While the second season of Spartacus concerned itself with the legendary gladiator’s transition from a warrior of the arena to a leader of men, the third and final season is already showing that leadership is far from simple.

Subtitled War of the Damned, we already know that there’s no way these ten episodes will end without significant and devastating losses among the slave army. As with previous years of this exhilarating series, however, it will likely be impossible to predict what will happen along the way.

In this season’s premiere, ‘Enemies of Rome’, we are provided with a look at the problems facing Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) now that the numbers of his army have grown “beyond wildest expectation” and the forces of Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrells) are beginning to rally against him. Appropriately, the scale of the show has expanded to be larger than it has ever been, and it is proving to be one of television’s most epic dramas. It’s hard to think of anything that stages battles of the kind seen here, and the dynamic combat sequences that open the episode are as exciting as anticipated.

The goals of the rebellion have changed, though, and where the Spartacus of Vengeance would have constantly seen opportunities to get payback, here we see a man willing to put everything on the line for the cause. McIntyre has really grown into this role very convincingly, and his conversation with Dustin Clare’s Gannicus is very telling when considering how far both the character and the actor have developed since the start of Season 2.

One of his advantages in the war against Rome, however, has always been that his opponents underestimate him. Indeed, that is one of the reasons he was able to win so much in the arena too. With Crassus, the show is introducing the first realistic threat to Spartacus. Crassus spends most of the episode being taught gladiatorial fighting styles by a former champion, as he realises that he needs to understand the type of enemy he’s up against. Equally, though, he doesn’t presume that Spartacus will be an easy target tactically.

The ending twist may show that he can anticipate the rebel leader’s moves, but he can only do so because he acknowledges that he would make the same decisions. There’s no doubt that this is the most evenly matched battle that the show’s hero will face.

‘Enemies of Rome’ also serves as an effective reintroduction to the significant characters that remain after the bloodbath in last season’s ‘Wrath of the Gods’. Each of them gets a chance to highlight their particular attributes and strengths as compelling arcs are established. The news that this would be the final season of Spartacus was initially met with disappointment over its imminent conclusion but the fears of fans should have been put to rest with this brutal and breathtaking return.

It seems fitting that the final season should feature an enemy as challenging as Crassus. This episode goes out of its way to create parallels between him and Spartacus, clearly setting him up as the most worthy adversary yet.

Those who don’t watch the show tend to assume that it’s all violence and nudity but Steven S. DeKnight and the writing staff continually display their strong abilities when it comes to long-form storytelling. On the evidence of this excellent premiere, the final season will be able to provide Spartacus with the ending that it deserves.

Aired at 10pm on Monday 11 February on Sky1.

> Buy Spartacus: Vengeance on DVD on Amazon.

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