Spartacus: Vengeance -

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

If I were to sum up "Wrath of the Gods" in one word, it would have to be – Unrelenting. Any fan of Spartacus is accustomed to a good amount of blood, death and violence on a weekly basis but the finale to Vengeance delivers an onslaught of pivotal moments that will have a profound impact on the series going forward. To use an obvious cliche, "Wrath of the Gods" kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and left me breathless, cheering, mourning and excited about what is to come next. This season had its up and downs but this finale delivers everything I would expect from Spartacus.

Mira is the first to fall in an episode that has several pivotal deaths. Over the course of the season I've grown to love Mira's character. It would have been easy to keep Mira as Spartacus' love interest at the start of the season and leave her at that. Instead, she developed into quite the fierce warrior who demanded a lot of herself and of Spartacus. She became a strong leader who became a symbol of what the freed slaves of Rome could achieve when set to purpose.

Just when Ashur thought he had everything going his way, Ilithyia steps in and turns the tables, crushing any hopes he may have had of freedom in the process. It was funny seeing how easily Ashur's goon squad was bought out from under him. I'm surprised he was at all surprised they went for Glaber's offer so quickly.

Part of me wanted to see Ashur's story play out a little longer. The House of Ashur sounded like such a fun concept that the thought of him being killed off before we could see him get what he wants was slightly disappointing. However, his final moments at the top of Mount Vesuvius were well worth the sacrifice.

IGN Editors Discuss the Spartacus: Vengeance Finale

Ashur's final stand was surprisingly handled. Naturally, I'd assumed that he would fall at the hands of Crixus but events took an interesting twist as Naevia put herself in position to finish off the Syrian. The trick was making the possibility of a Naevia versus Ashur fight believable.

First, Crixus had to go along with the fight and he seemed quite willing to see events play out to their ultimate end. Crixus had watched Naevia suffer emotionally due to what Ashur had done to her so his reasons for letting her take his place were understandable. Next, and the toughest pill to swallow, was that Naevia had to actually stand toe-to-toe with Ashur in one-on-one combat. Naevia's limited training gave her the skills to not look like a fool in battle but it was obvious Ashur was toying with her the entire fight.

Ultimately, Ashur's own arrogance got the best of him and Naevia took advantage. Seeing Ashur's head cut off with multiple blows was shocking. Eventually, he was going to have to die at the hands of someone. I never imagined that someone would be Naevia and I never thought it would be after they openly fought one-on-one. Still, the fight was brilliantly handled, highlighting a personal struggle that has been going on between Naevia, Crixus and Ashur since the events of Blood and Sand. The thought of Spartacus without Ashur is strange. With Batiatus gone, the show has lost both of the characters who we loved to hate.

Prior to the final battle it was interesting to watch both Spartacus and Glaber formulate strategy based on ground position, food supplies and fatigue. However, as Gannicus points out, Spartacus' strength has always lied in his willingness to do the unexpected. The plan to scale down the cliff side of Vesuvius was risky to say the least. I'm also not exactly sure where they found enough vine to scale down a mountain for four men. There wasn't that much of it lying around. Regardless, this off-the-wall plan sparks an adrenaline-charged final encounter between Spartacus and Glaber.

The Romans receive their just-rewards as Spartacus, Crixus, Gannicus and Agron fire an array of fireballs into the encampment. It was a perfect start to an exciting conclusion to Vengeance. This no-holds-barred conclusion sees the death of fan favorite Oenomaus. It was good to see his friendship with Gannicus renewed before he passed on. Oenomaus is another character I can't imagine Spartacus without.

The final confrontation between Spartacus and Glaber was brief but nonetheless chilling. Spartacus finally getting his revenge against the man who enslaved him and his wife lived up to expectations. It's funny to think that, in the end, Glaber wasn't all that skilled with a sword, as it didn't take much for Spartacus to bring him to his knees and shove a sword down his gullet.

- Starz

While all this madness is transpiring in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, the s**t hits the fan between Lucretia and Ilithyia back at the House that Batiatus built. Just when we thought these two were BFFs again both turn against each other in the closing minutes of Vengeance. It was almost sad to see how willing Ilithyia was to turn against Lucretia just to please Glaber, who she had just reconciled with. I was hoping for more from Ilithyia but she's ultimately week and latches on to power to keep herself afloat. Ilithyia's water breaking just before she could push Lucretia over the edge is the only time I could honestly say the "Gods" may have played a part in events. What impeccable timing!

What happens next is another completely surprising moment in an episode that's full of them. Lucretia's madness appeared to have subsided fairly early on in the season. We haven't seen her perform an animal sacrifice in a while and she seemed to be her old self. But as it turns out, she was still plagued by madness within the walls of House Batiatus, prying the baby from Ilithyia's loins -- who survives the ordeal -- and then throwing herself and the child off the cliff. The whole series of events is all surprising and completely shocking. It's almost like they weren't sure what to do with Lucretia so they just had her go insane. Yet, when you think about it, considering what happened at the end of Blood and Sand, it makes sense. She rationalizes it all by claiming that Ilithyia's baby will be the son Quintus never had. And once again, Lucretia's another character I can't imagine the show continuing without.

Casting for Season 3 is going to be fun to watch transpire now that they have some key characters to replace. I'm sure Julius Caesar and Marcus Crassus will fill the void quite nicely. If Ilithyia's still around, and I get the impression she is, it will be fun to see the fallout of her encounter with Crassus' cousin Licinia in Season 1. [Update: Whoops! Never mind, Spartacus executive producer Steven DeKnight is now confirming Ilithyia actually did die in the finale, bringing the death count among major characters in just one episode to a grand total of six!]

There are going to be a lot of fans weighing "Wrath of the Gods" against the amazing "Kill Them All" that ended Blood and Sand. The events of "Kill Them All" are what I refer to if I'm trying to convince someone to watch the series. It cemented Spartacus in my mind as a series that stands up there with some of the best sword and sandals/sorcery television we've seen in the last ten years. I don't feel "Wrath of the Gods" is quite at that level but its sheer ruthlessness makes it every bit as memorable.

To learn more about the Spartacus: Vengeance season finale and what's to come next season, check out IGN's post-finale interview with series creator Steven S. DeKnight!

Chris Carabott is a writer for IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @ccarabott.

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