Much Ado About Nothing - Episode 1 - And Pigs Might Fly

Titus dines with his brother Marcus, his mutilated daughter Lavinia, and his grandson “Young Lucius”, urging them to eat only enough to fuel their desire for revenge. When Marcus kills a fly buzzing at the table with a knife, Titus angrily calls Marcus a murderer, claiming the fly was a harmless guest. Marcus explains he killed it because it was black (like the Moor, Aaron), and Titus joins in and strikes the fly twice–once for Aaron and once for Tamora. Marcus worries about Titus’s sanity as Titus takes Lavinia and Young Lucius away to read sad stories. Later, Young Lucius runs into the garden terrified as Lavinia chases him with his schoolbooks. Marcus and Titus calm the boy down as Lavinia uses her stumps to flip through Young Lucius’s copy of Ovid’s Metamorphoses to the story of Philomel–who was raped and had her tongue cut out–to signal her own fate, then drags a staff in the sand to write the names Chiron and Demetrius. Titus, Marcus, and Young Lucius swear to hunt down and kill Tamora’s sons. Titus instructs Young Lucius to take a load of weapons as “gifts” to Chiron and Demetrius. When Young Lucius delivers the weapons, Aaron realizes that Titus and his family now know the truth about the rape. Meanwhile, a nurse arrives carrying Tamora’s newborn baby. Because the baby is dark-skinned (Aaron’s child), Tamora has secretly ordered the nurse to kill it so Emperor Saturninus will not discover their affair. Aaron silences Chiron and Demetrius (who suggest killing their half-brother) and stabs the nurse to death after learning she spoke to a midwife.

Titus pleads for his son’s lives but the Tribunes are unmoved. Lucius draws his sword to rescue his brothers but is overpowered and banished from Rome. Chiron and Demetrius mock Lavinia after assaulting and mutilating her, leaving her to wander the forest alone without hands or tongue. Marcus Andronicus finds her and brings her back to Titus. The family breaks down in overwhelming grief until Aaron the Moore arrives with a message from Saturninus: if Titus cuts off one of his own hands, the emperor will spare the lives of Martius and Quintus. Titus agrees but instead of getting what was promised, a messenger returns carrying Titus’s severed hand and the severed heads of his sons. His sanity cracking, Titus orders Lucius to raise an army of Goths to march against Rome.

Please be advised: This episode contains graphic sounds of sexual violence and may be inappropriate or triggering for some listeners.

Lucius berates his father for killing his own son, and Titus’s brother Marcus implores him to allow them to bury Mutius in the family tomb. Titus grudgingly agrees to it and tells Marcus that he hopes to prosper by Tamora’s sudden advancement, since he was the one who brought her to Rome. Assuming that Titus orchestrated her escape with Bassianus, Saturninus publicly rejects Lavinia before leaving to marry Tamora. After the wedding, Saturninus and Bassianus strike an uneasy peace. Bassianus tells Saturninus that Titus had no part in Lavinia’s abduction. Tamora also vouches for Titus’s innocence, then pulls Saturninus aside and tells him he must pardon Titus or risk the anger of the Roman people. She promises her new husband that she will find a way to get revenge on Titus and his family. Saturninus finally absolves Marcus, Titus and his remaining sons. Tamora reassures Bassianus and Lavinia that they need not fear punishment as long as they behave. As they leave to enjoy the double wedding feast, Titus invites Saturninus to a celebratory hunt the following morning. Outside the palace, Aaron the Moor walks alone during the festivities, ruminating on his love affair with Tamora. He revels in her new status as Empress, looking forward to the power he will wield through her. He comes across Tamora’s sons, Demetrius and Chiron, who are fighting each other over who gets dibs on Lavinia. Aaron breaks it up and tells them Lavinia has just married Bassianus. When he sees that the brothers don’t care and are determined to take Lavinia for themselves regardless, he encourages them to lure Lavinia away from the hunting party the next day and rape her together.

In the wake of the Emperor’s death, his two sons–Saturninus (the eldest) and Bassianus (the younger, more popular)--argue over who should rule Rome, as their armed supporters clash in the streets. The Tribune Marcus Andronicus (Titus’s brother) intervenes to stop the fight. He announces that the Roman people have chosen his brother, Titus Andronicus, to be the new Emperor because of his legendary military service. Titus enters in triumph with his four surviving sons, the bodies of his dead sons in coffins, and high-profile prisoners of war–including Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and her three sons. Titus refuses the crown due to his old age and instead endorses Saturninus, who becomes the new Emperor. Titus’s son, Lucius, demands that the eldest captive Goth prince, Alarbus, be sacrificed to appease the ghosts of Titus’s fallen sons. Tamora begs for her son’s life, but Titus insists on the brutal religious rite. Alarbus is dismembered and killed. Grieved and enraged, Tamora and her surviving sons swear revenge against Titus and his family. As a reward for his loyalty, Saturninus chooses to marry Titus’s daughter, Lavinia. However, Lavinia is already legally betrothed to Saturninus's rival brother, Bassianus. Saturninus abruptly changes course and decides to marry Tamora instead, making her the new Empress of Rome. With the help of Marcus and Titus’s sons, Bassianus escapes with Lavinia. Furious at what he views as family treason and disrespect toward the emperor, Titus kills his own son, Mutius, for letting Bassianus and Lavinia get away.