'phillipi' live blog
Feb. 18th, 2007 09:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
artyartieWhat will-o'-the-wisp tempted you away, with a delusive hope of glory; involved you, in your declining years, in the wars of younger men; and, after exposing you to every form of misfortune, hurled you down to a death that it was unseemly for a philosopher to die?
-letter from petrarch to cicero
Here begins the live blogging of 'phillipi' - this is to keep me from throwing things at the television.
ETA Mea culpa, flist, for not doing my cut right, and spamming your page. Bad grieving classicist.
Previously on 'Rome': well, we get a mention of Cicero - poor lovely, stoic Brutus. This will be a very sad ep, obviously.
Poor noble Brutus!
Nntony still looks hideous with that beard. And no, no, no, do not let octavian proscribe Cicero! Octavian, in history, fought for *two days* to keep Cicero off the list.
Ahh, Atia. Glad to see you're still the same as ever.
*swallows* At least they won't cut off his head. But I hope that Vorenus has some qualms about killing a defender of the Republic.
Okay, Atia's asking for Brutus' head - filling in for Cicero?
Vorenus and family - blah, blah blah.
Okay, Vorenus doesn't seemed to be bothered about anything. Nice to see he has no qualms.
I'm sure there's some backstory here involving Vorenus' daughter I don't know about.
Blah blah blah, Collegium. Curious loaves and fishes references.
Okay, this guy interested in Vorenus' kids is creepy! That is a disturbing pick-up method.
Well, at least Vorenus told him to show respect. Argh! Either I've missed some character changes or something.
I just hope he picked a sharp knife. Oh god, and he's making this into a day trip! *resist urge to throw things*
Who is the young man at Cicero's villa? His nephew?
*blinks* Oh my God, that was - there was a moment, a single moment, where Cicero lifted up his head to the sky, feeling the wind against his face, right before he asked to die. It was so beautiful and poignant.
*hammering of hands* Okay, I'm glad they didn't go with history - I don't think I could have seen Cicero's head nailed to the Rostra. I'm already blinking away tears as is.
With how badly they portrayed Cicero's character (did the man get one decent oration?), I'm surprised by how honorable they portrayed his ending. While I wish they could have given them his last line - "This is a wrong thing you do, but if you are to kill me, do it properly" - it was a death befitting him, even if Pullo was the one who had to kill him.
I have a feeling I'll need to watch this again tomorrow, if only for the catharsis. But he met his death with a quiet, Stoic courage, and given the rich history of the figure behind the character, I'm glad they at least honored him in death.
*breathes, drinks some tea, missing more drivel about Octavia and her love life*
And as for Vorenus' kids managing to bungle Cicero's messenger - who was kind of a jerk, that's a little far fetched, but then again, this is the series where Julius Ceaser isn't Caesarion's father, not at all shocked.
Nice way to get a houseguest, Atia.
Okay, was tuning out Pullo and Eirene and the baby.
Awww, back to Brutus and Cassius. And now they are screwed. Damn stupid Vorenii. Oh, and Brutus is going to go out in a blaze of glory. The Romans and their noble deaths. And it's Cassius' birthday - extra sadness.
Mark Antony, you are a stupid, stupid ass, in so many ways.
History really sucks in the way that you know exactly what is going to happen and can't change it - unles you're the writers.
Oh my God, this battle is pretty graphic in places. Poor Cassius! Brutus, you aren't far behind at all. Oh, not far behind at all with that army coming towards you. Oh, at least death will be quick, I'm thinking. Or a reenactment of Ceaser's death. Oh, you're with Cassius and Cicero and Cato and Scipio now.
*blinks* And now I could not watch Rome anymore and I'd be okay. Time to read Imperium by Robert Harris, I think.
-letter from petrarch to cicero
Here begins the live blogging of 'phillipi' - this is to keep me from throwing things at the television.
ETA Mea culpa, flist, for not doing my cut right, and spamming your page. Bad grieving classicist.
Previously on 'Rome': well, we get a mention of Cicero - poor lovely, stoic Brutus. This will be a very sad ep, obviously.
Poor noble Brutus!
Nntony still looks hideous with that beard. And no, no, no, do not let octavian proscribe Cicero! Octavian, in history, fought for *two days* to keep Cicero off the list.
Ahh, Atia. Glad to see you're still the same as ever.
*swallows* At least they won't cut off his head. But I hope that Vorenus has some qualms about killing a defender of the Republic.
Okay, Atia's asking for Brutus' head - filling in for Cicero?
Vorenus and family - blah, blah blah.
Okay, Vorenus doesn't seemed to be bothered about anything. Nice to see he has no qualms.
I'm sure there's some backstory here involving Vorenus' daughter I don't know about.
Blah blah blah, Collegium. Curious loaves and fishes references.
Okay, this guy interested in Vorenus' kids is creepy! That is a disturbing pick-up method.
Well, at least Vorenus told him to show respect. Argh! Either I've missed some character changes or something.
I just hope he picked a sharp knife. Oh god, and he's making this into a day trip! *resist urge to throw things*
Who is the young man at Cicero's villa? His nephew?
*blinks* Oh my God, that was - there was a moment, a single moment, where Cicero lifted up his head to the sky, feeling the wind against his face, right before he asked to die. It was so beautiful and poignant.
*hammering of hands* Okay, I'm glad they didn't go with history - I don't think I could have seen Cicero's head nailed to the Rostra. I'm already blinking away tears as is.
With how badly they portrayed Cicero's character (did the man get one decent oration?), I'm surprised by how honorable they portrayed his ending. While I wish they could have given them his last line - "This is a wrong thing you do, but if you are to kill me, do it properly" - it was a death befitting him, even if Pullo was the one who had to kill him.
I have a feeling I'll need to watch this again tomorrow, if only for the catharsis. But he met his death with a quiet, Stoic courage, and given the rich history of the figure behind the character, I'm glad they at least honored him in death.
*breathes, drinks some tea, missing more drivel about Octavia and her love life*
And as for Vorenus' kids managing to bungle Cicero's messenger - who was kind of a jerk, that's a little far fetched, but then again, this is the series where Julius Ceaser isn't Caesarion's father, not at all shocked.
Nice way to get a houseguest, Atia.
Okay, was tuning out Pullo and Eirene and the baby.
Awww, back to Brutus and Cassius. And now they are screwed. Damn stupid Vorenii. Oh, and Brutus is going to go out in a blaze of glory. The Romans and their noble deaths. And it's Cassius' birthday - extra sadness.
Mark Antony, you are a stupid, stupid ass, in so many ways.
History really sucks in the way that you know exactly what is going to happen and can't change it - unles you're the writers.
Oh my God, this battle is pretty graphic in places. Poor Cassius! Brutus, you aren't far behind at all. Oh, not far behind at all with that army coming towards you. Oh, at least death will be quick, I'm thinking. Or a reenactment of Ceaser's death. Oh, you're with Cassius and Cicero and Cato and Scipio now.
*blinks* And now I could not watch Rome anymore and I'd be okay. Time to read Imperium by Robert Harris, I think.
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no subject
Date: 2007-02-19 04:02 am (UTC)I couldn't really follow parts of that, seeing as I know so little about the history and haven't watched the show...
no subject
Date: 2007-02-20 01:57 pm (UTC)I'm sorry I didn't call - I thought it might be too late afterwards and then I realized the next day you two are total night owls. Are you guys starting to thaw out over there?
no subject
Date: 2007-02-20 03:37 pm (UTC)I was available, but don't worry -- I didn't exactly sit by the phone waiting, either; I was prepared for you to call or IM or something, but read stuff on my laptop that I was wanting to read anyway, etc.
Yeah, we're starting to thaw out, which makes the sidewalks quite dangerous at the moment. A friend said this morning that some of the cars in the parking lot at her apartment complex are slipping from their spots into the middle of the parking lot.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-20 03:44 pm (UTC)People's cars are slipping around in the parking lot? Oh, that has to be fun, in the sense that it's not at all.
*sends you some warm weather, as we're supposed to get up to 69 tomorrow*
wanders over...
Date: 2007-02-20 08:25 am (UTC)Brutus is very honorable in this, but I would've liked them to follow Plutarch, and for MA to pay some respect to him ;_;
How is Imperium by Robert Harris? I've been wondering if I should read it..
Re: wanders over...
Date: 2007-02-20 01:54 pm (UTC)There's been some interesting debate over whether Brutus' death was 'suicide by legion' in a way. But I think as with Cicero, the spirit was honorable.
I haven't picked it up yet! It's due out in paperback soon - I skimmed through the first few pages and I'm not all that taken with his prose, but it's Cicero! I'll read it regardless.