ROME wasn't around for long, but for the two seasons it ran it was one of the best shows HBO ever turned out. And for my money the second season was often better than the first!
This episode has a lot of explosive action, yet the title "Aftermath" would have been better than "Passover." In the upper world, it's the aftermath of Caesar's assassination. In the lower world, it's the aftermath of Vorenus' fatal argument with his wife Niobe. Watching characters high and low cope with life-or-death consequences, grief and danger makes for electrifying viewing!
Although I love Pullo and Vorenus very much, the reason this episode is my favorite is because you really see Marc Antony at his very best. James Purefoy just can't be beat and this episode really belongs to him. Betrayed, caught off guard, his father-figure and patron dead, Antony really rises to the occasion! He outruns the bad guys outside the senate, out-thinks Brutus and the well-born elite, carefully uses his playboy persona to keep everyone off-guard, and at the end literally changes history with the most explosive funeral oration ever!
At the same time, Max Perkis as the young Octavian (and future Emperor Augustus) is equally compelling and watchable. The frail and soft-spoken boy is so easy to overlook, until he opens his mouth and reveals an almost uncanny sense of purpose and a strength of character that equals or surpasses that of Mark Antony. The two of them are allies in this episode yet their fatal rivalry is already obvious. It's so amazing to see these historical icons come to life in a drama that's as much about family loyalty and grief as it is about historical events!
Last but not least, I have to mention that the actor who plays Cicero (David Bamber?) is sensational. On one level he's pure comic relief, a coward and hypocrite who switches sides at the drop of a hat. On the other hand the actor never lets you lose sight of the man's brilliance, his eloquence, or his sincere loyalty to the old republic. I can't think of a single bad performance in ROME, from the noble ladies to the lowest slaves. But this was truly special!
This episode has a lot of explosive action, yet the title "Aftermath" would have been better than "Passover." In the upper world, it's the aftermath of Caesar's assassination. In the lower world, it's the aftermath of Vorenus' fatal argument with his wife Niobe. Watching characters high and low cope with life-or-death consequences, grief and danger makes for electrifying viewing!
Although I love Pullo and Vorenus very much, the reason this episode is my favorite is because you really see Marc Antony at his very best. James Purefoy just can't be beat and this episode really belongs to him. Betrayed, caught off guard, his father-figure and patron dead, Antony really rises to the occasion! He outruns the bad guys outside the senate, out-thinks Brutus and the well-born elite, carefully uses his playboy persona to keep everyone off-guard, and at the end literally changes history with the most explosive funeral oration ever!
At the same time, Max Perkis as the young Octavian (and future Emperor Augustus) is equally compelling and watchable. The frail and soft-spoken boy is so easy to overlook, until he opens his mouth and reveals an almost uncanny sense of purpose and a strength of character that equals or surpasses that of Mark Antony. The two of them are allies in this episode yet their fatal rivalry is already obvious. It's so amazing to see these historical icons come to life in a drama that's as much about family loyalty and grief as it is about historical events!
Last but not least, I have to mention that the actor who plays Cicero (David Bamber?) is sensational. On one level he's pure comic relief, a coward and hypocrite who switches sides at the drop of a hat. On the other hand the actor never lets you lose sight of the man's brilliance, his eloquence, or his sincere loyalty to the old republic. I can't think of a single bad performance in ROME, from the noble ladies to the lowest slaves. But this was truly special!