Rome - The Complete Second Season (2007)

Rome - the Second Season

The DVD appears to be exactly what I ordered,although because it will be a gift, it has not been unwrapped. I didn't receive the DVD until 22 days after I had ordered it, a delay which concerned me to the extent that I had to write a "Where is my order?" note. October 9, 2008

They Came, They Saw, They Conquered...

Ah,it is with sweet sadness we view this sumptuous last season of Rome, the most lavishly produced and finely detailed series ever presented on TV. So much more story to tell that won't be, with a cast of historical and fictional characters in one of the most exciting and complex societies imaginable, full of intrigue, passion, violence, and humor. Like the Romans themselves the shows were chock-a-block with seeing, coming and conquering, and the delicious acting and witty scripts are to be savored. We could wish for more, but at least we have these.

The final season centers on the aftermath of Julius Caesar's assassination/murder and the struggle between Brutus, Marc Antony and Octavian within the power vacuum thus created. James Purefoy's Antony emerges here in all his marvelous contradictions: beloved and often brilliant soldier, careless and licentious hedonist, and finally debauched yet pitiful lover in doomed alliance with Cleopatra.

We also have the delicious final battle of wills and scheming between Atia and Sevilia, the rise of the precociously brilliant Octavian, adroit and ruthless, prudish and depraved. And we have the pursuit and destruction of Caesar's assassins culminating in the epic battle of Phillipa, and the redemptive and, in the end, nobel and courageous death of the tormented and conflicted Brutus.

All of the above is history as presented, again, from the perspective of the Mutt and Jeff of the Roman world, Vorenus and Pullo, the legionaire everymen that allow us to see the underside of Roman history where the common people lived real lives amidst the gutters and and gangsters, shopkeepers and slaves, brothels and bakeries. Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson are a marvelous duo as the prudish and sternly middle-class Vorenus and the lusty, devil-may-care, yet loyal and true Pullo.

I won't cite all the other actors but suffice it to say they are all splendid. The final season seems a bit rushed and crowded in the final episodes, no doubt because they knew of their cancellation and wanted to wrap up the series as best they could. I noted storylines that were ready for expansion, and it seemed obvious that the great drama of Antony and Cleopatra versus Ocatavian had to be truncated. While possibly a little too neat, at least they were allowed to bring the series to a finality (unlike the great Deadwood series, for example).

Yes, I am sure Rome was an expensive proposition for HBO to continue. And I guess it never found the vast audience needed to justify HBO's budget. But, oh, what a shame! Something this beautifully done deserved a better fate. At any rate, we have these DVD boxed sets, which, by the way, are the most handsomely produced and packaged sets I own. Well worth the purchase and viewing by anyone who loves quality. September 14, 2008

I'm addicted

Rats! that is was only 2 seasons, but my husband and I watch them over and over. There is so much going on, we always find something new. An excellent series. September 12, 2008

...et sceleratis sol oritur (the sun shines on the wicked too)

It's a shame that the lusty, highly entertaining HBO "Rome" series did not continue into a third season. The appeal of this heavily fictionalized look at the last days of the Roman Republic is attested to by the continuing enthusiasm of its fans--if you don't believe me, examine the "Rome" message boards on HBO's website and read some of the riotous posts there.

Season 2 continues in much the same vein as Season 1, although the atmosphere and the moments of comic relief are darker, and several of the major characters from Season 1--Julius Caesar, Pompey Magnus, and the lovely plebeian Niobe--are no longer with us. In the wake of Caesar's assassination by Brutus (well-played by Tobias Menzies), Cassius, and their colleagues, Caesar's relatives and subordinates struggle to fill the power vacuum left by his death. When young Gaius Octavian (portrayed first by the excellent Max Pirkis and later, as an adult, by Simon Woods) is named Caesar's heir the stage is set for his intense rivalry with Mark Antony (a charismatic James Purefoy). As a seasoned warrior, close associate of Caesar, consul, and the lover of Octavian's sultry mother, Atia (a delightfully wicked Polly Walker), Antony has the support of much of Rome's army, as well as an element of power over the Senate. The struggle between his forces and Octavian's involve various members of the Palatine Hill's aristocracy, among them Brutus' vindictive mother Servilia (Lindsay Duncan), and members of the Senate like the slippery orator Cicero (David Bamber). To bolster his image with the public and assist him in his new role as Caesar's successor, Octavian employs a Rat Pack of Young Turks, including a charmingly shy Marcus Agrippa (Allen Leech)--who falls in love with Octavian's beautiful, unhappy sister Octavia (Kerry Condon). In the meantime the tyrannicides have fled Rome, mustered an army, and are poised to battle the new official government--the uneasy triumvirate of Octavian, Antony, and (a nearly invisible) Lepidus.

In contrast to the machinations of the upper class rivals, we have the equally poisonous but somewhat more violent conflicts among the citizens of the Aventine, Rome's semi-slummy district of laborers, immigrants, and lower-class tradesmen. In an interesting reversal of fortune and character the once upright and moralistic Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd in an intense performance), a former legionary in Caesar's army, has become the embittered, rage-filled leader of a shady workman's collegium, or trade association, whereas Titus Pullo (portrayed with delightful insouciance by the appealing Ray Stevenson), former roisterer and violence-prone soldier, has become a caring husband and devoted friend. Colorful figures from their gritty milieu include Pullo's pretty, sylph-like wife, the former slavegirl Eirene (Chiara Mastalli), the cold-eyed and voluptuous Gaia (Zuleikha Robinson), who does her best to entrap both Vorenus and Pullo, and various members and enforcers of the Aventine's guilds and labor-related organizations.

Add to this mix the ambitions of a seductive, amoral Cleopatra Philopater (Lyndsey Marshall), who eventually singles out Antony as the prop she needs to keep her rule of Egypt in the pink and protect her young son by Julius Caesar. Although HBO's character deviates strongly from the historical Cleopatra, an intelligent, charming, and well-educated Queen of Egypt, she is fun to watch if only for the sake of her consistently self-serving attitude and her slithery manipulation of the men in her life.

There are several subplots in the series, one of which involves Timon, the Jewish horsetrader and sometime assassin employed by Atia to do her dirty work, another concerning the estranged children of Lucius Vorenus and their distrust and hatred of their father. All of these elements add up to gripping television drama, colorful pageantry, and yes, lots and lots of violence and fairly graphic (and sometimes violent) sex. There is a great deal to enjoy, on a visual as well as a dramatic level, and the concluding episode, which brings the story to an end a little too suddenly, leaves the viewer wishing that HBO could have shelled out the denari for at least one more season. Ave atque vale!


September 11, 2008

ROME

This HBO series was awsome. If you haven't watched it----DO!!! Season 1 and 2 are GREAT. The actors did a great job and scenery and effects were great also. It was just GREAT GREAT GREAT!!! Will be glad when season 3 is available. September 11, 2008

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