Maureen Ryan from The Huffington Post interview Steven and Lucy on the Season finale Wrath of the Gods
Don't read this unless you've seen the March 30 season finale of Starz's "Spartacus: Vengeance."
I propose a name change for "Spartacus: Vengeance." It's clunkier, but maybe it should be called "We Just Killed Your Favorite Character."
As we all know by now, "Spartacus" creator Steven DeKnight does not mind killing characters off, and you may even wonder if he revels in the bloodshed that occurs near the end of every season of the show. But "revels" isn't the right word: Having interviewed him several times, it's clear to me that DeKnight loves the show's characters as much as fans do, and yet, when it's time for them to go, he's willing to off them, usually in spectacular fashion.
Welcome to the afterlife, Ashur, Lucretia, Oenemaus, Ilythia, Glaber and Mira. We'll miss you.
Don't read this unless you've seen the March 30 season finale of Starz's "Spartacus: Vengeance."
I propose a name change for "Spartacus: Vengeance." It's clunkier, but maybe it should be called "We Just Killed Your Favorite Character."
As we all know by now, "Spartacus" creator Steven DeKnight does not mind killing characters off, and you may even wonder if he revels in the bloodshed that occurs near the end of every season of the show. But "revels" isn't the right word: Having interviewed him several times, it's clear to me that DeKnight loves the show's characters as much as fans do, and yet, when it's time for them to go, he's willing to off them, usually in spectacular fashion.
Welcome to the afterlife, Ashur, Lucretia, Oenemaus, Ilythia, Glaber and Mira. We'll miss you.
As much as I regret having to say goodbye these characters, as I said in my review of "Wrath of the Gods," each death and twist felt earned and logical. The finale may have had an enjoyable vibe of absolute mayhem, but one of the things I love about the show is that, emotionally and logically, it usually feels right for certain characters to exit the gladiator saga when they do. The worst thing any show can do is hang onto characters well past their expiration date, but you can't accuse the relentless (and relentlessly entertaining) "Spartacus" of doing that.
Still, I felt the need to send both DeKnight and "Spartacus" actress Lucy Lawless a few questions. I asked DeKnight to explain and expand on a few key decisions and to confirm whether Ilythia is really, truly dead. (I didn't ask him if he was glad to be thousands of miles away when the finale script arrived at the show's New Zealand studios -- because by this time, all the show's actors should know that the words "Spartacus" and "long-term contract" don't often go together.)
As for Lawless, I asked when she found out Lucretia would die and how she felt about her character joining Quintus Batiatus in the afterlife. Could there be a Lucretia spinoff coming our way?
(Note: Both these interviews were conducted via email.)
