Caligula, stop burning down the house, Caligula
There may come a day when I am able to adequately process my many, many feelings about HBO's Rome, but it is not this day. Here is a picture of Antony and Cleopatra instead.
I, Claudius, on the other hand, is easy to talk about. I, Claudius is a dismal deathmarch through claustrophobic sets, where all flickers of hope and happiness, no matter how small, are instantly crushed and buried in gratuitious cruelty. All sympathetic characters are immediately exiled, poisoned, stabbed, or turned into unsympathetic characters, usually all of the above. Rome was full of terrible people being terrible, but at least they brought the rape and murder squads outside now and then so everyone could get a little fresh air. No one ever goes outside in I, Claudius unless someone's about to be arrested in front of the Senate, because going outside isn't in the budget. It's all so awful and I can't stop watching.
Herod Agrippa was my ray of sunshine for a while. He was funny and snarky and had a refreshingly healthy attitude toward his own messed-up family and that of his friends. But he's gone back to Judea and all his Roman friends were poisoned and all we have left is Caligula and his stupid blond wig. I like to think that he knows the wig is stupid and just wears it to put everyone off.
He's not really any better than anyone else, but at least he seems to be enjoying himself.
I, Claudius, on the other hand, is easy to talk about. I, Claudius is a dismal deathmarch through claustrophobic sets, where all flickers of hope and happiness, no matter how small, are instantly crushed and buried in gratuitious cruelty. All sympathetic characters are immediately exiled, poisoned, stabbed, or turned into unsympathetic characters, usually all of the above. Rome was full of terrible people being terrible, but at least they brought the rape and murder squads outside now and then so everyone could get a little fresh air. No one ever goes outside in I, Claudius unless someone's about to be arrested in front of the Senate, because going outside isn't in the budget. It's all so awful and I can't stop watching.
Herod Agrippa was my ray of sunshine for a while. He was funny and snarky and had a refreshingly healthy attitude toward his own messed-up family and that of his friends. But he's gone back to Judea and all his Roman friends were poisoned and all we have left is Caligula and his stupid blond wig. I like to think that he knows the wig is stupid and just wears it to put everyone off.
He's not really any better than anyone else, but at least he seems to be enjoying himself.