[SPOILERS] After last week's surprisingly enjoyable instalment, I was actually psyched to see how the story would progress with "Delicate Things". The good news is that this episode definitely maintained the quality, as Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) used his newfound celebrity status (vanquisher of the mighty Theokoles) to plan an escape from slavery.Batiatus (John Hannah) announced the discovery and safe retrieval of Spartacus' wife Sura (Erin Cummings), giving Spartacus a day to prepare for her arrival at the ludus. He used the time to ensure he'll have the ideal opportunity to escape, by using his own money to pay for a night of debauchery for his fellow gladiators and guards (so they'll be hung-over and easier to defeat the next morning), then drugging trainer Doctore (Peter Mensah) by stealing medicine the severely injured Crixus (Manu Bennett) is being treated with.
Concurrently, Batiatus learned that the little boy he ordered Barca (Antonio Te Maioho) to kill last week has been found alive -- meaning that once Magistrate Calavius (John Bach) questions the boy about who killed his family, the finger will be pointed at Barca, and in turn Batiatus. Ashur (Nick Tarabay) overheard Barca assuring his lover Pietros (Eka Darville) that he spared the boy's life and passes the information on to Batiatus, who takes it at face-value and decides to have Barca savagely killed for his misguided act of mercy. Unfortunately, a cruel twist in the tale came when Calavius arrived to give Batiatus the bad news that the discovered boy wasn't the right one, meaning Barca has been brutally killed over a simple lack of trust.
Spartacus: Blood & Sand is starting to do a much better job with its storylines, offering us simple but effective plots that deal in such universal themes and juicy treachery that you can't help but enjoy them. This episode cast Batiatus in a much darker shadow than ever before; shrugging off the unnecessary murder of Barca as a simple "misunderstanding", before revealing the full extent of his despicable nature by having Sura murdered shortly before her arrival, so that his debt to Spartacus to reunite him with his wife would be paid, but in a manner that would keep this most lucrative warrior exactly where he is.
And I have to admit, I didn't expect the show to have already given Spartacus such stature amongst the gladiators, or for Sura to have died halfway through the season. I'm not sure if both developments are unexpectedly brave moves, or premature and misguided mistakes, but it's certainly left me less sure about where the remainder of the season is headed. Which is a good thing, if it leads to somewhere interesting. I just worry that the death of Sura has eliminated the only tangible emotional touchstone to Spartacus's character, who is arguably a thinner character than a supporting player like Crixus (who has a more appealing love-triangle storyline).
Overall, "Delicate Things" was another very good episode (from Tracy Bellomo and Andrew Chambliss, who have a good pedigree), in how it balanced the bloodshed and plot very nicely. It's funny how you become desensitized to things too, as seeing Lucretia's (Lucy Lawless) breasts during a scene where her husband's discussing events while having sex with a slave girl has almost become passé. And I think the show's doing a good job developing some interesting relationships amongst the people of the ludus (both masters and servants), with this episode bringing Ashur's character to the fore and making us realize the apparently noble and honourable Batiatus is just as selfish and corrupt as the rest.
WRITERS: Tracy Bellomo & Andrew Chambliss
DIRECTOR: Rick Jacobson
GUEST CAST: Manu Bennett, Peter Mensah, Nick Tarabay, Jai Courtney, Antonio Te Maioho, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Erin Cummings, Eka Darville, John Bach, Lliam Powell, Mark Mitchinson, Matt Gillanders, Raicho Vasilev, Siaosi Fonua & David Austin
TRANSMISSION: 28 JUNE 2010 - BRAVO, 10PM
