Episode 2

Livia, Rome's first empress, comes to regret the scheming that placed her son Tiberius on the throne. Tiberius, paranoid and ruthless, begins the Tiberian Terror, executing anyone who speaks against him. He isolates himself on a private island, where horrific rumours of his depravity spread. Tiberius's heir, Caligula, smothers him to gain power but quickly spirals into madness. His reign is marked by incest, cruelty, and insanity, culminating in his assassination. One unlikely figure survives the butchery though - Claudius, his uncle - who becomes the next emperor.