HBO's Rome

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Aarrrgggh! I thought it was supposed to be a 12 ep miniseries, then over, or I wouldn't have started watching it!

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In that case, I'm afraid I have bad news.

I finally saw the first two episodes in their entirety on tape, and was intrigued enough to ring up the local cable vultures and find out what they're overcharging for HBO these days. Turned out I could get it for $5 a month for 3 months during the current promotion (by which time they'll probably have wrapped this season of Rome) so I said, set me up. This was about 8:30 PM ET and before I hung the phone up I was watching the encore of last week's episode. I've already set up a season pass on the TiVo.

Later,

Joe

Re: HBO\'s Rome

I watched the second episode last night and still have the third saved.

I'll admit to not knowing the details to the extent of Joe and Oatley, but I used to (I was into the classical world as a teenager) and felt the plot was lacking in something.

More importantly- and this may come as a surprise from me- the sex and gore is actually gratuitous. Obviously I'm not a prude, but compared to how Deadwood uses language and adult content as a necessary means of portraying that world, Rome just shows stuff for the sake of "shocking" us. To a veteran porn fan like myself, this is not titillating or shocking, just dumb. Like watching "Lord of the G Strings," I wanted to fast forward the "adult" stuff to get to the dialogue.

Also, considering that the characters are people of immense ambition and power, I don't really find them that interesting.

I'll keep watching because everyone else in my family is so what the hell. As Jade pointed out, it can be pretty to look at.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Oh, and forgot my biggest gripe: the 2nd episode implies that what ignited the powder keg of the civil war was just some guy mad at a gambling episode with some soldier. Huh?

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Anyone still watching this?

The last episode was underwhelming, but perhaps necessary dramatically to set things up for the showdown between Caesar and Pompeii.

The historical innacuracies are bugging me and this still hasn't grabbed me. I think I'm putting this show on probation: giving it one or two more episodes to make me care.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

My verdict is "too much soap, not enough opera". They're telling the story of epic events without the epic sweep of the story, not to mention the bizarre things they're just pulling out of their butts for no good reason.

There's a parallel discussion that includes some of my more detailed criticism of what I'm now calling The Winds of Rome at the Home Theater Forum's "Rome" thread.

Regards,

Joe

Re: HBO\'s Rome

yeah, soap opera- all that crap with soldier's wife and it's not his baby... ZZZZZZZZ... who the fuck cares? I want to see a goddamn Republic collapse!

Re: HBO\'s Rome

I watched the first two episodes and hoped I'd care enough to keep watching, and although I think I DID continue to care, by the time the third episode came around I just didn't care enough anymore. Of course, that whole statement is contradictory, but whatever.

Although, it was nice to see Kevin McKidd in something else. The only other thing I can think of that I've seen him in was Dog Soldiers.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Sunday's ep was pretty damn good. I especially liked the little curse scene.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

So Pullo killed his friend's wife's lover. Shouldn't he have reserved that right for the husband (who apparently has not problem slave tradiing but won't go so far as to kill a dude for the mafia).

Caesar had to smack a bitch.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Well, Caesar was pretty rude in breaking it off. He could have mustered up a little more emotion. =) That said, if a freaked out chick is clawing at MY face, I'd slap her as well.

I'm glad Pullo killed that whiney little gimp.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Well, Caesar was pretty rude in breaking it off. He could have mustered up a little more emotion.

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According to the most accurate historical accounts, Caesar was a master at controlling his emotions, and not allowing his iron control to slip very often. This was especially true around women, whom he used and discarded at will.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

*spoiler*
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Woops! Seeya Pompey! Cleopatra is inc.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Hmmm. They would definitely rather show love than war. Caesar and Pompey's battle was barely shown at all. Of course, they could have shown more of one particular love scene, too.

I'll have to give the writers credit. Escaping a sand bar by making a raft of dead bodies is something I've never seen before! I'd be afraid that sharks would eat my ride. If I had seen them come ashore, I would have said: "Hey, guys, your engine's dead."

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Jade, I thought the same thing on the battle. It was all blurry and really short, then suddenly you see Caesar riding into town telling his dude "send word that Caesar is victorious...." What gives with that? Maybe they're trying to focus more on the politics and intrigue. Hrrm.

And yeah, that scene between Sevilla and Octavia was hot!!! I'm not even a lesbian and I was like "whoah! Hotness."

It makes me wonder who seduced who, though. That Octavia can be a little minx sometimes.

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Good episode tonight. Cleopatra's brother/husband was a total chachi.

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Yeah, the heads really rolled in that ep. Well, um, I guess they didn't roll, but they certainly didn't stay put, either. Um, well, I guess they did stay put, eventually.

If anyone who is knowledgeable enough about the history involved is still reading this thread, I would like to know about any glaring discrepancies. For instance, was Pompey really killed while coming ashore? I doubt that history records any characters similar to Verenus and Titus. It finally struck me that they seemed familiar because of their resemblance to Willie and Joe, GI everyman characters created by cartoonist Bill Mauldin in WW2.

It strikes me as strange when almost everyone, dispite their nationality, has a British accent. Yeah, I know, if they all spoke with a US accent, I'd probably think that was normal.

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Here's how Plutarch described Pompey's end:

Pompey, therefore, taking his leave of Cornelia, who was already lamenting his death before it came, bade two centurions, with Philip, one of his freedmen, and a slave called Scythes, go on board the boat before him. And as some of the crew with Achillas were reaching out their hands to help him, he turned about towards his wife and son, and repeated those iambics of Sophocles,

He that once enters at a tyrant's door,
Becomes a slave, though he were free before.

These were the last words he spoke to his friends, and so he went aboard...

Cornelia, with her company from the galley, seeing him murdered, gave such a cry that it was heard to the shore, and weighing anchor with all speed, they hoisted sail, and fled. A strong breeze from the shore assisted their flight into the open sea, so that the Egyptians, though desirous to overtake them, desisted from the pursuit...

Not long after, Caesar arrived in the country that was polluted with this foul act, and when one of the Egyptians was sent to present him with Pompey's head, he turned away from him with abhorrence as from a murderer; and on receiving his seal, on which was engraved a lion holding a sword in his paw, he burst into tears.

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Other ancient writers add the detail of Pompey being met by old comrades in arms (the tradition says there were two of them) who carried out the murder, stabbing him to death with sword and dagger, cutting off the head and taking his clothes and jewels, leaving the naked body unhallowed on the beach. After the party had moved inland the boat carrying Cornellia and their children dared to return and one of Pompey's loyal slaves rowed ashore and burned the body, using the timbers of the abandoned rowboat that had brought Pompey to the ambush.

There were a number of eyewitness accounts that later writers could draw on, not only from the party on Pompey's boat, but from some who had made up the "welcoming committee". Caesar made a thorough investigation of the event while he was in Alexandria, and had some of those inivolved executed. (Though for political reasons he thought it expedient to pretend to believe that young Ptolemy had had nothing to do with the murder.)

Yeah, the two soldiers have been compared to the Henry clan from Herman Wouk's WWII epic (I myself have referred to the series as The Winds of Rome) and even to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. As characters they're certainly greatly exaggerated. But if I'm not mistaken their names come from Caesar's own Commentaries and they are among the few common soldiers referred to by name.

Regards,

Joe

"The Constitution of the United States is not a suicide pact"
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Thanks, Joe. Sounds like they got it close enough. From my long ago, and limited, study of Roman history, I recall that many considered Plutarch to be so much of a fabricator that they refered to Plutarch's Lives as Plutarch's Lies, but his story seems to be well corroborated. I don't fault them for exaggerating the roles of Vorenus and Titus, after all, they are making a drama, and need someone other than patricians for us to relate to. Finding that their names are really noted in history is a pleasant surprise. Tell me, do you know if the affair between Servilia and Octavia is recorded in history? When they began it, I couldn't help but think that it was part of a plot of Servilia's, and judging by the previews, I was right. Wasn't a hard call, I'm sure it occured to many.

Re: HBO\'s Rome

Damn, they are really starting to rush the story. They introduce Cleopatra and go all th eway to her and Ceaser's baby in the same episode? The civil war was short too. I wish the series would take its time going through all ths stuff

Re: HBO\'s Rome

We are getting this in the UK on the Beeb. It sounds ridciulously amusing.