The summary:
Opens with a scene in the Pompeian camp ... Pompey, Cato, Cicero, Brutus discussing things while someone's being tortured under the supervision of Pompey's son (apparently about the missing gold). Seem to think Caesar will need violence if he doesn't have gold
"Martial Law in effect ..." in Rome; curfew, no gatherings of more than three people; Caesar obviously in possession of the city.
Caesar enters temple to chants of Jupiter Optimus Maximus; identifies himself to some augurs (wearing the right hat!) asking for signs that the gods approve of his acts. "Auguries will be taken ..."
Graffiti "Caesar tyrannus" (with a nasty doodle)
Caesar's slave and Atia's slave arranging a dinner party
Atia doesn't know why Servilia is on the guest list; Antony explains it to her ...
Atia forcing Octavius to eat some animal testicles to grow up big and strong
Octavia asks whether Octavius knows if Atia had her hubby killed; Octavius swears she didn't (even though he knows better)
Interesting how the streets are pretty much abandoned ...
Vorenus is also putting together some sort of feast ... praying before an image of Janus; interrupted by Vorenus being summoned to Marcus Antonius who's being scraped down with a strigil. Vorenus claims he did not desert (when he crossed the Rubicon he became a civilian) ... plans to import stuff from Gaul. MA tells him that MA needs him (and Caesar needs him); offer him a prefecture ... with a 10 000 sesterces "signing bonus" ... Vorenus says he has chosen his path; "Vorenus! Next time I see you I may not bee so kind."
Niobe consulting some soothsayer examining a liver of some sort ... tells her her hubby will be "rich as Croesus" [I just noticed that Niobe has an almost Cockney accent (i.e. a different accent than Atia and Servilia).
Servilia's nervous about seeing Caesar again (after eight years)
Caesar is busy 'buying allegiance'; his slave warns him he is running out of money ... Caesar refuses proscriptions ...
Caesar and Calpurnia (my, she's a dreary lady) ...
Vorenus seems to be inviting people to set up business connections ... among the guests are Niobe's sister and her 'husband' (who is the father of Niobe's child)
Back at Atia's party ... obvious tension between Atia and Servilia (heavy duty cattiness)
Very nice scene of Caesar being escorted by lictors (with axes in the fasces) and arriving; pounding on the door like the 'Gentleman of the Black Rod' (Canadian parliamentary image)
Awkward scene between Caesar and Servilia ... C. wishes Brutus was there
Back to Vorenus discussing business (awkward scene as the baby starts crying)
Caesar and Mark Antony schmoozing with the chief augur ...
Atia trying to get Octavius and Octavia to take part ... Octavius doesn't 'talk small' ... Octavia recites a dreary poem about death ...
[this is very nice how the parties differ between the two groups]
Back at Vorenus' party ... Niobe's sister is making a scene ... big pot gets broken as her hubby tries to control her
Back to Caesar's party ... nice hint of his slave acting as nomenclator (to remind Caesar of the augur's wife's name); Caesar and MA offer a gift to the augur's wife (100 000 sesterces ... "she eats oysters for breakfast" ... eventually the augur thinks 200 000 is a good idea). Slave comment "He thinks he's Midas, the loon".
Cleaning up after Vorenus' party ... Vorenus banned Niobe's sister
A bunch of rabble with Pompey's son come to Vorenus' looking for the gold ... have V and N at knifepoint ... meanwhile Pullo shows up on a litter ... Pullo and Vorenus kill Quintus Pompey's retinue; Vorenus tells Pullo he has to give the money back to Caesar (with Pompey's son as a 'sweetener') ... eventually agrees, but asks Vorenus to come with him ("This is your mess")
Atia's party is still going on ... Pullo shows up; Caesar demands an explanation ... Pullo tells Caesar he's buried the gold; Caesar thanks the gods ...
Quintus is a little brutish fellow; Caesar says he's sending him back to daddy with an offer of "truce on good terms"
Meanwhile inside, there's some sort of live sex show/pantomime going on; Octavius leaves ... Calpurnia doesn't get into Atia's cattiness (very strict sort of woman, Calpurnia)
Caesar rewards Pullo ... 100 gold pieces.
First sign of a split between MA and Caesar ... Caesar scolds him for questioning his judgement; Octavius (who was observing) thinks MA was right ... in the midst of explaining his position, Caesar has an epileptic seizure! "No one must know! No one will follow a man whom Apollo has cursed with the morbus!" Caesar makes Octavian vow never to speak of it.
Calpurnia seems to know; gives Caesar an excuse to leave ... they 'leave' but Caesar says he won't accompany Calpurnia home because he has to take care of some business ... the party breaks up
Meanwhile, Pullo has shown MA where the gold is ... Atia's crying because she's "all alone" when the party ends ... Caesar's 'business', of course, was Servilia
Back with Pompey and crew ... they're dealing with the offer of truce; Cicero thinks the truce is a good idea ... Cato not; Brutus points out Caesar's clementia. Pompey thinks they're idiots ...
Back with Niobe and ex-lover/sister's hubby; she is dumping him as Pullo shows up (with his girl in tow ... he hears everything) ... seems to snicker that the guy's name is Evander ...
Nice scene of augury (set up, of course) which confirm that the gods approve of Caesar's actions (augurs normally did this sort of thing in a tent, no?)
A very good episode, fast paced and full of nice little details ... no nagging questions arising from this one.
Opens with a scene in the Pompeian camp ... Pompey, Cato, Cicero, Brutus discussing things while someone's being tortured under the supervision of Pompey's son (apparently about the missing gold). Seem to think Caesar will need violence if he doesn't have gold
"Martial Law in effect ..." in Rome; curfew, no gatherings of more than three people; Caesar obviously in possession of the city.
Caesar enters temple to chants of Jupiter Optimus Maximus; identifies himself to some augurs (wearing the right hat!) asking for signs that the gods approve of his acts. "Auguries will be taken ..."
Graffiti "Caesar tyrannus" (with a nasty doodle)
Caesar's slave and Atia's slave arranging a dinner party
Atia doesn't know why Servilia is on the guest list; Antony explains it to her ...
Atia forcing Octavius to eat some animal testicles to grow up big and strong
Octavia asks whether Octavius knows if Atia had her hubby killed; Octavius swears she didn't (even though he knows better)
Interesting how the streets are pretty much abandoned ...
Vorenus is also putting together some sort of feast ... praying before an image of Janus; interrupted by Vorenus being summoned to Marcus Antonius who's being scraped down with a strigil. Vorenus claims he did not desert (when he crossed the Rubicon he became a civilian) ... plans to import stuff from Gaul. MA tells him that MA needs him (and Caesar needs him); offer him a prefecture ... with a 10 000 sesterces "signing bonus" ... Vorenus says he has chosen his path; "Vorenus! Next time I see you I may not bee so kind."
Niobe consulting some soothsayer examining a liver of some sort ... tells her her hubby will be "rich as Croesus" [I just noticed that Niobe has an almost Cockney accent (i.e. a different accent than Atia and Servilia).
Servilia's nervous about seeing Caesar again (after eight years)
Caesar is busy 'buying allegiance'; his slave warns him he is running out of money ... Caesar refuses proscriptions ...
Caesar and Calpurnia (my, she's a dreary lady) ...
Vorenus seems to be inviting people to set up business connections ... among the guests are Niobe's sister and her 'husband' (who is the father of Niobe's child)
Back at Atia's party ... obvious tension between Atia and Servilia (heavy duty cattiness)
Very nice scene of Caesar being escorted by lictors (with axes in the fasces) and arriving; pounding on the door like the 'Gentleman of the Black Rod' (Canadian parliamentary image)
Awkward scene between Caesar and Servilia ... C. wishes Brutus was there
Back to Vorenus discussing business (awkward scene as the baby starts crying)
Caesar and Mark Antony schmoozing with the chief augur ...
Atia trying to get Octavius and Octavia to take part ... Octavius doesn't 'talk small' ... Octavia recites a dreary poem about death ...
[this is very nice how the parties differ between the two groups]
Back at Vorenus' party ... Niobe's sister is making a scene ... big pot gets broken as her hubby tries to control her
Back to Caesar's party ... nice hint of his slave acting as nomenclator (to remind Caesar of the augur's wife's name); Caesar and MA offer a gift to the augur's wife (100 000 sesterces ... "she eats oysters for breakfast" ... eventually the augur thinks 200 000 is a good idea). Slave comment "He thinks he's Midas, the loon".
Cleaning up after Vorenus' party ... Vorenus banned Niobe's sister
A bunch of rabble with Pompey's son come to Vorenus' looking for the gold ... have V and N at knifepoint ... meanwhile Pullo shows up on a litter ... Pullo and Vorenus kill Quintus Pompey's retinue; Vorenus tells Pullo he has to give the money back to Caesar (with Pompey's son as a 'sweetener') ... eventually agrees, but asks Vorenus to come with him ("This is your mess")
Atia's party is still going on ... Pullo shows up; Caesar demands an explanation ... Pullo tells Caesar he's buried the gold; Caesar thanks the gods ...
Quintus is a little brutish fellow; Caesar says he's sending him back to daddy with an offer of "truce on good terms"
Meanwhile inside, there's some sort of live sex show/pantomime going on; Octavius leaves ... Calpurnia doesn't get into Atia's cattiness (very strict sort of woman, Calpurnia)
Caesar rewards Pullo ... 100 gold pieces.
First sign of a split between MA and Caesar ... Caesar scolds him for questioning his judgement; Octavius (who was observing) thinks MA was right ... in the midst of explaining his position, Caesar has an epileptic seizure! "No one must know! No one will follow a man whom Apollo has cursed with the morbus!" Caesar makes Octavian vow never to speak of it.
Calpurnia seems to know; gives Caesar an excuse to leave ... they 'leave' but Caesar says he won't accompany Calpurnia home because he has to take care of some business ... the party breaks up
Meanwhile, Pullo has shown MA where the gold is ... Atia's crying because she's "all alone" when the party ends ... Caesar's 'business', of course, was Servilia
Back with Pompey and crew ... they're dealing with the offer of truce; Cicero thinks the truce is a good idea ... Cato not; Brutus points out Caesar's clementia. Pompey thinks they're idiots ...
Back with Niobe and ex-lover/sister's hubby; she is dumping him as Pullo shows up (with his girl in tow ... he hears everything) ... seems to snicker that the guy's name is Evander ...
Nice scene of augury (set up, of course) which confirm that the gods approve of Caesar's actions (augurs normally did this sort of thing in a tent, no?)
A very good episode, fast paced and full of nice little details ... no nagging questions arising from this one.