Those who are about to die Season 1, Episode 7, “Death’s Bed,” is one of the busiest episodes of Peacock’s gladiator series. It’s also significant for writer Jill Robi, as it marks her first appearance as a major TV writer. From being hired on the show to actively campaigning to write this particular hour, Jill had a memorable journey during the first season.

In an interview with CBR, Jill talked about how she felt when she joined the writing team of Those who are about to die. She also talked about the process of writing Episode 7 and what she considers to be the most important moments of the episode. Plus, Jill discusses what else motivates her – both on and off screen.

CBR: How did you come to Those who are about to dieWere you interested in working on a historical television series as a writer, or were you attracted by the opportunity to work with this particular group of people?

Jill Robi:
When my managers approached me about it, they said, hey, this is huge. Gladiator show, sandal movie, and it’s Robert Rodat and then it’s Roland Emmerich, and I thought, this is kind of crazy. This is my first official WGA-sanctioned show, and to be given the opportunity to pitch right from the beginning was just crazy to me… I wasn’t expecting to be interviewed by Bob at all. That was a nice surprise. Talking to this Oscar-nominated writer was exciting.

You have written Those who are about to die Season 1, Episode 7, “Death’s Bed,” so more than halfway through the season is over. The storylines and the action are in full swing. How did you approach diving in headfirst?

I pushed for episode 7.
We worked together as a team to create the outlines for all the episodes. And (in Episode 7) there was a lot of Tenax and Cala, and then there was a lot of Tenax and Scorpus. And those were definitely notes that I wanted to address – to speak for those characters. So I definitely wanted to. I told everybody, “Hey, you don’t want seven, do you?” (laughs) Like, “Come on, you don’t want it. I’ll take it. That’s fine. No big deal.”

The main cast of the show consists of over a dozen characters – probably one of the largest casts on television. How did you manage the ensemble? Because you can’t serve everyone equally in one episode.

The outlines are a great service to that… Of course, you can’t address everyone equally. There are main characters, there’s a hierarchy. But I think the (writing) team really focused on giving these people a voice. There’s a lot of diversity. There are a lot of women on the show. We did our best to avoid stereotypes and stay true to them – by diving deep into what they were supposed to do or what their interests were. For example, (Cala’s daughter) Aura didn’t play the lute, but something like that. (There were) a lot of discussions about that.

Were there any plot points or scenes in “Death’s Bed” that particularly stood out to you as you were writing it? What are you most proud of in this episode?

I wanted to get into the relationship between Scorpus and Tenax because up until (Episode 7) I felt like we (needed) to have an honest conversation with these guys.
They’re best friends and they talk mostly about business and games. I wanted them to have a moment together. Tenax is incredibly vulnerable; he’s lying there with his broken leg. And I wanted to bring out Tenax’s vulnerability.

There’s a moment where young Tenax is looking into the fire. And then we see Tenax as an adult, having just been completely beaten up, looking into the fire. I’m a part-time poet, so I like that kind of visual symmetry in storytelling. I wanted to show what this guy went through as a kid. I wanted to have a moment for that and show him some tenderness.
I think what I’m most proud of about this show isn’t necessarily the words, but rather that I really wanted Tenax to have a heart.
He’s not a completely cold-hearted bastard. There was a moment where he could have been, and it’s like, we want to root for this guy. We want to love him more than hate him.

And Cala is one of my favorite characters too. They’re my favorite people… I really supported them in some ways and I’m really proud of that. Oh, and the action scene too. The action scene – Cala’s sabotage. I really enjoyed writing that.

How would you personally describe your experiences on Those who are about to dieand what has it meant to you as a writer? Are there other projects you want to tackle in the future or other topics you are passionate about?

It didn’t feel like work to me. I loved it so much. And then to have this episode, to have my name on it… Just to have my stamp on it and to have been part of this huge project, nobody can take that away from me. I’ve worked and slaved away for a really long time, using all kinds of writing styles, and to finally see my goal realized and be able to write for television and especially for this show, I’m just so grateful.

I am a big fan of the
Walking dead
Franchise. Everyone
game of Thrones
Spinoffs – if they ever go back to Jon (Snow spinoff) or Arya, for example, I’d love to be there. I’d love to work with so many people, it’s hard to choose! But off the top of my head, Shonda Rhimes, Scott Gimple, Quinta Brunson and Lena Waithe come to mind. I love what Marvel does on TV.
If there is a strong drama element, I’m in, regardless of the genre.

A major concern for me is the climate crisis. I have been working to propose a tree initiative for the city of Chicago and hopefully one day expand it nationwide. The lungs of the earth, the Amazon, are suffering from deforestation and drought. It is imperative that we work together to rebuild our air and our oceans and offset carbon emissions.

Season 1 of Those About to Die is now streaming on Peacock.