At some point, everyone knew all hell would break loose. This is Spartacus, after all, which actually became a somewhat respectable show down the stretch with twist after twist. For "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," that episode is "Reckoning."
Following Gaia's death, the house is in ludus, with Titus kicking Quintus and Lucretia out, Gannicus prepared to be sold, Ashur being conniving bastard, and Naevia freeing Diona. The unrest in the house is stretched out through the episode, and we know something bad will happen.
It all comes to a head in a bloody final scene, which isn't as effective as previous murders of the series, but is still potent. Without knowing the writers' intent, this was my thought process: At first, I thought Tullius had poisoned the wine once Titus started talking. Then when Melitta took the wine, I wondered to myself whether she would drink it. Lucretia admitting to poisoning the wine came as a shock, but Melitta's death wasn't that shocking since I was thinking about it in the back of my mind.
Still, the finale next week looks like be bloody fun. Will Gannicus survive so we may see him in the second season?
Score: 8.8/10
