Anthony Hopkins’ appearance is both the biggest gimmick and selling point of Peacock’s latest sword and sandal extravaganza, Those About to Die. It is no Game of Thrones, but it doesn’t aspire to be either. Sadly, it’s neither prestige nor pulp, thanks to a really clunky storyline. However, it’s still pretty watchable if you’re into blood, gore, violence, and horse racing and can do without much of a cohesive story. The ending of Those About to Die is certainly a talking point, which we’re going to discuss in this article.
Spoilers Ahead
Does Domitian kill Titus?
From the very first moment, it was quite evident that Domitian, the younger son of Emperor Vespasian, was gunning for the throne. The biggest obstacle in his path had to be his elder brother Titus, who was ultimately chosen by their father as the new emperor. Even though Domitian was deeply hurt when his father made Titus his successor to the throne, it was really a no-brainer. Vespasian, in his heyday, was a soldier who played an important part in building the empire. Titus, the soldier general, only followed in his father’s footsteps, which made him an automatic choice for the all-important throne. Sure, Vespasian wouldn’t be able to run things as smoothly as possible without the brains of his scheming politician younger son. But that was clearly not enough for Domitian to make a strong case for himself.
Of course, Domitian’s hatred and jealousy for his big brother are deeply rooted in childhood. While his actions as an adult cannot be justified by any means, it is also true that what Domitian endured as a child was rather unfortunate. Titus did bully his younger brother, which traumatized him and made him live in fear. However, both of them were only kids, and while Titus grew up to be a self-righteous man, Domitian harbored the grudge forever. Things could have been different if Vespasian had chosen his second son, but he finally settled on Titus. Domitian, despite all he had done for the empire, which included keeping the general population occupied with horse races and gladiator battles, was always treated inferiorly by Vespasian. Naturally, the moment Vespasian died, and Titus ascended to the throne, his death became certain. It was only a matter of time, and it expectedly happened in the finale. Although it seemed like Titus had the upper hand, Domitian managed to turn the soldiers against the emperor. Titus still tried to convince the soldiers not to side with his younger brother, whom he compared to a petulant child, but the soldiers had already made up their minds. Titus’ death didn’t come at the hands of Domitian, though. The younger Flavian clearly doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, and why should he do it when Tenax is more than willing to do it for him, too, in a manner that doesn’t put Domitian under investigation?
Does Kwame get the wooden sword?
Kwame’s arc is the second most important thing in the story after the whole Flavian family feud (and Tenax gaining from it). It’s simultaneously heartbreaking and heroic. Kwame and Viggo were best friends, and their friendship developed through the course of the story. But for the gladiators, this is a cruel, unforgiving world, so Domitian made sure that Kwame faced Viggo in the all-important match. Both of them refused to give in to the madness, but after the Aedile Ludi brought in Viggo’s son and Kwame’s beloved sister Jula, the gladiators had no choice but to fulfill Domitian’s wish. Viggo did fight with all he could, but Kwame had to be the victor here. He tried one last time to save his friend by begging for his life from Emperor Titus. Despite showing his disapproval for games like this one, Titus didn’t show mercy, and Kwame had to kill Viggo. What is even worse is how Viggo’s young son was beheaded right after that.
Seeing Kwame’s valor and morals, the audience started asking for the “wooden sword,” the ultimate prize a gladiator can win, which is his freedom. This time, Titus gives in to the demand and declares Kwame a free man. Subsequently, his sister Jula is also freed. But Kwame’s heroics didn’t end here. He was destined for more greatness, and he could only achieve that by killing the white lion.
How does Domitian become the Emperor?
With Titus gone, Domitian was the obvious successor to the empty throne. But the only hitch here is that Domitian can’t get the throne if there’s an ongoing investigation into Titus’ murder. Thanks to Tenax promptly using a wet cloth, Domitian has it rather easy. Nobody can question him now, given there’s no mark of struggle or a knife scar on Titus’ body. Domitian even says that he wouldn’t mind a postmortem. Not that all the senators are completely sold on Domitian being an absolute saint, but they can’t say anything either. So it’s better to rise and show support for the new emperor, Domitian.
With Domitian as the emperor, Tenax getting the coveted Aedile Ludi title was no surprise. Tenax’s rise from the stables to the mansion is a fascinating arc, and Iwan Rheon’s fiery performance pulls it off wonderfully. Rheon is certainly the best thing about Those About to Die. I only wish he got a better script to work on in the upcoming seasons.
Will there be a second season?
Those About to Die hasn’t been renewed yet, so we can’t say for sure whether a second season of this will see the light or not. But considering how this season has drawn the curtains, another season only makes sense. If it really happens, it will be interesting to see how Domitian and Tenax run the show, especially now that they don’t have a proper opponent. However, it’s all but certain that Kwame, who’s now a free man and nobody can take that away from him, would come for revenge. He absolutely despised Domitian from the beginning, and with what happened to Viggo, he now has reason to come for the Emperor’s blood. Meanwhile, despite Cala betraying Tenax, the two are teaming up again (Cala is now getting Tenax’s job of running the betting show from the underground), which is going to bring some spice to the table.