Original subtitles

I'm going to save your life.

In return, at dinner tonight,

you will mix the powder in this flask

into Marcellus's food.

Marcellus. No. No. No.

- I'm pregnant again. - Oh!

The day we got back, my husband was charged with treason

against the Senate and people of Rome.

Treason? Primus?

I've asked Marcus Messalla Corvinus to defend me in court.

Your exact words were,

"Forget the treaty and the Senate."

One of them's guilty, and it can't be him!

I gave my word to Primus. Exile and the money you promised.

We would try to pardon him quietly,

when the dust settles.

He always goes to the baths with Agrippa.

We'll do it there.

So, Gaius, you are going to die at the baths tomorrow,

in the ninth hour.

Let me do it.

Great and beautiful Nemesis,

proud goddess of Vengeance,

this is Octavia, daughter of Atia Balba Caesonia.

Why don't you hear my prayers?

My son has been dead a year.

How much longer must I wait?

My heart is cold and broken.

Give me my son's murderer, the vile slave Aprio.

I will sacrifice my entire herd of cattle

in my estate at Milonia.

I beg you. Give me vengeance.

I beg you. Give me vengeance.

I am Caesar Augustus!

And I will give anyone, citizen or slave,

100,000 in gold

for the head of the traitor, Marcus Messalla Corvinus.

We're looking for your master.

- Dominus. - Ugh... uh!

One of you must know something.

Where your master went.

Where he's hoping to go.

Anything?

Anything at all?

Thank you.

Listen, Piso, Gaius and I are leaving Rome.

Sicily, Greece, Asia, Syria.

We'll be gone for years. Well, that explains

the elimination of all dissent here first.

To do what has to be done, we need Gaius alive.

He has to survive.

And so do you, of course.

The end justifies it all.

I've betrayed all my principles,

one after the other,

because I believe your plan to restore the Republic

is the only chance we have left.

But it relies on a lot of things.

Most important is Drusus.

A young man of 16 who has no idea what you expect of him.

There's a hitch.

What hitch?

Oh, huh.

Drusus isn't up to it.

He lacks judgment.

Intellect politically.

Oh, what? So, that's it? It's all off?

No. It... It just needs someone else.

It needs Tiberius.

Ti...

Tiberius?

Seriously? Have you met him?

He loathes Rome, hates its politics.

All he wants out of life is a library in the hills.

It does not matter what he wants.

He'll be persuaded.

You can't be persuaded to do something like this.

You have to want it. You have to die for it.

No, no, no, you have to face it, Livia. It's over.

Nothing is over! They're young. There's still time.

No, there isn't. This is what I've been trying to tell you.

You'll be gone for years. You might never come back.

And if you do, I might not be here.

We need to know. They need to know.

They're not ready. Not yet.

I need to know.

When you get to my age,

you never know what's round the corner.

Oh!

It's him.

Where are you two going?

We weren't expecting you back yet, Mother.

I hate it when you call me "Mother."

What would you like us to call you, Mother?

I'm going to the mausoleum tomorrow with Piso.

At the third hour, I need you to come.

Sorry. As fun as that sounds,

we're on the hunt for Corvinus again, first thing.

Not anymore.

I suppose we're in for one of our serious talks.

Probably. I won't be going.

- Yes, you will. - No, I won't.

I'm not going on my own.

Yes, you are.

No, I'm most certainly not.

Domini, forgive me. The house of Octavia?

Straight down there.

You're not...

- What? - Ready.

You've barely spoken to me since I said I wanted to leave.

We have a huge estate outside Rome.

I just want a chance to work it.

Our own land. Our own thing.

- For our child. - I said I'd go, didn't I?

They're going away for years.

We wouldn't have gone with them anyway, would we?

Anyway, you've been free since you were 15.

but it doesn't mean anything.

To you or Livia.

You still follow her everywhere.

Even when she's killing people.

She's your whole life.

Because you're too scared to have one of your own.

I meant no disrespect.

I was going to tell you.

May I ask one more thing of you?

I'm going to the mausoleum tomorrow.

- Of course. - With the boys.

He wouldn't be the first either.

He certainly won't be the last!

It's driving me nuts!

So the elephant says to the naked man,

"How do you breathe through that?"

- See, Gaius? - Livia!

We were about to send out a search party.

Um, here, take this one.

Nope? Oh.

Did you find Corvinus yet?

It's only a matter of time.

Are all these executions really necessary, Gaius?

They all had fair trials, Mother.

How many of them were there?

You should get married again.

- What? - Set an example.

- You set one! - You're out of mourning.

When I'm out of mourning, Gaius, I'll let you know.

Telling me what to do...

while you let this man Primus

blame my poor dead son for his treachery.

You should be avenging the family's honor,

not letting him crawl off into exile.

The one man that you should be killing.

Shame on you, Gaius Julius.

I hope his ship goes down in a storm.

Excuse me, Domina.

What?

Where is Primus?

Down at the port.

Waiting for a payoff and a ship to Athens.

Everything all right, Mother?

We also promised him a pardon.

That was more an aspiration than a promise.

I hope I wasn't interrupting your cozy dinner with Scribonia.

- She came with Octavia. - What?

Lying next to you like you're married or something.

- She saved our lives. - She betrayed her lover.

- I call that loyalty. - Oh, fuck your loyalty!

You're cutting Primus loose.

His wife was sleeping with Crassus.

So, he's a fool, not a traitor.

Equally dangerous.

He lied for us in court.

He blamed Marcellus.

Who else could he blame?

Well, it's killing my sister!

Look...

Primus is getting away with his honor,

his life and a lot of my money.

So, the pardon...

The pardon can wait a bit.

All right. We can do it now.

Hmm.

Abraxas?

Lady.

You were jealous.

Of what exactly?

Antigone's leaving us.

She'll never leave you.

They found him.

Aprio.

Somebody buried his body in the woods.

At Baiae.

Near the villa and the port.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

He had the ring I gave Marcellus.

Buried?

All this time I've been looking all around the world,

and there he was all along. Right here.

How was he buried?

Somebody killed him.

First, clearly.

Yes.

They found this with the body.

It's a diploma of freedom, in his name,

from his master, Titus Marcius Memor.

It's a forgery, of course - perfectly executed -

as Marcellus was his owner.

So, we know that after he killed my son,

he was silenced.

Which begs the question...

by whom?

I wish to be alone.

Octavia. Octavia, there's something I kept from you.

I kept it from everyone...

about Marcellus.

When everyone thought Gaius would die that time...

Yes.

...Marcellus expected to be nominated his successor.

He had friends who expected that, too.

Powerful friends.

If Gaius died,

Marcellus was going to execute both of Livia's sons.

She and Antigone were to be exiled

for the rest of their lives.

- No, that's not possible. - He told me himself.

- It's a lie! - It is not!

It was all planned.

He had his reasons, and so did his friends.

Livia.

Livia told me...

She told me that I don't know him.

You're missing the point.

If I knew...

who else did?

What if Livia knew?

What would any mother do to protect her children?

And Antigone is an expert in medicines.

Scribonia?

What do I do?

What do I do?

The Port at Ostia.

We'll catch the wagons up on the way.

Yes, Lord.

You sure about this?

Gave him my word.

I'm sorry you found out like that.

Well, in the end...

you are free.

Am I?

We all live in a messy tangle of feelings and obligation

and the history, you know, you have with people.

I'm not sure I know what freedom is.

Here.

They're all waiting inside.

You're against this?

I'm scared.

Me too.

You're scared they won't do it.

I'm scared they will.

Father...

we give you this wine from Antigone's estate at Nepi.

Twenty years ago, after the battle of Philippi...

I brought your grandfather's body back from Greece.

Your mother swore a sacred oath to his spirit

to restore the Republic he died for.

She married her enemy

and turned him from a gangster into a tyrant.

So that Drusus could inherit.

Inherit what?

Stepfather's power. And give it back to the Senate.

What? You knew about this?

No.

Once you understand the premise, it's a simple deduction.

Does Stepfather know why you married him?

That's not how it was.

At first it was survival.

Then came love.

But after that,

I began to see the possibilities.

- Yes. Yes, I bet you did. - Tiberius.

With their blood and their sacrifice,

your ancestors built the Republic of Rome.

Then your father betrayed it all.

For the honor of our family, it falls to you to make amends.

You know, most of my friends gave their lives for this!

Show some fucking respect!

What would we have to do?

Exactly.

You just go on as you would do anyway,

in the army and the Senate,

loyally serving Rome and your stepfather,

but when the time comes, be ready.

The rest you can leave to me.

You make it sounds so simple.

Your brother can't do it alone.

He needs your cunning, your brilliance.

Without that, without you, he will never succeed.

He will never survive.

I'll do it. I will.

I won't!

This will get him killed.

Just like everyone else who ever crossed Caesar Augustus,

son of the divine Julius.

I won't do it.

Not for you

and never for some political idea.

Then do it for Drusus.

He's a fool.

The Republic is dead.

So is your father.

And so, to me...

are you.

Wait. Where are you going?

- She didn't mean it. - Yes, she did.

No, she didn't.

Stop.

Tiberius.

Forget it! Let him run.

I know where he's going.

I want Tiberius gone today.

It was your vow.

Not his.

Please ask Tycho to make the arrangements.

So...

What's going on?

The four of you were in Baiae when Marcellus died.

Why are you dragging this up now?

New information has come to light.

We now know that the slave Aprio was murdered in Baiae.

They found his body buried in the forest near the villa.

We're now forced to consider

whether Livia may in fact be responsible.

Livia?

That's the maddest thing I ever heard.

Why on earth would Livia be responsible?

It pains me deeply to have to say this...

but Marcellus was...

Marcellus was planning on killing Tiberius and Drusus

when he succeeded my brother.

But Aprio poisoned Livia as well.

And me and Julia.

Yes, but you didn't die though, did you?

- Only Marcellus died. - This is stupid. It was Aprio!

Yes. Marcellus attacked him.

I saw it. Just before dinner. Aprio was furious.

That explanation no longer answers.

The slave did not work alone.

He was paid a lot of money. Clearly by Livia.

I mean, what was Livia doing there in the first place? Hmm?

She hates the seaside.

And where did the slave get the poison anyway?

Antigone gave Marcellus something to drink

before he died.

She gave us all something to drink.

It was seawater so we'd throw up.

Yes, but Marcellus didn't throw up. He just died.

And Antigone hated Marcellus. Everyone knows that.

And she knows about poisons and things.

Everyone knows that, too.

She couldn't have killed Aprio, and neither could Livia.

No.

No, then that had to have been Tycho.

He left the villa just before the dinner.

Where did he go?

Hmm?

Did anyone see him again that night?

N... What... What's the point of all this?

We have to destroy her...

as she's destroyed my son.

- Gaius needs to know. - Mother, please!

Livia mustn't know anything about this.

No warning.

She mustn't be given any time to prepare her lies.

Is that completely understood?

Do you understand?

We will go and see my brother immediately.

Well, that's the end of our sister's betrothal to Drusus.

I just don't believe it.

And Tiberius, he won't get anyone.

So, what do you think?

Is it possible she killed Marcellus?

If she did, she saved my life.

I'm glad he's dead.

Always was and always will be.

And his uppity fucking slave.

We should do something.

What?

I miss you.

Even though I see you every day, I miss you so much.

Sometimes you have to fight for what you want, Iullus.

Sometimes you have to take it.

Maybe it's time to pick a side.

I hate gulls. They eat everything.

So do you.

Primus!

Welcome to Ostia.

We brought you a present.

This is an unexpected honor.

We had to come down anyway.

We're thinking of extending the port.

- It needs more whorehouses. - He means warehouses.

I'm very grateful.

We don't forget our friends.

Otherwise our friends will forget us.

I've found a ship for Athens, sailing tomorrow.

Well, if you have to do a bit of exile,

you could do a lot worse.

The wine's not bad and living with Greeks -

the women are grateful.

It feels good to be on the same side again.

We were always on the same side.

Um, you know I knew nothing about any of that.

- Corvinus and Crassus, I... - Of course.

Obviously, I'm divorcing Porcia.

Well, you should get Livia to find you a new one

while you're away. She enjoys that sort of thing.

Yeah, I'll write to her. Thank you.

Good.

Well, you took your time.

I promised Octavia.

You promised Livia, too.

Put him on a ship to Athens anyway.

They can lose him at sea.

Get this cart back to Rome.

Oh, Varica's.

- He'll be there. - I'll leave you to it.

Varica!

Nero Drusus.

An honor to have you here again.

Wine for our guest.

- I'm looking for my brother. - He's through here.

We have some brand-new Germans by the way.

I can always send them in later if you... if you wish.

We should talk about this.

I mean, do you think it can be done?

In theory?

Tiberius.

I mean, it'd be incredible, you know?

To make history like that - the two of us.

Restore the family honor.

Avenge Grandfather, the Republic.

I'm not scared.

She's right about one thing, though.

I can't do it without you.

She killed Marcellus.

Mother.

- That much is obvious now. - What?

And that means she killed Father, too.

We don't know that.

I've always known that.

Because that's what happens

when people get involved with Mother.

They die.

She's a monster.

So is Gaius.

That's how it works.

That's how they work.

Through him she has power.

And when he dies, it will be through us.

It never ends.

I'm not scared of dying, Tiberius.

I'm scared of not living.

But then...

I'm just a fool.

Aunt Livia, forgive me.

Tycho told me that you were here.

It's important.

I have something to trade.

Some news.

But I do want something in return.

A marriage to Julia would be very good for me.

Politically.

She's marrying Agrippa.

Of course. But he won't live forever.

And when she does become available,

I want you to fix it.

For me.

And not, for example, Tiberius or anyone else.

And don't tell me you can't.

I won't.

Anything else?

Yes.

I want preferment, like Tiberius and Drusus.

I'm the son of Marcus Antonius,

and I am sick of being pushed aside.

You should be happy you are not dead.

Do we have a deal, Aunt Livia?

You want a lot.

I bring a lot.

Easy, there! Slow down! Slow down!

Whoa!

They found Corvinus.

He's in the Tullianum.

May I join you?

What's your name?

Valeria.

We are trapped.

You and I.

Both of us.

In a room where no light ever comes.

Feeling for a doorway out of the dark.

There is no doorway.

Just walls and darkness.

And all we're looking for - any of us -

is a little...

...happiness.

Mother.

Anyone you want.

Corvinus.

Gaius sends his regards.

He couldn't be bothered to come.

I'm a Roman citizen and a senator,

and I have the right to a public trial.

That's more than we were going to get.

You're a pair of tyrants. What did you expect?

I still have the right to a trial.

I know, and you'll get one.

But you don't need to be there.

Wait!

I'll tell you who killed Marcellus.

I know who killed Marcellus.

Everyone knows who killed fucking Marcellus!

I don't want the body found or recognized.

You wanted to see us?

So, Tycho,

what happened to Aprio... again?

Aprio?

The Spaniard.

I told Tycho to kill him.

And I did.

I gave him my word!

Your word would have got us all killed.

That was not your decision to make.

We couldn't leave the Spaniard alive,

and deep down, you know it.

He had to be silenced.

But he wasn't... silenced.

- I buried him in the forest. - Well, not deep enough.

They found him.

They know. They know everything.

What we did, how we did it, and why.

I'm sorry.

Octavia's at the house with her daughters,

waiting for Gaius.

And so now, we fight for our lives.

All of us.

We can run.

Now. You and me.

We'd be at the coast by the Kalends. We could disappear.

Forever.

You'd be admitting your guilt.

They would never stop looking.

- We'd lose everything. - Except our lives.

And our child's.

If we stay, we could lose that, too.

Would you come with us?

No.

I am the daughter of Marcus Livius Drusus.

I don't break my word, and I don't run.

But you must choose for yourselves.

Because that is what it means.

Freedom.

I thank you for your service and for your friendship.

I will never forget you.

Where would we go?

Egypt?

I must still have family there.

It... It's some kind of home.

Not for me.

I was born in Rome.

My mother was born in Rome and hers before her.

I am a citizen.

This is my home.

And she is my sister.

I choose to stay.

Let's go.

Are you sure?

We are.

It's a terrible thing that Livia did to Marcellus.

That Marcellus did to her.

And that I am doing now.

Husbands and wives.

Mothers and...

children.

Poison and blood.

There's no end to it.

There's no end to it ever.

Marcellus deserves vengeance.

So do we.

They're here.

Gaius, I have something terrible to tell you.

It's about Livia and Marcellus.

And Antigone and Tycho.

They killed my son.

Piso's here.

I'm sorry for what I said earlier.

You know, I'll never let anything happen to you.

Fuck!

Tiberius.

She's dead.

Tiberius. The girl!

I don't know why you come here.

What did you do? What happened?

What did you do, Tiberius?

I was just talking to Mother.

Varica's a piece of work.

You two should leave!

Come.

Get him home, now.

I'll deal with Varica. Go on.

If there's a plan, now's the time.

Fuck her!

Oh, everyone's here.

I hope you left me something, I'm starving.

We were all wondering...

if you poisoned Marcellus.

- I'm sorry. What? - My son.

Did you kill him?

Your son?

Why would I do that?

Did you know Marcellus was planning

to kill Drusus and Tiberius?

- What? - Did you know?

I did not! And I don't believe it.

He told me himself.

- Well, he didn't tell me. - You knew.

You knew.

You were paying the German slave in Scribonia's house

just as you were paying Aprio in mine.

The slave has admitted to everything.

She overheard Marcellus, and then she reported to Antigone.

- It's a lie. - You be quiet, freedwoman!

You have no right to speak here!

What is this?

The slave, Aprio, was found dead in Baiae.

His body was buried.

Hidden.

Do you think I killed him?

Of course not. You had Tycho do it.

And Antigone gave Marcellus the poison.

We don't know what it was.

Right, maybe I paid the slave to poison me, too.

And everyone else.

Means, motive, and opportunity, Livia.

You had all three.

If you think I did it, stand up and say so!

Somebody has to stand up for him! He's dead!

My brother's dead! They should be tortured.

We are not slaves.

Well, they were slaves. What's the difference?

The difference is they're not fucking slaves!

And nobody's torturing them.

Gaius, I need to know.

Well, she has to... - Torture me!

Stop!

Stop.

Stop it. All of you.

Your German slave, your witness.

Bring her here.

Let her settle this.

Let her speak.

I sold her.

Can she be found?

Yes, of course she can be found.

Then do it.

Agrippa, make sure the slave is found.

Bring her back.

- Gaius. - Marcellus is avenged.

The slave is dead. Let me take you home.

- Sister, let me take you... - Who killed the slave?

- Come. - I can go on my own!

This is far from over, Octavia.

Anything but.

What do you think?

I think we've picked a side.

Now she owes us.

So?

He knows.

But he's keeping it to himself.

Why?

Agrippa told us.

Did you do it?

Marcellus?

He was going to kill you both, Little Bears.

And Father?

No.

My love.

That was me.

Your mother knew nothing about it.

It was years before I told her.

Why?

Because he deserved it.

I'll do it.

I'll help him.

Drusus.

I'll do it...

Mother.

I want you to make sure

that Scribonia never finds that slave.

Not that Livia would leave another loose end.

It was Marcellus who drew the sword first.

He wasn't ready.

Not for Livia.

Not even close.

There's no proof.

What will you do?

I don't know.

I won't speak of this again...

to anyone else, ever.

Neither will you.

You can go. Thank you.

I love you, Livia Drusilla.

I love you, too.