Son of Hades (21 Jan. 2007)

Even though his wife and children are avenged by the Erastes killing, Lucius Vorenus keeps mourning for over a month till Pullo gets Marc Antony who scolds him for Caesar's death and the ... See full summary »

Director:

Allen Coulter

Writers:

John Milius (creator), William J. MacDonald (creator),

Stars:

Ray Stevenson, Kevin McKidd, Polly Walker

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Stevenson	...	Titus Pullo
Kevin McKidd	...	Lucius Vorenus
Polly Walker	...	Atia of the Julii
Lindsay Duncan	...	Servilia of the Junii
Kerry Condon	...	Octavia of the Julii
Zuleikha Robinson	...	Gaia
Max Pirkis	...	Gaius Octavian
David Bamber	...	Marcus Tullius Cicero
Lyndsey Marshal	...	Cleopatra
Rafi Gavron	...	Duro
Chiara Mastalli	...	Eirene
Nigel Lindsay	...	Levi
Esther Hall	...	Lyde
Michael Nardone	...	Mascius
Daniel Cerqueira	...	Memmio

Storyline

Even though his wife and children are avenged by the Erastes killing, Lucius Vorenus keeps mourning for over a month till Pullo gets Marc Antony who scolds him for Caesar's death and the continuing bloody Aventine gang riots that have resulted in the gangs wanting to fill the void left by Erastes sudden demise. Octavian is loosing patience with Marc Antony for payment of Caesar's inheritance. Meanwhile, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt arrives in Rome to pay her respects to Caesar and she also negotiates with Antony's military protection for her Pharaonic throne in exchange for valuable grain shipments. But she gets dismissed as a whore when she demands that her four-year-old son, Caesarion, be recognized as Caesar's legal son. Yet the uninvited pair of them is welcomed by Antony at Atia's party. Abusing a truce in the name of the goddess Concord and smashing up her statue, Vorenus imposes as 'son of Hades' on the gang captains a peace, paid off by Antony so trade and politics on and near the...

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Plot Keywords:

1st century b.c. | intrigue | bath | negotiation | severed head | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

53 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since Ancient Rome had no official police force, politicians were forced to work directly with crime bosses to assure peace in the streets.

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Quotes

Atia of the Julii: What sort of woman is she?
Mark Antony: Who?
Atia of the Julii: The Egyptian girl.
Mark Antony: Oh her... barely met her. Skinny thing. Talks too much.
Atia of the Julii: Well, she must have something. To lure a cold fish like Caesar.
Mark Antony: She's a Queen. Caesar would have fucked Medusa if she'd worn a crown.

User Reviews

A Little "Guilt", A LOT Of "Pleasure"

With the jaw-dropping finale of Season One, I didn't think that it would be possible for ROME to sustain the level of quality it set for itself the first time around, let alone top it. I'm happy to admit I was wrong.

A heady mix of historical fact and melodramatic fiction, shot through with delicious bits of THE SOPRANOS, DYNASTY and MELROSE PLACE - only with togas, swords and chariots. From the opening shot of Season Two's first episode, you know that the creative teams both in front of and behind the cameras are set to take no prisoners, and Episode Two, "Son Of Hades" completely cements that agenda firmly in place, with an hour's worth of jaw-dropping television. The die is cast for the fates of many characters in this one episode, and whether you are a student of Ancient Roman History or just a looky-loo, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that not many of these characters are destined for "happy endings" - be they the spiritual or sexual kind.

Performances are top drawer as always (and has Max Pirkis shot up like a weed or what???) Acting kudos especially to all the female cast members - Polly Walker's Atia, Lindsay Duncan's Servilia and Lyndsey Marshal's extra-hot Cleopatra, (take THAT, Liz!) Viciousness never played this deliciously.

And bravo to director Allen Coulter (THE SOPRANOS) and cast for pulling off what must've been one of the most brutal and wince-inducing scenes of both seasons so far (I won't tell you WHAT it is, but you'll know it when you see it.) When someone asks you why ROME is so addictive, here's a prime example to point them towards. I'm already lamenting that this season may be the last. There are far too few shows like this on cable, and none at all of this caliber on network TV, as good as some of the others might be.