Spartacus: House of Ashur

I think people are pissed off that is not what they expect it to be, i.e. The same as the previous instalments.

I quite enjoy it, I am a big fan of the previous series and here, the tone, the dialogues, the action even is on the same level.

There are two main points that people moan about: 1. That is Ashur 2. That Achilia, the main protagonist, is a woman

To which I can reply: 1. The actor and the character are doing a fantastic job, the fact that you dislike him from him being a sneaky rat in the first series and him being origally dead is like super childish,

2. Yeah you can not relate to the character, and is a bit non-realistic, but... it's a freakin' show...

So if you manage to see it face value for what it really is, instead of for what you wanted the serier to be - you might enjoy it too.

Dead on arrival - entirely unbelievable as a previously beheaded Ashur comes back to life. Spartacus: House of Ashur feels like a desperate attempt to wring drama from a character whose story ended definitively - sword swing and all. The show leans into over-the-top resurrection logic, swapping the gritty realism and moral ambiguity of the original Spartacus for fan-service fan fiction vibes.

Visually, it still delivers the trademark stylized carnage, gore and full frontal nudity, but the writing veers into parody. Ashur's newfound quest for vengeance plays more like a comic-book villain's revival arc than a continuation of a grounded historical epic. Performances try to sell the concept, yet they can't overcome a premise that undermines the very finale the series once nailed.

A flashy, hollow spin-off that mistakes shock value for storytelling - House of Ashur resurrects a fan favorite only to bury the franchise's credibility in his place. Saved only by gratuitous sex and violence.

The writing quality improved and the storyline is finally starting to form in episodes 4 and 5. I would give episode 1-3 a 6/10. The script was struggling and sounded extremely forced at first but the dialogue is no longer sounding forced. Characters actually are gaining meaning to the audience. Connections to the previous serious are also starting to build. Give it time.

I can't remember the last time I've been this excited for a show as I am in Spartacus: House of Ashur as the original Spartacus is one of my favorite shows ever. House of Ashur is a series built around a "what if" scenario where Ashur didn't die and survived his battle against Spartacus. He now runs the gladiator school where he once served under and as the new "dominus" of the house he tried to raise his social standing on the backs of his gladiators, especially a gladiatrix named Achillia. Even though this isn't close to as good as the original, if you were a fan of the original then you should also enjoy this action packed spin-off.

I really liked the original Spartacus series and I am glad they returned to that universe with House of Ashur. At first I was skeptical of the "what it" premise -the first episode starts a bit shaky while they are establishing this new timeline, but it gets much better afterwards. While not as good (at least so far) as the OG Spartacus story, this series is very entertaining and enjoyable to watch.