Spartacus and crew free another band of slaves being sent for the dreaded Mines. A slaver with his dying breath tells Agron and Nasir that Naevia lives but is working the Mines. Agron, who believes an attempt to free Naevia would result in the death of all the Rebels, lies and tells Crixus that Naevia is dead. In Capua, Ashur tortures Oenomaus to get information on Spartacus and his men unsuccessfully. Lucretia tells Ashur to use other means to get Oenomaus to speak. Ashur reveals to Oenomaus his wife Melitta's affair with his closest friend Gannicus . Oenomaus in his disbelief inadvertently reveals the rebels' purpose of going south in search of Naevia. Glaber, focused on holding his status, neglects his wife Ilithyia. Meanwhile, Nasir can no longer bring himself to maintain Agron's lie and tells Crixus the truth. Agron takes his own group to make camp at Mt. Vesuvius. Spartacus, Crixus, and the others that remain go to the mines. Disguising themselves as slaves and guards, they infiltrate the mines in search of Naevia. However, Glaber had dispatched his soldiers to the mines, along with Ashur, and they arrive shortly afterward. After Ashur recognizes and slaughters two of Spartacus' men posing as guards, the soldiers enter the mines in pursuit. Crixus is briefly reunited with Naevia, but as they attempt to make their way out, the soldiers catch up with them. Crixus battles the soldiers so Naevia and the rebels can escape; Crixus fights courageously but is ultimately overwhelmed, with Ashur delivering the final blows which knock Crixus out cold.
Tropes:
- Attempted Rape: When the lead Roman at the mines stars asking too many questions, Mira quickly presents herself as an "apology" for their late arrival. He wastes very little time trying to rape her.
- Awful Truth: What Nasir and Agron were trying to hide from Crixus: Naevia is in the mines, the place touted as Hell on Earth.
- Breaking the Fellowship: Agron successfully causes half of the rebels to leave and split off with him to go to Mount Vesuvius and seek shelter, believing that directly assaulting the mines will get them all killed.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Both the Romans and Ashur give it a go with Oeomaus. He ability to embrace pain let's him take it without cracking.
- Despair Event Horizon: Crixus crosses it when Nasir and Agron "reveal" that Naevia is dead. He gets a Heroic Second Wind when Nasir reveals he lied.
- A Fate Worse Than Death: The mines are shown in all their glory, and they are truly a horrible place, with slaves being constantly beaten, raped, and worked to death, with no hope of reprieve. Naevia has become a Broken Bird with a hint of Sanity Slippage after only having been their for a few weeks.
- Friendship Moment: Crixus of all people takes the time to apologize to Nasir for judging him unfairly, saying he was wrong to think all Syrians are untrustworthy, and that he doesn't have the right to dislike Nasir for trying to kill Spartacus, as he himself tried several times in the past. This is what motivates Nasir to come clean and tell him Naevia is still alive.
- Groin Attack: Mira does his quite effectively with the head of the mines, threatening to castrate him is he doesn't help, and then holding on while he does.
- I Gave My Word: The reason Spartacus continues to press on with Crixus to infiltrate the mines, despite knowing that Agron is right about the danger and stupidity of it.
- I Shall Return: Spartacus declares, under his breath, to all the slaves in the mines that he will be back for them.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Agron, full stop. Yes, it is absolutely horrible to leave Naevia to be raped and worked to death in the mines, but making direct assault on them is a suicide mission, which would destroy everything they have worked for. He turns out to be 100% correct in this regard, and his splitting up the rebels ends up saving a good many of them.
- Negated Moment of Awesome: Crixus tries to pull a heroic last stand to buy the others time. While he does buy time, he's knocked out by Ashur before he can die courageously.
- Self-Harm: Glaber forces Ashur to physically slice off his slave brand as a show of loyalty. Ashur does, and it is just as painful as it sounds.
- Spotting the Thread: Ashur recognizes two of the minor gladiators guarding the entrance to the mines, and immediately kills them before they can react, having realized Spartacus is at the mines already.
- Step into the Blinding Fight: The gladiator fighting style is based on being able to move in the open arena with lots of light. When confined to the dark, claustrophobic mines, they are severely hampered. Crixus is eventually overwhelmed by the shear number of Romans.
- Torture Is Ineffective: Ashur spends most of the episode torturing Oenomaus to no avail. It's only when he reveals the affair between Gannicus and Melitta that Oenomaus lets slip the reason the rebels are moving south.
- Trojan Prisoner: The rebels capture a wagon of slaves bound for the mines, then disguise themselves as such.
