An Owl in a Thornbush (S01E03)

Scouting for Caesar some 30 miles from Rome, Pullo, Vorenus and some Ubian soldiers meet minimal resistance from a green group of Pompey recruits. Alarmed at the speed with which Caesar’s army has advanced, and with a less-than-full complement of soldiers at his disposal, Pompey makes an unusual tactical decision: abandon Rome to Caesar, at least temporarily. The order forces patrician families to choose sides – while Servilia, Caesar’s longtime lover, decides to stay in Rome, her son, Marcus Junius Brutus, flees the city with others faithful to Pompey. After seeing her family’s fortunes fall and rise in the course of a few hours, Atia enlists her mercenary, Timon, to ensure her family’s security. As Vorenus marvels that Rome has been left undefended, Pullo sees his uncanny good fortune continue after his unit intercepts a cargo wagon on the city’s outskirts. (HBO UK)