Lucius Vorenus, the power-hungry "Son of Hades", controls the Aventine but practices a pointless, beastly reign of terror, coming down hard on gang captains for futilities, and nearly ruins his friendship with Pullo, whose efforts to calm things down are mistaken for disrespect and disobedience, even starts a fight once he learns the truth about Niobe; Pullio leaves Rome disgusted. After Atia convinces Marc Antony the governorship of ghastly Macedonia after his consulate would not only be unpleasant but leave him exposed to his dangerous enemies, he puts the heat on senatorial leader Cicero to give him Gaul instead, which once was the base for Julius Caesar's coup d'état. The slave Duro endures male prostitution but most arrogantly demands extra pay and even a kiss from Servilia as it will take more time to commit the planned murder in Atia's home. Marc promises Atia not to hurt Octavian, whose recruiting he calls a joke, after putting down his party's expected plot. Brutus has a hard time controlling himself while soliciting the Bithynian king's financial support to raise an army. Instead of proposing Antony for governor of Gaul, Cicero sends an extremely insulting speech and joins Octavian's growing army.
Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.
Complete story — includes the ending
As the nomadic Brutus and Cassius struggle to raise foreign money for an army, Mark Antony sets his sights on Gaul. Cicero delivers an in-absentia message to the Senate, and then throws his support to Octavian, the new Caesar. Meanwhile, Vorenus is in a battle of his own, having provoked an all-out gang war in the Aventine Collegium. At Atia's villa, Octavia passes the hours getting intoxicated by hemp with a nouveau riche tradesman's daughter, while Duro (Rafi Gavron), a duplicitous youth, looks for a chance to set Servilia's deadly plan in motion.