Anyone watching ROME on HBO? (HBO HD showing episodes 4 and 5 tonight)

Here we are, refugees in our own land," Cicero says to Pompey and his supporters, anxiously settling into their makeshift camp south of Rome. "We are not refugees, we are maneuvering," Pompey responds sharply, before explaining his strategy to the men: without gold, Caesar will have to resort to violence, and once the blood starts to spill, the people will turn on him with a vengeance. "While he is fighting mobs in the forum, I will be gathering an army the like of which he has never seen!"

Of course, there is still the question of who has the missing gold. Quintus Pompey, a squirrelly version of his father, has arrived from Brindisi to help track it down. With his gift for torturing the truth out of traitors, he delivers the information his father has awaited: the treasury has not fallen into Caesar's hands.

Yet Caesar has returned to the city and taken command, instituting Martial law to control the anarchy left in his rival's wake. His first mission is to win the support of the priests, and he asks that auguries be taken such that the people of Rome know that the Gods are on his side.

Despite the quiet that has befallen the city, Lucius Vorenus is anxious to start his new life as a merchant, and plans a party to enlist trading partners. He intends to import goods from Gaul - trading slaves, truffles, and wine - and to do this he must befriend local businessmen. As he prepares for his guests to arrive, Vorenus receives a surprise visit from Mark Antony, who confronts him about deserting Caesar's army. "I am no deserter! My time was served!" Vorenus insists. "Once over the Rubicon, Romans are citizens, not soldiers. I could not legally do other than I did."

"Foolish like a priest," says Antony, before making him an offer. If Vorenus returns to the thirteenth legion, he will be inducted into the Evocati as a prefect of the first grade, with a large signing bonus. Vorenus declines the offer, angering Mark Antony.

Across town, Atia prepares to host Caesar's homecoming dinner, a lofty honor that she attends to with glee. Her only apparent concern is her son's "distinctly feminine anima" and apparent lack of interest in sex. "When my mother's father was your age, there was not a slave girl safe," she boasts, forcing him to eat goat testicles to put "oak in your penis."

Over at Vorenus's feast, Niobe's sister Lyde arrives with Evander the butcher, Niobe's erstwhile lover and the father of her infant son. "This is my husband, Evander Pulchio," Lyde says, introducing the tense man to an oblivious Vorenus. As other guests arrive, festively dressed merchants and neighbors, Vorenus tries awkwardly to make small talk, while the infant Lucius reaches for Evander, who cuddles with the child -- tormenting his wife. Pouring down the wine, Lyde loses herself by dancing with a young man, until her husband tries to escort her from the party and she makes a scene. Terrified that Vorenus will see the spectacle, Niobe pulls a knife to threaten her. "What good is a knife when you've killed me already?" Lyde cries. As Evander tries to wrestle his wife out of the party, the two knock over a shrine to Janus, god of beginnings - a terrible omen that fills Vorenus with a sense of doom.

As Vorenus's party comes to a foreboding end, Atia's affair heats up. Caesar has greeted his guests warmly, assuring them that he will never give them a reason to regret his friendship, regardless of their past allegiances. As Atia holds court, she becomes preoccupied with Servilia's attendance, determined that nothing come between her and her powerful uncle. The presence of Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, who arrives on the arm of her husband, seems to concern her much less. While Caesar is genial, Calpurnia remains aloof and formal, obeying her role as the dignified wife.

The Chief Augur appears indifferent to Caesar and his guests, until Caesar and Mark Antony offer a large sum as a "birthday gift" to the priest's extravagant spouse. The Augur ups the ante before accepting the generous offer. "She would be under great obligation to you," he tells Caesar. "To think well of me would be her only obligation," he responds.

As Vorenus begins to recover from his hosting duties, he receives another surprise visit - this time it is Pompey's son and his men, in search of the treasury gold. Assuring them he knows nothing, they threaten him with swords, drawing blood from his throat. The standoff is interrupted by the sound of a raucous crowd outside Vorenus's courtyard. They are carrying a man who tosses coins at the beggars and urchins in the street. As the litter is lowered, we see that the man is Pullo. He does not see Quintus's men as he rushes to greet Vorenus. But when they descend on their now-obvious culprit, Pullo throws a bag of golden coins in the air, and the beggars descend in force - allowing Pullo and Vorenus to ambush their would-be captors.

With Quintus bound and gagged, Pullo hatches a plan to escape with the gold to Spain. Vorenus wont have it: "By sunrise everyone in Rome will know what you did, and where you are...My home was invaded and my wife near killed on your account." With this he convinces Pullo to hand over the gold to Caesar, and hope that offering Quintus will earn him mercy.

It earns him more than that, 100 gold pieces (Caesar "does not like to quarrel with Fortune, and clearly she has taken you for a pet."). Quintus is sent back to Pompey with a written offer of a truce, despite the misgivings of Mark Antony and even young Octavian, who speculates that the offering will divide Pompey from his men. This assessment pleases Caesar. Before he can explain his strategy, however, he is in the grips of an epileptic seizure. Posca and a shocked Octavian attempt to hide and restrain him until the violent attack subsides.

When he recovers, a pallid Caesar sends Capurnia home without him, and finds his way to Servilia's bedroom. The next day, with all the priests present, the Chief Augur makes his appeal to Great Jupiter, and in a display carefully orchestrated by his assistants, pigeons fly across the sky from left to right.

Outside the city, Pompey crumples Caesar's offer, at first hiding it from the others. When they learn the limited terms of the truce - legal immunity, mutual disarmament - Cicero, Scipio and Brutus ask Pompey to reconsider. "I must disarm? I am lawful Consul of Rome. He is a criminal. There is nothing mutual in it."

Back in Rome, Pullo returns to Vorenus's with his gold from Caesar, only to find Niobe and Evander in anguished conversation. Vorenus is elsewhere, prostrating himself to the city's Shrine of Janus, begging forgiveness.

Chased to the Italian coast by Caesar's legions, Pompey and the senior senators debate their response to Caesar's truce offer. They finally agree to a "cessation of hostilities" based on his terms, though Pompey vehemently insists to his men the agreement is not a surrender. He simply needs time to bring fresh troops from Greece and Spain.

When Caesar and Mark Antony read the response, they decide their rival is trapped and contemplate their triumphant rule over Rome -- with Pompey withdrawing to Spain. The only problem now is public perception. "If I am not a tyrant, if I merely seek legitimacy, why would I not accept such favorable terms?" Caesar inquires. It is Posca who concocts his excuse: Pompey will not meet him in person, therefore the offer cannot be accepted. (This pleases Caesar: "Hoi polloi can understand a reason like that. He refuses to meet me face to face. Man to man.")

On a tip from her kitchen staff - who witnessed young Octavian emerging from a closet with Caesar after his seizure - Atia congratulates her son for seducing his great uncle. "I am not clear that it's decent...but who's to say what's decent in times like these?" she muses, delighting in the thought of the power she will now wield. "Let's see Servilia compete with a soft young boy like you." To set his mother straight, Octavia divulges that Caesar has an affliction, but stops short of explaining any further.

With his slaves due to arrive from Gaul, Vorenus announces to his family that he will soon have enough money for his daughter's dowry, allowing her to take baby Lucius to her young husband and start a proper married life. This thrills Vorena the Elder while distressing Niobe, who stares anxiously at her infant son.

But Vorenus's slaves did not fare will on their journey - all but one of the 12 succumbed to the black blood flu, and the sole survivor is a sickly four-year-old boy. Vorenus has no choice but to take him home and nurse him to health, in the hopes that he can sell him and recoup some of his losses.

Caesar, meanwhile, has been declining invitations from Atia, while accepting them from Servilia, leading his men to suspect her as the reason he is stalling an attack on Pompey. Mark Antony reveals as much to Atia during a late night visit, confirming her worst fears.

Since he's not Caesar's soft young lover, Atia enlists Pullo to teach her son the "masculine arts," which proves to be a challenge. Exertion gives the privileged boy a fever, and he feels he can only kill people who aren't fighting back. Pullo decides to seek the boy's advice on whether he should tell a friend about his suspicions concerning the man's wife. Octavian reasons that "without facts you must remain silent."

Oblivious to any troubles with his family, Vorenus is preoccupied with his finances, and approaches Erastes for a loan to buy more slaves. Instead he gets a job offer - to accompany the businessman on his trades as a sort of bodyguard. During his first assignment, however, Erastes asks Vorenus to kill a man who has failed to pay him. He refuses and quits.

Across the whitewashed walls of the city, several crude cartoons have been drawn of a man having sex with a woman - the names Caesar and Servilia etched under each naked form. As Caesar and his procession make their way through the crowded streets, Calpurnia carried high on a litter, raucous laughter breaks out as they pass. When Caesar and his wife take notice of the drawings, the procession abruptly turns back to the villa, where a humiliated Calpurnia threatens her husband with divorce. This alarms both Caesar and his chief attendant. "We cannot divorce now," Posca tells him, "Her family influence will be critical."

Caesar's next visit to Servilia is not so friendly. He coldly informs her they are finished. He is heading south to pursue Pompey and they will not be seeing each other again. Servilia trembles in disbelief. "Be assured, it is not that I do not love you...I must do what is right for the Republic." With this Servilia bursts into a rage, attacking her lover until she draws blood from his cheek. Caesar knocks her to the floor, and as she sobs uncontrollably, slaps her twice more before storming out - leaving her sobbing in a heap.

At the end of his rope, Vorenus returns to Mark Antony to tell him he has reconsidered the offer to rejoin Caesar's army. Antony accepts, but only because Caesar has left him in Rome and he needs good men. Vorenus is soon initiated into the Evocati by an elderly priest, who performs an elaborate ceremony at the Temple of Mars.

After learning that Atia was behind the crude graffiti, Servilia decides to seek revenge. Relying on a book of magic, she carves stick figures into lead tablets, then summons the spirits of her ancestors to invoke a curse on both Atia and Caesar - disfiguring the images with slashes as she pleads to for each of them to suffer deeply. "Let his penis wither. Let his bones crack. Let him see his legions drown in their own blood..."

While Servilia is cursing Atia and her children, Octavian is escaping from his mother's villa in the middle of the night - joining Pullo on a secret mission. The two ambush Evander outside his butcher shop, then torture him until he gives up the truth: he was Niobe's lover, and the infant is his. With this second bit of information, Pullo stabs the man repeatedly. After his bloodied body is rolled into the sewer, Octavian warns Pullo to never speak of the incident again. "Vorenus must never know." Pullo nods in silent agreement. Synopsis

I'm pretty much anti-HBO, but as a history major from KU, I enjoyed ancient studies. ROME is by, far, one of the most accurate portrails of Republican Rome and the rise of Iulias Caesar. The only think I do not like about the show is the deleted battle scenes....sigh...thank goodness for Rome: Total War on the PC.....

Anyways, hope you guys can watch it at 7pm cst on HBO HD....

"I heard there is a bunch of sex and nudity!"

I watched a couple of episodes during an HBO 'free weekend' and it is decidedly not family fare; I'd call it 'softcore history'.

Knowing a little bit of history, and watching the show, it's going to be really interesting when Octavian and Mark Antony start plotting against each other next season. The boy will have enough reasons as it is... (Atia, and in the future, his sister)

I heard about it. However, a roman woman generally would never have sex with a male slave.

Well, i'm a woman, but even if i were a guy i'd have to say "no" she isn't really hot. She looks like Ashlee Simpson except with short brown hair.

Rome is very entertaining and funny. My husband and i finally agree on what to watch. He likes the battle aspects and i like how the women are all scheming against each other.

I heard about it. However, a roman woman generally would never have sex with a male slave.

Thats like saying that the Democrats are generally for the rights of the "little guy".

So it is porny? Poo.

I finally saw the whole series of I, Claudius this summer. How does Rome compare?

He likes the battle aspects and i like how the women are all scheming against each other.

Since I studied ancient history for a few years, this is one of the major points that I really enjoyed being portrayed. The fact that most patrician men, equites, and land owners were off to war, plundering and building their wealth during "campaign season", the women were left behind to raise the heirs, to continue the business, and keep the family stable and, if possible, in a better, more powerful position when the husband came home. The women at home at the time were more dangerous than the men.

That's why Christianity caught on in Rome. It made men and women equal.

Another good point....HBO's Rome shows the unadulterated sin and debauchery of Roman life during the Republican times....it is a powerful, rich city whose every character have not been blessed with the grace of Christ (who will be born in 36 years)...about 11 B.C.

VINI VIDI VICI PING!

ROME on HBO-HD starts right now! 2 episodes tonight! (4 and 4)

I too saw I Claudius and enjoy both. THis Rome feels more vital and real and has parts on Titus and other common Romans. I love them both. We are watching I Claudius between episodes of Rome. The acting in both is superb,,just wonderful.

Remember the movie "Gladiator", with R. Crowe. The rich ladies, would often "rent" out a gladiator for carnal pleasure.

Gladiators were classified as slaves, and could win their freedom.

My husband and I love this show!!! Pullo is absolutely hilarious.

VERY upset that there was no new episode Sunday.

And of course it has sex and violence. It is about Romans. That is all they did. And they ate. There is eating in it, too.

p.s. How is your kitty?

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