Rome (on HBO)

[PhoneGrrrl]

I saw eps 2 & 3 last night (still haven't seen 1). It's much better than I thought it would be. There have been so many cheesy Roman empire era movies, it's hard to trust one could be good.

I loved the Pullo character, and the conversation between him and Vorenus was hilarious (though a little Lothar of the Hill People, in retrospect). I'm very impressed with the sets and costumes too.

That Atia is something. She's fast becoming my favorite.

[Critical]

Now I can finally talk about this episode! I've been waiting patiently since Wednesday!

I thought it was the best episode yet! My favorite part: Atia dictating who would kill whom if they were taken alive and then telling the servant that he should kill her and then himself because his survival would be "inappropriate." If Polly Walker isn't up for an Emmy at this time next year, then something will be seriously wrong!

So is Titus Pullo really going to take off with the girl and all the money? OR will his lust for battle make him return to Rome?

[aname]

The boy - Atia's son, Octavious - is the "future" Augustus Caesar, arguably the greatest emperor of Rome. He was a master strategist and probably the most sane of the Caesars (after Julius).

Atia is a wonderful character - so sociopathic and deliciously evil. Having her daughter's husband killed and then lying about it strengthens her control over her somewhat independent daughter.

[mrdobolina]

Great episode this week! I watched my TiVod episode last night. I must rewatch it in High Def. That's when I look for anything I might have missed the first time I watched.

aname--I thought that might be true about Octavious. I was checking out a website I found regarding Roman history, but I was getting so confused by the names (Gaius Octavious Augustus Caesar Romero) that I just gave up. Anyone know any good websites that might explain this history that we are seeing?

[waywyrd]

mrdobolina....they have some info on HBO's website that is a bit easier to understand. Pretty interesting! The History Channel has been running some programs on Rome recently, too....even I could understand them.

[mrdobolina]

Thanks way....I have checked out HBO's website. The problem with that is that it is more their "dramatic take" on what happened. The site I was looking at was actually pretty good...it gave the years of each Caesar's rule, some events that happened during their term, etc. But I was looking for more of a "why" kind of page. Like, why does the Senate(??)/the noble class think Caesar an enemy of the state? How does their whole government work?

I really do like these new historical dramas...they get me wanting to know more about that particular period of time.

[Critical]

mrdob - did you check out that site that Phat posted upthread? I felt that it was pretty comprehensive. Then again, I am a history nerd.

[Austin Gambler]

:I thought it was the best episode yet! My favorite part: Atia dictating who would kill whom if they were taken alive and then telling the servant that he should kill her and then himself because his survival would be "inappropriate." If Polly Walker isn't up for an Emmy at this time next year, then something will be seriously wrong!

That was great. A mother daughter fight on this subject was funny.

[phat32]

I wanted to like Episode 3 ("An Owl in a Thornbush"). I wanted to be as excited about it as I was after watching Episode 2 ("How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic"). I wanted, maybe needed, this episode to be as spine-tingling as the last. This was the episode, after all, where Caesar advanced on Rome at the head of the 13th Legion.

Really, though, I thought it was mostly dull and lifeless. What was there, except for Pompey running from Rome? Or Caesar marching toward Rome? A whole lot o' walking, is what it was. (As for the other scenes, frankly, who cares about Atia making arrangements to look after the interests of the other nobles?)

To make matters worse, the dialog between Lucius Vorenus and Pullo was stilted and awkward. (I laughed when I saw those scenes, keeping Phonegrrrl's "Lothar of the Hill People" comments in mind. True! )

A few things that jumped out at me:

-Octavian and Atia stole every scene where they appeared.

-I can't reconcile the image of Pompey the Doddering Old Codger (reminiscing about his pirate battles, like a character from Peter Pan) with the image of Pompey the Politically Shrewd convincing the other senators to flee Rome.

-Atia dispatching her ex-son-in-law? That's cold, man.

I think the worst aspect of this episode was Lucius deserting the 13th "for love." It makes for a more dramatic episode, I suppose, but I just can't see old, reliable, trustworthy Lucius Vorenus abandoning his post.

But Pullo is so morally ambiguous, so multi-layered as a character, that while he conceivably could disappear with the gold and the strange woman, I hope it's not the last we see of him. It would be a tremendous loss to the series.

[PhoneGrrrl]

I've forgotten more than I should of Roman history (what did those 4 years of Latin do for me anyway?!?!). Was Caesar really epileptic?

I have to say, I was really glad when Pullo finally showed up. That guy really makes the show. But what about the speechless girl he had with him? Are they saving money by not giving her lines, or something?