dhampyresa (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dhampyresa) wrote2015-03-17 12:26 am
dhampyresa) wrote2015-03-17 12:26 am
Entry tags:
One more Ide for the road
Okay, this is going to be my last Ides of March themed post for this year, I swear.
So! Rome thoughts, yes? This is going to be a bit disjointed, because I last saw these episodes lo these mumble-mumble weeks ago and am working on memory only, but here goes.
I don't like their Caesar. My feelings about Caesar outside if Astérix are pretty much unformly negative (RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US, etc) nad even then only because Astérix is hilarious and he tends to lose. My favourite Astérix!Caesar is actually probably the one from the animated Cleopatra movie or possibly the live-action Cleopatra movie? Or maybe the comics. Anyway, that's some top-notch Caesar-ing. Rome? Yeah, not so much. I just didn't bond with the character on any level beyond "HAHAHA YOU GON GET STABBED".
Also, dear show, it's not that I was expecting you to throw Caesar and Mark Anthony in bed together (speaking of which, I'm about 90% sure that the dude who got me the episodes ships it), but really you couldn't throw in any reference to Caesar being bisexual? Like, hello, queer people, we exist and we would like some representation, please. I guess there's Octavia/Servilia, but come on, show, the historically queer dude is right there.
Octavian is so young, OMG. SO TINY. But it is also SO CONFUSING that he's Octavian, because I keep thinking he's Alix. Pitch-perfect Alix casting, seriously. Like, the first time he showed up on screen I thought "hey, no one told me Alix was going to be in this" then "wait, Alix is fictional. guess they got the rights, though". This is funny if you know who Alix is, btw. (The rest of this review will be a lot less bande dessinée-centric, btw, you can breathe a sigh of relief.)
I was really liking their Octavian, but then the thing with Octavia happened and so I was out of ther on the first train to Nopeville. I still find him a very compelling character and one I like to watch, but not necessarily one I like.
I've no real feelings on their Mark Anthony. He... Mark Anthonys, I guess. I like the Mark Anthony from Horrible Histories better, but like above with Caeasar and Astérix, it's probbaly just that Horrible Histories is funny.
In fairness to Mark Anthony's actor, I'm fairly sure he's the only male character to get a full frontal nudity scene, so props to you, dude. Props to you.
I really liked Octavia and I thought her romance with Servilia was rather sweet, but then the thing happened and like with Octavian, Nopetrain to Nopeville. I can't even be bothered to have any feelings for Attia that isn't complete apathy or mild dislike/occasional outright hatred (she hits her kids! and is generally pretty abusive, especially towards Octavia).
I thought Servilia was a fascinating character. I really love her whole arc. A++ would watch again Her relationship with Brutus was also super interesting and very believable.
Speaking of Brutus! His character arc is great and I have this whole thing about duty vs friendship and yeah. That was very enjoyable.
And okay, am I supposed to be shipping Brutus and Cicero? Because I am. There are at least two places where they have a dialog like
A good point for the show: it did manage to make me care about one of the Catos, which is no small feat because ALL THE CATOS ARE TERRIBLE. Then again, in Republic vs Empire, I will always side with the Republic. So you can pretty much imagine that I'm making a frowny face at the screen roughly 50% of the time while I'm watching.
NO. NO MORE EMPIRE FOR YOU PEOPLE. YOU'RE ALL FIRED. >:(
As far as people who were made up for the show (iirc) go, I really like Niobe! She's pretty great and she's so resilient. She's made the ebst of so many bad situations and she's had to adapt to so many things and she's still so kind and I love it. (Guess how much I enjoyed the end of the season on her side of things? NOT MUCH.)
Eirene is totally the best! I like that she doesn't trust Pullo right away and that she manages to build a life for herself with the Vorenus family. Not sure how I feel about her reconciliation with Pullo.
Posca's pretty neat too and doesn't put up with any of Caesar's bullshit, so good for him! I hops he's still around in season 2.
I like Vorenus and Pullo okay. My favourite moment with both of them is either the conversation about gods in Egypt or this bit, which showcases both their characters perfectly:
Vorenus is so grumpy, it's hilarious. (Except when he goes all murder happy on people I like.) Or, you know, like Atia says: "The sullen Catonian one [and] the cheerful, brutish one".
I think my favourite scene just might be the scene where Brutus and co pull a Gretchen-from-Mean-Girls and decide they should totally just stab Caesar,
if only for the phrase "This is not some cheap murder!" I mean, the rest of Brutus' speech ("It is an honorable thing we do. It must be done honorably, in daylight, on the Senate floor, with our own hand... with my hand.") is also great, but that one sentence is particularly great.
I regret that the passage of time wasn't established more clearly. The first season takes place over six or so years, but it's really not all that clear. I based myself on the length of Vercingetorix's emprisonment to get this figure. There's a newsreader/town crier that shows up regularly, they could have had him give the year Ab Urbe Condita.
Overall, I found this series very compelling and enjoyed it. I'll definitely be watching the second season.
Oh, and I first got the idea to watch this from a woman giving a conference at the Louvre on Ancient History (different area of study, though) and praising its historical accuracy so ther eyou go.
So! Rome thoughts, yes? This is going to be a bit disjointed, because I last saw these episodes lo these mumble-mumble weeks ago and am working on memory only, but here goes.
I don't like their Caesar. My feelings about Caesar outside if Astérix are pretty much unformly negative (RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US, etc) nad even then only because Astérix is hilarious and he tends to lose. My favourite Astérix!Caesar is actually probably the one from the animated Cleopatra movie or possibly the live-action Cleopatra movie? Or maybe the comics. Anyway, that's some top-notch Caesar-ing. Rome? Yeah, not so much. I just didn't bond with the character on any level beyond "HAHAHA YOU GON GET STABBED".
Also, dear show, it's not that I was expecting you to throw Caesar and Mark Anthony in bed together (speaking of which, I'm about 90% sure that the dude who got me the episodes ships it), but really you couldn't throw in any reference to Caesar being bisexual? Like, hello, queer people, we exist and we would like some representation, please. I guess there's Octavia/Servilia, but come on, show, the historically queer dude is right there.
Octavian is so young, OMG. SO TINY. But it is also SO CONFUSING that he's Octavian, because I keep thinking he's Alix. Pitch-perfect Alix casting, seriously. Like, the first time he showed up on screen I thought "hey, no one told me Alix was going to be in this" then "wait, Alix is fictional. guess they got the rights, though". This is funny if you know who Alix is, btw. (The rest of this review will be a lot less bande dessinée-centric, btw, you can breathe a sigh of relief.)
I was really liking their Octavian, but then the thing with Octavia happened and so I was out of ther on the first train to Nopeville. I still find him a very compelling character and one I like to watch, but not necessarily one I like.
I've no real feelings on their Mark Anthony. He... Mark Anthonys, I guess. I like the Mark Anthony from Horrible Histories better, but like above with Caeasar and Astérix, it's probbaly just that Horrible Histories is funny.
In fairness to Mark Anthony's actor, I'm fairly sure he's the only male character to get a full frontal nudity scene, so props to you, dude. Props to you.
I really liked Octavia and I thought her romance with Servilia was rather sweet, but then the thing happened and like with Octavian, Nopetrain to Nopeville. I can't even be bothered to have any feelings for Attia that isn't complete apathy or mild dislike/occasional outright hatred (she hits her kids! and is generally pretty abusive, especially towards Octavia).
I thought Servilia was a fascinating character. I really love her whole arc. A++ would watch again Her relationship with Brutus was also super interesting and very believable.
Speaking of Brutus! His character arc is great and I have this whole thing about duty vs friendship and yeah. That was very enjoyable.
And okay, am I supposed to be shipping Brutus and Cicero? Because I am. There are at least two places where they have a dialog like
Cicero: I shall do This Thing.It's pretty funny. I really like their interaction in general.
Brutus: I'll do That Instead.
Cicero: I shall do That Instead as well.
A good point for the show: it did manage to make me care about one of the Catos, which is no small feat because ALL THE CATOS ARE TERRIBLE. Then again, in Republic vs Empire, I will always side with the Republic. So you can pretty much imagine that I'm making a frowny face at the screen roughly 50% of the time while I'm watching.
NO. NO MORE EMPIRE FOR YOU PEOPLE. YOU'RE ALL FIRED. >:(
As far as people who were made up for the show (iirc) go, I really like Niobe! She's pretty great and she's so resilient. She's made the ebst of so many bad situations and she's had to adapt to so many things and she's still so kind and I love it. (Guess how much I enjoyed the end of the season on her side of things? NOT MUCH.)
Eirene is totally the best! I like that she doesn't trust Pullo right away and that she manages to build a life for herself with the Vorenus family. Not sure how I feel about her reconciliation with Pullo.
Posca's pretty neat too and doesn't put up with any of Caesar's bullshit, so good for him! I hops he's still around in season 2.
I like Vorenus and Pullo okay. My favourite moment with both of them is either the conversation about gods in Egypt or this bit, which showcases both their characters perfectly:
Vorenus is so grumpy, it's hilarious. (Except when he goes all murder happy on people I like.) Or, you know, like Atia says: "The sullen Catonian one [and] the cheerful, brutish one".
I think my favourite scene just might be the scene where Brutus and co pull a Gretchen-from-Mean-Girls and decide they should totally just stab Caesar,
if only for the phrase "This is not some cheap murder!" I mean, the rest of Brutus' speech ("It is an honorable thing we do. It must be done honorably, in daylight, on the Senate floor, with our own hand... with my hand.") is also great, but that one sentence is particularly great.
I regret that the passage of time wasn't established more clearly. The first season takes place over six or so years, but it's really not all that clear. I based myself on the length of Vercingetorix's emprisonment to get this figure. There's a newsreader/town crier that shows up regularly, they could have had him give the year Ab Urbe Condita.
Overall, I found this series very compelling and enjoyed it. I'll definitely be watching the second season.
Oh, and I first got the idea to watch this from a woman giving a conference at the Louvre on Ancient History (different area of study, though) and praising its historical accuracy so ther eyou go.
no subject
Because Amurrica's the greatest country in the world!!!!111eleventyone Speaking of American rhetoric, it's interesting that France is something of a football for the American left and right. To the right it's a symbol of decadence, while the left usually compares it favorably to America. A New Rules monologue by Bill Maher was emblematic of the left's stance toward France, though Maher's praise of French reticence about public figures' private lives is ironic given later events. Michael Moore's Sicko similarly presented the French healthcare system as a model.
Americans sometimes use Korea as a model, too, and I usually find that embarrassing because our education system which they praise is really a sick mess, if less so than the U.S. system. Our wi-fi access is cool, though, no doubt about that. I freaking get wi-fi on the bus I take to work! It's nowhere as important as a well-functioning system of public education, but I'll take what I can get.
Ah, so that was the connection. Are you saying that it's significant that the main characters are Bretons because it places this historically marginalized group in the roles of heroes? OTOH couldn't it also be appropriative to present a group that suffered for the creation of a national identity as the symbols of that national identity? That's an honest question, since I'm not aware of the nuances of French identity or of Asterix, for that matter.
Yeah, it's uh... gobsmackingly bloody, now that I know the words. I find that exciting in comparison to our own staid and politically correct national anthem. The song does a great job of capturing both the urgency of the days when it was written and the universal response of violent rhetoric against outside threats. Plus it's so damned catchy!
Help from the earworm arrived, as often happens, in the form of another earworm: The Internationale. I think it had to do with reading a book review of Foucault's Il faut défendre la société, a book in which Foucault argues that nationalism erases and ignores class divisions to enforce bourgeois rule. My brain seems to have decided that La Marseillaise stands for bourgeois nationalism and L'internationale is the antidote, lol.