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vaznettiI remember hearing that someone was going to make a TV show about the early life of Livia, the wife of Augustus, and filed it away under "interesting, but might never happen" but guys, it has happened, and it is amazing! I am here with my Roman historian hat on and my tv watcher hat on to tell you that if it appears where you are you MUST give it a try. We are watching it via NOW TV because it's a Sky Atlantic thing, which might mean that in the US HBO has it. We are up to episode 4 (of 8) and so far it is a neverending delight.
So first of all, it looks great. I had heard that the sets for Rome had been destroyed but I think that must be false because I'm pretty sure they're using them for this show and the passing years have made them look amazing. I am going to be using this word a lot.
(Unlike Rome, the women are most of the time wearing clothes. Clothes which a Roman woman might conceivably have worn, even.)
Secondly, whoever made this has actually read some Roman history, and thinks that the fall of the republic and the establishment of the principate is interesting! So unlike in Rome, there is some accurate political stuff. And I don't think it's boring or incomprehensible, but obviously I am probably not the best judge of that.
Also!!! Octavia has more or less the right number of children! Although I think they've dropped a Marcella and maybe an Antonia from an active role in the story. (I realise that I am making snippy comments about Rome here a lot, and honestly that isn't completely fair because I did enjoy Rome, but I am enjoying this SO MUCH MORE. This show was basically made for me.) But someone here is clearly paying attention to who is who, and whose stories are going to be important.
So it begins in 43 with the marriage of Livia and Tiberius Nero. Livia is like, 15, and Tiberius Nero is a huge jerk and a total loser. This is all historically accurate! They go on the run in a not totally historically accurate way, and I do regret that we didn't get Livia's epic ride south to Sicily, with only a single companion and the infant Tiberius clutched to her chest, but overall what we got was pretty good.
Livia's father, Livius Drusus, is played by Liam Cunningham. He is the A+ Best Roman Dad ever, and although he does die fairly early on his presence remains important.
It takes a couple episodes to reach Livia's epic back-stabbing ruination of Scribonia and her remarriage to the young Caesar. I honestly don't know what Livia sees in the young Caesar, but after a 12 year time skip he's played by a much better-looking guy (Matthew McNulty) so it seems more reasonable. Nonetheless Livia's expressions when he says that if he can't be dictator he'll become a god instead are priceless. This show, as far as I can tell, is about how Livia invented the principate and I am 100% its target audience. The whole existence of the Piso subplot is basically there to make me happy (me and everyone else who knows what happens in 23/2 BCE).
The timeskip is an interesting choice, and surprised me, but I think it's because it really is a political story, and is focused on Livia -- but it does mean that we don't get as much Octavia as we could, which is a shame because the Octavia of the first couple episodes is a delightful bitch, and I could watch her forever. The recast seems to have changed her temperment, and now she is much more of a conciliator; I can see how the ten years of Antony might have brought that change about, but it would have been great to see the process. Most of the other recasting was very well done -- you can absolutely see the similarities between the younger and older actors in each role (except for Gaius' glow-up, and Maecenas has grown like 7 inches and now towers over everyone else in a very funny way.) It also means that the child characters have more of a role -- Julia and Marcellus and Iulus Antonius and Tiberius and Drusus, and all I can say is that if you know what's coming this is all extremely delightful.
The show has decided that Tiberius is basically a child sociopath (for a variety of historical reasons) which is plausible; it's not my favorite characterisation but it works. Clearly the Tiberius-Livia relationship is going to be juicy here.
Nearly all the characters are historical -- the one exception is that Livia has a freedwoman best friend named Antigone, who is very important in the first episode and remains present. If the main character having a Black best friend is too much of cliche for you, I still think you should watch the show, but that is definitely a thing that is going on here. Although Antigone also has her own storyline and her own issues, but really, this is Livia's story.
So first of all, it looks great. I had heard that the sets for Rome had been destroyed but I think that must be false because I'm pretty sure they're using them for this show and the passing years have made them look amazing. I am going to be using this word a lot.
(Unlike Rome, the women are most of the time wearing clothes. Clothes which a Roman woman might conceivably have worn, even.)
Secondly, whoever made this has actually read some Roman history, and thinks that the fall of the republic and the establishment of the principate is interesting! So unlike in Rome, there is some accurate political stuff. And I don't think it's boring or incomprehensible, but obviously I am probably not the best judge of that.
Also!!! Octavia has more or less the right number of children! Although I think they've dropped a Marcella and maybe an Antonia from an active role in the story. (I realise that I am making snippy comments about Rome here a lot, and honestly that isn't completely fair because I did enjoy Rome, but I am enjoying this SO MUCH MORE. This show was basically made for me.) But someone here is clearly paying attention to who is who, and whose stories are going to be important.
So it begins in 43 with the marriage of Livia and Tiberius Nero. Livia is like, 15, and Tiberius Nero is a huge jerk and a total loser. This is all historically accurate! They go on the run in a not totally historically accurate way, and I do regret that we didn't get Livia's epic ride south to Sicily, with only a single companion and the infant Tiberius clutched to her chest, but overall what we got was pretty good.
Livia's father, Livius Drusus, is played by Liam Cunningham. He is the A+ Best Roman Dad ever, and although he does die fairly early on his presence remains important.
It takes a couple episodes to reach Livia's epic back-stabbing ruination of Scribonia and her remarriage to the young Caesar. I honestly don't know what Livia sees in the young Caesar, but after a 12 year time skip he's played by a much better-looking guy (Matthew McNulty) so it seems more reasonable. Nonetheless Livia's expressions when he says that if he can't be dictator he'll become a god instead are priceless. This show, as far as I can tell, is about how Livia invented the principate and I am 100% its target audience. The whole existence of the Piso subplot is basically there to make me happy (me and everyone else who knows what happens in 23/2 BCE).
The timeskip is an interesting choice, and surprised me, but I think it's because it really is a political story, and is focused on Livia -- but it does mean that we don't get as much Octavia as we could, which is a shame because the Octavia of the first couple episodes is a delightful bitch, and I could watch her forever. The recast seems to have changed her temperment, and now she is much more of a conciliator; I can see how the ten years of Antony might have brought that change about, but it would have been great to see the process. Most of the other recasting was very well done -- you can absolutely see the similarities between the younger and older actors in each role (except for Gaius' glow-up, and Maecenas has grown like 7 inches and now towers over everyone else in a very funny way.) It also means that the child characters have more of a role -- Julia and Marcellus and Iulus Antonius and Tiberius and Drusus, and all I can say is that if you know what's coming this is all extremely delightful.
The show has decided that Tiberius is basically a child sociopath (for a variety of historical reasons) which is plausible; it's not my favorite characterisation but it works. Clearly the Tiberius-Livia relationship is going to be juicy here.
Nearly all the characters are historical -- the one exception is that Livia has a freedwoman best friend named Antigone, who is very important in the first episode and remains present. If the main character having a Black best friend is too much of cliche for you, I still think you should watch the show, but that is definitely a thing that is going on here. Although Antigone also has her own storyline and her own issues, but really, this is Livia's story.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-31 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-31 04:04 pm (UTC)The casting is great, too. The young Julia in particular is just super, and also super done with literally all the adults in her life.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-31 04:09 pm (UTC)Sadly, those two notions seem related somehow.
Lovely to have a show that clicks well!
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Date: 2021-05-31 04:43 pm (UTC)But yes! This show was made for me. I assume that they thought other people would watch it too, but who knows?
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Date: 2021-05-31 07:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-05-31 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-01 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-01 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-01 06:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-06-01 07:22 am (UTC)