Vespasian subjugated Judea, but his oldest son and presumptive heir, Titus Flavianus, has taken the Judean Queen as his consort. Rome has not exactly welcomed her with open arms, but the locals are often hostile to new arrivals from the far-flung corners of the Empire.
That is even more true for Cala and her children from North Africa. When the youngest daughter, Jula, is assaulted by a Centurion, her older sister, Aura fatally defends her honor. Immediately, she is consigned into slavery as her punishment. Their unfortunate older brother Kwame suffers the same fate when he objects.
Off to Rome they go, but Cala follows with Jula, determined to buy their freedom. Unfortunately, Aura is purchased by the wife of Marsus, a powerful and perverse senator, who covets the emperor’s laurels for himself. Ironically, Kwame opts for a life as a gladiator, because they have a higher life expectancy than slaves sent to the mines. Obviously, buying the freedom of either children will not be an option in their current stations, so Cala’s bides her time working in the gambling salon operated by Tenax, the focal anti-hero.
Tenax has a plan to challenge Rome’s social and economic order by starting a fifth chariot racing faction. He has the best driver, Scorpus a hedonistic but winning charioteer based on a historical figure. He also has four deceptively small but incredibly fast and strong horses, purchased from three Andalusian brothers, who intend to stay in Rome to build careers as horse-trainers (at least that was the secret intention of the elder two and they figure their baby bro will reluctantly stay, despite his discomfort with Roman ways).
However, Tenax needs a powerful silent partner to convince the Emperor to grant the Gold Faction’s charter. Titus’s psychotic younger brother Domitian Flavianus is perfectly placed to do just that. He resents his father designating Titus as his heir. The younger Flavianus also needs money quickly, to cover his mounting debts and the gold he embezzled from the treasury. Consequently, agrees to Tenax’s proposal, but he makes no secret of his contempt for the grubby commoner. Likewise, he clearly takes an instant dislike to Kwame when he observes the gladiator in training.
Rodat’s loose adaption of the book by Daniel P. Mannix (who also wrote the source novel for Disney’s The Fox and the Hound), definitely leans into the decadent and violent aspects of Flavian Rome. The scenes of gladiatorial combat are far more graphic than anything seen in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, while the many sex scenes (of multiple persuasions) leave nothing to the imagination. At times, it almost feels like a starter kit for Caligula. However, it is anchored by a powerful story of a mother fighting for her children’s freedom.
That unironic pursuit of freedom makes Those About to Die superior to the Spartacus series, which can never be forgiven for turning the iconic battle-cry of solidarity, “I am Spartacus,” into a self-aggrandizing howl of personal affirmation. However, the new series still represents a decidedly mixed bag.
One of the best aspects of Rodat’s adaptation is the messy, overlapping, and sometimes contradictory nature of the alliances. Sometimes, by working against their sworn enemies, characters cause complications for transactional allies, which leads to further problems down the line.
Regardless, Rheon is quite amusing to watch scheming and smirking his way through ten episodes. Yet, Jojo Macari will probably get most of the attention for his spectacularly sinister and grotesquely twisted performance as Domitian Flavianus. A series like this needs a despicable villain and he delivers.
There is a lot of pomp and spectacle in Those About to Die, but only Martins and her character’s storyline connects to a degree that will stick with viewers. The city of Rome itself looks grand and enormous, but also often rather fake, in a CGI kind of way. There are some nifty chariot races, but they still cannot beat the old school adrenaline of Ben-Hur. Much like ancient Rome, it is undone by its own excesses, but there are good characters and crafty intrigue that will still hook some viewers, despite its flaws. Recommended for fans of togas and lurid melodrama, Those About to Die starts streaming today (7/18) on Peacock.