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The Amazing Posca


Ursus

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I am pleased as well Posca yet lives. Perhaps he deserves his own series. Posca and Caesar: The Early Years.

"Posca, the Man Behind Julius!" oh sorry that was the King of Bythinia.

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I am pleased as well Posca yet lives. Perhaps he deserves his own series. Posca and Caesar: The Early Years.

"Posca, the Man Behind Julius!" oh sorry that was the King of Bythinia.

 

:lol: I think Posca's marriage to Jocasta may have quenched any rumors about him being "the Man Behind Julius" (or vice versa). Although, for a time there, I was wondering about their relationship.

 

I'm definitely with Ursus on this, regarding Posca deserving his own series. What a brilliant character! If he'd had as many scenes as some of the others in Rome, he'd easily be my favorite character.

 

Maybe I'll just edit together all the Posca scenes from the series, and put them on a disc of their own -- then I'll have my own HBO's Posca. Yah! :ph34r:

 

Okay, somebody please indulge me here -- what's your favorite Posca scene?

 

Mine is from the first season episode, "The Ram Has Touched the Wall", in which Caesar is discussing something with Posca, and Posca tells Caesar that, while his decision is a brave one, it's not a very wise one. Caesar thinks he's putting Posca in his place when he smugly shoots back: "They say that slaves talk of bravery as fish talk of flying." Posca replies with deliberate irony: "They say that, do they? How very witty of them." Posca: 1, Caesar: 0.

 

-- Nephele

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I liked the Posca character too, but I think the character has been successful so far because it was such a useful foil to Caesar. Without the Caesar-Posca interactions (*ahem*), Posca's been less interesting. My hope is that Posca jumps ship to Octavian before Actium.

 

"Posca, the Man Behind Julius!" oh sorry that was the King of Bythinia.

That's my line! :lol:

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I liked the Posca character too, but I think the character has been successful so far because it was such a useful foil to Caesar. Without the Caesar-Posca interactions (*ahem*), Posca's been less interesting. My hope is that Posca jumps ship to Octavian before Actium.

 

I agree, Posca needs a straight man (no pun intended), and Octavian could serve the purpose, as his character in Rome is temptingly humorless.

 

While we're on the subject of Posca, just have to comment on his name, which I think was aptly chosen by the series' writers: "Posca, vinegar mixed with water, was the common drink of the lower orders among the Romans, as of soldiers when on service." (ref. Smith's)

 

An acerbic drink to name an acerbic wit. Perfect for Posca!

 

-- Nephele

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I liked Posca more in the first season than the second. This season he seems self centered and greedy. He constantly is asking anthony for money, he encourages octavian and anthony to kill jocasta's father, then ends up marrying her, without letting her know who had her family killed, which is as low as you can get. Then he betrays anthony to maecenas. Eventulally i think he will end up spying on anthony for octavian. Boy its getting really hard to cheer for someone on this show.

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I liked Posca more in the first season than the second. This season he seems self centered and greedy. He constantly is asking anthony for money, he encourages octavian and anthony to kill jocasta's father, then ends up marrying her, without letting her know who had her family killed, which is as low as you can get. Then he betrays anthony to maecenas. Eventulally i think he will end up spying on anthony for octavian. Boy its getting really hard to cheer for someone on this show.

 

Actually, Posca wasn't quite an individual of exemplary morals in the first season, either, serving as Caesar's bag man for the hits on prominent Roman citizens. Remember how Caesar denied knowing anything about these gruesome events happening in his city's streets, and then at the end of the episode, "The Spoils", we see Posca delivering Caesar's payment to Erastes Fullmen, with the admonition, "If we employ you again, best not use veterans." (Seeing as how Pullo had too much of a conscience to have a taste for this work.)

 

It was actually Atia's suggestion to Octavian and Antony to kill Jocasta's father. But way back in the first season episode "Stealing from Saturn", it was Posca who suggested to Caesar that he kill off rich men for their wealth. And it was also Posca who shrewdly advised Caesar on what sort of bribes various officials would require.

 

Perhaps the best thing that could be said for Posca in the first season was that he appeared to be genuinely loyal to Caesar, whereas he's now masterless and apparently loyal to no man. Plus, Posca's cynical approach to problem-solving makes him a witty and entertaining character, as always.

 

So, with this most recent episode -- "A Necessary Fiction" -- doesn't Posca appear to be the doting, indulgent husband? I swear, Jocasta looked like a magnet for ravens, with all those shiny trinkets hanging from her. And Posca was all: "Whatever you want, dear," when Jocasta spied a new shop. Now, I'm sure Posca's generous nature towards Jocasta can't be based on feelings of guilt over what happened to her family. I think Jocasta simply must be keeping Posca very happy.

 

Oh, and do you suppose Posca's legal name, now that he's Caesar's freedman, is: Gaius Julius Posca? Seeing as how it was customary that freed slaves would take the praenomen and nomen of their former masters, and tack on their original name (often Latinized) as their cognomen?

 

-- Nephele

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Posca is descendat of Chrysogonus - freedman of Sulla and in the same time he is ancestor of all those freedmen who flooded Rome's administration during and after reign of Claudius. He was loyal when was a slave but when became a free man he wants to be important and rich. We cant blame him for that but I hope he will end in the same way like this guy:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Cornelius_Chrysogonus

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Best Posca moment? " Maps seldom redraw themselves if that is what you are waiting for ", I felt this showed the dynamic of the mutual understanding of GJC MA and Posca nicely or perhaps GJC "no blood this time", Posca "perhaps you should wait for Pompey to shave you himself?".Nicely tempered by his gravitas in covering the head of Pompey when it is presented by the "Mighty Lion" and his sexually ambiguous lickspittles.

His pragmatic approach was nicely shown when he says "you must kill some rich men soon, very soon".

Still no 2nd series date for the UK. :)

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