for me in battle, Roman.
- I'll be looking for you. - I'm yours.
How could you do this? How could you crucify?
The Romans need to be reminded that we are not beaten.
And our people need to be reminded of the price of defeat.
You're becoming one of them.
- I'm not the oppressor. - That justifies it?
- We were fighting for more than our lives. - This is about survival.
Yours, mine, our child's, everyone's.
And I will do what I must to assure that.
Speak for yourself.
For me? For our son?
It's not worth it.
They need to be light. Light but strong.
These need to be longer. 15 feet will do it.
Get it done.
Very low.
My Lord, they're attacking the wall!
- Where? - North. Near the Bay of Euphemia.
Move all of our available troops there.
- Now! - Yes.
Sound the alarm!
Weapons ready!
Wait!
Wait.
- It's not him. - Lower your arms!
While Crassus was distracted by the flaming livestock,
the army of Spartacus climbed the walls and escaped.
I'd have paid a lot to see Crassus' face when he found that out.
Meanwhile, Pompey has landed at Minturnae.
- If I may ask what it cost? - Well, it was very expensive
but it was worth it.
Pompey will defeat Spartacus and then claim all the credit, as usual.
Crassus will be denied his victory.
And if we're very lucky...
Spartacus will defeat them both.
To the south, Crassus follows close.
While to the north Pompey has landed.
- We should turn and attack. - Attack Crassus? Insane.
Not Crassus or Pompey, but Rome.
- It's the last thing they'd expect. - With good reason.
You won't scale Rome's walls with a rope and a ladder.
No. We will march north.
Avoid Pompey, and get over the Alps,
- like we should have done before. - So it's my fault, is it?
- Who led us into the trap at Rhegium? - Orsino.
No. Spartacus.
- You chose me as your leader! - Well, no more!
In my tribe, any man can challenge to be king.
No, David, this is my fight.
Put your weapons down, this is foolish. I beg you, don't do this.
You were right, it was always going to come to this.
We need you, Crixus.
Crixus doesn't need you. Crixus doesn't need anyone!
- Where will you go? - Where my feet take me.
- Have you enough food? - The Romans will help us.
We made Rome tremble, didn't we?
Who else can say that?
No one.
We march!
My Lord, all the Gauls under Crixus have left Spartacus' army.
- They're marching away. - Where?
They're making camp by Lake Lucania.
And with Pompey at least two days march away, he can't know this.
It's not your fault.
He chose his own path.
I failed him.
I failed you all.
Lucullus and five legions have landed at Brindisium,
a day's march north and east of here.
We might have been able to slip past Pompey
but not both Pompey and Lucullus.
- We can't go forward. - We can't go back.
And we can't wait for these three armies to join
or we'll be crushed between them.
Tomorrow we'll turn and attack Crassus.
Maybe we can catch him off guard.
He who stops to loot is executed.
Nothing slows us down.
The child is well?
I think he will be a blacksmith, the way he hammers on me.
I want you to promise that whatever happens to me tomorrow,
that you will live.
That you won't take your own life.
And be a slave again? You haven't the right to ask that of me.
- But I do. - There is no life without you.
- I am not important. - Not to me?
Not to your son?
You were right, Varinia.
Vengeance alone is not enough.
To become like your enemy is to lose to him.
And what's important isn't our living or our dying
but this new thing we've created, however briefly.
A world without slaves.
And if you die, who will tell that story?
Live so that I will live.
So that we will live on.
So that it won't be wasted or forgotten.
And I promise you,
I'll always be with you.
Look. That's where I will be.
Know that I'll always be there.
- Forgive me, I overslept.
We brought you a present.
- He's beautiful. - Fit for a king.
I'm not a king.
I'm something better.
A free man.
I thank you for your generosity.
But I'll fight beside you and your fate will be mine.
If we win, we'll each have a horse of our own.
And if we lose, we won't need them.
You're the finest soldiers in the world.
And it has been an honor to fight with you!
Spartacus!
Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!
Left! Left! Left!
This is Crixus' way of battle.
No fancy tactics.
Head on. One strong arm against another.
Left! Left! Left!
Don't be greedy! Crassus is mine!
For Rome!
Spartacus... time to die!
Freedom!
The baby! It's started.
It's all right.
Release!
Spartacus, you have a son.
We found her! We found the wife of Spartacus!
Take the baby. No!
Stay!
Varinia.
- No!
No!
No! No!
We think he was a close friend of Spartacus.
What is your name?
Speak!
I won't lie to you. You're going to die.
But yours can be a painless death.
Crucify the prisoners.
My Lord, there are upwards of 6,000.
All of them.
Yes, my Lord.
You will watch them die
and you will be the last.
And when you are nailed to the cross and hanging there...
I will be there.
My Lord, Pompey's troops are nearby and have captured those slaves who escaped.
Pompey is on his way to Rome to claim your victory as his own.
Pompey! Pompey!
I merely did what any son of Rome would do.
You do me too much honor. They were just slaves, after all.
Senators, we must not in this overlook the noble Crassus.
Caesar makes an excellent point.
Crassus has certainly played a part, oh, a very workmanlike role.
And he certainly deserves some public recognition.
Not a triumph perhaps.
Er... maybe an ovation, our secondary honor,
such as we sometimes give to a victorious athlete.
Indeed. Now is the time to be generous.
An ovation for Crassus.
I have fielded and equipped
six full legions.
I have led them in battle myself.
I've endured innumerable hardships.
And I have stamped out
the greatest threat that Rome has known since Carthage.
And I am... to be rewarded...
With some trivial, secondary honor?
Senators, this is a day for Rome to rejoice.
For Romans to forget our differences and unite.
The position of consul remains vacant
because, for too long, political rivalries have prevented us filling it.
And now, for candidates, could there be any more qualified,
more deserving than these two glorious heroes?
And therefore I propose
that Pompey and Crassus both be made consul.
Co-consulship.
I would be... honored to serve with Marcus Crassus.
If it is the Senate's wish.
This would be highly irregular.
- Never in the history of... - New times require new measures.
- What say you, Senators? - Yes!
Why won't you speak with me, Varinia?
What was he like, Spartacus? What was he like?
He was just a man.
- A simple man. - No.
He was a professional killer. He was an outlaw.
And he was an enemy of everything fine and decent.
If you already have the answer then why ask?
Because you waste your tears on him.
In five years we won't even remember his name, I promise you.
Then why does he still matter to you?
Spartacus was something the world has never seen before.
He was something different.
He was the way that people might be if they chose.
I can be something different. I can be...
I can be someone else.
Yes.
Varinia...
please... love me.
Love me.
He was something that you could never be.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Death... death... death!
No! Don't like the way it ends?
I... am... Spartacus!
Get out.
Get out!
Here I am.
Do you still have nothing to say?
I will be back.
And I will be millions.
Oh, don't look at me like that.
I've lost, Flavius.
Rome has lost.
Outflanked by that toady Caesar.
Don't you mean Crassus?
Caesar is the real beneficiary here.
- Tell me some good news. - There is none.
Crassus turned the Appian way into a graveyard.
6,000 crucifixions, I hear.
Whole forests cut down.
The tree lovers will be up in arms.
The stench of rotting flesh is unbearable.
But the corpse...
is Rome's.
Civilization hangs on the cross.
What have we done?
Now tell me some dirt. Gossip.
Well, I hear that Crassus has secretly taken Spartacus' wife Varinia
and keeps her and Spartacus' child locked away in his house.
Treats her like gold but she scorns him.
Mm-hm? Even now, this Varinia?
War trophy, I imagine.
- Can I have a drink? - Help yourself.
I would pay a lot... to steal her.
Are you out of your mind?
- It would be suicide. - Two million sesterces.
We bestow upon Gnaeus Pompey and Marcus Crassus
the honorable and noble title of co-consul of the Roman Empire.
From this moment on...
you are all...
free.
Here on the table is a scroll for each of you
declaring you legally...
free.
Do not imagine for one uneducated moment
that I am unaware of how you and Caesar
denied me my rightful triumph.
You know why I am so much more popular than you, Crassus?
Because it is only natural to prefer the rising sun to the one that sets.
Leave us.
- We haven't much time, Agrippa. - Wait outside.
Why have you done this?
At first, it was just a thumb in Crassus' eye.
But the more I thought about it, well...
A foolish old man's last gesture of... redemption, maybe?
After I sobered up yesterday,
I started to meditate as to how a handful of slaves
could almost defeat the greatest military power in the world.
Do you know what I think?
I think that you fought for your freedom,
for your children's lives,
the honor of your women...
and all that is good in the world.
And Rome fought for what?
The whip and the cross.
I love Rome but she's become a whore.
I despise what she is but I'm too old to leave her.
And in truth, I helped to make Rome what she has become.
Agrippa, we have to go.
Yes, get the chariot ready.
What is your son's name?
Spartacus.
You shame me.
You shamed us all.
Flavius will lead you.
He is as loyal a Roman as money can buy.
Having thus imparted to you my sentiments
as they have been awakened by the occasion, I shall take...
- Where is Agrippa? - That pimp?
Who cares?
Where is she?
- Where is she?
Remarkable...
Whoa!
You're safe now.
Thank you.
Good luck.
And that is how we came here.
And how does the story end?
I don't know, Spartacus.
It becomes your story now
and you must find your own ending.