['Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' - 'Reckoning']

It makes sense that the fifth episode of this prequel season would be the most compelling one yet. It took four or five episodes for 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' to fully gel, and while 'Gods of the Arena' didn't have the same pacing or tone issues that the first season did when it began, 'Blood and Sand' still needed time to build up the stakes for the characters.

The stakes were high in the melancholy, wonderfully crafted 'Reckoning,' and many characters were forced to make difficult, if not tragic, choices.

What added to the pathos was the fact that the characters knew the prices they'd be paying for those choices -- up to a point. Lucretia couldn't know how much damage she'd do by poisoning Titus' wine, but by now, she should know that pursuing vengeance always brings unintended consequences.

Still, she started from a place of self-sacrifice, or as much self-sacrifice as she could muster. Of course, she couldn't wait to have Titus out of her life, and she'd been helping that process along for years, as it turns out (it's a great credit to Lucy Lawless' masterful performance that it both was and wasn't a surprise that Lucretia has been poisoning Titus for years).

She had no love for the man, but she didn't kill Titus due to her own personal animosity. She did it because she knew her husband couldn't do it. Say what you will about those two -- their love is real, and they both showed it in 'Reckoning,' in their own twisted ways.

She proved her love for Batiatus by making two huge sacrifices: She took it upon herself to kill Titus (and, unwittingly, Melitta), and she let a dirty gladiator paw her body in hopes of giving Batiatus a child. Both are things she wouldn't have done had she not felt forced to. They ensured her survival, of course, but she did these things so that she could remain with her husband, and both deeds cost her something.

And if the look on her face in Titus' death scene was triumphant, her grim, humiliated expression in her scene with Crixus was just as eloquent. Lawless was on fire in this episode, easily transitioning from grief over Gaia's death to fury at her father-in-law's obstinance to abject hurt at Batiatus' badly timed remark about her inability to give him a child.

All those emotions were real and raw, but Lawless knows how to give great melodrama as well. She can play the nuances of the small moments, like the quiet scene in the pool, but she can amp it up for the big operatic moments, like Lucretia's scene with her detested father in law. From the moment she told Titus she was "far worse" than he'd ever thought, she was Bette Davis in a toga, all regal fury and manicured revenge. It's tough that we won't have John Hannah's Batiatus around in the next season of 'Spartacus,' but it'll be fabulous to observe a cornered, desperate Lucretia when the next chapter of the story unfolds.

Speaking of Batiatus, he was ready to sacrifice all in this episode as well: He was willing to give up the ludus and his ambitious to keep his wife at his side. There was really never another choice, though Hannah did a typically sensational job of playing the ambiguity of the arena scene. Batiatus wanted to be the kind of guy who could brain his father and finally take revenge for the years of put-downs and insults, but he couldn't do it in the end. That's a good thing.

If nothing else, 'Gods of the Arena' has reminded us that, whatever terrible things they've done, Lucretia and Batiatus are human beings capable of being wounded. At a few points in 'Blood and Sand,' they were taken to some extreme, somewhat overly villainous places. Even though it's meant as something of an origin story for the characters and the events of 'Blood and Sand' haven't been undone by 'Gods of the Arena,' this prequel series can still serve as something of a corrective to some of the excesses of 'Blood and Sand.' Their vulnerabilities only make these characters more compelling.

Of course, it absolutely makes sense that Lucretia and Batiatus were more cynical in 'Blood and Sand,' because cynicism is what often follows the loss of illusion. All the characters in 'Reckoning' gave up a cherished dream in this episode: Gannicus lost to Crixus on purpose because he had given up his fantasy of being with Melitta; Ashur gave in to the idea that the only way he'd stay out of the mines was through treachery; Titus realized his son wasn't a perfect copy of his old man and that Lucretia couldn't be shamed out of the house. As Lucretia and Batiatus did, everyone faced facts as they were, not as they wanted them to be, and that created the sense of resignation that pervaded the well-paced hour.

The biggest tragedy of it all is that the character who had done nothing wrong got the most awful outcome. Doctore's one measure of comfort, his wife, was ripped from his life, thanks to choices that began with the very masters he obediently and loyally served. When you think about it, 'Spartacus' is one big Mobius strip of pain: If Lucretia hadn't forced Melitta to have sex with Gannicus, those two wouldn't have fallen in love, and Gannicus wouldn't have eventually chosen to leave the ludus rather than live with his unrequited desire. And because he chose to leave, Melitta came to him for a farewell encounter, which, unknown to her, would be her final act. Because of the greed of the House of Batiatus, more lives are broken, as more will be in the future.

Were any of these characters in control of events? Will they ever learn that the more grave the action, the more serious the unintended consequences? Those seem to be the central questions of the drama, which manages to wrap those serious questions in a tasty coating of sex, violence, desire and ambition. Thing is, I wouldn't count on Lucretia or Batiatus learning much. After all, Lucretia just gift-wrapped a nice present for her husband: A gold-plated reason to take out his arch-enemy, Tullius. And so the cycle of vengeance and unintended consequences will go on and on.

For the slaves, there's this question as well: "What price will you pay for love or for freedom?"

Think about poor Gannicus: He had existed for years without knowing what real love was, yet when he found it, it was under the worst possible conditions. And then, as the capper to his ill-fated affair, Melitta died in his arms. Every time a character on this show comes close to contentment, fate intervenes to break hearts and destroy dreams. 'Spartacus' creator Steven DeKnight learned well from his old boss, Joss Whedon.

Dustin Clare was terrific in the episode, whether he was almost wordlessly communicating his love for Melitta or experiencing the realization that their relationship would never work. But his best moment was his uncomprehending stare at Lucretia's reaction. Gannicus was just beginning to realize that, yet again, a slave had merely been a pawn in some game played by his "superiors." There's no doubt Lucretia felt pain at Melitta's death, but her first instinct, as always, was for her own survival. It was left to Doctore to throw his wife off the cliff just as Gaia was discarded the week before.

I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Gannicus willingly dies in the 'Gods of the Arena' finale next week. He's been deprived of love, friendship and freedom. What more is there to live for? But if he does squeak by and survive, I hope both he and the escaped slave Diona join Spartacus' slave uprising.

They'd certainly be motivated members of the team.

A few stray observations:

• When Doctore shouted "Gladiators, attend!," he sounded like the Doctore of old, the one we knew from 'Blood and Sand.'

• I do hope we see Jessica Grace Smith, who played Diona, again. She did outstanding work in a small role. And if we do see the character in future, I hope it's not in some horrible, tragic circumstances. Damn it, allow me to hope her life doesn't get worse!

• No wonder nobody likes Ashur. Sure, he's a survivor, but he's willing to sell out anyone, anytime. Even if you can understand his reasons, his lack of honor isn't exactly attractive. But every show has to have a villain you love to hate, and Nick E. Tarabay certainly plays the ludus' most self-serving, slippery character well.

• "I only wished to make you proud of me, father." A line that could have been corny coming from anyone else is, of course, weighted with depth and meaning coming from John Hannah. I'll say it again, I'll miss this actor when the new season arrives. Perhaps Batiatus has an identical twin we've never met?

• When we saw Lucretia come out dressed in Gaia's wig, we knew it was ON, am I right?

• So what has to happen next week? I'm guessing Tullius will die in some way or other, and Gannicus will probably die as well. Will Doctore find out about Gannicus and Melitta? In a way, I hope not. The one comfort he might have going forward is that his wife was true to him.

• Speaking of Gannicus, clearly the Missio he gave was to Melitta, not really to Crixus. Poor Gannicus.

• And speaking of Melitta, her offer to pretend to do Titus' bidding in the matter of purging Gaia from the house was just one way in which the slave was kind to her mistress. Despite her thoughtfulness, Melitta lay dead a few hours later. But 'Spartacus' reminds me another of my favorite shows, 'Downton Abbey.' No really, I'm serious. Both dramas demonstrate how something approaching friendship is almost possible across class lines. But both programs show how fraught with danger and disappointment those relationships can be.

• Please be sure to check out my recent interview with Peter Mensah, who plays Oenomaus/Doctore. That story also has some thoughts from 'Spartacus' creator Steven DeKnight.

'Spartacus: Gods of the Arena' airs 10PM ET Fridays on Starz.


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