Was that supposed to be Alexander? I thought it was Hannibal because of the elephants.
Still 140+ years too early.
What? You mean that not all characters from ancient Rome lived at the same time?
Next you’ll say that Xena wasn’t historically accurate either. Speaking of - why hasn’t she showed up? She and Caesar were a steady item, weren’t they?
No, it’ll just be a bad dream that Servilia had-- she’ll wake up and Caeser will still be alive. Unbeknownst to her, however, Caesar’s long lost twin will have an affair with her newly discovered cousin. Then, the daughter she bore with a weaving instructor shows up, gets enganged to the Barbarain Prince Moldovius, and all hell breaks lose. Other than that, though, it’s pretty much as the history books tell us.
I find Pullo and Verrinus annoying because they’re made out to be such central characters in history, when they’re not. You know, the way that “Young Indiana Jones” usually won WW1 single-handedly.
Minor players are just that, minor players. I’d have no objection to them being THERE during the events, because they would have been…as onlookers.
Caesar had epilepsy, not a brain tumour. Probably from birth and as a result of the hypoxia he suffered from his unusual entry into the world.
Caesar was born the normal way, not through a Caesarean section. Or was I whoosed? I didn’t think the epilepsy showed itself until much later in his life.
I like it, but the battle scenes leave much to be desired. There’s no grand vistas or sweeping scenes. It’s like they spent all their money on costumes and staging and don’t have a whole lot left over for battle scenes. You’ll be lucky to see more than 20 soldiers engaged in a “battle.” As for Pharsalus, I was extremely disappointed.
Personally, I like Pullo and Vorenus. We’re not supposed to think they’re historical figures, and it would be a pity if people in the audience got the wrong idea about that. But by sort of Gumping them in, we get to see the events of this world from another perspective and they also serve as plot devices. They’re a charming odd couple.
Another thing I like about the show is that Cleopatra is, as the kids say, teh hawt.
I like how, at least once during each episode, Vorenus has the need to give Pullo that look, like “Lucy, you gotta lotta ‘splainin’ to do!”
And yeah, Cleopatra is hawt. I like who they chose for her.
True, but Rome is done with a much greater nod to historical accuracy. I actually like some of the touches such as Ptolemy XIII wearing the painted beard and his eunuch advisor not having eyebrows.
I wonder if this season will see Octavia’s marriage to MA or to the Second Triumvirate. I’m reasonably sure they’ll at least have the assassination and include Pompey’s statue.
As for the battles, if they’re not going to pay to have more than an SCA Meeting worthy reenactment, they should use animations (such as those in the opening credits) on a map to show what went wrong or right depending on the side, then cut to the battlefield afterwards.
I was being a wiseass.
Agreed though, there are a lot of nice little touches, and much better historical accuracy than in most period shows.
I’m thinking the season will end with the assassination, and season two will be the second triumvirate and the rise of Augustus.
I can understand why they are not showing the big battles. They’re expensive and it would grind the story to a halt if the were to dedicate half an episode to a battle. They do need a better way to convey the battles though. Caesar’s and Pompey’s last battle did not work.
Exactly so. The point of Pullo and Vorenus was that they are ordinary plebs while in Rome. It shows you how the other side lived and not just the elites (what fun is that, really… and by focusing on them you just get a docudrama basically, and we know everything that happens). By looking at Pullo and Vorenus we get to have a bit of uncertainty while the big important historical stuff happens in the background (or… er… sideground?).
Without them, I have a feeling the show would be fairly predictable and a bit more dull.
This whole thread is one big whoosh.
Well, I started to watch it tonight, and was soon wondering if I’d tuned in to a porno. I stopped watching after 30 mins. Sorry, but I demand a bit more than porn.
Now that is something you don’t read on this board very often…ever, in fact.
Sorry you were put off by the naughty bits…the show is actually pretty good, but different strokes…
No, unless you turn the volume on too. 