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HBO summary

"Death Mask"
Servilia calling Atia to justice
Season	2 (2007)
Episode	"19"
Air date(s)	March 4, 2007 (HBO) July 11, 2007 (BBC)
Writer(s)	Scott Buck
Director	John Maybury
Setting
Time frame	c. 41 BC See also: Chronology of Rome
Link	HBO episode summary
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Death Mask is the seventh episode of the second season of the television series Rome. It aired on March 4th, 2007.

Servilia mourns the death of Brutus. She kneels in front of Atia's door chanting repeatedly for justice. Although Atia ignores her initially, the incessant chanting attracts a crowd of pleb onlookers and annoys Atia. After two days, Atia gets fed up with Servilia's obstinacy and throws open the door to let Servilia vent her anger and leave. However, Servilia calls upon the gods to curse Atia for the rest of her life, and then commits suicide, leaving Atia in shock.

The trio of Octavian, Antony and Lepidus discuss the new ruling arrangements over Rome. They decide to divide the Empire into three administrative portions and share all revenue equally. When Posca secretly informs Octavian that Antony is cheating, the triumvirate comes close to civil war again. Some last minute negotiations preserve its unity, and to strengthen the bond, Atia proposes a marriage between Antony and the House of the Julii - thus also accomplishing her personal desire to wed Antony. However, Antony and Octavian privately agree that Octavia, and not Atia, will be wed to Antony, as it is a more acceptable symbol of the political union. A devastated Atia begins to wonder if Servilia's curse has come true, while Agrippa and Octavia exchange distraught glances at the extravagant wedding.

Prince Herod visits Rome seeking an alliance. Levi regards him as traitor to the people of Judea and convinces Timon that they should kill him at Antony's wedding, even though they know they are certain to lose their own lives in the process. Timon swears an oath on the Torah, but changes his mind at the last minute. He argues that killing Herod will accomplish nothing, and he also has a family to think of. Levi calls him a coward and starts out alone. Timon wrestles him back, and in the ensuing struggle, accidentally stabs his brother dead.

Vorena the Elder is seduced by Memmio's man on his orders. Memmio catches them having sex and pretends to be angry with her, saying that he will have tell his business friend Vorenus about the relationship, which will probably result in severe punishment for Vorena. Vorena begs him to remain silent and he agrees on the condition that Vorena spy on her father and report his actions to Memmio. She agrees willingly, and lies when she is caught in the act by Vorenus.

Eirene complains to Pullo of the slave Gaia's constant abuse, laziness and threats towards her. An angry Pullo debates whether to wait for Mascius, away on business, to punish his woman but eventually decides to do it himself. As he confronts Gaia, she manages to seduce him amongst a heated and violent argument, and they end up having sex. A guilty Pullo promises that it will never happen again, but does not come clean to Eirene, who happily notes that Gaia's behavior has improved since the 'thrashing'. At the end of the episode, Gaia is seen purchasing some abortifacients.

• The episode omits the Perusian war, fought in 41 BC between Lucius Antonius (brother of Mark Antony) and Mark Antony's wife Fulvia against Octavian.

• The herb that Gaia purchases, silphium, was indeed used by the Romans for a variety of medical purposes, in particular, Pliny the Elder notes is use as an abortifacient.^[1]

• The episode indicates that Servilia committed suicide; Servilia in fact outlived most of the characters in this episode and died of natural causes at the country estate of Titus Pomponius Atticus, a close friend of Cicero. Atia's death has been delayed in the series (she actually died in 43 BC) and Octavia's marriage to Antony has been advanced (they married in 40 BC) in order to create personal conflict.

• Antony's third wife, Fulvia is omitted. Fulvia took great delight in the death of Cicero, and is said to have pierced his tongue with her golden hairpins. Octavian was married to Fulvia's daughter, Clodia Pulchra. When Octavian rejected Clodia, Fulvia took it as an insult, leading to the Perusian War. In the aftermath of this war and Fulvia's death, Antony married Octavian's sister, Octavia - herself recently widowed.

• Octavian's step-father and Atia's husband, Lucius Marcius Philippus is ignored in the series. The series seems to imply that Atia is without a husband and Octavian has no father figure.

• By the time Mark Antony married Octavia, he had two children and she had three. Additionally, Cleopatra was pregnant with twins by Antony, and would give birth two months after Octavia's marriage to Antony. These children are not mentioned in the episode.

HBO Summary