The episode begins with Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) and Crixus (Manu Bennett) beginning a gladiatorial battle to the death before the elite crowds of Capua, celebrating the prestige of Batiatus (John Hannah) and the honour of patronage bestowed upon him by the Legatus, Claudius Glaber.
Then the flashbacks begin. We see the set up of how this fight came to happen, all the foreplay of Spartacus's plans for vengeance, of Lucretia (Lucy Lawless)'s hatred and yet continued love for Crixus, of Batiatus and Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay)'s insurance that Spartacus would win the final battle, of Aurelia (Brooke Williams)'s continued mistrust of Spartacus for poisoning Crixus, of Ilithyia (Viva Bianca)'s resentment of Lucretia and Batiatus.
I particularly enjoyed the scene where Spartacus and Crixus, finally to fight to the death, shock hands and declared that in other circumstances they might have been brothers. Although Crixus would not be convinced to Spartacus' cause, he promised, should he live, to kill Batiatus one day. Spartacus promised, if the outcome where in his favour, to find and protect Naevia.
When the fight began, Spartacus was reluctant to kill Crixus. He still hoped to bring the man to his side, but Crixus would not be swayed. Batiatus' very fatal mistake was in drugging his former champion. When Crixus began to slow and Spartacus determined the reason for it, their cause became one and the gladiators loosed themselves on the terrified but useless people within the ludus.
Here, Ilithyia's revenge was taken. She left the building as soon as fighting broke out, and instructed her guards to seal all guests within. Many were her friends, whom she had invited her self, but all stayed behind to pay for the grievance she had against Lucretia.
Amid the bloodbath, certain character's had to have their death's properly attended to.
Doctore (Peter Mensah) had to be brought over to the cause, or killed. Although he had been promised freedom by Batiatus, he must have know that once the killing started, his fate was with the rest of the gladiators, and so he took sword and went after the man he blamed for all the dishonour - Ashur.
The fight, the clear dominance of Doctore, and the final appeal to honour that Ashur used to escape death were all in perfect accordance with the personalities we got to know. I am very glad Ashur survived, for I love to hate him.
Of the gladiators, some died and some lived, but only a few remained familiar to us. Of those, the two German brothers suffered the worst. The elder, always the more cautious, was finally saved by the younger in an act of bravery which cost him his life. It was the proper way for him to go - he had never been a particularly strong fighter - and it made the sacrifice of those fighting for their freedom all the more real, since it was obvious they could not all survive.
Numerius (Lliam Powell) could also not simply die. And, although he was considered a man and had cost Varro his life, the lad was only 15. Killing children must always be properly and carefully approached, and I thought his death was exactly what it ought to have been. When he was escaping the enraged gladiators, he fell to the care of Aurelia. A clear indication of how little the Romans thought about their slaves, despite the revolt, she was trusted to keep him safe. Naturally, she asked him about Varro's death, and when he dismissed the man as having absolutely no value, the little wife directed all the pain and anger she had felt over the matter, which formerly had been aimed at Spartacus, as the boy. Varro was avenged by his tiny wife.
Finally, we come to Lucretia and Batiatus. Crixus stabbed Lucretia in the womb, for he would see no child of his born from her. The cut was fatal, but she did not die immediately. She was able, bleeding, to go to her husband. He, surrounded by gladiators, awaited Spartacus. Wishing to go to Lucretia, he was prevented by the man whose wife he had killed. As Lucretia fell dying, her husband was cut down beside her. I could not help but feel some pity for these two, despite the fact that the machinations that led to their deaths were of their own design.
That Lucretia was killed, and not only that, but that she was stabbed so that her child would die, was not what I expected. The cruelty of the act, however, did not affect me as it might have done. I felt that her living, knowing she had lost her child, might have been proper payment for the cruelty she had inflicted on her slaves, even if it had not seemed cruelty to her. That she died was perhaps a kinder fate than she deserved. Still, a horrible act, even if it is not completely unjustified.
Season 1 of Spartacus: Blood and Sand far surpassed my expectations for intelligent television, as well as fulfilled my every wish from a sexy, violent show.
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