Previously on Those About to Die...
They remind me of you. Especially that Andria.
I see a day when he's making all of Rome
forget you ever existed.
The Consul Marsus, the Senators Torel and Supulcius
are hereby arrested for treason.
But what has he done?
He has excited the animus of Domitian.
There will be a rematch with Flamma.
Farewell, little Quintus.
Careful, careful.
Watch his head.
Hurry, he's here.
Nica, we were just in time.
A physician. Go quick!
Come on! Come.
Hurry, hurry!
Next, her sister.
Are you done?
- Let him think I'm dead. - Be still.
I came as quick as I could.
Tincture of poppies.
Get his shoes off.
You're going to need it.
When I say, pull slowly and steadily.
When I say, release very slowly.
Pull.
Release.
Prepare some hot water.
What's happening?
- What happened? - It was that shit Noro.
He set him up.
He is all right. Go.
If he moves at all, it will unset the splint.
Then he'll lose the leg.
Tie him down if you have to.
Three bowls of resin with wine, morning, noon and night.
He will want more. Don't give it to him.
I understand.
If there's a hint of rot, come get me at once.
Noro, that treacherous dog.
I should have known.
Well, he's dead now.
The one who did this to Tenax lives,
and if he hears he has survived, he will come back for him.
I'll post guards, men that I can trust.
Well, keep them hidden.
Let the one who did this think he is dead.
Now, go to the apartment on the Cispian Hill,
where he's been putting the gold.
See if it's still there.
I take orders from Tenax, not from you, woman.
When he wakes,
would you rather we tell him
that we did what he would have wanted us to do,
or that you made all the decisions, right or wrong,
mostly wrong?
All right. Woola, come.
After that, come to the tavern.
We set up for betting like normal.
Where have you been?
- Out. - All night.
So it would seem.
What happened?
Listen carefully.
Go to the tavern and open it up.
If anyone asks about Tenax,
tell them he's away buying land near the coast.
But let them think you are lying.
I... I don't understand.
You are good at lying.
Pretend to be bad at it.
Some of his enemies need to think him alive.
Some need to think him dead.
The man who did that to Tenax would eagerly do the same to us.
Go.
He's gone.
So is the gold.
Stop.
Stop. Please, stop.
Wake up. Wake up, you are in a dream.
You're in your room. You're safe.
I lived with a great family when I was a boy.
The master of the house,
he liked boys.
Myself...
But mostly Ursus.
Ursus.
- We were... - Stop.
This is tincture of poppies talking.
No. It's me.
Ursus and I lit a fire to escape.
I got away.
But Ursus was caught.
Because of me,
he suffered. But I...
You did what you had to do.
I don't know what I've done.
He needed me and I left him there.
More tincture of poppies.
- More. - That's enough, the physician said.
You work for me, not the physician.
I'll work for you by obeying the physician.
It's gone. And no sign of this Ursus.
I sent him to see if the gold was still there.
This way.
Husband.
You shouldn't be in a place such as this.
A Roman matron should always be at her husband's side.
Not here.
I tried to obtain an audience with Titus. He refused.
Cornelia?
I tried. She turned her back on us.
We misjudged what giving her to the Vestals would mean for us and Julius.
And for her.
I'm reconciled to my fate.
There must be something else I can do.
- There is. - What?
Don't come here ever again, promise me.
- No. - Think of our son.
The only way to protect yourself and Julius is to denounce me.
No.
You must speak publicly, call me a fool.
A usurper. Curse my name,
- my mad ambition. - No.
Spit on my grave.
- Tell my son to do the same. - No.
How can I do such things? No!
We've already sacrificed too much in the name of our august families.
It is your duty to protect our name.
Your name, Julius' name.
I'm dead.
And must be forgotten if you and him are to thrive.
The curule chair was not meant for me.
But Julius... Bide your time.
Confound those who would stand in your way.
Outlive those plebeian scum
and see our son risen to imperial power.
Put our son on the curule chair.
And his son after that.
- Stop, you wound me. - Bind your wounds.
Let them scar!
Turn from me.
Save yourself.
Save our son.
Our family name.
No, please, no!
I have held my tongue long enough.
In respect of?
You have never lied to me. You have misled me.
You had me believe that my people would be free
when your amphitheater was completed.
Please, please, please, please.
Enough.
People, they were taken as a spoil of war.
They belong to Rome now.
Senators already whisper to their clients
that the Gods stripped the very earth to punish me.
You mean me?
Perhaps, though mostly me, for taking you as my consort.
You have taken a wife and placed me in the shadows.
What more can they ask of you?
They want you gone.
There's no place for another Cleopatra
poisoning the ear of their emperor.
That is your brother speaking, not you.
No, he's proven his loyalty to me.
No. He convinced you of his loyalty.
He's fulfilled his duty to me, just as I must fulfill mine.
So I am to wait
while my people die in your construction camps?
Not now.
I have my duties.
Such as?
The city of Rome.
Do any of you know why Antonia called this meeting?
Does it matter?
Consul Marsus won't be here.
The traitors are languishing away where they truly belong.
My dear Caltonia, I'm afraid this meeting
is only for the lead owners of the factions.
Though it pains me to say so, you may go.
How dare you?
Your husband is imprisoned for treason...
Making me lead owner of the Blue Faction.
Now, go.
But before you go, my dear
I want you all to hear this.
My husband
has betrayed Rome
and our emperor.
He deserves to die for his crime.
From this moment on, my husband is dead to our family.
He's dead to our son, Julius,
and he's dead to me.
You may go now, Caltonia.
So...
Let us get down to business.
What?
I thought about what you said the other day.
And maybe you are right.
Maybe I should
have fun once in a while.
Scorpus is always right.
Let's go, then. Let's get a drink.
Husband, you're leaving?
I'll have the priests pray and the augurs perform the rituals for a boy.
Now, if you quicken, inform me immediately.
Otherwise, send for me in a month when next ready.
Open.
My mother died when we were very young.
Until then, my twin brother and I,
we had a great life.
Farm with horses and everything a boy dreams of.
But then,
after my mother's death,
my father began drinking,
and later, my brother followed in his footsteps.
They bonded over stuff I couldn't understand.
I didn't want to understand.
Hmm? Yes.
When did you start racing?
I already told you. We both did early on.
But my brother who red around and drank too much.
He was good.
He was very good. He was better than me.
A natural on the racetrack.
But...
he lacked discipline.
Just like you.
What was his name?
Sextus.
Yeah, well, with a name like that...
You're funny.
Too much already.
When there's cause to celebrate, one should celebrate.
So you're certain we will prevail?
My lawyers are clear.
Your shares in the Blue Faction will be yours, and then mine.
And then, you and your son will have the security of wealth.
I don't need wealth.
You're too young to know that.
You know, we all need different things.
Desire different things.
We'll drink together
to the things we need.
And the things we desire.
Hmm?
Caltonia, I'm...
Allow me?
You think that little of me? That I will sell myself to you?
Selena...
Please, wait.
Selena.
I need to take a piss.
That feels good.
Whoo!
Come, it's there.
Come.
- Salena. - Forgive me.
We have nowhere else to go.
What happened?
I cannot stay where I was anymore.
Why? It doesn't matter, come.
Come here.
What...
His name is Ferox.
He's as fast as the wind.
Here.
I have come to say that I am sorry.
Are you sure you don't want to kill me?
I never know with you.
I want you to come back to our Blue Faction.
Get out.
Go.
I knew you would come back.
How could I stay away from the great Scorpus?
Help me up.
No, no, no. Do that now and you lose the leg.
Poppies.
Come on.
More at midday.
I'm going to go set up for the betting.
I'm sorry, great Scorpus.
But I can't have you ride for the opposition.
So, you all understand.
You watch closely to see who's just lost,
and you quietly offer them reverse odds.
And for that we get a sesterce every bet?
As long as you don't get caught.
Where is Scorpus?
Mother, no one is betting gold
with only one Gold chariot running.
Order from Tenax.
Both of you are racing today.
What?
- Me? - Mm-hmm.
What about Scorpus?
Scorpus is nowhere to be found, and we need two drivers.
You thought you got me but I got you.
Good luck, brothers. Ride like Sol himself.
Champions, ready!
Go, go, go, go!
Move, move!
Get out of my way.
Hyah!
Hyah! Hyah!
Andria! Andria! Andria!
Why isn't Scorpus riding?
Hyah! Hyah!
Well done, Andria!
Andria! Andria! Andria!
I was drunk and I was fucking and I was bitten by a scorpion.
- It's not my fault. - Calm down.
It's good. It takes the pressure off you.
We train alternate drivers in case you're bitten again
or you're drunk or you're fucking.
Alternate?
Alternate? There is no alternate to Scorpus.
- Well, yes. And, no. - Yes.
You're more than a driver now.
You're an owner.
- And we won. - Horseshit.
Was this your plan all along? Hmm? You want me gone?
Scorpus.
Of course not.
But the racing has to come first,
and recently,
it seems like you're more interested in drinking and whoring.
You don't understand.
Part of racing is drinking and whoring.
You cannot have one without the others.
It's racing, drinking, whoring.
They are a team. Yes, like the horses.
What?
Racing made me rich.
I changed my name to Scorpus because nobody could pronounce my real name.
I like to drink.
Drinking makes me happy.
Happiness makes me want to fuck, and because I am famous,
I can fuck who I like.
To spurn these gifts would be an insult to Fortuna.
She curses my driving and Scorpus is no more.
When were you planning to hand over my portion of the profits?
I was told you were dead.
I'd hate to discover that rumor were true,
so where is my money?
Where is our money?
I can explain, Your Highness.
Your money, our money...
is gone.
Gone to pay extortion to someone threatening to reveal something...
About me?
No.
Me.
About my past,
before I came to Rome.
- That's who did this to you? - Yes.
I don't care one piss about your past life,
though I struggle to imagine it was worse than this present one.
All I care about is the money I need.
The money that you owe me.
Solve this now.
Or I will make you suffer
in ways your extortionist could only dream of.
And you along with him.
Me?
No, no...
What did I do?
You look terrible, by the way.
Yeah, I can imagine.
You want a mirror?
No, no, the numbers don't tally.
So, you have gone
beyond my wildest dreams.
Come here, collect your rewards.
Hasn't gone black.
Which is good.
Where's the tincture of poppies? I've been trying to find it.
Which is why I hid it.
- Bring it to me. - No.
You overreach yourself.
That I do.
And,
I overreached myself at the races today as well.
We took bets after the bell.
What? They'll shut us down!
Calm down. We weren't caught.
I can't afford the risk.
Perhaps you're right.
All from today?
All right, well, just don't get caught.
And go and see Claudia, she'll give you some rewards.
Yes!
We will need to renegotiate our deal.
I'm ill. Come back later.
You want some? It's good.
No, thank you. It's for you.
Flamma will have him this time.
But Fortuna favors the Numidian.
She spared Kwame once. 12-1 are favorable odds.
Even at 100-1, your African is dead.
- Please. - Closed.
Open for a price.
What do you need?
Atropa.
Why does everyone think every fragrance shop sells poisons?
This one does.
The edict against poisons is clear.
I have to be a fool to go against it.
You are no fool.
But maybe an inside line might interest you.
The line.
Bet on Kwame against Flamma tomorrow.
That's a fool's bet.
It was...
before you gave me this.
Hey, hey! Yeah.
Flamma, wake up.
Wash him down.
We want him to look his best for his trip to Hades.
You won't forget last night in a hurry.
We must go.
Come, let's go. Come.
I let Tenax down. I've got to fix this.
I do not have a head for this right now.
All right, I'll take care of it.
- We'll find that bastard. - Let's talk about this later.
Good, good.
Gear up the Numidian. Time to die.
He doesn't wear that kind of armor.
He does now, on order of the Aedile Ludi.
Might as well throw him to the lions.
You'll crucify him.
He has not trained with this.
Why don't you tell the Aedile Ludi that?
If he resists, cut him where the crowd can't see it.
- Did you find him? - No.
How can a big, ugly man the size of a bear with scars all over just disappear?
I saw such a man.
Where?
At the fountain near the ossuary. Scars everywhere.
Follow me.
We hail Emperor Titus and the Empress Marcia.
Now, we come to our gladiatorial combat.
Goodbye, my brother.
I will see you in the next life.
Our first bout of the day...
Please welcome
the great Flamma.
Flamma! Flamma! Flamma!
Who will fight the lion killer Kwame.
Hail Emperor.
We, who are about to die...
Salute you!
Ah, come on.
Gladiators, ready?
Today is your time to die.
Honoring me.
Engage!
Fight, Kwame. Fight!
Come on, come on.
Lion Killer Kwame! Lion Killer Kwame!
Flamma! Flamma! Flamma!
Kill him!
Kill him, Flamma!
What is wrong with that bloody gladiator?
Kwame! Kwame! Kwame!
He bleeds. He bleeds!
You think yourself a God?
He's got him.
Butchered in your own circus.
Up! Up!
Kwame! Kwame! Kwame!
I did it!
- I did it! - You did it!
You can't hide from me forever, Quintus.
Hmm. I am ready to hear what you need to say.
You are right.
We do need to talk.
Mother, my respect for you has no equal
and neither does my love.
But?
But I will not go back.
That is not your decision
- to make. - But it is.
Unless you bind me and drag me home,
there is no way to force me.
You are just like your father.
Kwame, too.
And Jula...
I don't know who Jula is like.
Jula is like Jula.
Father knew me even better than you.
He used to say birds must follow their flock.
But the lion, he finds his own path.
- But you're a woman. - So are you.
You found your path. Now I am choosing mine.
- Where are you going? - To meet a friend.
At this hour? Who?
A question I choose not to answer.
We're closed.
I said we're closed.
Where is he?
I went to his home.
He wasn't there.
I left him a present.
I'll wait for him here.
But first...
This might be more fun than I thought.
What are you gonna do with that?
Get out! You fucker!
Help!
Die slowly.
Where to start?
The chest?
What about your stomach?
Or what about an eye?
Yes.
An eye might be good.
An eye...
for an eye.
Let's go home.