The second season of Rome starts immediately after the first ended. Caesar is lying dead on the floor of the senate and Mark Antony is fleeing for his life. Atia and her family prepare to leave the city although Octavian cautions that they should stay. When Mark Antony arrives at their house he tells them that he plans to head north to raise an army but before they leave Octavian insists that Caesar's will is read
it declares that Octavian is to be considered his son and heir. Mark Antony points out that it is meaningless as those who killed Caesar will have him declared a tyrant and his will and all his proclamations will be declared illegal. Octavian sees an opportunity; if all Caesar's proclamations are void so are the appointments he gave the plotters. He suggests a truce which they have little choice but to accept
it will be an uneasy truce though.
Meanwhile Lucius Vorenus is overcome with grief over the death of his wife; so much so that he curses his family. While he is out Erastes Fulmen comes and takes his family. When Titus Pullo learns of Caesar's death he returns to Rome and the house of his friend Vorenus. He supports his friend through his wife's funeral then helps his search for his family with some inevitably bloody results.
This was a really impressive season opener; no time was wasted on showing us what happened before. It isn't necessary the story is easy to pick up even if it has been some time since you watched the first season. Things are immediately tense as Mark Antony is chased through the streets, it is no less tense at Atia's household as they prepare to flee the city. The real fun of the episode was seeing just how fast the political tide changed after Octavian convinced Mark Antony they in law they have the upper hand and if the plotters want to be seen to have been protecting the law they will have to agree or face an election they might lose. The scenes with Vorenus and Pullo weren't quite as interesting but served to show what these two protagonists were up to. The cast did a fine job; Max Pirkis impressed as Octavian and David Bamber was a lot of fun as Cicero, providing some laughs as he twisted and turned to try to keep in with whoever he was talking to at the time. However James Purefoy dominated just about every scene he was in as Mark Antony; a man despised by the elite but feared because of his common touch that makes him popular with the mob. Overall this was a great opener that left me keen to see what happens during the rest of the season.
Meanwhile Lucius Vorenus is overcome with grief over the death of his wife; so much so that he curses his family. While he is out Erastes Fulmen comes and takes his family. When Titus Pullo learns of Caesar's death he returns to Rome and the house of his friend Vorenus. He supports his friend through his wife's funeral then helps his search for his family with some inevitably bloody results.
This was a really impressive season opener; no time was wasted on showing us what happened before. It isn't necessary the story is easy to pick up even if it has been some time since you watched the first season. Things are immediately tense as Mark Antony is chased through the streets, it is no less tense at Atia's household as they prepare to flee the city. The real fun of the episode was seeing just how fast the political tide changed after Octavian convinced Mark Antony they in law they have the upper hand and if the plotters want to be seen to have been protecting the law they will have to agree or face an election they might lose. The scenes with Vorenus and Pullo weren't quite as interesting but served to show what these two protagonists were up to. The cast did a fine job; Max Pirkis impressed as Octavian and David Bamber was a lot of fun as Cicero, providing some laughs as he twisted and turned to try to keep in with whoever he was talking to at the time. However James Purefoy dominated just about every scene he was in as Mark Antony; a man despised by the elite but feared because of his common touch that makes him popular with the mob. Overall this was a great opener that left me keen to see what happens during the rest of the season.