Caprica

Review at Player Affinity

Rome - Season 2

Season 2 wraps up the series in satisfying manner. I wouldn't have minded the show covering a larger time period, or fleshing out the time it does cover, but there is something to be said for telling a story and then quitting while you're ahead. Rome is the kind of show that could easily get ridiculous in its debauchery if it went on too long, and one can argue it already started to by the end of this season.

There's a bit of a different feel to the show, as it covers a greater time period in a smaller number of episodes. The first season was a little more insular to the city of Rome, and more political. The second has a bit wider scope and has more true warfare happening, at least in the background if not on camera. They continue to avoid large scale battle scenes, as they're a bit difficult on a television show's budget, but they manage to work around it well and stay entertaining.

Rome should be credited for preventing stagnation. There's always something happening, characters change, move, age, and die regularly. Almost all of the featured cast is genuinely interesting, and there is always something significant happening. Lucius Vorenus' deteriorating ability to keep his anger in check and new role running the Aventine is always interesting, and his comrade Titus Pullo continues to be a very likable character. He usually has a friendly disposition, even when talking to an eminent assassination victim, and can keep Lucius in check, but when angered or in danger, he is prone to brutal, animalistic rages. Octavian comes into his role as the new ruler of Rome, and his development into someone much less kindhearted than he seemed initially is intriguing to watch. Mark Antony's descent into the decadence of Egypt continues to add to his already strange and attention-grabbing character. Women take less of a prominent role than they did in the first season, reserved more for fighting amongst themselves, although Cleopatra is still very important to the events leading up to the end.

There are a lot of creative liberties taken and historical inaccuracies, but I'll restate that that's not what the show is about. It's a general idea of what life was like at the time, with the major events intact, made to be entertaining as hell. It's well-acted, visually impressive, and often quite funny. It can get a little extreme with the violence and sexuality, but if you don't mind those things it's a really great watch.

Rome - Season 1

I'm not sure how accurately Rome actually depicts what went on around the time of Julius Caesar, because a lot of the violence and debauchery seem over the top. It's still fairly historically accurate though, following what basically happened in the years it covers. Most of the characters are fictionalized versions of actual historical figures, with varying degrees of authenticity. A lot of what happened is dramatized and embellished to be more enjoyable, because the show's about that more than being educational.

It sounds kind of weird but I've never seen a show combine violence, sex, and politics so well. The whole cast is made up of stately British actors, and they deliver their dialogue marvelously. It's really fun just to listen to them say their lines even if nothing much is really happening. The storyline is filled with maneuvering and betrayals and posturing, and it's interesting to see how some of the same things still happen today. The show's a bit infamous for the rampant promiscuity of some of the female characters, but it's rarely that explicit and is more to set the tone for the strange time period than to be actually enticing. The violence is an interesting case in the show. There are very few large battles and the ones there are aren't shot in an epic way, but focus on a small group or are just random stuttering shots of a bit of chaos happening. Where the show shines in this area is the more intimate, brutal stuff that just happens in the city. There are many executions and squabbles that just offer a little bit of bloodshed, but are very effective in their briefness. There's also a scene near the end of the season that is hands down, the most amazing fight sequence filmed for television I've ever seen.

As touched on earlier, the show has a lot of good actors, and they play interesting characters. Lucius Vorenus is essentially the main character who finds much success but struggles with his angry streak and affection for Titus Pullo, who often finds himself in a lot of trouble. Titus, along with Ocatvian, is one of my two favorite characters. They're fairly opposite in their methods, but both very likable in their own ways. Pullo is a great soldier who often makes rash decisions in the heat of the moment that land him in jail quite often. Octavian isn't a normal boy, he's more interested in reading and intelligence than swords and girls. Despite his youth he's one of the smartest people in the city and has some ambition. Pompey Magnus is an interesting rival for Caesar for a while. Mark Antony is allied with Caesar, and is slightly off-kilter. He is alternately pleasant and threatening. he is similar to Marcus Brutus, they are both influential young men Caesar trusts, although Antony resists temptation to betray Caesar while Brutus does not, inflicting the final blow when Julius is murdered on the senate floor in one of the more disturbing scenes in the show. I hope it's not a spoiler than Caesar gets killed. The two main female counterpoints are Atia and Servilia, mothers of Octavian and Brutus respectively; who start as friends but come to hate each other during the show. They have very different styles but both exert their influence over others and are very key to the plot.

Rome is the perfect HBO show; decadent, vulgar, entertaining as hell, and with a story that definitely knows where it's going. It ends after the second season which I've already started, so I'll make sure to enjoy what's left of this great series.