In 79 AD, Rome is under the leadership of the elderly Emperor Vespasian, along with his sons, Titus and Domitianus. They are working on building the Colosseum to give to the people of Rome. Elsewhere in the city, the criminal Tenax seeks to raise himself to higher status by building a team for the races at the Circus Maximus, aided by the famed racer Scorpus. A woman, Cala, goes to Rome to free her daughters, Aura and Jula, from slavery and her son, Kwame, from certain death as a gladiator. After Vespasian dies and Titus is appointed his successor, Domitianus recruits Tenax to help scheme his way to power.
In 79 AD, Emperor Vespasian constructs the Coloseum, and leads Rome along with his two sons, Titus, a military leader, and Domitian. A crime lord, Tenax, runs a gambling business, and fixes races to win shares of one of the racing factions in the Circus Maximus. Roman soldiers break into the home of Carla and kidnap her daughters, Aura and Jula, and take them to Rome to be sold as slaves. Carla's son, Kwame, is on a hunt, but tries to rescue them, only to be captured himself and sold as a gladiator. Three brothers, Gavros, Fonsola, and Elia, arrive in Rome from Hispania with the hope of selling and training horses used in the Circus Maximus. Scorpus wins his race, but discovers that the chariot he was originally supposed to use had been sabotaged and would have crashed.
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"Trust None"
Roland Emmerich
Robert Rodat
July 18, 2024 (2024-07-18)
Tenax determines that Scorpus's chariot was sabotaged by Domitian to enable Domitian to pay off his gambling debts. Scorpus rides the Hispanic horses brought by Gavros, Fonsola, and Elia and is impressed by their speed. Tenax sells the faction shares he gained while betting and gets enough money to create his own faction, along with a deal with Domitian to give him half of the team's ownership. Vespassian announces that Titus will be his successor, which angers Domitian. The Hispanic horses are poisoned, and Tenax searches for the perpetrator.
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"Death's Door"
Roland Emmerich
Robert Rodat
July 18, 2024 (2024-07-18)
Domitian is unhappy with his appointment as the aedile of public games (ludi) because he aspires to be the Roman emperor.
Titus is angry because his brother Domitian has taken gold bars from the Imperial Treasury.
Flamma is a formidable gladiator.
Scorpus is stabbed to death in the streets; so, Xenon is chosen as his replacement in the Blue faction. However, it turns out that Scorpus has survived the stabbing.
Tenax is rescued from the fire and laid up in bed with a broken leg. Servilia disowns Marsus to preserve her status. She plants a scorpion in Scorpus's bed, causing him to miss a race. Cala puts Andria in and the Golds still win, annoying Scorpus. Dacia discovers that Ursus has stolen Tenax's profits, to the fury of Domitian. While Tenax is inacapacitated, Cala continues to run the gambling business at a profit. With Aura's help, Dacia tracks down Ursus but is killed. Cala poisons Flamma before his bout with Kwame, allowing Kwame to kill him. Ursus assaults Cala but is killed by Tenax.
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"All or Nothing"
Marco Kreuzpaintner
Marissa Lestrade
July 18, 2024 (2024-07-18)
During a race, Scorpus forces Andria to crash, killing him. He later kills Xenon to cover up the cause of the crash. Elia blames Scorpus, leaves the Gold faction, and joins the Blues as a new driver. Kwame refuses to eat or participate in the opening games of the new amphitheatre, but reluctantly cooperates when Domitian threatens Viggo. Leto tells Titus that he has evidence Domitian ordered the delay to the grain ships and has a witness coming to Rome. Titus informs Domitian but is unconvinced of his guilt. Domitian believes it will be impossible to silence the witness and approaches Tenax with a plan to kill Titus instead, to save themselves. Domitian discovers Hermes with another man and has Hermes arrested and his lover killed. Tenax meets with Manilius of the Praetorians, who agrees to support Domitian and Tenax in exchange for 10 million sestercii to be delivered within two days.
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"The Die Is Cast"
Roland Emmerich
Robert Rodat
July 18, 2024 (2024-07-18)
To raise the money to pay Manilius, Tenax attempts to fix a race so that Scorpus wins. Elia forces Scorpus into a crash, killing him, but, to Elia's horror, Fonsoa is also killed in the resulting pileup. The bet is lost, but Tenax manages to find the lost Gold winnings, enough to pay off Manilius. He has Cala write twin confessions for him and Manilius to give each of them leverage over the other and Domitian. Rufus overhears the plot and tips off Berenice, who goes to Antonia. Together they use Julla to blackmail Cala into giving up Tenax's copy of the confession. Hermes attempts to warn Titus, but Domitian has the Praetorians cut off his tongue. Kwame participates in the opening ceremony of the Colosseum but is horrified to see that Aura has now joined the ranks of the gladiators. As part of the ceremony, Hermes, Marsus, and the other imprisoned senators are fed to crocodiles. Antonia arrives in time to see Marsus killed. A favourable wind brings the witness against Domitian to Ostia early. Tenax and Domitian intend to move up the plan to kill Titus, but Porto places a heavier guard around the emperor in preparation for an immediate departure to Ostia. Berenice attempts to deliver the confession to Titus in the Colosseum, but is ambushed and killed by Jewish fanatics in the galleries.
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"Let the Games Begin"
Roland Emmerich
Robert Rodat
July 18, 2024 (2024-07-18)
Kwame and Viggo are pitted against each other in the Colosseum. After the games, Domitian's plot to assassinate his brother Titus is achieved with Tenax's aid. The Senators begrudgingly acknowledge the 30-year-old Domitian as the new emperor.
It was announced in July 2022 that Peacock had issued a series order for the project, written by Robert Rodat and directed by Roland Emmerich. The series has a budget of $140 million.[6]
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