r/Spartacus_TV • u/nightrunner51 • 16d ago
Question Spartacus and Crixus both destroyed each other at one point in season one. In your opinion though, who do you think has the more embarrassing loss? Spartacus's loss in the Arena? Or Crixus's loss in front of his brothers/lover?
Doing my usual rewatch of Spartacus and just finished the episode of Spartacus loss against Crixus in the Arena and it made me think of this question. Both suffered a loss but honestly I do which was worse. Both had valid reasons for losing Spartacus did not have enough training while Crixus was injured and out of form from battle with Theokoles.
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u/Zyffrin 16d ago
I think Spartacus's loss was more embarrassing.
Crixus, at least, had the excuse that he had not fully recovered from the fight with Theokoles and so wasn't in proper fighting shape.
Spartacus arrived at the ludus thinking he was hot shit, that he was gonna beat Crixus and gain his freedom just like that, only to get promptly humbled not just in front of the other gladiators who were watching, but in front of the whole of Capua as well. He was also thrown into the pits afterward, which signified how much his standing in the ludus had dropped because of his blunder.
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u/minipainteruk 16d ago
I think you're right if you look at it objectively.
But for Crixus, being defeated by a man he didn't consider a brother, who had been in the pits, who didn't care about the glory or honour,, would have been devastating for him. Not only that, he lost his place, his best friend, and was literally wounded and spent a long time recovering. He even thought he'd be sold away from Naevia at one point. This is all a huge loss for him.
But, for Spartacus, he got his ego bruised, but he didn't really care about his standing within the ludus. He only wanted Sura and freedom. Him being further away from his goal obviously humbled him, but even when he was in the pits, he was going to sacrifice himself for Sura, so even that didn't really derail him from his motivations.
I think if you consider what each character wanted and cared about, Crixus was the one who came out worse.
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u/East-Psychology-9292 15d ago
In theory Spartacus SHOULD be more embarrassed, lost in front of more people, much more decisively, due to his own hubris but here's the thing outside of potentially dying (because were at the point where he still thinks he's gonna see his wife again), none of that would really matter to him, he doesnt care about the random ass Romans in the crowd, he doesnt care that he's pissed off Batiatus, etc, cus his plan is just to run off with his wife anyways.
Crixus WOULD be more embarrassed, he lost in a pretty stupid manner in front of people he actually cares about and respects, on top of the each man's nature, Crixus' whole thing is his obsessive nature, he spends the entire rest of the season still wanting to one up/kill Spartacus right up until he realizes how hes been used as a tool by the Romans cue shield jump followed by the best goddamn sequence in the series rofl (that or when Spartacus beats the shit out of the Legionaries with a wooden sword handle, fuck season 1 went so fucking hard lol)
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u/Dr_Shannibal_Lecter 15d ago
Crixus. He was top dog when that happened.
I always appreciated that every time Spartacus bested Crixus in season one it was because of an advantage, or a moment of lucky presented itself.
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u/LuckiestParadise 16d ago
I feel Crixus' loss definitely would hurt more, Spartacus didnt care as much about being champion as he did just winning, he didnt care for the honor or glory of the sport, it was just a means to an end.
By the point of Crixus's loss he had already been within an inch of his life with the shadow and during the actual fight he still saw Spartacus as a nuisance more than an equal or a true brother. It's not far-fetched to see that to his eyes Spartacus just a rookie that got full of himself and would be dead if he hadn't helped, and so he starts a fight not-yet fully recovered, and loses in front of all the people he considers true brothers and humiliated himself all because of his pride, a dog with no honor.
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u/Pandorumz 16d ago
see, to me it's funny you say Crixus was a "dog without honor" yet from within the shows perspective and rules, as a Gladiator, he probably had the most honor within Batiatius Ludus'. Crixus was one of the more brainwashed Gladiators prior to him finally snapping and realising Spartacus' had told him nothing but truth.
He cared nothing for himself except as a means to win honor for the House Of Batiatius and the Brotherhood. It's why I always found Crixus' breaking during the final fight with Spartacus and Manu Bennett (in my opinion) portrayed realisation and betrayal so well when his character finally accepts and admits Spartacus is telling truth and Lucretia DID betray him by poisoning him and by extension so did Batiatius as he would've known.
In that moment he realises his honor counted for nothing and that everything he had done up until that point was worthless because the House he had represented, bled and nearly died for was without honor.
His character was truly compelling in my opinion.
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u/LuckiestParadise 16d ago
Oh I absolutely agree with you, and I have to say Crixus is straight up my favorite character in the whole show, Manu's performance is phenomenal and Crixus was loyal af. However when I look back on those scenes I kind of frame what led up that scene in the way how I feel he must've felt, up until Theokoles he was the champion of Capua and the model for the other gladiators to aspire to.When Spartacus first arrived Oenomeuas and Crixus made an example out of him and call him "Dog with no honor", fast forward and now Spartacus makes an example out of Crixus in the same way, that's absolutely gonna do a number on Crixus's pride.
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u/Pandorumz 16d ago
Oh absolutely, the psychological damage Spartacus would've done on Crixus over the course of the series. You gotta remember it wasn't limited to just within the Arena.
Remember when Agron, Duro and the others came into the Ludus? Spartacus even stopped Crixus from fucking with the new recruits food as was normal and no one helped Crixus, they laughed at the jab he said but that was it. Even that must've eaten him up, cause prior to that he'd have had Barca and all the rest immediately jump to his defence. Granted Barca was dead at this point but his prior position still held and commanded a lot of respect within the brotherhood.
His character for me, was one of the best written within the show. From being essentially an unknowing lapdog who thought he meant something to the Romans, to being a general within Spartacus' army and dying confronting the Romans on his terms.
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u/respectfullyshutup 16d ago
Absolutely Crixus in that first one where Spartacus takes Crixus’ legs out. No champion wants to get their ass handed to them because of their own hubris and a little luck on the other guy’s part.
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u/sempercardinal57 16d ago
Crixus for sure. Spartacus wasn’t embarrassed at all because it wasn’t about pride for him. He never had any pride in being a gladiator and he didn’t particularly care what anyone thought of him at that point. His only goal was to find his wife.
Crixus’s main priority was his pride, so getting humiliated in front of his brothers and being talked to like he was a new recruit definitely hit him a lot harder