The second episode of Domina Season 2 ended with the wedding between Drusus and Antonina finally taking place after going through tumultuous ups and downs. Gemina reveals to Scribonia that she is pregnant with Augustus’ child. She feels this will be the trump card she can use to get rid of Livia. Only time will tell how long Gemina can be kept in hiding.
Spoilers Ahead
Gemina Reveals Her Secret
Julia, Augustus’s daughter, goes into labor, and unfortunately, she gives birth to a stillborn baby. Child mortality had to have been high in that era, because mothers could have suffered from many issues that hadn’t even been discovered yet. There were inaccurate understanding of any ailments, but the onus was always on the females for not giving birth to a healthy child, preferably a male. Julia being Augustus’ daughter, her male child would have been the direct heir to his seat of power, and that is the reason there is plenty of pressure from Augustus as well.
Gemina does a sacrificial prayer so that her child is born a boy, and on her way back to her home, she is spotted by Livia. Gemina’s move seems stupid because she knows that living in the vicinity of the palace would mean there is a risk of being spotted by Livia or Drusus. She should not have been moving around the city with her litter, knowing danger was lurking around. The plot seems very convenient because the writers could have just not placed Gemina at the spot where it would be obvious that Livia would notice her. The entire setup is tacky.
Gemina discloses her pregnancy to Augustus, and she expects him to be happy about the news. Gemina, being from German royalty, was also playing her cards in the hope of restoring her royal status once she gave birth. Augustus’ reaction shocked her because he proposed to move her away to a rural town, offer her a hefty dowry, and help her find a husband who would aid in raising her child. Gemina should have expected this reaction from the man she was sleeping with because Augustus happens to be the most powerful man in all of Rome. Gemina turns out to be a foolish girl who just got carried away by empty promises made by Scribonia.
Augustus lets Agrippa know of the situation, and he wants him to help with finding a husband for Gemina because, as the face of the empire who is encouraging people to get married and have kids, he cannot be seen to sleep with slaves. Agrippa is angry, but as a friend, he will always help Augustus, and he does as ordered. Agrippa is the only common link between Livia and Augustus, and he will want to make sure this news does not reach Livia. It was too late for him anyway.
Drusus In Germany
Drusus and his wife Antonina, along with Tiberius and his wife, are on the German border, ready to attack and conquer the new land by eradicating the tribes occupying the region. Antonina turns out to be a lot smarter than they expected, for she can lay out a good battle plan for the army. Drusus is impressed by her knowledge and intends to keep her around till they win. The writers here made a factual error concerning the country of Germany. The region east of the Rhine was always referred to as Germania by the Romans, and Germany as a name only sprung up in the year AD 962. Such errors only make the viewers wonder if they should be taking the show seriously or not. The lack of effort, coupled with the liberal use of modern-day expletives around, makes the show dull.
Drusus in Germany (Germania) is wondering if Augustus sent the brothers to win the war after all. They believe their stepfather sent them here to perish so that they could be replaced with heirs of his choice. This does not make sense because Augustus just got his niece married to his stepson. The alliance would mean nothing if he wanted the only sons of Livia to die. The plot from here on seems to be in overdrive, and the writers are adding conflict just for the sake of drama. To speak from the plot perspective, Drusus and Tiberius’ concerns seem genuine, for they are far away from Rome, and they know power dynamics in the city can change rather quickly.
Livia Knows The Truth
Livia spots Gemina, and she puts Tycho on an assignment to find out who brought her back to Rome and who is paying for her residence in the city. Livia is angry for all the right reasons because she wanted the girl out for her powerplay to work. She does not want Drusus to spot her. Livia cannot leave everything to chance and that is why it is essential for her to find out about Gemina’s allies. Tycho is sad to inform Livia that Gemina is currently the mistress of Augustus. Livia should have seen this coming. This means Livia probably does not know her husband well as she claims to be. Her claim to power in the city and the kingdom relies on her being aware of Augustus’ mind.
She approaches Piso, asking for his counsel on how to handle the situation. She is sure that her marriage is in shambles, and she needs to find a way to make it right without having to kill Gemina. Murdering the younger woman will only make matters worse for Livia because she will be tried, and Octavia will jump at the chance of accusing her of killing Marcellus as well. Piso asks her to head back to Rome and, for the time being, not do anything. The subplot pitting Gemina against Livia seems straight out of Gossip Girl. There is no actual strategy discussed here, only ploys to kill each other, which is so passe.
What Would Be The Consequences Of Livia’s Confession?
Scribonia plans to kill Livia, and she lets Gemina know about it because this young woman is easy to manipulate. The promises made to Gemina only make it seem to her like she and her kid will play an important part as Augutus’ future wife. Livia initially, as instructed, would not do anything to harm Gemina, knowing it would be harmful to her reputation. For Livia, as long as she stays married to Augustus, she has the power in her hands.
Scribonia is indeed playing a long game, but she does not realize that Livia is too powerful and ambitious. Her ideals for Roman do not match those of any of the women right now who can influence other powerful men. Scribonia lets Gemina know that Livia will be visiting her chambers. Scribonia was also the one who summoned Livia to Gemina’s residence in the hope that a tussle would happen between the two. Gemina is filled with rage against Livia because she is seeking power, but Scribonia underestimates what Livia is capable of. After their small talk, Gemina was quick to bring up the topic of her being pregnant with Augustus’ child. She also states that she doesn’t want Livia to be alive. Gemina was only mimicking what Scribonia had asked her to do. This one statement is followed by a scuffle between the two, which leads to Livia getting gravely injured, and in self-defense, she ends up killing Gemina and her unborn child. The viewers did not expect the confrontation between the two to escalate so quickly. Gemina’s sudden exit from the narrative only proves the writers added her to portray Livia as irreplaceable.
Augustus and Agrippa find Gemina dead, and the latter is asked to find out who had her killed. Augustus never wanted Gemina to die because she was the mother of his child. Augustus’ game plans seem confusing because it makes no sense for him to have illegitimate sons around while there are many still in line who will take over after him. It looks like Augustus has not made up his mind about who will succeed him.
Agrippa finds Livia’s bracelet at the scene of the crime, and he is confused about whether he should kill her as ordered by Augustus or let her live. He comes up with a silent deal between Livia and himself. The two of them have been longtime friends, and that is why they are both trying to save each other in times of crisis such as this one.
Livia agrees to confess her crimes to Augustus, and she does that by offering legitimate justifications for her actions. She was only trying to save her bloodline, and Augustus somehow understood her predicament. Augustus claims he is not livid at her for getting rid of Marcellus and Gemina. He feels let down because Livia allowed herself to be caught, which means she did not hide her trail well. Augustus might be right here because if she wants to be as powerful as he is, she needs to be able to commit the crime in a way that does not trace it back to her. If anyone can accuse her, that would question Augustus’s credibility as well. Livia confessed to her crimes because she wanted to gain his trust, and her coming out clean would help him see her as a sincere person.
Episode 3 of Domina Season 2 ends with Livia paying for her crimes. Augustus sends her away to an island in exile, something that would be a secret only between Agrippa, Augustus, and Livia. Augustus had to do something to display his power. Livia agrees to her punishment because she still wants to prove her loyalty to him. Her kids are also made aware of the exile, and they are hoping Agrippa will safeguard them in her absence. Exiling Livia from Rome is just the writer’s ploy to establish that she will come back stronger by the end of this season. There would be a lot of them trying to replace Livia, but her power is far from extinguished.
