Rome - Season 2
An international co-production between Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, the series was filmed in various locations, but most notably in the Cinecittà studios in Rome, Italy. The show, consisting of two seasons for a total of 22 episodes, aired on HBO, and BBC Two from 28 August 2005 to 25 March 2007, and was later released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Rome - Season 2
Rome received largely positive reviews and had a high number of viewers. It received substantial media attention from the start, becoming a ratings success for HBO and the BBC (although the numbers declined considerably in the second season) and being honoured with numerous awards, including four Emmy Awards, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Visual Effects Society Award. The series ran for two seasons out of the planned five due to high production cost; much of the material for the third and fourth seasons was telescoped into the second season.[1]
The first season depicts Julius Caesar's civil war of 49 BC against the traditionalist conservative faction in the Roman Senate (the Optimates), his rise to dictatorship over Rome, and his fall, spanning the time from the end of his Gallic Wars (52 BC or 701 ab urbe condita) until his assassination on 15 March 44 BC (the infamous Ides of March). Against the backdrop of these cataclysmic events, we also see the early years of the young Octavian, who is destined to become Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome. The second season chronicles the power struggle between Octavian and Mark Antony following Caesar's assassination, spanning the period from Caesar's death in 44 BC to the suicide of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 B.C. after their defeat at the Battle of Actium.
Tranter from the BBC has said this about the development of Rome: "It felt like something that could have been developed by us, and HBO felt like natural partners for the BBC".[6][7] On 20 April 2006, Carolyn Strauss, president of HBO announced the development of a second season for Rome.[8]
The filmmakers stressed that they wanted to portray Rome as a gritty and realistic city as opposed to what they call the "Hollyrome" presentation that audiences are used to from other films, with "cleanliness and marble and togas that looked pressed."[9]
The production is regarded as one of the most expensive in the history of television. Funding was generously employed to recreate an impressively detailed set featuring a number of Roman Villas, the Forum, and a vast slum area of the ancient city of Rome. A significant part of this set was later destroyed by a fire that burned down a portion of the Cinecittà Studios in 2007.[11] According to HBO, the fire started after they had finished filming the second season.[12] A portion of the set was also used in late 2007 by the crew of the long-running BBC sci-fi drama series Doctor Who, for the fourth-season episode "The Fires of Pompeii".
Rome's first season originally aired on HBO in the United States between 28 August and 20 November 2005, subsequently being broadcast on the United Kingdom's BBC Two between 2 November 2005 and 4 January 2006. The second season aired on HBO in the US from 14 January 2007 to 25 March 2007.
The series was launched in the United States on 25 August 2005, at Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles. HBO broadcast the series pilot "The Stolen Eagle" four days later. According to the Nielsen ratings system, the pilot broadcast was seen by 3.8 million viewers and achieved a 9.1 household rating for Sunday primetime.[18][19] HBO re-aired the pilot 11 times in the week following 28 August 2005 premiere, garnering a total viewership of 8.9 million for all 11 airings.[19] After the broadcast of only three first-season episodes, HBO announced plans to produce a second season of Rome in 2006, for release in March 2007.[20] HBO aired each episode multiple times a week, and by the end of the first season, the total weekly audience for all airings exceeded seven million viewers.[21] The second season premiered in January 2007, with the first episode attracting 1.5 million viewers.[22] The final episode aired 25 March 2007 in the US, garnering 2.4 million viewers.[23]
In total, HBO spent about $10 million US$ to promote Rome. HBO enlisted the Mozilla Firefox web browser in its marketing campaign for the series by designing a downloadable custom Rome Firefox theme.[24] BBC Two premiered Rome in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2005, attracting 6.6 million viewers (27%); viewing figures declined in future episodes, with the season finale only attracting 3 million viewers (13%).[25] The first episode of the second season aired on BBC Two on 20 June 2007.
HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht announced in a July 2006 news conference that season two of Rome would be its last, citing the fact that the series (called "notoriously expensive" by Broadcasting & Cable) had been developed under a two-year contract with the BBC that would have been difficult for the BBC to extend due to the series' cost.[28][29] Of the storyline, co-creator Heller said:
I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end. The second was going to end with the death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the Messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There's certainly more than enough history to go around.[1]
Rome garnered mostly positive reviews. Sean Woods from Rolling Stone called the series "masterful" and "epic", and gave the series 3.5 out of 4.[37][38] Alessandra Stanley from The New York Times said: "But behind all that gritty squalor the glory that was Rome gets lost", while reviewing season 2.[39] Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly gave season 2 a B and commented on the "spectacular" clothing design.[40] Michael Ventre from Variety magazine was positive towards the series and was intrigued by the "complex" character of Atia of the Julii.[41] James Poniewozik from Time magazine commented on the "slow start" but further stated that the series "draws you" to the ancient city of Rome.[42]
Empire magazine reviewer Helen O'Hara said: "Not as good-looking as Gladiator, perhaps, but richer in (reasonably accurate) history and texture", and gave season 1 of Rome four out of five stars.[43] Robert Bianco from USA Today called season 2 "the fall of Rome", commenting that season 2 was not as good as season 1 citing "off-key characterizations and plot absurdities".[44] Linda Stasi from The New York Post called herself a "slave" to the show.[45] Melanie McFarland from Seattle Post-Intelligencer called season 2 "at top of its form" and said it was as good as the former season.[46] Historian Robin Lane Fox, writing in The Guardian, called the series "splendidly ambitious".[47] Eric Neigher from Slant Magazine called season 1 of Rome "good art".[48] Robert Abele from LA Weekly called it the "most lavish dramatic series yet" released by HBO.[49]
After the tumultuous ending to last season, Suburra picks up where it left off on the eve of election day. With the politically charged narrative in full swing, the rest of the season sees our trio of main characters come up against their toughest challenge yet, culminating in a final battle where blood will be spilled and plots left unresolved. With a shorter run time and a fair few twists and turns along the way, Suburra outdoes itself with an impressive second season, one that leaves the door wide open for a third season after a truly shocking finale.
We return to the ancient Rome of HBO's first lavish big-budget costume drama. In the wake of Julius Caesar's murder, the rival factions of Rome's elite scramble for power as new players and actors join the fray, leading to the downfall of a Republic and the rise of an Empire. There will be victories, defeats, love, loss and of course plenty of blood and sex. Join us as we break down the 1st half of the 2nd (and final) season!
This is not say to the season is totally without merit. There is the sex which I mentioned above, which is admittedly hot and frequent. The sets are as gorgeous as ever, spanning the dirty alleys of Rome to Egyptian palaces. The acting from our British cast is generally superb; James Purefoy especially makes for the best cinematic Marc Antony ever.
Nonetheless, in the sum of things, I cannot recommend the second season of Rome beyond anything other than a sex-filled costume drama. Watching it is like watching the fall of the Rome itself; tragic, overly belabored and wrong. It did not have to end like this and it should not have. Hot sex is no substitue for history. When history is done right it is better than cheap sex.
Netflix's Raising Dion focuses on widowed single mother Nicole Warren (Alisha Wainwright), as she cares for and protects her seven-year-old son, Dion (Ja'Siah Young), who also happens to have superpowers. While Season 1 of the television show focused on Dion's emerging abilities, the struggles of his mother, and the emergence of a surprise foe, the second season moves more firmly into superhero territory. Season 2 of the hit sci-fi series introduces more superpowered individuals and gives Dion a powered mentor in Tevin Wakefield.
Tevin Wakefield is a runner, and he's very athletic. He's also a powered person working at Biona. He's there to help other people like him learn to live with and effectively control their powers. He meets Dion and Nicole and forges a connection with them both. From there, we get to see who he is as a person, aside from just having powers. I think that other aspects of his character are highlighted throughout the season that will make him feel very relatable to viewers in a way beyond him simply having powers. 041b061a72