Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - "Reckoning" Review

Lucretia and Batiatus face an important decision.

by Chris Carabott
"Reckoning" would have made for a great Valentine's Day episode. So much of the motivation of these characters is borne out of a twisted sense of love for one another. Well, except for Ashur, he just loves himself.

There were hints early on that Lucretia had been poisoning Titus. When Lucretia had started serving Titus honey wine, that's when his coughing had begun. Yet the way it was handled was subtle enough that the final reveal of her devious act still felt surprising. Lucretia's sudden transition from obedient daughter-in-law to vindictive bitch during the poisoning scene was brilliant. Just when Titus was beginning to accept the possibility that Lucretia wasn't all that bad, it's revealed that she is far worse than he could have ever imagined. Lucy Lawless was phenomenal during the entire sequence. Her voice changed as she revealed her dark plot to poison Titus so that he would once again leave the House of Batiatus behind.

Titus' death was juxtaposed with Melitta's own demise after she drank from the same wine. I was wondering how they were going to find a way to get rid of Melitta before the end of the series without having her murdered by Doctore in a jealous rage. Doctore simply isn't that type of man and to present him as such would have been terrible. It's unfortunate that Melitta had to die doing something deceitful herself but it sets up so many possibilities for the final episode. I can't imagine Doctore being kept in the dark about what has happened.

After all those cold stares into the camera, Batiatus prepared -- but couldn't bring himself -- to kill his own father. After all his scheming and thoughts about killing his own father, he still hangs on to his humanity when he hears how much his father loves him. I love how John Hannah's face completely changed when he heard Titus reminisce about the past. It's almost as if Batiatus was disgusted by the man he was becoming; what his lust for power was turning him into. And for the rest of the episode he seemed better for it. A changed man who would rather embrace the love of his wife than let his urges for power control him.

The scene with Lucretia and Batiatus bathing together stands out as one of my favorites of the series thus far. They're left with an important choice and it appears that both embrace the idea of being together instead of fighting to keep themselves under Titus' roof. Batiatus had chosen love over power. That's an unthinkable turn of events when you consider his character in Blood and Sand. I was genuinely under the impression that Lucretia wanted the same. Disgusted by what she had done with Crixus, I expected her to want to run just as much as her husband. You have to wonder though, what if they took the other path? What an interesting alternate story that would have been.

- Starz

Ashur continues to make enemies. With Dagan turning against him, Ashur is left with no one else to hide behind. Naturally, he turns to his usual method of subterfuge to get himself out of a messy situation. Ashur is a horrible, horrible human being, which is what makes him so fun to watch. There is nothing redeemable about his character whatsoever. Too bad Dagan had to lose an eye but we all know what is eventually coming to Ashur. I'd be interested in seeing Dagan return for Season 2 of Blood and Sand. Ashur is still alive and it would be fun seeing Dagan finally get his revenge.

Lucretia's affair with Crixus had a surprise beginning. There always seemed to be such a deep emotional tie that Lucretia had for Crixus in Blood and Sand that I had never expected their relationship to begin with such a cold sexual act. The fact that she doesn't want to look upon Crixus' face as they have sex due to her disgust with what she is doing spoke volumes about her love for Batiatus. Lucretia is clearly growing to hate herself. There's a good woman in there somewhere, but it's lost amongst the need to make her husband happy and to keep herself by his side.

For Gannicus, this episode saw his life transformed forever. He lost the woman he loved and found himself bartered to Tulius' Ludus. Considering the time constraints the writers have been under to tell his story, we've seen Gannicus go through an incredible amount of change in a short period of time. This was the same man, just four episodes prior, who seemed to be on top of the world despite being a slave. As a character, Gannicus initially seemed to be straightforward on the surface. But with each episode the writers dug a little deeper into his soul, revealing a fragmented and passionate man who has spent considerable time seeing the woman he loves in the arms of his best friend. Now that he finally had the opportunity to be with her, willingly, it was torn away by circumstance. What a horrible and tragic conclusion to their storyline.

During all the plotting and scheming, Crixus quietly rose to be the new champion of the House of Batiatus. With Gannicus giving up the victory to Crixus, it would be great to see the two face off one more time in the arena as members of rival houses. It's an interesting setup and certainly plausible considering what has happened. "Reckoning" has set the stage for what should be a spectacular finale that could rival Blood and Sand's own conclusion.