HBO's Rome ep 12
My apologies for the lateness of this review--my internet has only come back tonight. I'm really pissed that it was down for so long, because I'm trying to start final papers and in the middle of actually applying to grad schools at the moment. So I lost a lot of much-needed time fussing with thwarted plans.
Also, I apparently missed the earlier revelations of Vorenus and Pullo as real characters. Guess that's what happens when one gets too busy. However, I should point out that Homo Edax figured this out by himself while actually ::gasp!:: reading Caesar in Latin for fun or some such. Because this is what Latin professors do! :-D I hope the fact that I've mentioned him in my last THREE posts satisfies him. He will never want me to mention him in this blog again!
So, on to the review!
-Apparently, there are plays about Pullo and Vorenus in the arena from last ep.
-Somebody taking a likeness of Pullo (who's in bed, recovering from his wounds) in order to make a mural of him.
-Vorenus and Niobe go off for some ritual on the land, while Vorenus worries that Caesar will exile him for saving Pullo. They're supposed to pretend to have sex (fertility ritual), but they start kissing for real. The priest rings his bell to tell them it's over, but they continue kissing.
-Pullo escapes to Rome for the GIRLS, but he's not healed yet, so he falls off his horse instead.
-He's brought back to Vorenus' house. They tie him up to keep him actually in bed. Pullo wants in on the action of their newfound fame.
-Ireni sneaks into Pullo's room to kill him at night. He wakes up and tries to talk to her. She pulls out a knife, and he tells her to go ahead and kill him. She can't seem to do it. Niobe walks in and discovers her and scolds her (Pullo tries to cover for her), reminding her that if she killed her ex-master, everyone would know it.
-Vorenus off to see Caesar!
-Niobe sends Ireni to feed Pullo. She spits in his food first, but he's in luuuuurve.
-Caesar planning on diverting the river. Cicero being snarky. Caesar wants to include Gauls and Celts in the senate.
-Vorenus enters. Caesar wonders what to do with him. Thinks he should punish him, but says the People have made him and Pullo heroes, and he doesn't want to make them angry. So he thinks he should reward him, lest he should seem weak. He makes Vorenus a Senator. EVERYONE astonished. Caesar: "Vorenus, you look like you've seen the Gorgon!" He wants Vorenus to stay close by him for the first few weeks. Everyone else protesting. Caesar wants to please the people. Cicero: "Build yet another temple... Kill someone! The people are easy to please!" haha (It's a good line. You have to see it).
-Caesar and Antony talk. Antony warns him he has to double his guard, etc. Caesar says, "Guards can keep my enemies away--they can do nothing about my friends." Antony assures him he has "no ill-intentions. Caesar: "I know, not that you're not perfectly capable of any manner of wickedness." Antony: "Thank you!" Caesar: "But if you were going to betray me, you would've done it long ago." Antony: "Don't think I wasn't tempted!"
-Caesar thinks Vorenus is ferocious and will keep people from trying nto harm him. Here's where I think they follow awfully similarly to the horror that was ABC's The Empire. But they do it SO much better!
-Vorenus and Niobe discuss finding their daughter a "rich, old man" to marry. She says she doesn't care about trivial jewels and dresses. Vorenus and Niobe explain that these things are important to show status and that a person is protected. She says she wants love. Niobe and Vorenus explain that love has to be worked for and that it would be strange to love from the start. They point to themselves as an example of a good arranged marriage.
-Calpurnia (I guess? He's sleeping with her anyway) has a bad omen dream. Caesar tells her not to worry. He also says there's much more to be done.
-Servilia prays for blessings for Brutus to kill Caesar.
-Pullo gets a boy to untie him. Goes seeking women, but they don't recognise him. He comes back with a woman, but when he sees Ireni, he sends her away.
-Vorenus and Caesar appear together with V in Senatorial dress. Old Senators complain about the new Senators. They feel better about Vorenus being a Roman (though a lowly pleb) than the Celts and Gauls, but they still don't like him. They discuss Caesar and Vorenus' image as father and son. Cicoero goes home to "stupify [himself] with wine."
-Caesar looks up at Brutus and waves at him.
-Old Senators worry that Caesar knows and plan their attack. They consider having slaves kill him at home in order to avoid Vorenus (who is apparently acting as bodyguard). They have to explain to Servilia who he is. They don't want to kill Vorenus, because he's popular. They want the People on their side and only want "the tyrant" dead. Brutus wants the murder to be done honorably "in daylight, on the senate floor, with our own hand--with my hand."
-Niobe worried and wakes Vorenus with her loud worrying. She thinks things are moving too fast.
-Servilia suddenly remembers where she's heard of Vorenus (from Octavia, who told her about Niobe's lover getting killed by Pullo and Octavian).
-Servilia invites Atia to her house the next day. Atia decides to bring Octavian with her.
-Pullo asks Ireni if the gods will forgive him if he prays. She says who knows. He invites her to come along when he goes to pray.
-Caesar and Vorenus and others on their way to the Senate House. Vorenus is told about Niobe by one of Servilia's women. He runs back to his home, leaving Caesar.
-Atia and Octavian are at Servilia's house. Servilia says she wants to be the first to tell them what's happened.
-Caesar walks into the Senate House. Somebody approaches Caesar about revoking his brother's exile. He puts his hand on Caesar, and they tussle a bit. He shouts, "What're you waiting for? Now! Now!" They are slow, but then they start stabbing. It's very bloody, very real, and very undramatised. Massive stabbing and blood, not prettied up at all.
-Scene of Vorenus running back home.
-Brutus still standing there, staring. Somebody puts a knife in his hand and tells him to do it. He slowly approaches Caesar, laying on the floor but still alove, and he hesitates. Caesar does NOT actually says, "Et tu, Brutus?" but his EYES say it more powerfully than any words can. Brutus stabs him, and Caesar eventually dies.
-Vorenus throwing furnature and shouting, "Where is he?!" Niobe: "Who?!" V: "Your son!" He wants her to tell him it's not true, but she says, "I thought you were dead." He's shocked, speechless. Backs up and picks up a knife, looking uncertain whom to stab--Niobe, her son, or himself? She backs up and says, "Lucius, the boy is blameless." Then she falls out the window over the banister backwards with Vorenus looking horrified.
-Back in the Senate house, somebody (can't see whom) picks up Brutus' hand and says, "Thus ever for tyrants!" Antony looks horrified. Brutus looks distraught. The Senators seem to wonder what they've done. Brutus screams.
-Servilia to Atia: "So you see, the tyrant is dead; the Republic is restored, and you... are alone. Would you like some honeywater?" Servilia tells her she won't harm her yet. Atia wonders why she'd harm her, because they've "always been great friends. Politics is for men!" Servilia tells her off and tells her how much she's going to haunt (and hunt) Atia. They finally leave, and Octavian glares at Servilia before walking away.
-Vorenus crying over Niobe and rocking her. Her son walks in and looks at him. He stares back.
-Pullo praying to the gods to forgive him (presumably). Ireni accompanies him--she's apparently forgiven him, anyway. They walk off holding hands.
Overall: FANTASTIC. Great, snarky lines as usual. Caesar's death was brilliant. I've always enjoyed the dramatized versions of Caesar's death, but I never realised how brilliantly it could be done with simple, horrific reality. Caesar's eyes spoke volumes. Niobe's death was done wonderfully as well, but I wish she weren't dead!! Servilia is wonderfully wicked (she totally beats Atia anyday!). I'm glad to see Pullo's softer side again and that Ireni has forgiven him, but I certainly don't want them to end up together. If there hadn't been another boy for her, and if Pullo hadn't killed him, I would've wanted them together, but she can't go back now! She would never really love him, only feel obligated to him. She seemed so much like a child in this ep that it would seem even more wrong, anyway. Anyway, this ep has just reaffirmed my love for this show. But I'm sorta glad that the season is over, because it's been a bit of a distraction from other things that need to get done!
NEXT season looks to be very interesting.
Oh, and I just saw the new Pride & Prejudice tonight. All I could think of when seeing Mr. Collins on screen was about the Mr. Collins in the miniseries version (the one with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy), who is Cicero in this show (David Bamber). There's a good reason Cicero cracks me up in this show. It's Mr. Collins in a TOGA!
Also, I apparently missed the earlier revelations of Vorenus and Pullo as real characters. Guess that's what happens when one gets too busy. However, I should point out that Homo Edax figured this out by himself while actually ::gasp!:: reading Caesar in Latin for fun or some such. Because this is what Latin professors do! :-D I hope the fact that I've mentioned him in my last THREE posts satisfies him. He will never want me to mention him in this blog again!
So, on to the review!
-Apparently, there are plays about Pullo and Vorenus in the arena from last ep.
-Somebody taking a likeness of Pullo (who's in bed, recovering from his wounds) in order to make a mural of him.
-Vorenus and Niobe go off for some ritual on the land, while Vorenus worries that Caesar will exile him for saving Pullo. They're supposed to pretend to have sex (fertility ritual), but they start kissing for real. The priest rings his bell to tell them it's over, but they continue kissing.
-Pullo escapes to Rome for the GIRLS, but he's not healed yet, so he falls off his horse instead.
-He's brought back to Vorenus' house. They tie him up to keep him actually in bed. Pullo wants in on the action of their newfound fame.
-Ireni sneaks into Pullo's room to kill him at night. He wakes up and tries to talk to her. She pulls out a knife, and he tells her to go ahead and kill him. She can't seem to do it. Niobe walks in and discovers her and scolds her (Pullo tries to cover for her), reminding her that if she killed her ex-master, everyone would know it.
-Vorenus off to see Caesar!
-Niobe sends Ireni to feed Pullo. She spits in his food first, but he's in luuuuurve.
-Caesar planning on diverting the river. Cicero being snarky. Caesar wants to include Gauls and Celts in the senate.
-Vorenus enters. Caesar wonders what to do with him. Thinks he should punish him, but says the People have made him and Pullo heroes, and he doesn't want to make them angry. So he thinks he should reward him, lest he should seem weak. He makes Vorenus a Senator. EVERYONE astonished. Caesar: "Vorenus, you look like you've seen the Gorgon!" He wants Vorenus to stay close by him for the first few weeks. Everyone else protesting. Caesar wants to please the people. Cicero: "Build yet another temple... Kill someone! The people are easy to please!" haha (It's a good line. You have to see it).
-Caesar and Antony talk. Antony warns him he has to double his guard, etc. Caesar says, "Guards can keep my enemies away--they can do nothing about my friends." Antony assures him he has "no ill-intentions. Caesar: "I know, not that you're not perfectly capable of any manner of wickedness." Antony: "Thank you!" Caesar: "But if you were going to betray me, you would've done it long ago." Antony: "Don't think I wasn't tempted!"
-Caesar thinks Vorenus is ferocious and will keep people from trying nto harm him. Here's where I think they follow awfully similarly to the horror that was ABC's The Empire. But they do it SO much better!
-Vorenus and Niobe discuss finding their daughter a "rich, old man" to marry. She says she doesn't care about trivial jewels and dresses. Vorenus and Niobe explain that these things are important to show status and that a person is protected. She says she wants love. Niobe and Vorenus explain that love has to be worked for and that it would be strange to love from the start. They point to themselves as an example of a good arranged marriage.
-Calpurnia (I guess? He's sleeping with her anyway) has a bad omen dream. Caesar tells her not to worry. He also says there's much more to be done.
-Servilia prays for blessings for Brutus to kill Caesar.
-Pullo gets a boy to untie him. Goes seeking women, but they don't recognise him. He comes back with a woman, but when he sees Ireni, he sends her away.
-Vorenus and Caesar appear together with V in Senatorial dress. Old Senators complain about the new Senators. They feel better about Vorenus being a Roman (though a lowly pleb) than the Celts and Gauls, but they still don't like him. They discuss Caesar and Vorenus' image as father and son. Cicoero goes home to "stupify [himself] with wine."
-Caesar looks up at Brutus and waves at him.
-Old Senators worry that Caesar knows and plan their attack. They consider having slaves kill him at home in order to avoid Vorenus (who is apparently acting as bodyguard). They have to explain to Servilia who he is. They don't want to kill Vorenus, because he's popular. They want the People on their side and only want "the tyrant" dead. Brutus wants the murder to be done honorably "in daylight, on the senate floor, with our own hand--with my hand."
-Niobe worried and wakes Vorenus with her loud worrying. She thinks things are moving too fast.
-Servilia suddenly remembers where she's heard of Vorenus (from Octavia, who told her about Niobe's lover getting killed by Pullo and Octavian).
-Servilia invites Atia to her house the next day. Atia decides to bring Octavian with her.
-Pullo asks Ireni if the gods will forgive him if he prays. She says who knows. He invites her to come along when he goes to pray.
-Caesar and Vorenus and others on their way to the Senate House. Vorenus is told about Niobe by one of Servilia's women. He runs back to his home, leaving Caesar.
-Atia and Octavian are at Servilia's house. Servilia says she wants to be the first to tell them what's happened.
-Caesar walks into the Senate House. Somebody approaches Caesar about revoking his brother's exile. He puts his hand on Caesar, and they tussle a bit. He shouts, "What're you waiting for? Now! Now!" They are slow, but then they start stabbing. It's very bloody, very real, and very undramatised. Massive stabbing and blood, not prettied up at all.
-Scene of Vorenus running back home.
-Brutus still standing there, staring. Somebody puts a knife in his hand and tells him to do it. He slowly approaches Caesar, laying on the floor but still alove, and he hesitates. Caesar does NOT actually says, "Et tu, Brutus?" but his EYES say it more powerfully than any words can. Brutus stabs him, and Caesar eventually dies.
-Vorenus throwing furnature and shouting, "Where is he?!" Niobe: "Who?!" V: "Your son!" He wants her to tell him it's not true, but she says, "I thought you were dead." He's shocked, speechless. Backs up and picks up a knife, looking uncertain whom to stab--Niobe, her son, or himself? She backs up and says, "Lucius, the boy is blameless." Then she falls out the window over the banister backwards with Vorenus looking horrified.
-Back in the Senate house, somebody (can't see whom) picks up Brutus' hand and says, "Thus ever for tyrants!" Antony looks horrified. Brutus looks distraught. The Senators seem to wonder what they've done. Brutus screams.
-Servilia to Atia: "So you see, the tyrant is dead; the Republic is restored, and you... are alone. Would you like some honeywater?" Servilia tells her she won't harm her yet. Atia wonders why she'd harm her, because they've "always been great friends. Politics is for men!" Servilia tells her off and tells her how much she's going to haunt (and hunt) Atia. They finally leave, and Octavian glares at Servilia before walking away.
-Vorenus crying over Niobe and rocking her. Her son walks in and looks at him. He stares back.
-Pullo praying to the gods to forgive him (presumably). Ireni accompanies him--she's apparently forgiven him, anyway. They walk off holding hands.
Overall: FANTASTIC. Great, snarky lines as usual. Caesar's death was brilliant. I've always enjoyed the dramatized versions of Caesar's death, but I never realised how brilliantly it could be done with simple, horrific reality. Caesar's eyes spoke volumes. Niobe's death was done wonderfully as well, but I wish she weren't dead!! Servilia is wonderfully wicked (she totally beats Atia anyday!). I'm glad to see Pullo's softer side again and that Ireni has forgiven him, but I certainly don't want them to end up together. If there hadn't been another boy for her, and if Pullo hadn't killed him, I would've wanted them together, but she can't go back now! She would never really love him, only feel obligated to him. She seemed so much like a child in this ep that it would seem even more wrong, anyway. Anyway, this ep has just reaffirmed my love for this show. But I'm sorta glad that the season is over, because it's been a bit of a distraction from other things that need to get done!
NEXT season looks to be very interesting.
Oh, and I just saw the new Pride & Prejudice tonight. All I could think of when seeing Mr. Collins on screen was about the Mr. Collins in the miniseries version (the one with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy), who is Cicero in this show (David Bamber). There's a good reason Cicero cracks me up in this show. It's Mr. Collins in a TOGA!
posted by Glaukôpis at 1:34 AM
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