Rome - New HBO show

Most of the cast seem very British. Brutus seems almost American.

Roddy McDowall's performance has scarred me for life on that front.

the show was flat.

Mr teeny and I had a good discussion on the authenticity of the landing strips on the ladies--I pointed out that the roman men seemed to favor shaving their faces and so perhaps the ladies shaved as well, but he maintained that if that was the case, it would probably be all or nothing. I was frankly stunned that he did not know of some poem or whatnot that would settle the debate.

M.: Because nudity was more common in Rome than it is here. Public baths alone (which were not always unisex), I mean!

blood and landing strips aside, what i liked, and what i'm hoping the hbo-nastiness allows more windows into, are moments where the historicity of the show can seem really alien, ie where the attitudes and motivations of ppl can be shown to be actually "classical" ie pre-enlightenment and pre-christian. there were a few flashes of this, the best one i wish i remembered better, but Octavian says something like "I'm going alone?" and Atia responds yes blah blah... a few lines later she mentions which slaves he's taking, threatens one to protect him with his life, and this was no dissonance at all: alone = your slave retinue. similarly, she was fucking the horseman with all of these people milling around her bed: there is no private self, and they didn't count anyway.

I don't see how this will work as a series on HBO, cock and vadge aside. (I know it's nice that they can let it all hang out, but HBO needs to step off the naked train, it's a bit of a cliche.) Hopefully it gets better as they have time to flesh out individual plots and follow characters, rather than telling the I, Claudius story.

Wouldn't it have been better to see the story of the Pompey/Caesar/betrayal/Civil War through the eyes of a set of characters not in the history books? I guess it's a harder sell for $100mn, but that story through a minor aristocratic family with sons on both sides, following their slaves as real characters etc. sounds much more interesting than upper-echelon aristocratic decadence and politicking.

but really, rome so far has been awesome, sex, violence, and enough history to keep a nerd like me happy

That opening theme still sucks though. Why they didn't go with a Mtn Goats song is beyond me. (There were a few moments where Marc Antony looked like J0hn in this last ep!)

I want to know how they're going to get Lucius Vorenus back into the army. I thought maybe Pompey's boy would kill (hotttt) Niobe and that would get him back into the Legion, but no dice.

Very true about Niobe. Very, very hott and she reminds me of a mosaic from Pompei too.

I'm becoming fond of the Pullo character, strangely, and some of the dialogue between Lucius and he is classic, such as when, after Pullo has advised Lucius to attend to the little button above his wife's c*nt, Lucius asks in horror and indignation how Pullo knows about it.

anyway this is going a bit slow and the atia stuff is still v lame.

i liked all the religion! the augurs, the shrines, candles everywhere, and everyone treating it like real actual stuff.

That was pretty interesting! Mostly because you'd expect the bit about why people would join the army to come at the beginning, rather than in the middle.

How long is this series supposed to go?

Hadn’t even realized. RIP :(

Been thinking about rewatching recently.

Just was recommending somebody watch that show as an alternative to reading Gibbon.

Finally watched Rome this year, what a treat. Stevenson elevated anything he was in, RIP

One of my favourite non-Thirteen Pullo moments is when Cleopatra is trying to get pregnant and first invites in Vorenus, who refuses. Then Pullo is invited into the tent as second choice, has no problem and they have wild sex with ululating etc. Cut to Vorenus lying outside, fuming, wide awake. Pullo comes out of the tent walking on air, tries to talk to Vorenus, who just shuts him down immediately. It’s an incredible scene with their dynamic and Stevenson’s comic timing is incredible. RIP.

Hahah

IIRC This was the First ever BBC drama (maybe HBO) to be filmed in HD, a good choice looking back on it,

first of the new, rather than last of the old.

R.I.P Ray, you were great in this.

rewatched series one a few years ago, maybe time to go into Season two.

The BluRay has an option which points out all the historical stuff going on in the background, really wish more dramas include that especially all the easter egg filled Marvel/Disney shows.

Forgot about Michael Apted’s involvement.

such a classi, great show. RIP Titus Pullo

The writers hate Cicero so much.

Just saw a trailer with Indira Varma front and center!

She lives round the corner from me and is

…always quite striking even in “just got out of bed to grab coffee” mode

Also a surprisingly awesome audiobook reader for Terry Pratchett’s witches books

Exactly as this thread was revived, I was watching Indira play Lady Macbeth in London's Docklands.

she was great, in case that needed stating....

That’s the trailer I saw!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57_IiR1ynw8