How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic (S01E02)

Anointed People’s Tribune by Caesar, Mark Antony returns to Rome with Octavian’s liberators, Vorenus and Pullo. After being feted by a grateful Atia, Vorenus heads home to his family for the first time in eight years, while Pullo heads for the brothels. Shocked to see a husband she thought was dead, Vorenus’ wife, Niobe, presents him with a family he barely recognizes. After the Senate rebuffs Caesar’s “compromise” for a heroic return to Rome, Antony learns that Pompey has drafted an ultimatum stripping the general of his power. With tempers on both sides reaching a boiling point, unfinished business involving Pullo spawns a Forum melee that all but ensures an unhappy outcome in the Pompey-Caesar standoff – and sends Pullo and an injured Vorenus back into Caesar’s ranks. (HBO UK)