In the last episode of the series, lavish imperial games at the Colosseum are highlighted by the emperor's bloody victories, but his paranoid abuses of power lead to a final betrayal.
Octavian takes a new bride, Livia, and then introduces her to his family in a startling way... by having her witness the punishment he metes out to Atia and Octavia, for secretly defying the social constraints established through the facade of Octavia's marriage to Mark Antony. The vengeful Gaia carries out her plan to poison Eirene, which produces most dire consequences for Pullo, and no one else is the wiser. Meanwhile, Octavian, Antony, Maecenas, and their associates barely maintain their relationships of congenial contempt and hypocrisy, as everyone tries to figure out who has duped whom with the disappearance of the gold that was Herod's 'gift.'
With the defeat of the Egyptian fleet at Actium, Mark Antony and Cleopatra retreat to their palace and await their fate. Believing that Cleopatra has taken her life, Mark Antony decides follow her into the afterlife. She has other plans however and is quite prepared to negotiate with Octavian if there is any possibility her life and those of her children will be spared. Cleopatra asks Vorenus to take her son Caesarian to safety and Octavian sends Pullo after them. The old friends are soon together again.
With Caesar quickly advancing toward Rome, Pompey begins ordering a retreat and forces his citizens to pick sides. Timon does Atia's dirty work and Vorenus cannot understand why no one is resisting while on a scouting mission.
This programme focuses on the most famous Roman of all - Caesar. Charming, savage, power-crazed, opportunistic and brilliant, he overthrew a 500-year-old Republic and began the age of the emperors.