Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius meet formally in Tarsus, and the attraction that both recognized from a distance becomes immediate and overwhelming. Antonius is a military man, passionate and impulsive where Caesar was calculated. Cleopatra, hardened by three years of ruling alone, finds in Antonius both a lover and a potential protector. Their romance is real but never separate from politics — every kiss has strategic implications, every gift is a statement about Rome and Egypt. They marry, have children together, and begin to build an Eastern power base that might rival Rome's Western control. Antonius lavishes Egypt with gold and attention. But in Rome, Octavian watches this alliance grow and begins to position it as a threat. The season traces the slow poisoning of Antonius and Cleopatra's position in Roman eyes as Octavian's propaganda machine characterizes Cleopatra as a seductress corrupting the noble Roman general. By season end, the couple is openly at odds with Rome's leadership, Antonius is isolated from his allies, and the question becomes whether their love can survive the weight of empires.
