It doesn’t take long for Spartacus himself to be hit with two key revelations that lead to the realisation that success on the battlefield is now almost impossible. Naevia returns with the head of Crixus, a sign that even the undefeated Gaul wasn’t victorious against Crassus. This is coupled with the news of the Roman general Pompey’s arrival, an indication that the forces the rebels must face are now even stronger.

Spartacus knows that what’s coming will be the end in some way, so he opts to boost the morale of an army that he is sure are heading to their deaths. His first move is to trick Crassus by sending men to pose as messengers from Pompey. He hopes to lure Crassus away from his camp and kill him, instead the Roman chooses to send his son to represent him in the meeting. Spartacus captures Tiberius and his men, taking them to his camp and forcing them to compete in gladiatorial matches against the rebels.

Proving a point that has been well-emphasised at this stage, the Roman soldiers are hardly any competition at all when fighting against former gladiators in the arena. The show revels in these incredibly cool combat scenes, unveiling some of the most extraordinary pieces of choreography so far. We get to watch Spartacus take down two Romans in style, before Gannicus expertly kills three in an even more stylish fashion. Nasir, who was never a gladiator before, then proves himself still more able than his opponent and Naevia gets an opportunity to kill Tiberius.

Nothing happens as expected, though. The arc of Kore gets closure here as she becomes an embodiment of so many of this series’ ideas about slavery. It’s all about choice. She made the choice to run from Crassus after Tiberius raped her, Naevia makes the noble choice to spare Tiberius in return for five hundred of Spartacus’s men (after proving that she too can best him in combat), Kore then makes the choice to end her rapist’s life by stabbing Tiberius as he leaves the camp.
While this may seem a selfish action, she immediately offers herself as a sacrifice and returns to Crassus. She trades her life for the lives of hundreds of people she never knew so that she could take her revenge. Some may see her actions as naive, but she does what had to be done and is ready to pay the price.

In order to achieve the type of fan service that it is obviously aiming for, ‘The Dead and the Dying’ does have to rush through much of the plot for the Romans. We don’t get that much time to check in with Crassus but what we do get are essential details to flesh out the show’s villain. He promotes Caesar after Tiberius dies and his relationship with Kore has forever changed, with him chillingly telling her that she must return to calling him “Dominus” now.

The episode concludes with one of the most memorable occurrences in the history of Spartacus as the remaining rebels honour those that have died. It’s a powerful scene that brilliantly recalls moments from the show’s past, as the audience remembers Crixus, Varro, Sura, Oenomaus, Mira, Duro and many others. It’s a fitting way to end an excellent penultimate episode. It builds to a tremendous crescendo, leaving both the show’s committed viewers and brave characters prepared to head towards the final showdown.

Aired at 10pm on Monday 8 April on Sky1.

> Buy Spartacus: Vengeance on DVD on Amazon.

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