Not all glory is gained in the arena, and this week's episode of Spartacus: House of Ashur sees the Syrian's renown take a great leap forward through an act of genuine heroism. In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Korris (Graham McTavish), the Dominus Ashur (Nick E. Tarabay) receives welcome news that puts him on a collision course with Cossutia (Claudia Black) and her daughter Viridia (India Shaw-Smith), though not in the way you might expect.
All the while, Achillia (Tenika Davis) continues her training to take on the Brothers Ferox. "Blood and Bone" is another rock solid episode of House of Ashur that firmly shakes up the stakes, setting the stage for what's sure to be a major event episode next week.
FULL SPOILERS for Spartacus: House of Ashur Episode 4 below.
Achillia's breakthrough teaches Tarchon a difficult lesson
This is an important installment for Achillia, who spends the entirety of the episode training hard for her eventual showdown with the Brothers Ferox. "Blood and Bone" opens with her fighting three gladiators in the ludus including Tarchon (Jordi Webber), to simulate what she'll face from the brothers. She loses, and even after some taunting from Ashur, she still struggles in future bouts. I really like that the show is taking its time with Achillia, rather than making her immediately more skilled than all the gladiators who've already been training for years. She has raw talent, like Spartacus himself, but it takes time for that to find its place on the sands of the arena.
Achillia finds help from an unexpected source when Celadus (Daniel Hamill) joins her at dinner. She tries to brush off the threat of the Brothers Ferox since they're only "half men," but Celadus promptly shuts that talk down, insisting they fight with singular focus — unlike the gladiators she's training against. He advises her to take out Tarchon and then the others will fall soon after.
This is an interesting turn for Celadus, because he's seemingly helping Achillia defeat his own son. But it's all in the name of tempering Tarchon's tendency to rush in headfirst, before that urge gets him killed in the arena. Celadus is slowly becoming a fascinating character, and his scenes with Achillia are great.
The next day, Achillia finally defeats Tarchon and his comrades, and throws one of his own taunts back in his face as he lies bleeding on the ground. It's a great scene, and a well-earned moment of triumph for Achillia.
Afterward, Tarchon calls Celadus out on helping her against him. Celadus doesn't back down though, because ultimately he is trying to help Tarchon stay alive, and he is the acting Doctore of the ludus — and therefore, loyal to the house's overall glory above all else. Celadus does want Tarchon to succeed, but recognizes the faults that will ultimately get him killed first. Tarchon tries to blame those faults on his father, then tries to punch him, then ends up tossed in the nearby pool, once again proving Celadus' point.
The dynamic between Celadus and Tarchon is a very interesting one, and I like that House of Ashur is spending the time to make their differences feel like a real family squabble.
The final scene focused on Achillia's storyline we get in this episode before the ending sees her and Tarchon trading words the next day in the ludus. Tarchon tries to be gracious if pointed, and Achillia is having none of it. She rubs his loss in his face, which feels pretty deserved given all the grief the gladiators have given her so far. At the same time, there's a feeling she's made an enemy here she didn't necessarily need to, and one much more dangerous than those she had on her initial entry into the ludus. I'm nervous for the eventual clash between these two.
Cossutia and Viridia go to market
"Blood and Bone" also gives a solid amount of time to Claudia Black's Cossutia, which is very much to the episode's benefit. Right from the jump, we get to see other sides of this character, as we catch up with her getting pleasured by one of Opiter's (Arlo Gibson) slaves, which leads into a conversation about the various schemes the pair has going on. Black and Gibson are great scene partners.
Opiter butters Cossutia up with news of Egyptian linens arriving at the market, then tries to convince her to allow Ashur's fighters into the Ludi Apollinares. This backfires, however, when Cossutia tells Opiter that she believes Korris was mortally wounded and may not live long, since she obviously knows about the assassination attempt that she herself coordinated in the last episode.
This sends Opiter running to Ashur's villa, where he shares a surprisingly tender bath scene with Korris. Opiter tries to be much more forward in this scene, while Korris' manipulations to try and get into the games finally becomes so obvious that the other man calls him on it. In spite of it all, there's a genuine attraction between these two, and it makes for a moving scene as Korris' walls finally slip enough to kiss Opiter.
While that's going on, Cossutia finally convinces her daughter Viridia, who is still grieving her husband slain at the hands of Spartacus, to leave the house and go to the market with her. Claudia Black really crushes this scene; Cossutia is a schemer, but this feels like a heartfelt entreaty from mother to daughter. Ultimately, Viridia caves, and they decide to go shopping together like old times.
The tribulations of the House of Ashur
Let's circle around to Ashur now, before the big finish where he crosses paths with Virida and Cossutia. Early in the episode, the Dominus receives a message seemingly from Crassus, telling him to "prepare for honored arrival." Ashur wants to secure his position in the games before his patron's arrival, but has no choice but to make ready nonetheless.
This leads him to the market, where he overhears Proculus (Simon Arblaster) showing off his warriors to the crowds. Ashur steps in, making a scene as he tries to maneuver for a rematch between the Brothers Ferox and his chosen champion. Adding texture to this move is the fact that Proculus actually seems like he would very much be up for it; however he doesn't get to decide who participates in the Ludi Apollinares, Gabinius does.
Despite Ashur's best efforts, the crowd turns on him when the Brothers Ferox start hurling fruit at him. It's a total embarassment, which happens in front of Ashur's house slave/lover Hilara (Jamiaca Vaughan). He then storms back to the ludus, takes out his frustrations with a fiery diatribe at his own gladiators, and then the next day returns to market with Korris to collect Crassus' luggage — yet another task he finds demeaning.
Ashur and Korris to the rescue
That leads us into the main event of the episode, where Cilician pirates attack the marketplace. Horatia (Lisa Chappell), Cossutia, and Viridia are perusing the silks after a crude attempt by the older women to set Viridia up with a new suitor, when suddenly a pirate chops Horatia's head clean in half. It's a sudden, brutal way to kick off the action that remains shocking even after watching the episode multiple times.
The ensuing battle is utter chaos, as Cilicians and Roman guards fight amidst the colorful marketplace, while bystanders try desperately to get out of the way. The pirates have a suspiciously strong focus on Cossutia and Viridia, separating them and trying to carry off the younger woman. Poor Viridia! This is her first time leaving the house in who knows how long, and she's immediately attacked.
To Cossutia's credit, she actually picks up a blade and tries to fight them off to protect her daughter, and gets knocked unconscious as a result. The pirates say they "need but one" of the women, and prepare to kill Cossutia. But just then, Ashur and Korris wander back into the marketplace after arranging transportation for Crassus' luggage and see what's happening. Upon recognizing Viridia, Ashur dives headlong into the fight with Korris at his back.
The ensuing fight scene is one of the more complicated that Spartacus: House of Ashur has pulled off so far, and it's riveting to watch. Ashur manages to save Viridia, while some romantic music plays as they make eyes at each other...but then the fight continues and he barely manages to defeat the pirates. McTavish does an amazing job as Korris, with brutal movements and shouts that make the former champion feel so formidable as he easily slices through his foes. There's a brief second where Cossutia regains consciousness and thinks he's going to kill her, but instead he cuts down a pirate who was coming up behind her.
Just like Korris' brutal alleyway fight in Episode 3, there were moments where I actually thought characters might die in this fight. Not every show can pull off that kind of tension, and I appreciate how well House of Ashur is managing it.
A just reward and an unexpected arrival
Following the carnage at the marketplace, Ashur and Korris take the shaken Cossutia and Viridia back to their villa, where Gabinius (Andrew McFarlane) is extremely grateful to have his wife and daughter back alive. There's a very interesting moment in this scene where Cossutia thanks Korris for saving her life, saying she's glad he didn't fall to his wounds (which she caused with her own scheming). This is probably my favorite episode so far for Claudia Black in the series; she does a fantastic job protraying the complexity of this turn for Cossutia.
Gabinius wants to reward Ashur, and surprisingly, Ashur actually tries to turn it down by saying that Viridia's safety is reward enough. But Gabinius doesn't want to be in debt to the Syrian, so he offers to put Ashur's fighters in the Ludi Apollinares. And just like that, the thing Ashur has been trying so desperately to secure all season so far is finally locked in place.
He heads back to the ludus to celebrate, giving the good news to Hilara and Korris. There's another notable moment where Hilara picks up on the fact that Ashur seems to be smitten with Viridia, which I'm sure won't be an issue for the possessive house slave at all. It feels like just desserts though, considering how cold she's been to Messia (Ivana Baquero) since the other slave confessed feelings for her last episode.
Another notable moment: Ashur tells Korris he no longer needs to pretend affection for Opiter, now that their spot in the games is secure. Korris says that will be a relief, but it's obvious he doesn't mean it. McTavish plays the clammed up conflict of the aging gladiator so well, and I'm curious to see how that plays out.
The episode ends with Ashur breaking the good news to the gladiators, and confirming that Achillia will fight the Brothers Ferox in the games. But just then, they're interrupted by Crassus' arrival. Except it isn't Crassus who rolls up to Ashur's village in a carriage, but Gaius Julius Caesar and his wife Cornelia.
Then Ashur breaks the news to the gladiators. Tarchon wants to know if he's in the games, but the only person Ashur will confirm at this point is Achillia to fight the Brothers Ferox. But just then, they're interrupted by Crassus' arrival. Ashur and Korris rush out to greet Crassus...only its not Crassus who's arrived, but Gaius Julius Caesar (Jackson Gallagher) and his wife Cornelia (Jaime Slater). Cornelia in particular was entertaining in the trailers for the show, so I can't wait to see how that goes for Ashur next week.
Verdict
"Blood and Bone" continues a very consistent opening run of episodes for Spartacus: House of Ashur, which so far has not missed a beat. This episode has some great moments that let actors like Claudia Black, Graham McTavish, Arlo Gibson, India Shaw-Smith, and Nick E. Tarabay show off their acting chops a bit more, as well as a thrilling action scene that has all the blood, guts, and slow motion you'd expect from a Spartacus show. Throw in the arrival of Caesar and Cornelia, and the fact that Ashur's attempts to secure a place in the upcoming games have finally borne fruit, and it feels like the series is finally moving out of its beginning and into an unpredictable next chapter.