Hbo Rome and... BBC too

[Plautus]

Salve Citizens!

 

The finale episode of the Season has aired here in the US. Pretty good twists and good drama. I won't say more so we don't spoil it for our cousins in Old Albion. But suffice it to say, the last two episodes are worth the wait. Now as I stated previously, my spies tell me the auguries for more seasons of ROME aren't good beyond season two, so drop an e-mail to the conscript fathers of HBO and tell them the show was killer. As Primus Pilum suggested, look up the official site and buy a coffee cup or something.

BY the way, I work in Hollywood but I am in no way connected with the show or HBO. I'm merely a fellow history fan who wants to see programing more intelligent than films like King Arthur and Pearl Harbor.

[Favonius Cornelius]

That last episode tore my heart out in so many ways.

[Princeps]

can someone tell me when this(HBO's "Rome") airs on BBC and which network, I'm leaving Wednesday for the UK and would love to catch the series from the beginning if at all possible

 

thanks

 

and sorry I jumped in, it was for lack of better place to put this...

 

BBC1 Tuesday night around 10 I think. Repeated on Sunday. (Possibly wrong about both of those times though).

 

Does anyone have a link to HBO? We should all mail them and beg for another series.

[Violentilla]

We were glued to the screen last night. What an intense show, and well worth the wait.

 

Buy ROME merchandise! The mugs and shirts are of excellent quality, by the way, and though it looks like yellow print on black, it is actually gold foil!

 

Excerpt from an article where an Chris Albrecht, chairman of HBO, talks about ROME:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But Mr. Albrecht disputes any notion that HBO is off its game. "I feel like we've done the job we needed to do in programming," he said. "Our audience has certainly moved off Sunday nights to other points during the week." As for "Rome," he said, HBO has been encouraged by the series' growth among viewers and by a second round of critical comments, which largely moved from tepid to enthusiastic.

 

In strict viewer terms, HBO calls "Rome" a success because, while its Sunday totals are not overwhelming, it accumulates more than 7 million viewers a week during its multiple showings.

 

Mr. Albrecht announced only a couple of weeks into its run that he was renewing the series for another season. But in the interview he said, "That ship hasn't entirely sailed yet."

 

The reason, he said, has nothing to do with how well "Rome" turned out. Mainly, the issue has been money. "Rome" was wildly expensive, costing an estimated $100 million. It initially experienced debilitating production delays, fueling rumors that it was a troubled show. Once it was on the air and was seen to be a quality production, Mr. Albrecht said, those rumors subsided.

 

But he said those delays meant he had only a short window of time to retain a hold on the actors, which was why he renewed the series so quickly. For now, that means ordering scripts, which will be difficult to write because they need to cover the complicated period following the fall of Caesar.

 

"The real reason why, even though I ordered the show, we haven't formally gone into production, is how long it's going to take," he said. " 'Rome' won't be back until, at the earliest, March of 2007. Which makes you say to yourself: When I bring the show back, can I build an audience?"

 

Long interruptions have never cooled viewers' ardor for "The Sopranos," but Mr. Albrecht acknowledged that those layoffs had not been ideal for scheduling. "Part of the challenge for us is to figure a way to be a little more flexible," he said.

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http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/tv/article.adp?...117071109990001

[Pertinax]

well so far I have only seen the first 3 episodes but the quality has been consitently excellent, the last time I actually scheduled any activity around a Tv show was when Inspecotr Morse was shown .

[Denec]

Wow that last episode I thought was brilliant on how they tied everything together in the end.

 

How they got Vorenus away in time. I won't give too much info for those who have not seen it yet.

 

 

When the show ended I did not move for like 10 minutes, I as kind of sad in a way becuase I knew it will be a longtime before I see it again.

[Primus Pilus]

I will echo the general sentiment and also try not to reveal too much. The final show was brilliantly done. I was shocked how they resolved the Vorenus situation, mildly amused at how things worked out so conveniently for Pullo and absolutely impressed with the (hard to be a spoiler here, everyone knows what happens) death of Caesar. Brutus, Antony and Octavian (truly the entire cast except Caesar who is dead now anyway =P) are played by excellent actors and the next season should be a thing to behold.

 

Unfortunately, we will have to wait until 2007 to see it.

 

For those of you in Europe (or in the States who don't have HBO) be assured that each passing episode gets better and better, really pulling the viewer into the drama. Bravo to HBO and BBC, I only hope that there is enough return on the investment to keep producing the show indefinately.

[Plautus]

No new episodes till March of 2007? Wahhhhhh!

 

Oh well, ROME wasn't built in a season.

 

 

p.s.- What was the religious significance of Voerenus and Niobe having to get down in the middle of a ploughed field?

[Princeps]

...absolutely impressed with the (hard to be a spoiler here, everyone knows what happens) death of Caesar.

 

Did he pull his toga over his head? Every time I've seen him die he doesn't do this, but I've read that's what he actually did (so that his enemies could not see him die apparently).

[Plautus]

He tried to pull his toga up over his head, despite multiple stab wounds.

[Skarr]

The best is, of course, saved for last and I agree with the sentiments of the posters here. The last two episodes were easily some of the best and if you're watching this in the UK, you have a lot to look forward to until the very end of Season 1.

 

There have been rumors about Season 2 and some have even commented that the ship "hasn't sailed away yet" as "Rome" is more complex to produce than a show like say, "The Sopranos" where the star salaries are the most expensive part of the production. In "Rome" you have all kinds of sequences, including costumes, battles, huge sets and of course, hundreds of extras who need to be clothed, fed and of course, "paid". There are also not that many episodes per season and it takes a long time before you "can" each episode. However, despite the grumbling, I think HBO would be foolish not to go through with Season 2 as the story is far from over and some of the best action is yet to come (based on history).

 

I'm particularly looking forward to : (in no particular order)

 

- The formation of the triumvirate

 

- The falling out and reconciliation between Octavian and Antony

 

- The courtship of Cleopatra and especially the fabulous barge ( I wonder if HBO will spend that kind of money or will setlle for something cheaper as this would be only a few scenes at best, probably not worth the expense to build a realistic barge)

 

- The final battle of Actium (again, the costs of showing a sea battle may be prohibitive and possibly, may be again skipped)

 

However, there is plenty of room for drama and the main story, as always, will revolve around Titus Pullo and Lucious Vorenus, with the other giant historical characters revolving around these two. Of course, Antony and Octavian will have major roles and we may see Lepidus for the first time. Cleopatra, Atia and Servilia will be there but some of them only briefly. Atia may die soon and after her death, Octavian may plan a revenge on Servilia (despite what we know historically - she died a natural death). Anyway, until 2007, there will be plenty of debate going on and in the meantime, I do hope everyone is patient.

[FLavius Valerius Constantinus]

The way you put it Skarr makes me go crazy for more Rome.

[P.Clodius]

The murder of Caesar scene was VERY well done. The scene with Servilia, Atia, and Octavian, at the the end Servilia looks at Octavian as if trying to read what was on his mind and received an emotionless return look. The series was awesome, must..live ...til 2007. Great job HBO!!

[Tiberius Sylvestius]

I'm actually really enjoying Rome i feel it really captures something of Rome as i have always understood it or imagined it.

 

As it stands at the moment i have never done any reading on the Roman Republic or how it ended (i've been mostly fascinated with the lifes of the Emperors than anything else), so i'll take it as a nice introductory to the end of the Republic. (Although like all historical adaptations, pinch of salt required for liberties taken with real characters to further the plot.)

 

I must confess it is one instance where i am glad i have little to no knowledge of the period (as yet), because it will allow me to enjoy the series without nitpicking out the inaccuracies, like i did with Gladiator... "hang about, Commodus didn't die like that, what a liberty!"

[M. Porcius Cato]

I have a question for the authors on the forum.

 

There is a truly juicy bit of information--full of dramatic potential--that's never been mentioned in "Rome", viz. that the half-sister of Cato was Servilia. Her motivations thus far have been entirely derived from her being scorned by Caesar, which makes her seem merely vindictive.

 

Why not reveal how overdetermined her hatred for Caesar must have been. She lost her family's love by sleeping with a man who supported the family's worst enemies (pure thugs like Clodius and Antony) and who tried to have Cato arrested (this long before Cato's opposition to Caesar's genocide in Gaul). Her son was twice estranged from her due to Caesar's putsch--first when Brutus opposed him, then when Brutus was forced to honor him. Many in her family were killed by Caesar's troops, many more by their own hands lest they suffer his tyranny. Caesar jilted many lovers, but none suffered so much in so many ways as Servilia.

 

Why pass up such a fabulous plot hook? Why make her hatred so much about Atia???

 

The only reason I can guess is that they are attempting to whitewash Caesar's crimes.