This article contains SPOILERS for Spartacus: House of Ashur Episode 5, "Goddess of Death."
Today Starz unleashed the fifth episode of Spartacus: House of Ashur, it's new spinoff of the stylish gladiator series Spartacus. Each episode of House of Ashur has ratcheted up the tension more and delivered bigger returns, but even by its own solid standards, this is an important installment. "Goddess of Death" finally sees Achillia (Tenika Davis) enter the arena for the first time, where she's expected to fight the Brothers Ferox during the Ludi Apollinares.
Except when Achillia's opponent appears, it isn't the Brothers Ferox, but the most fearsome champion in Proculus' arsenal, Ammonius. Achillia has been disadvantaged and challenged every step of the way on her journey to becoming a gladiatrix, and this newest obstacle is by far the greatest threat she's ever faced. Even one wrong move means death.
Despite sustaining grievous injuries, Achillia emerges triumphant, only to lose consciousness seconds later from blood loss. It's easily the most epic moment for Spartacus: House of Ashur yet, and a highlight of the entire season.
We had the opportunity to interview Davis ahead of the premiere of the show, and discussed the difficulty of filming such a physically demanding role as Achillia, the mental challenges facing the character as she carves out a place for herself in the male-dominated ludus, and of course, her big showdown with Ammonius. Read on for our full spoiler discussion, edited for length and clarity.
WINTER IS COMING: Achillia is really put through the wringer in the first few episodes of House of Ashur. What was the hardest part of filming this show for you?
TENIKA DAVIS: The hardest part of filming the show was the strength and resilience it took to keep on getting back up. And I believe that that's Achillia's journey. I hit the ground running when I first started the show, but when you literally hit the ground and you are in the dirt, what is the thing that drives you to be able to get back up when your body is wounded and you're feeling like you just can't do it anymore? Literally, this character is about breakthrough. It's about that resilience and finding that inner strength inside to keep on going.
WiC: How much of those falls is you getting thrown on the ground, and how much is a stunt double?
TD: Well, to be honest, I did have a stunt double, but a lot of those falls we had to work in tandem to be able to create. There was a point where I was like, listen, nothing great happens on your own. I just want to attribute Al Papatin, the stunt team and the amazing talents on the set, we all went through this together and there was a point where we definitely said, "Oh my gosh," like we're all kind of winded, but at the same time, we understand that that's the character's journey. We shouldn't be getting away from that. If we all were feeling strong and wonderful in every single moment, then we wouldn't be bringing truth to the life of this world. And sometimes that exhaustion is what you need to be able to lend truth, but also to break through and find that resilience.
WiC: Achillia isn't given the benefit of the doubt very much in this show by basically anyone except Ashur, a little bit. Why do you think it's so difficult for the men around her to accept her, and what do you think that she represents appearing in this time period?
TD: You know, I'll just be straight up about it. The show is about outsiders and underdogs, and that's exactly what she represents. If we look at the class structure of Roman society at the time, Ashur is an outsider and an underdog...he tries to connive, scheme, do everything possible to get these people to accept him, and they just don't want him. And parallel to that is Achillia's journey in the ludus, where it's like, she could come in with all the ferociousness in the world, but it's a world of men and they have been training and putting all their dedication and time into this life's mission of becoming a champion in the ludus. How dare she come in and try and take them away from that?
So I would say definitely Achillia in this world, she's audacious. It is the audacity of Ashur to bring this person who clearly is not wanted in this world as an underdog and an outsider to these people who have dedicated their lives to a concept and things that they don't want her. They don't like her. They're not even trying to get to like her. But one thing is they will recognize her. And [she] comes in unapologetically fierce, letting them know that she will command the respect that she deserves by the way that she gets back up, by the way she keeps on fighting, by the way she will not bow down and succumb to the idea of being a slave.
WiC: Speaking of earning that respect in a pretty major way, I did want to ask about your big fight scene at the end of the fifth episode, where Achillia finally enters the arena only to find herself facing Ammonius instead of the Brothers Ferox. What was filming that like for you?
TD: Oh, filming that, it was epic. Epic, one word, if I could describe that. Walking into that arena, you felt all of the excitement, the nervousness, the fear, the panic, all of that was real. We had drums blaring, you know, people screaming, all of the above. And I felt terrified when I first saw Ammonius, who's played by a lovely man named Josh [Randall], come out and be presented because I had an idea of how things would go, but I think that speaks true to life. Sometimes we have an idea of how things, the plan in our minds will go, and then reality hits us and it's something completely different and we're forced to pivot.
So I felt, just having that quick wit...also really understanding that, you know, what's happening here happens in life. Every single day that we're surprised by something, shocked by something, and I was going to have to find a way in those circumstances to still be able to stand up and fight and do the job that needs to get done. And Achillia did.
The first five episodes of Spartacus: House of Ashur are now available to stream on the Starz app. New episodes Fridays until the season finale on January 30, 2026. Tune in for the second half of the season to find out what happens to Achillia after her epic showdown in the Ludi Apollinares, when Spartacus: House of Ashur returns in the new year.