Rome 9/11

Not as good an epsiode tonight as last week but it had some amusing moments. Atia giving the protocol for suicides. “After you kill me, you must kill yourself. Your survival would be inappropriate.”

The obscene Latin graffiti was a nice touch as well, but did anyone else catch all of it? I saw Cinaed… on the door, which was probably the beginning of cinaedus, (roughly, “cocksucker”) Atia Amat Omnia…something and Atia fellat…something. (“Atia loves all [something].” and “Atia sucks [something]” but I couldn’t see what she loves and sucks).

The exchange between Pullo and Lucius regarding women was good as well.

“She has a button above her cunny…”
“How do you know this about her?”
No great historical moments tonight but I guess you can’t have that every episode. I do like the character development they did with Lucius and Pullo tonight and I’m still enjoying the show so far.

and Caesar hasn’t even met Cleo yet!! :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue:

By my reckoning, it is 49BC.

Why was it 15 minutes short? Grrr…

Fellator…I believe that’s what was on Atia’s door. And I may be remembering wrong, but I thought the Treasury was not taken out of Rome. Due to miscommunication between Pompey and his political cronies, everyone thought someone else had taken the money. Did Curio indeed take it, doublecross Pompey, and was later ambushed himself?

And such a shame over Titus(?). I was hoping he’d take the Treasury to Caesar instead of absconding with it himself.

Is Timon a slave?

Timon (besides being a goaty little man) is a mercenary and a freeman; he threatened to simply leave if Atia didn’t offer some nookie, which a slave couldn’t have.

Historically, Pompey and the Senate simply left the Treasury in place, which was very convenient for Caesar; but the hijacking makes a better story.

In which case, I expect the treasury will wind up back in Rome so the show can maintain historical accuracy.

The On Demand audio commentaries for the show contain a brief snippet of the historical consultant of the show discussing this scene. He said it was a historical mystery as to why Pompey did not take the Treasury with him when he fled Rome and this episode offered the show’s fictinal “solution” as to what really happened.

I think a lot of what the writers are trying to do is incorporate the stories of (the fictional) Lucius and Pullo into the Big Historical Momements and integrate those characters with the real big name historical figures as an attempt to show how these events are being viewed- and influenced- by the ordinary Roman soldiers.

Anyone else notice the guy showing the “moon”? :smiley:

Any thoughts on how some of the real characters are being portrayed? Particularly Cicero as basically well-meaning, but not being able to control a situation, and Brutus as an upper-class twit? I know a bit about the historical context, but not nearly enough to have a take on this. (On the other hand, anytime anybody named Cato is portrayed as a snarly asshole, I can believe it.)

Was I the only one who was surprised that the Roman treasury could be hauled around in a single not overwhelmingly huge wagon?

I posted this in another thread, but I want to know why they haven’t mentioned that Servilia and Cato are half-brother and sister and that they loathe each other, and where is Caepio Junior?

Isn’t Pompey a privatus? I don’t think it would be his responsibility to empty the Treasury. That should be the junior consul’s job, right? Also, I thought the pro-Pompeians fled the city in a panic, rather than an orderly, let’s go over here to regroup sort of thing.

Couldn’t you do the same with the U.S. Gold Reserve at Fort Knox?

Also, they didn’t take the whole treasury. They just took whatever could fit in the wagon. They were short on time.

I don’t think they took all of it, just part of it.

Don’t know. Never tried. :::Makes note on “TTD list”:::

Yeah, Evil, let us know how that goes, will ya? :wink:

Which one? Brutus’s grandfather or uncle? His grandfather, who’s usually called Caepio the Younger, is dead. His uncle, who adopted him as his heir, as far as I know, then disappeared from history.

Caepio the Uncle, hinted to be the full brother of Cato and not the half-brother. His grandfather made off with the Gold of Tolosa.

Yeah, that was hilarious. I agree that the episode as a whole was kind of weak. I was surprised at how poor the computer graphics were, and there seemed to ba a “smallness” in the filming that spoke of cheap sets and too few extras. It was like the director kept saying: Keep that camera tight and low so we don’t have to show too much background. The details in the close-ups are great, but I want broad, panaramic scenes, too.

Yep, got it. I know it’s common practice to do so, but doesn’t it seem a bit odd that the actors are speaking English, but writing in Latin? Did you notice last week that Brutus actually spoke a few lines of Latin-- what was that all about…?

You almost gotta feel sorry for Lucius. He’s not too bright, and he’s great at following orders, but he’s not too creative. And how on earth are we supposed to believe that none of the neighbors are going to tell him the truth about the baby?

If I’m interpreting the previews for the next show correctly, one of her neighbors does just that. Although, I think Lucius knew what Niobe was going to tell him and he hushed her, telling her it was in the past, so maybe he’s really trying.

Although, when he told Titus that Niobe must love him as much as he loves her, because he will be no one’s slave, I was a bit :dubious: . Not a reason to want someone to love you, dude, just so you don’t feel inferior.

Hinted by Plutarch, you mean? Maybe, but he did inherit the name and the property of the older Caepio, so he must have recognized him as his son. And, I checked…according to Plutarch, he was dead at that point…from his Lives: