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Announcements Mar 21, 2026 at 2:44 PM

Rome - Vorenus tells Caesar about finding Pompey

Posted by FudgeAllOfYous

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1JtEbxeDVA
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sevristh1138 Mar 21, 2026 +161
Seeing Ray Stevenson just reminds me of how much he is missed...
161
nexus6ca Mar 21, 2026 +60
13!
60
Key_Environment8179 Mar 21, 2026 +12
XIII*
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rage-quit Mar 21, 2026 +33
He was one of those guys who you just forgot how f****** good he was. Best thing about the season of Dexter he popped up in (Christ he actually makes it worth watching the show that deep) He was the best thing about Ahsoka. Completely misused in Thor. Always always loved seeing him.
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S_A_R_K Mar 21, 2026 +12
I thought Ahsoka was terrible except for the Baylan Skoll sub plot and Ray's performance
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messiah1095011 Mar 21, 2026 +11
He was great as Blackbeard in Black Sails as well, currently giving that show a rewatch.
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BigGuy_1986 Mar 22, 2026 +4
Fantastic as The Punisher too.
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fishfunk5 Mar 22, 2026 +4
The closest to MAX Punisher that we'll ever see in live action.
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dogdreams Mar 22, 2026 +2
Haven’t seen Thor but he was misused in Vikings as well. I was looking forward to his appearance in the final season, but I don’t know if it was the direction or what but it felt like he was totally miscast for that character.
2
the_blackfish Mar 21, 2026 +4
Dude had crazy gravitas at all times, no matter the role.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +5
So good in RRR. He was an absolute monstrous pig, I loved it!
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TrueLegateDamar Mar 21, 2026 +196
A rare in-setting acknowledgement of the main characters having plot armor or in this case 'powerful gods on their side'.
196
FudgeAllOfYous Mar 21, 2026 +135
I mean, episode 2 is literally called “How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic.” It’s basically admitting from the very start "yeah, we’re rewriting history, but on purpose." There are countless real historical explanations for the fall of the Roman Republic but HBOs Rome chooses to filter all that chaos through Lucius and Titus who just keep showing up at the most important moments in roman history. I never made that connection before but it reminds me a lot of Forrest Gump, where one guy accidentally intersects with major events and ends up influencing them without really trying.
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Spiritual_Love_5272 Mar 21, 2026 +71
When I was watching this show for the first time, and trying to get my friends to watch it, I described it as “two Roman soldiers Forrest Gump their way through the fall of the Roman Republic.”
71
optimushime Mar 21, 2026 +42
I was in the second episode when I turned to my friend and said, “Oh, I get it! It’s Roman history from the perspectives of R2 and 3P0!”
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +10
That’s it exactly!
10
Dillweed999 Mar 21, 2026 +24
I know the plan was to do 5 seasons ending with the Crucifixion. Never mind the timeline not working at all, I have a very very strong feeling I know who the two thieves who died with Christ were going to be
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Steelcan909 Mar 22, 2026 +6
Who gets to be the redeememd thief St. Dismas though?
6
PedanticPaladin Mar 22, 2026 +8
My gut first said Pullo, then I thought it would be interesting if at the end of all things it was Vorenus who accepted Jesus. But looking at the Wikipedia page for St. Dismas and seeing the that "In the Arabic Infancy Gospel, he is named Titus." I'm going back to say Pullo.
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optimushime Mar 22, 2026 +7
Given the sense of humor of the show, it matches perfectly. Lucius Vorenus somehow still finds a way to suffer because he's too stuck in his morals, Pullo asks for absolution because he'd take any route that helps. I'd watch that scene in a heartbeat.
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PedanticPaladin Mar 22, 2026 +3
And I could easily see it going the other way: Pullo being dismissive of Jesus being the Messiah because what kind of God would be dying on a crucifix while Vorenus at the end of all things lets go of his stubbornness and accepts the salvation offered.
3
Dillweed999 Mar 22, 2026 +1
Yeah, I think Pullo is such an obvious choice it makes me wonder if they'd go with LV to subvert expectations. OTOH sometimes the greatest twist is for there to be no twist and have the blindingly obvious thing happen. (The 'Walt poisons Lidia's Tea' approach). On the third hand LV did have the whole redemption arc
1
pinewind108 Mar 22, 2026 +1
I could see early series Pullo getting himself caught up in something, and Vorenus watching from the distance. Though, having a son to care for seemed to settle Pullo down.
1
hahaheehaha Mar 21, 2026 +10
That’s also literally what the creators were aiming for and said as much. Caesar only mentioned 2 soldiers in his writing of his campaign and they thought it would be cool to tell the story as if they were Forrest Gump through the rise of the Roman Empire.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 -1
Yeah except Lucius really sucks LOL.
-1
Khmer_Orange Mar 21, 2026 +9
Silvanus Gumpio
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JMAC426 Mar 21, 2026 +8
That title isn’t implying that Pullo was the sole reason. It’s just saying because he murdered dude A the day before, dude B tried to murder him at a pivotal time, leading to a riot and Antony not being able to exercise his veto. The underlying conflict would have continued and erupted at another time.
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SewSewBlue Mar 22, 2026 +5
I thought that episode stuck to history pretty well, IMHO. The two camps were basically using rival gangs as protection, due to the prohibition against soldiers within Rome. It devolved into fighting that day with the exact trigger being unknown. Things were an absolute powder keg at that moment. Thought it was a fun beat to have Pullo be the one to start the violence. I didn't get the title and the how they played with history until I learned more details of that timeframe. If it isn't known what state the violence that day, why not Pullo getting attacked for something completely unrelated?
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KnotSoSalty Mar 21, 2026 +2
The show really does Cicero and Cato dirty. It makes Pompey out to be an honorable guy, just a bit old and fat. Mark Anthony is just a fun loving psychopath. Caesar is good guy too, what a shame about all the little people who had to die for him. But worst of all it completely ignores Sulla, the guy who was a hero of Pompey and Caesar and who had just finished a reign of terror in Rome about 3 decades before the show starts. Pompey, Crassus, Caesar, Catalina, and their ilk were just following in Sulla’s footsteps of ignore the law, take power by force, and murder your enemies. Cicero and Cato weren’t trying to maintain a system, they were trying to restore a system that within their own lifetimes had already lead to murder lists being published in the streets. The worship of Caesar in the show is what gets be the most. Caesar was a d***. A murderous brute who cared more for his own advantage than anything else. Yet his propaganda remains strong enough to make him the hero of TV show 2,000 years later.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +10
No, Cato was a cranky self-righteous demagogue who used virtuous rhetoric to maintain a status quo that was quite convenient for him and his fellow patricians. Cicero was a enlightened centrist fence sitting
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MetalusVerne Mar 23, 2026 +1
They were all monsters. Cato, the aristocrat benefiting from a broken system. Caesar, the populist demagogue riding justified fury against it to rise to power. Cicero, the nouveau riche moderate preserving the status quo at all costs.
1
OneReportersOpinion Mar 23, 2026 +1
No, Caesar was cool and had the effect of flattening the social hierarchy, which is why Cato and the rest hated him. His policies benefited a large mass of everyday Romans.
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MetalusVerne Mar 23, 2026
And yet he also genocide Gaul and was setting himself up to become king. That crown thing was deliberate political theater.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 23, 2026 +1
Yeah his foreign policy was atrocious. I’m more talking about the domestic sphere
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Pliskin14 Mar 22, 2026 +7
Sulla, a hero of Pompey and Caesar? What? I have no idea what you mean by that. But the reign of terror of Sulla and the civil war against Marius and Cinna were the precedent that led to the triumvirate. They wanted to avoid another bloodshed. Sulla/Pompey were optimates (Roman right). Marius/Caesar were populares (Roman left). So no idea how you think Sulla would be "Caesar's hero". Caesar was only spared from the purges through luck and good word.
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pinewind108 Mar 22, 2026 +3
And Caesar did the complete opposite of Sulla in not robbing and killing all the rich when he captured Rome *and* letting Brutus and the others opposed to him live and keep their fortunes. Sulla would have taken everything they and their families possessed.
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Pliskin14 Mar 22, 2026 +3
Exactly. Everyone expected another round of proscriptions, especially those whose families were hurt by the said proscriptions and wanted to return the favor. But Caesar chose reconciliation, and he ended up dead for it.
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pinewind108 Mar 24, 2026 +1
It just occurs to me that all the guys who killed him ended up dead for it as well.
1
Decebalus_Bombadil Mar 23, 2026 +1
History proved that Sulla was right to do what he did. Killed all his enemies and rewarded his friends, retired(gave away his power) and lived like a boss until he died of natural causes.
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AlarmingTradition297 Mar 22, 2026 +1
I disagree. Cato was presented just as he generally was perceived. A man who seemingly believed in the old Republic, disliked Caesar's power grab, but was fatally willing to defend the corrupted Republic despite its clear flaws. Eventually he kills himself after his loss in Africa. The show couldn't go too much on him because its hard to go too much into depth since you had to focus on so much stuff(from Vorenus, Pullo and also how Caesar was rising, along with the occasional Atia) Cicero was unfortunately a victim of the show not having any time. They had to cram multiple season content within 10 episodes of the second season after being told the show won't go on. Also, this show doesn't worship Caesar. In fact it makes it quite clear the kind of man he was...a man seeking power and succeeding in gaining it after defeating his opponents. Even Mark Antony made note about this. The one who actually faces a character change was Servilla. Irl, it was Marcus Brutus' wife who hated Caesar and egged Brutus on to plot treason. Servilla was in fact loyal to Caesar throughout. But the show needed a side plot about Atia and Servilla's rivalry.
1
Dillweed999 Mar 21, 2026 -2
They also had Cicero die like a whiney little b****. Apparently he was an absolute champ about it when the time came.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +8
That’s not how I remembered the episode.
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Praetor66 Mar 22, 2026 +8
Yeah, I agree with you. For a character who is not supposed to be an obvious tough guy warrior like several characters on the show - he handled it with an unexpected amount of grit and bravery.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +2
The one thing he did right on the show, really lol
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DoctorEnn Mar 22, 2026 +4
Yeah, I remember Cicero dying quite nobly and bravely.
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +3
And Titus being super professional about the whole thing lol
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DoctorEnn Mar 22, 2026 +4
"He was alright. Not stuck up like some of them."
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OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +4
It also seems completely fitting too based on what you read about Caesar.
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nexus6ca Mar 21, 2026 +149
The fact they canceled the show when they did rather then continue it more seasons robbed us all. 13! 13! RIP Legionnaire Pullo.
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jackp0t789 Mar 21, 2026 +71
The show was at least a decade ahead of its time... HBO, and thus the world, were just not ready for more of it.
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CM__Junk Mar 21, 2026 +43
I always say Rome walked so Game of Thrones could run.
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jackp0t789 Mar 21, 2026 +21
Rome Swam so Game of Thrones could sink...
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TheBigMotherFook Mar 22, 2026 +4
It had more to do with the shows production budget. Season 1 reportedly cost over $100m, which for 2004/2005 was crazy expensive. There was no way HBO was going to recoup those costs through subscriptions. With that said though, shows like Rome, Band of Brothers, Sopranos, etc set the standard for what HBO would become later. So yeah, it was ahead of its time, but it was a necessary step in shaping HBO’s future.
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Linflexible Mar 21, 2026 +21
At least not because it sucked but because it was too expensive.
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TheOncomingBrows Mar 21, 2026 +16
And because the set burnt down.
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wallyrules75 Mar 21, 2026 +7
That happened after it was canceled
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TheOncomingBrows Mar 21, 2026 +2
I know, but didn't help with any hopes with getting it revived.
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caligaris_cabinet Mar 21, 2026 +6
It probably wasn’t going to be revived. They knew S2 was going to be the end so they quickly wrapped everything up. Caesar, Antony, and Cleopatra were dead, Octavian was emperor with the Republic gone, and Lucius and Pullo’s stories had concluded.
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wallyrules75 Mar 21, 2026 +1
This is right! Plus HBO was done with the Italian studios. The funny part was that the international audience numbers came in after they dropped the hammer. And the executives found out the show was much more popular than they expected internationally. But it was too late to reverse the decision
1
TeddysBigStick Mar 22, 2026 +1
It wasn't Italian studios. This was the BBC's first American level prestige show and they cancelled it rather than cotninue to pay their part.
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wallyrules75 Mar 22, 2026 +1
No I’m talking about the kick backs that were being paid to the Italian production studio. Not the funding for the show. The kick backs also played a big part in cancelling the series. The whole production was getting fleeced. Though I’m sure the BBc pulling out finished it off.
1
TheOncomingBrows Mar 22, 2026 +1
I seem to remember there were quite a few rumours of continuation though, whether it be the series or a film. And HBO was sniffing around the rights to I Claudius.
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FudgeAllOfYous Mar 21, 2026 +2
I thought that was Deadwood?
2
AnewTest Mar 21, 2026 +7
Nah, they're referring to the Cinecitta Studios in Italy that ROME was being filmed in. It burned down in 2007.
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sovngarde Mar 21, 2026 +10
Didn’t the set burn down as well? They would have had to rebuild, which I can’t imagine how much that would have cost. Such a great show, it walked so Game of Thrones could sprint
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TheHalfbadger Mar 21, 2026 +5
Rome burned so King’s Landing could… also burn?
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dwarftosser77 Mar 21, 2026 +9
I kind of disagree. Forcing them to pick up the pace and finish the story early gave us maybe the single greatest season in television history with season 2.
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EagleDre Mar 22, 2026 +1
Vorenus was reincarnated to Brienne of Tarth. I’d swear they were twin brother and sister
1
SecondOfCicero Mar 21, 2026 +34
The scene on the beach when Pompey lays things out has stayed with me for years. I'm not typically emotional when watching TV shows/movies, but that always gets me. 
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biscuits1203 Mar 21, 2026 +24
I always liked how Pompey argued he did everything “perfectly correct” and it was his cowardly calvary that lost him the battle lol.
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DeficiencyOfGravitas Mar 21, 2026 +33
He wasn't just being a narcissist. The senate loyalists were set up better than Caesar's forces. Caesar should not have won but he did. This happened throughout Caesar's career. He shouldn't be winning but somehow, even undermanned and undersupplied he pulled victories from beneath his toga. I can understand Pompey's frustration about facing a man like that. Similar to how Europe felt about Napoleon.
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Nimonic Mar 21, 2026 +25
The best generals are also the luckiest. But to be fair to him, Caesar was an absolutely brilliant general. He's probably better remembered for his statesmanship, but he was a hell of a conqueror.
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FerrumVeritas Mar 21, 2026 +23
Pompey would be remembered at the greatest general of his age if he hadn’t lived at the same time as Caesar.
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Nimonic Mar 21, 2026 +7
I'm sure Napoleon caused similar issues. Wellington? Suvorov maybe? Or even one of this Marshals, like Davout or Lannes (or Suchet, or...).
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Major-Thom Mar 21, 2026 +15
Caesar also knew the stakes better than Pompeii. If the 13 and company lost, they died on the field or faced execution or slavery. Pompeii could only see a cornered enemy that would be easy pickings. “We must win or die. Pompeii’s men have other options”. God I f****** love this show.
15
_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ Mar 21, 2026 +7
Pompey is the man, Pompeii is a town.
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HowDoIEvenEnglish Mar 21, 2026 +8
He used conventional Roman strategy of the time. Pompey was always a competent general, Caesar was just greater. The biggest advantage Caesar has was that his soldier were veterans, compared to Pompey’s inexperienced soldiers. While he definitely puts it in a that is favorable to him, the analysis isn’t unreasonable.
8
KingRabbit_ Mar 21, 2026 +80
This, I think, is the only time you see Caesar lose his temper in the series. He has a bit of a flare up when he's presented with Pompey's head by Ptolemy XIII, just being taken back at the sheer indignity of it. But here, he's full on raging. He wanted to be able to grant Pompey mercy and public forgiveness in the same way he has Brutus and Cicero. Instead, he has to chase him to Africa.
80
ps3x42 Mar 21, 2026 +87
HE WAS A CONSUL OF ROME!
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KingRabbit_ Mar 21, 2026 +40
A consul of Rome. To be drawn and quartered like this like some lowly thief. Shame!
40
ps3x42 Mar 21, 2026 +12
Full agree. His reserved nature makes the outbursts hit harder. Gods, that show is too good.
12
sillypoolfacemonster Mar 21, 2026 +10
He also has some of my favourite lines in television. “I was not aware the man existed, until he didn’t”. Ciarán Hinds owned this role.
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Variable_Shaman_3825 Mar 21, 2026 +14
"And who, by the sons of Dis, gave you the right to make such judgment!?!"
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send3squats2help Mar 21, 2026 +13
I guess i’ll rewatch Rome now… thanks!
13
UserNameNotSure Mar 21, 2026 +31
Great show that I watched when it aired originally. Funny thing happened in the intervening years: I convinced myself the Lucius Vorenus was played by Damien Lewis and only now realize it was an entirely different actor.
31
Linflexible Mar 21, 2026 +25
Yes, that's Kevin McKidd. That might be one of his best performances but his fame came from Grey's Anatomy.
25
rugbyj Mar 21, 2026 +7
He’ll always be Cooper from Dog Soldiers for me!
7
Prin_StropInAh Mar 21, 2026 +11
Great scene OP!
11
AlabangZapote Mar 21, 2026 +8
God, I f****** loved this show!
8
arepaconnutella Mar 21, 2026 +9
Beautiful show. Vorenus is one of my favorite characters. His relationship with Pullo is really compelling.
9
weskervision Mar 21, 2026 +6
Now here’s the onion!
6
dragonbutterfly89 Mar 21, 2026 +8
Ciaran Hinds was just so fantastic in this show.
8
theartfulcodger Mar 21, 2026 +13
Ciaran Hinds is One of the finest actors working today. From Gaius Julius Caesar here, to the Dark Wizard in *LOTR*, to an MI-5 agent in *Tinker Tailor*, to an Irish terrorist in hiding, in *Shetland*, to Dumbledore’s brother in *Harry Potter*, to an Israeli assassin in *Munich*, to explorer John Franklin in *The Terror*, he always infuses each role with a stern and impressive dignity.
13
caligaris_cabinet Mar 21, 2026 +9
And Mance Rayder - the King Beyond the Wall.
9
newblevelz Mar 22, 2026 +2
Thank you for omitting GoT where he was not utilised well 
2
silverius Mar 21, 2026 +4
Later Caesar refuses to intercede on Pullo's behalf. Powerful gods now angered, Caesar dies in the next episode.
4
ptwonline Mar 21, 2026 +4
Still one of my favourite TV series. A little cute with all the coincidences around Vorenus and Pullo but the production values, performances, and writing are just so good overall. Probably needed three seasons instead of compressing it into two but I am still grateful we did get two excellent seasons.
4
Hungry_Horace Mar 22, 2026 +2
Pullo and Vorenus are the classic archetype, of a comic pair who stumble unknowingly through major events. One good example are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as imagined by Tom Stoppard - which I think is a direct influence on Rome. Tahei and Matashich from Hidden Fortress are another example of the trope - and they in turn led George Lucas to create R2D2 and C3PO.
2
Digester Mar 21, 2026 +3
Now that’s a show that could use a reboot.
3
eileanarainn Mar 21, 2026 +8
i've wanted this for years, but without ray it just wouldn't be the same. vorenus and pullo are the heart of the show.
8
eldenpotato Mar 22, 2026 +2
Would just have to pick a different period of Rome’s history with all new cast, I think
2
loewe_a Mar 22, 2026 +1
Respectfully, there's always new talent out there that can bring something great to the medium. If they ever rebooted the series I have no doubt there does exist a cast that could very well match or pass the quality and execution of the original.
1
eileanarainn Mar 22, 2026 +1
right, but that's essentially a different show. could still be great, i absolutely wouldn't say no if it was offered, but it's not the same thing, and i'll always be disappointed we didn't get more.
1
loewe_a Mar 22, 2026 +2
Same.
2
Major-Thom Mar 21, 2026 +7
With 5 guaranteed seasons. As was originally promised.
7
OneReportersOpinion Mar 22, 2026 +2
Would really love that. There is just so much history “IP” that could be used to create the next GoT
2
S_A_R_K Mar 21, 2026 +3
Great show. It's up there with The Shield for me
3
eldenpotato Mar 22, 2026 +1
The Shield had the most depressing ending of any series as far as I can remember lol great show though
1
Liz-zy Mar 21, 2026 +2
This was an amazing show!!! If you haven’t watched it- give it a go!
2
subvocalize_it Mar 21, 2026 +2
Is that Owen Hunt?
2
barfly2780 Mar 22, 2026 +2
I see clips from the Rome series, automatic upvote!
2
lontrinium Mar 21, 2026 +1
5,000 seems like a lot.
1
caligaris_cabinet Mar 21, 2026 +5
They lost 20,000 men at sea in the Battle of Drepana. Rome came right back with a brand new navy after that.
5
buckets000123 Mar 21, 2026 +1
He found Portsmouth?
1
2reeEyedG Mar 22, 2026 +1
Show was great I know why it didn’t get more seasons but idk why either. It was so great but I love anything with Rome in it. They’re a very fascinating culture
1
BigTedBear Mar 22, 2026 +1
You just know Pullo would have dropped a great quip as they crucified him. 13…
1
Penguings Mar 22, 2026 +1
The problem I think at the time was that there was a clear formula of Rome content at the time. + The two leads of this show being men (and almost comedic)- I’m sure it was hard for a lot of other people, especially women and young people at the time to catch on. I watched it in the 2010s after watching other horrible Rome dramas- holy cow how different HBOs show was.
1
bluepoodle625 Mar 22, 2026 +1
Just finished my first rewatch is over ten years. Wow, what a great show.
1
thegodofwine7 Mar 23, 2026 +1
Is that the King-Beyond-The-Wall?
1
HappyT1984 Mar 22, 2026
Maybe time to revisit the show, liked it so much I bought the box set so maybe find it and plug in that DVD player - think was in a box somewhere
0
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