Rewind: Rome 11 "The Spoils"
2005-11-16 / 1:39 a.m.
I am much more concerned now with Vorenus and Pullo's storylines than the more historical characters. Their plotline is now at the point at which Brutus is being bullied into betrayal by mother and others, and where Caesar is trying to force Brutus out of Rome because he is unsure as to whether he can be trusted (the graffiti now shows Brutus stabbing Caesar in the back). Atia "reconciles" with Mark Antony. Servilia is no longer sleeping with Octavia, or at least they are not depicted as such.
Lucius Vorenus is further drawn into the seamy duplicity of politics; his brother soldiers are requesting land and Caesar only agrees to give them rough terrain in Pollonia. Lucius has to bribe their representative with cold hard cash to get him to accept it. He also turns his back on Pullo, who has killed a servant in plain view of his children because the slave was affianced to Irene, whom he had just freed so that he could marry her. Pullo meanwhile has joined the mob and is drowning in drugs and prostitutes. He kills a man in broad daylight and is caught. Octavian alone shows concern for Pullo. Vorenus is more interested in preserving the Republic and calls off a band of the Thirteenth who is preparing to boost Pullo from his captors, should he be pronounced guilty at trial (I'm guessing this is before the presumption of innocence), which eventually he is.
Pullo seems defeated. He has blown many chances at wealth, fame, and fortune: he has found piles of gold and given it back; he has made love to a queen and quite possibly fathered her son, supposedly Caesar's. He found a woman he loves and calms his spirits, but she loved another, and he killed that other, forever closing her heart to him. He just doesn't seem to have the good luck his golden brother Vorenus has. He shows remorse for having killed Irene's lover and prays for her well-being as well as Vorenus's. He resigns himself to his fate.
This is the goriest episode to date. I liked how they glossed over the major battles in earlier episodes, since they were not the main draw for the show anyway (not like they were for Braveheart, where there was that whole are-they-CGI-animated? issue); in this one I am equally thrilled that they do the full blood-and-guts (and I do mean guts) of the Arena, in which Titus Pullo is sentenced to die for his crime. Until they start mocking his legion, he sits quietly waiting for the gladiators to do their work. Provoked, he goes into a total D&D Barbarian Rage--chopping off limb after limb after head... The crowd goes wild. He suffers a deep wound and slumps to the ground before the largest gladiator, a giant if ever there was one. Vorenus has been secretly watching from the crowd and is overcome with emotion. He jumps into the ring and rescues his friend, slaying the giant and dragging Pullo out of the arena. How much delayed action? Riveting.
Lastly, we find that the assassination Pullo was sentenced to death for really was comissioned by Caesar, as Posca plunks a bag of coin in front of Erastes Fullmen.