Rome: The Complete HBO Season 2 (5 Disc Box Set) [2006] (DVD)

But do I want to BUY it? I enjoyed the second series - but would I want to watch it more than, say, one more time? The story - naturally, when tracking the rise of Augustus - is simpler. The men of power and then the man of power take over: the influence of the women (that series one made so much of) diminishes. Livia is a mere cameo part. And, like others, I vastly prefer Max Pirkis as Octavian/Augustus to Simon Woods. Pirkis' younger man was clearly intelligent and understood people as well as being ambitious and dangerous; Woods' version is so much more black and white. And as the climax of the series is the victory of Augustus, well, do I want to buy it, even if Vorenus and Pullo do keep interest alive?

I Want Series 3 Rome's series 2 takes its audience through a giddy tailspin of a ride, with multiple characters of various socio-economic, regional, and vocational backgrounds. You will need to have watched series 1 to fully appreciate it and, at the end of series 2, you will most likely be longing for series 3, even though there isn't one. It is astounding to see the characters familiar to us from series 1 interacting side by side; all too often period dramas tend to enclose characters within an artificially leveled world devoid of vertical as well as horizontal interactions. This series isn't populated in that way, and it generates tremendous energy by breaking down those barriers. A shame that it didn't include the historic Battle of Actium. That seems like a bit of an absence to me, but never mind. Some have complained that Rome doesn't match the other offerings of HBO. I think it's a great shame to approach this series expecting a tried-and-tested formulaic approach. Ultimately, it's too ground breaking to subscribe to any status quo. Let's not forget, too, that the BBC had a hand in this series and it is therefore a result of tireless collaboration, mutually respectful concessions, and transatlantic togetherness. On that note, it is regrettable that some reviewers have taken the series to task for its wide (and creative) employment of British regional accents. They could have introduced American accents as well, sure, but can you see that happening without politicizing the series anachronistically? I think that's an error the producers have done well to avoid.

Another fan... Absolutely fab - a real feeling for what it might be like to actually live in Rome and be with the Romans. I am devastated that there is not another series

German Version ? Can somebody tell me why there is no German version in your second season ?

Good but not as good as the first series. I really enjoyed the first series and was hoping for an even better 2nd, and potentially it could have been just if not better. The storyline was once again a kind of soap-come-historical drama and mostly stands up well, although in some places it verged on the ridiculous. Some examples: Agrippa's painful and annoying lovesickness which didn't fit with his role as Octavian's General at all well. Timon's story of how he realizes his own sense of impotence was ineffectual. Lepidus was portrayed as too much of a wimp. I didn't know what to make of Octavian at all, whether to like or dislike him and that didn't help my opinion of the series. For a programme that isn't trying to be 100% historically accurate it is important that we feel either positive or negative toward an key chatracter. Sadly, the humour which was evident in the first series was missing throughout this series save for one or two moments, I think, in episodes 5 and 6 which were also the best in this series. I noticed that the writers and directors were not the same throughout so that most likely had a lot to do with it. I would have liked to have seen something more of the civil wars which were fought in the years after Ceasar's murder, for me the Roman Army is the most interesting side of Roman history and here the battles were given scant attention. Although the battle of Phillipi does feature in one of the episodes, the scenes from it are not nearly good enough to satisfy my interest in what was the most effective fighting machine in military history. An opportunity lost. Overall it doesn't quite have the addictive qualities of the first but it is still well worth renting out if not buying it as it is still entertaining enough and the contiuing storyline between Pullo and Verenus is still for the most part engaging. As are the fortunes of Mark Anthony who is played really well by James Purefoy. Hope this helps.