The second season of “Rome” is more violent (often sexually so) and sensational than the first. For those unfamiliar with Roman history or the first season, please note that we are now entering spoiler territory.
For such a violent and spectacle driven show, it’s fitting that some its most memorable scenes involve the deathly demise of key characters: Brutus realising that all his efforts are in vain; Sevila’s curse; Cicero’s Stoic acceptance of his fate. Let us not forget that one of the main character trajectories that also ends, inevitably, in death, has to do with Mark Anthony and his time in Egypt with possibly the sexiest version of Cleopatra ever captured on screen.
Season 2 opens where the first season ended. Julius Caesar is dead, and succession follows. This involves mainly Mark Anthony and Octavian caught in a struggle for power in which each man will do what he has to to obtain control over the Empire. Meanwhile, Lucius Vorenus is mourning the death of his wife before assuming an important new role in controlling the gangs that run lower Rome. Titus Pullio and his new wife also return to Rome. With the inclusion and emphasis on Vorenus and Pullio it becomes clear that “Rome” really is a boy’s own adventure set in ancient times. The (mis)adventures of these two characters, though often severe, do not sit comfortably with the dealings of the ‘upper’ noble characters and their political schemes.
All in all “Rome” is well worth a watch, especially with the “All Roads Lead to Rome” function turned on to comment on and illuminate aspects of Roman life that the show itself cannot directly comment on. Considering how this season ends, it's a pity that the uber-expensive production could not survive into a third season dealing with Octavian's time as ruler of what was once the greatest city in the world.
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