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Episode 2 Family Affairs Players
in this episode are:
| Tiberius |
Livia's older son. Previously married to Vipsania and now married to
Julia. |
| Drusus |
Livia's younger son. Now a General in the Army on the Rhine. Married to
Antonia. |
| Julia |
Augustus' daughter, previously married to Marcellus and then to Marcus
Agrippa. |
| Antonia |
Octavia and Mark Antony's daughter. Married to Drusus. Mother of Claudius.
|
| Caesar Augustus |
First Emperor of Rome. Julia's father and Tiberius' step-father. |
| Gaius |
Julia's oldest son by Marcus Agrippa. |
| Lucius |
Julia's second son by Marcus Agrippa. |
| Livia |
Augustus' wife and mother of Tiberius and Drusus |
| Vipsania |
Tiberius' first wife. |
| Claudius |
Seen as a baby for the first time in the series. |
|
This episode takes place between 13 and 10 BC. It's been nearly a decade
since Julia was married to Marcus Agrippa, during which she was apparently happy and
frequently pregnant (she had five children with him in their nine years together).
Agrippa, however, became expendable and died mysteriously (poison?). Thus, the way is
finally cleared for Tiberius to step in. Livia forces him (reluctantly) to divorce his
wife, Vipsania, and marry Julia.
|
Tiberius pleads with Vipsania. |
The opening scenes take place at the Roman baths where Drusus and Tiberius are working
out and then cleaning up. Tiberius is clearly unhappy as Augustus' assistant -- errand boy
might be more appropriate according to him - and as Julia's husband. He has 'black
thoughts' and resents his mothers schemes. Drusus is about to go off to the Rhine
frontier. He predicts a return to the Republic after Augustus retires.
The wives are together in a separate part of the baths getting a rub down. Julia
establishes herself as self indulgent and sexually liberal while Antonia is clearly
traditional and conservative. Julia implies that Tiberius has deviant sexual tastes, which
she could probably stand if only he would pay more attention to her.
Tiberius has been mooning all around town over Vipsania and has even visited her at her
house secretly. When Augustus finds out about this he is both publicly embarrassed and
privately irate, but Livia gets Tiberius off the hook by claiming that she knew of the
visit.
Livia demands the letter from Drusus. |
A letter arrives from Drusus which expresses frank, almost treasonable
Republican sentiments. Unfortunately, it's read by Livia. He also tells of a minor wound
and Livia immediately dispatches her personal doctor to treat him. In spite of the
doctor's 'best efforts', gangrene sets in and Drusus dies.
|
| Augustus now openly favors his grandsons, Gaius and Lucius, over Tiberius.
After a dinner at which everyone seems to have had too much wine, Julia and Tiberius have
a fight over Vipsania. At the end of this, Tiberius calls her a 'fat, drunken cow' and
slaps her. Augustus is livid and banishes Tiberius. |
Julia tells Augustus about the argument with Tiberius. |
|
