Lies, distrust and duplicity plague the house of Batiatus and impact the hopes of both Barca and Spartacus, who have

Having performed shamefully in the arena against Crixus, Spartacus is forced to fight in the Pits. Batiatus, determined to profit

Though Spartacus proved himself during training and now wears the attire of a gladiator, his coarse attitude and relentless quest

Now the property of Quintus Batiatus, Spartacus finds himself at Batiatus’ gladiatorial combat school. He is anything but cooperative and refuses to do as he is told leading to frequent conflict with his trainer and other gladiators, particularly Crixus. Claudius Glaber would still like to see him dead and takes delight in telling him that his wife is still alive and that his men raped her after they were taken into bondage. Batiatus, who is having severe financial problems and is in debt to money lenders at usurious rates of interest, is hoping to gain favor with Glaber. A evening of food and entertainment doesn’t go as planned when Glaber and his wife, looking down on their provincial hosts, leave as quickly as they arrive. Glaber’s visit does provide the carrot Batiatus needs to reign in Spartacus: cooperation in return for the promise of finding Sura.

In its war on the Greek peninsula, the Romans convince the Thracians to join them in defeating the Getae, who have been raiding Thracian villages for generations. The Thracians are fierce warriors and prove to be valiant in battle. They are deceived by the Roman commander, Claudius Glaber, who orders them to fight against the Greeks, something they had not counted on. One of them in particular refuses to fight and rebels against the Romans only to lose the fight and is enslaved along with his wife Sura. The Thracian is transported to Capua where Senator Albinius is sponsoring gladiatorial games. In the arena, the enslaved Thracian manages to defeat four opponents and in allowing the Thracian to live, Senator Albinius decides to name him after a Thracian king from the past: Spartacus.

Batiatus’ father announces a tournament to determine the worth of the men that make up his stable of gladiators. Crixus,

Just as his fortunes are on the rise, his future clear before him, Batiatus is stunned by the return of

Batiatus conjures up a devious plan and enlists Lucretia, Gaia and a clutch of gladiator recruits to see it through.

A younger Batiatus finds himself newly in control of his father’s gladiator school. He uses his most skilled fighter to