Spartacus Episode 2: Sacramentum Gladiatorum

Spartacus wakes in Batiatus’s ludus after his brutal arena victory, still recovering and already angry, and he is shown a disturbing dream of being reunited with his wife that ends in blood. He wakes chained down, has his long hair shaved off, and remains furious and resistant to his new captivity.

Batiatus begins trying to break and redirect that anger. After Spartacus sees Glaber leaving the ludus, he lashes out at a nearby servant, and Oenomaus has to intervene before he kills him. Spartacus also loses the purple ribbon that had meaning for him, and Oenomaus later brings it to Batiatus, who realizes it is tied to Spartacus’s wife and uses it to manipulate him. Batiatus shows Spartacus the ribbon and offers him a deal: Spartacus will fight and serve the ludus, and in return Batiatus will help find and return his wife, Sura.

Spartacus is then put through the training and testing expected of a new gladiator. He works alongside and among the other trainees, including Varro, who proves important during the episode as a fellow fighter Spartacus can relate to. The episode emphasizes Spartacus’s struggle between vengeance and survival as he is pushed toward accepting the role Batiatus wants for him.

That night, the gladiators gather for the formal test of the trainees. Spartacus is chosen to face Crixus, the undefeated champion of Capua, in a decisive bout. The fight is hard-fought; Spartacus shows real skill and, in the end, gains the advantage by throwing Crixus from the platform. He moves to finish him, but Batiatus orders him to stop, and Spartacus finally submits, acknowledging Batiatus as his master.

The remaining trainees then take the gladiatorial oath, the *sacramentum gladiatorum*, and are branded with the mark of Batiatus’s house on the inside of their arms, formally binding Spartacus to the ludus and its brotherhood.