The sixth episode of Domina Season 2 ends with Augustus announcing the match between his daughter Julia and Livia’s son Tiberius to unite the two families. Domitius reveals to Vilbia’s brother that it was Livia who hatched a plot to kill his brother to save someone else. Domitius feels he has the upper hand right now, but only time will tell if Livia is vulnerable or not.
Spoilers Ahead
Julia And Tiberius’ Wedding
Julia and Tiberius’ wedding is finalized by Augustus, and they have a hard time accepting each other as future spouses. Julia wanted to be free after two marriages and kids. This was sadly the state of women in that era, where male authoritative figures were the decision-makers, and women were not allowed to have any passion other than being dutiful mothers and wives. Tiberius is still in love with his ex-wife, Vipsania, and the new marriage is taking a toll on him. It is implied that Tiberius might be suffering from a dissociative personality disorder, where, at a particular time, he switches into another person. This side of him is known to only a handful of people, excluding his mother, Livia. Tiberius and Julia loathe each other, but they end up agreeing to keep their marriage going in public. The agreement included not being physically intimate with each other and leading their own separate lives. This is a sound decision, but wouldn’t Augustus ever be aware of such an arrangement between the members of his family? Someone from the inner circle who has enmity towards Livia could inform the dictator about the same. The writers, at this point, simplify the narrative and merge it with the idea of how modern relationships work, which makes these characters highly non-relatable.
Livia Is Attacked.
Livia is all set to leave for Rome for the wedding, for she is currently with her mentor Piso to understand the repercussions of this union. Livia had no choice but to agree to this match to get Augustus on her side. Tiberius marrying into Augustus’s family is a big deal for her, and the offspring from his marriage will have the blood of her and her husband, making him an ideal heir to the Roman Empire. Despite there being advantages to this match, her instincts speak another language. Livia’s fear is palpable, and she could lose two of her sons in her quest for power. Drusus is far away in Germany and is winning the war, but it seems to have affected him mentally.
His wife, Antonina, is the witness to her husband’s spiraling as she tries to keep morale up. Drusus would have rather attacked Rome with the army under him, but he was asked to stand down by his mother. He is becoming ambitious, and if Augustus gets a whiff of it, he will be destroyed, but Livia does not want that to happen now. There is a brewing tension in the family, and she cannot lose Augustus at this juncture. She is aware that Octavia has been unwell for a while, and Livia wants to be the only person he will want to turn to.
On her way back to Rome, her entourage, which included Tycho, Piso, and Ursa, is attacked by what they assume are forest bandits, but the viewers watching the show are aware of this being an assassination attempt on her. There was probably a leak from her side to Domitius, who was aware of her movements. They did not care about the rest of the group; their target was Livia. At the very beginning of the onslaught, Piso is gravely injured.
This begins the cat-and-mouse chase between the attackers and Livia. The attempt on her life was a way to prove that she was not invincible and that she could perish at any moment. It does come as a surprise to her, and as a result, she figures that her life could end at any point.
Ending Explained: Is Livia Dead Or Alive?
As the wedding goes ahead with pomp and celebration without Livia, the family wonders what Augustus’ intention was in carrying on with the ceremony without the presence of Tiberius’ mother. Augustus most likely wanted a show of power and proof that he could work without the assistance or advice of his wife. Even though Augustus was made aware of Livia going missing in the forest, his nonchalant behavior could raise eyebrows. Augustus, to the viewers at this point, does come across as a power-hungry dictator who seems to enjoy not having his wife around, as she not only micromanages but tries hard to prove that she oversees things in Rome’s politics.
The narrative through the scene at the wedding is chaotic, and there is no end to the things that get out of hand. After their wedding, Julia is caught getting physically intimate with another person, and Tiberius is found with his son and ex-wife by Antonina and Antonia. The two women are loyal friends who would want the best for everyone in their circle and would seek to remove Julia and Tiberius from this situation before anyone gets caught. Antonia and Antonia do not want anything untoward to happen to the two people they deeply care about because Augustus has been known to carry out some ghastly acts. Meanwhile, Drusus starts gambling with his stepfather and is on the verge of losing everything, which petrifies Antonina. This is why she wanted Tiberius to be around him. It may seem that Tiberius is Drusus’ lucky charm, as per Antonina. Augustus might be trying to outdo his stepson and wants to again prove a point regarding who is in charge.
With his brother’s presence, Drusus wins at the gambling table, but unbeknownst to him, Augustus comes across the letter he had written to Tiberius regarding capturing Rome. Augustus was quick to understand that he needed to act before anyone else because that’s how the game of thrones works. At this point, the viewers are content to see that all the problems are solved, and the women could do it without Livia. Livia is the fulcrum that joins the family, but for the first time, all the mess was managed without her around. This could be an indication of her slowly losing grip over things.
Back in the forest, Tycho, Ursa, and Livia are relentlessly chased by what they think are bandits, and they seem to want to kill her, which Livia picks up on rather quickly. Livia is still trying to figure out who hired these people. If she could get to the bottom of this, things would be bad for many at the court. Livia tries her level best to rescue the three of them from the situation, but she reaches a dead end. The makers stretched this subplot way too much for the sake of one episode. This subplot was also crucial for the viewers to understand that Livia can be harmed as well, and at the moment she is vulnerable.
Simultaneously, Livia has a falling out with Tycho over restoring the Roman Republic, and he states that corruption ruined it and that Augustus is a much better dictator than the Senate ever was. His words resonate with the viewers because corruption is something that has existed since before Christ, and centuries later, it still thrives as a big, headless monster. Livia distracts the bandits to save Tycho and Ursa, and when she is finally cornered, she jumps off a cliff into a waterfall to save herself. This was the only way out for her, and she could have died, but she didn’t. The makers cannot kill her yet.
Domina Episode 7 ends with Vilbia’s brother informing Domitius about Livia’s death. The man is killed because he is on a trail that could be traced back to Domitius. The man is sharp, but not when he sees Livia alive back at the court, just as the wedding celebrations draw to a close. Domitius was dumbstruck to see her, and if anyone had noticed his reaction, he would have been in trouble. Domitius is scared for his life, but since there is no way Livia could connect the attempted murder back to him, he is safe for now. Livia, surprisingly, does not share the big news with Augustus. Maybe she does not want to give an indication that she allowed herself to get too powerful and exposed. She is not keen on being blamed for something that was not her fault.
The last scene of the episode had Octavia on her deathbed, making Augustus promise to kill one of Livia’s sons for the honor of the family. Octavia, though helped by Livia on many occasions, finally came around to hate the woman and the power that she holds. She was hoping Livia would lose interest and eventually fade away with one of her sons, and that could pave the way for other members of the family to flourish. She does not realize her daughter is married to Livia’s son, and she is willing to let her be his widow, if Augustus chooses to kill Drusus, which is a possibility because of the letter. Only the finale episode of Domina Season 2 will give answers to all the questions.
