Rome - New HBO show

British made TV show in not being as good as American made TV show non-shockah!

We may accuse Suetonius of sexism by the light of our times, but underneath the contempt he has for people like Livia, lies perhaps, the reality that intrigue was one of the only avenues of influence open to women in a virile culture like that of the Romans.

I'm not arguing that's the only way a tv show could work; I'm arguing that it's the only thing in Rome that really works, and that everything else only works enough to let the concepts shine, and doesn't work so well that it obscures the shiny concepts.

I never felt Vorenus and Pullo were believable characters having believable conversations, but I did generally feel like they were believable concepts bringing up interesting or fun concepts. The whole "Pullo tells Vorenus about the clitoris" scene comes off as unbelievable -- dude's been in Caesar's army for ten years, which is depicted as being filled with blunt men who talk about sex and the body constantly, surely it would have come up before -- but as far as a conversation between someone "proper" and someone "earthy", in a time before widespread sex ed, it's a pretty clever concept.

...

Roman custom doesn't dictate that Vorenus has to marry Niobe's sister now, does it?

I'm going to miss Indira Varma.

I felt pretty bad when Niobe died, but I think they had to do it. Lucius Vorenus is going to be feeling really guilty in future episodes about his professional screwup in letting Caesar get killed, which would eventually grew tiresome, so they had to mirror that with the more resonant private screwup/loss.

I'm on the side of those who thought the catty intrigue ended up a little on the soap opera side- a few extra arched eyebrows and instead of Ancient Rome, we would have been in Viejo Mexico. Contrast that with Caesar's power plays, which I pretty much bought hook, line and sinker. Usually I have my radar up and think "haha, that actor thinks he can puff up his chest and glint his eye and pontificate and I'm going to believe he is a powerful man. I'm sorry, but life isn't like that, baby" but in this case the writers and especially the actor really pulled it off.

I thought Vorenus/Pullo were great characters, an excellent good cop/bad cop team of one thinking/controlling/repressed guy and one lusty/impulsive/acting out guy. The grumpy straight arrow that is Lucius Vorenus is a type that is near and dear to my heart.

No, that sort of thing I generally find sad and tedious (which means I've found it somewhat difficult to get excited about Rome the actual historical empire, which was after all all about that sort of shenanigans). If it's done in the service of a cleverly turned out plot (P.G. Wodehouse/"Scott Tenerman Must Die" style) then I'll put up with it.

In general hour-long tv shows haven't interested me.

anyway, pretty good, I was hoping ceaser would be around for longer though. bring on cleopatra I say.

Comedy replies are OK as long as I get a serious one too. Thanks in advance.

http://www.hbo.com/rome/episode/season1/episode10.html

this series is really chugging along. i wish it had more seasons to come, as this series really should have ended with Phillipa, and the third would be all about the triumvirate falling apart, ending with the Cleopatra fiasco.

i don't want to see cicero killed.

Phillipi is still two episodes off. Hope next week is more than just build up, though presumably a helluvalot has to happen.

Not so sure about Simon Woods. More Posca and Cicero, please.

Hell yeah more Posca and Cicero!