Rome - Season 1, Episodes 10-12

It is always impressive when a historical show, based on historical facts, can still surprise. I did not foresee the end of the first season, and the best part about that is that I normally would have, only the set up was so well done as to be forgettable.

Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) had to die, and at the hands of his friends, but he was far too clever for it to be an easy thing. And Rome showed that he did not lack in cleverness or foresight, but that his enemies were more determined and had better advantages than he could have imagined.

The decent of Brutus (Tobias Menzies) from loyal friend of Caesar to his killer was as careful as it had to be for such a thing to have taken place. Between his mother's horrid plots, which portrayed him as Caesar's enemies, and Caesar's inability to simply ignore those plots, Brutus could only go in one direction. His friend's inability to have faith in his against all the signs forced Brutus to side against Caesar, while he did not want to. And when Caesar was brutally cut down, Brutus could by watch, terrified to move. Only in the end, when Caesar was well on his way to death anyway, did Brutus give him one final jab, before bursting into tears and sobs that he was forced to kill such a great man and friend.

And with Servilia (Lindsay Duncan) so jealously incensed against him, how could Caesar not be brought low. Still, how could I have foreseen that the murder would have come about thanks to the most bizarre set of circumstances revealed to us throughout the season. I had almost forgotten that Niobe (Indira Varma) had had an affair, she and Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) had been so happy of late. And I had definitely forgotten that Octavian (Max Pirkis) had told his sister, who had told Servilia, that he and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) had murdered her lover. When Servilia remembered where she had heard the name Vorenus before, I could not remember it.

Caesar had been careful. I absolutely loved the scene where he told Vorenus that he could not punish him for saving Pullo because it would upset the people, but since he could not do nothing, as that would make him appear weak, he must reward him instead, and, therefore, he gave him a place in the Senate. That maneuver was excellently done, and it also gave Caesar a terrific body guard. None of his enemies would have reached him with Vorenus by his side, or they would have had to kill the soldier as well, and that would have worked against the nobility of the act they were committing.

So, on their way to Senate, Vorenus is told of his wife's betrayal, and he goes to confront her, leaving Caesar alone. Mark Anthony (James Purefoy) is distracted by some petitioners, and so Caesar is undefended and killed. A sad occurrence, but one that did happen. It could not be avoided.

What we do wish could have been avoided, though, was the death of Niobe. Not at the hands of her husband, thankfully. As we feared that might be the case, the shock of her throwing her self off the balcony instead was so much the worse.

How will, how did Rome emerge from this blackness? I'm sure Season 2 will do a perfect job of showing how Brutus lost the city to Mark Anthony, and what happened next.

Rome - Season 1, Episodes 5-9

I continue to love this series, and though I have not even finished watching the first season, I am very hopeful that the projected movie starring Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pollo (Ray Stevenson) will be greenlighted. Follow the link for the details, but if you have not finished watching the series, don't read the last paragraph.

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/03/04/hbo-rome-movie/

Rome is such an intelligent series, developing the politics of the time with precision. The only thing lacking is a better sense of timing and of waiting. I suppose, with what we know, keeping the series interesting while having it take place in a timeline resembling real time would have been quite boring, and they would not have even got to Caesar (Ciaran Hinds)'s assassination before they had to cancel the show, but there are some moments where I feel like things have happened too fast.

Regardless, the show does develop other things perfectly.

James Purefoy's Mark Anthony continues to show himself as both an impatient ass and a brilliant strategist...though sometimes a little caught up in his own wishes. While it was hard to imagine the Mark Anthony in the first few episodes taking up Caesar's mantle, by the end of episode 9 the cleverness shines through with the ruthlessness, and his priorities are straightened out a little.

Titus Pollo also got to have a great deal of fun. He killed the lover of his best friend's wife, proving himself the best friend imaginable. He also showed a sensitive side in the affection he is developing for their slave girl. Too bad that he's now sunk back into a depressive bender...Still, I have hope for him.

After all, as Caesar pointed out, Pollo and Vorenus have great and powerful gods watching out for them. Not Triton, mind you, but someone able to protect them from him. It made it a whole lot more believable that they would have survived that storm to think of it that way; at first, I had a hard time suspending my disbelief about it.

But regardless of the delight I get from how complicated the politics and wars of the men are, they pale in comparison to the women. I can't help but feel bad for poor idiotic Octavia (Kerry Condon). Atia (Polly Walker) should have left her married to her husband. She would have lived a happy and uninteresting life, but instead, she's getting herself into all kinds of trouble. Being seduced by Servilia (Linsday Duncan) and then seducing her younger brother, Octavian (Max Pirkis), she's a mess. And she is really not cut out for all this intrigue like her mother.

Atia, on the other hand, handled the situation brilliantly. Despite the fact that we know she had Octavia's husband killed (which I think backfired since if Octavia was happily married, she'd be out of the way), she was utterly believable when she told Octavia it was a lie. And despite her own personal hatred and war with Servilia, I can only believe that the horribly beautiful extent to which Atia went for vengeance was not for the injuries Servilia caused to her own person, but for those she caused to her daughter.

Atia is many things, and very vicious in all of them, but the humiliation she forced Servilia to suffer is one that has mama bear written all over it. What remains to be seen is if Servilia has it in her to retaliate, but even if she does, I can't see her winning. Atia has a ruthlessness that is coupled with what she considers necessity, while Servilia's anger is based in violent, angry grief.

Put it proves the rule that, while men can be violent and deceitful, they have nothing on women.

Rome - Season 1, Episodes 1-4

I recently began watching Rome with a friend of mine, and, as we are watching multiple episodes at a time, I will record my thoughts on all these episodes at once.

I am truly delighted with this series. Though I do sometimes find myself wondering about the exactness of the historical detail, whether a custom shown has any basis in Roman history, let alone specifically in that era. For instance, while I know that in Medieval times, it was the custom to cook birds and then redress them in their feathers for presentation, I have no notion whether this was in practice in the time of Julius Caesar. Then again, half of my knowledge of the period comes from the BD Asterix, which was always terribly accurate.

But these are the problems that any historical fiction, whether film, TV, or novel, has to contend with. And the presentation of it is all quite believable and so well put together that it hardly matters.

The show has its foundation in the historical political disaster of the time. With Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) and Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) forced to confrontation, both must be perfectly careful in how they play the game, both having imperfect knowledge of the strength and weaknesses of the other. Pompey, so far, has proven himself overconfident and yet as fearful as a rabbit. Caesar, on the other hand, is brilliant. He does not have the misfortune of thinking his position any different than it is.

Brutus (Tobias Menzies), Mark Anthony (James Purefoy), and Octavian (Max Purkis) appear fully formed, showing complex natures in few words. Our knowledge of who they will become is no hinted at, but it is not ignored either. Brutus and Octavian are both young brats, but Brutus, though older, does not look to advance much past the youth who can't hold his liquor. Though, at first, Octavian appeared equally useless, his sharp eye and his understanding of political maneuvering make him Caesar's heir in spirit, as well as in everything else. And Mark Anthony, the worst brat of the lot, is so self-indulging and yet aware of who he is and all his flaws, I cannot help but love the character, even though the man is far from Shakespeare's brilliant speaker of "Friends, Romans, countrymen." Though I can certainly imagine James Purefoy deliver this speech, he would be portraying a far different Mark Anthony.

But perhaps, after Caesar's death, he will get there.

Finally, the two characters with the most freedom Lucius Vorenus(Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) are absolutely the most fun. Not tied down by any historical responsibilities, these two men play so well off each other because of their extreme differences. While Vorenus is so honourable and dedicated and wants to do everything right, Pullo gets himself into trouble at every turn. But, they do manage to influence each other for the better too. Pullo needs to guidance of a strong man he respects, for he responds quite poorly to authority. Strange for a man in the army. Vorenus, on the other hand, is useless when it comes to women.

The frustration and fun McKidd and Stevenson so obviously felt while doing these roles comes through perfectly, and gives a show so focused on politics a heart beat of its own.

Have you watched Rome? What were your impressions of the first few episodes?