Tarabay is captivating throughout the series, which has expanded his character’s emotional depth, allowing the actor to tap into a sensitivity he previously lacked. With Davis, the two command the screen each time they’re on it, and soar when their characters are paired together. .... A spin-off series that not only honors the legacy of its predecessor, but one that, at times, rivals it.

While early episodes are heavier on “300”-style bloody fights and full-frontal male and female nudity – sometimes in the same scene! — the franchise’s delicious character drama amps up a few episodes into the season. This is the good stuff that makes “Spartacus” more than the sum of its arguably gratuitous parts.

House of Ashur’s surface-level outrageousness shouldn’t be mistaken for laziness or sloppiness. On the contrary, it’s undergirded by surprisingly sturdy storytelling.

Tarabay plays him as if he is a shadow that has come into the light. Also coming out strong is Davis as Achillia, enslaved but willing to be a gladiatrix if it means freedom. .... In making Achillia a woman who is scarred both physically and emotionally, creator, showrunner/executive producer Steven S. DeKnight and his writers have fleshed out a character who could have just been a plot stunt into one that is a welcome addition to the storytelling.

Spartacus: House of Ashur essentially pulls off the miraculous, leaning on the mythological extravagances of ancient Roman belief to rewrite history and give a character a new lease on life. It's clever, and it works.

Everything is a matter of taste, and most people know what they like. .... The series takes its melodrama seriously, with evident dedication to its staging its complicated fight scenes, of which there are many. .... And yet so extreme is it in its violence, and so resolute in its naughtiness, that I also find the series kind of hilarious.

STREAM IT, if you’re a fan of the Spartacus franchise. If you’re not, you’re going to be too confused and confounded by Spartacus: House Of Asher to want to continue past the first couple of episodes, so SKIP IT