"The Spoils"


Next week is the finale

Niobe gets pulled into Atia's sphere of influence, huh?

Wow! That arena fight kicked some serious ass. 13th!

Best. Episode. Ever.

That was an intense episode.

awesome episode

it's amazing how they can make story so suspensful when everyone knows how its going to end

So, what do you guys think will happen to our favorite duo?

My wife had to turn away from the graphic violence. In other words, this was a damn good show!!

i think the gladiator fighting here was better than in Ridley Scott's Gladiator

That was freaking awesome. The finale is going to have to be insanely good to top that.

Oh hell yeah! That's why I love HBO.

I was at a friends house watching this and his wife actually cringed when the leg came off very well done; Next week is going to be insane, and to that point I thought the series was going to be short run so the fact that there will be a season two is a huge bonus.

kaki

Oddly enough this ep brought my wife right back into the show, she was veering away from it, but this one got her back in the mix.

The gladiator scene was so intense, and a big part of that was the gladiator 'ring' was so small. Crowe was in a huge amphitheater. for this you were tripping over the dead bodies.

Really really well done. I'm glad Vorenus came to his side in the end, and heck after putting away what 8 or 9 gladiators, he showed how a real soldier can be.

The gladiator scene was fantastic. I know some people's only grudge about the show was the lack of battle scenes but that more than made up for it. Vorenus driving the club down through the guys shoulder was the "Holy Shit!" moment for me

any idea if there is historical validity to JC trying to send Brutus to Macedonia? If yes, than this was probably his downfall. Brutus saw that he was sending all his enemies to the far corners of the empire to protect his power. This is why he probably wanted to send the soldiers away to Germany as well.

Im pretty sure that an 'accident' in Macedonia was in the back of his mind too

Not the 13th, that was his troops, that would be loyal to him. He was just giving them land, which he promised them, that was not desireable to "important" Romans.

Just watched it. This ep. (which I got in HD) will remain in my DVR for a long, long, time! While I know John Milius is only an exec. producer of this show, I think his fingerprints were all over that gladiator fight scene. I agree that it was way better than the ones in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, and I love that movie so that's saying a lot. The ending with Brutus was kick ass as well, almost a big wink to the historian viewers in the bunch.
I think that Titus and Vorenus and the true sources of suspense and drama for this show. When it comes to the major players like Octavian, Caesar, and Antony, we all know their fates. However, Pullo and Vorenus are not (last I checked) actual historical figures, therefore we never truly know their fate until each episode is over. Pullo is probably the baddest mutherfucker on TV right now, and

I liked this episode like everyone else. The fight at the end was SICK! I liked how Pullo took the guys head off with the shield!
But I feel like some others that thing as are moving to fast. I felt like they could of got some good stories out of Pullo's decline. I also felt it was kind of okey how Pullo sit there saying he wants to die and the gladiators insult hin and he doesn't care but then they start insulting the 13th and then he get all bent outta shape about it.

I also got swerved a little when Caesar servant grabbed that money I thought he was going to buy Pullo's freedom at first. Then when I saw that gangster guy sitting out with his henchmen I thought Pullo and Vorenus were going to pay them a visit.

Actually, they were real people, both mentioned by name in Julius Caesar's writings.

Really? I read in the EW preview for next week that

i did some googling on Lucius Vorenus and found a few tidbits that he might have been real. Too much crap though because of the TV show coverage.

Hmm...if only there were some sort of forum software feature that would allow people to not f-ing totally piss off others who actively avoid spoiling the show for them! This totally ruins my next point...I know I am being harsh, but come on man, you have to know that that was wrong.

Anyway, being as this was HBO and being that I know the 'realness' that this show is and the quality that the creators are striving for, I don't think Vorenus' actions were at all a foregone conclusion. In fact, from about the midpoint on, I was just about praying for him to 'do the right thing' because I thought it was a very real possibility that Pullo would die. So so glad Vorenus did. Somewhat expected, but still nailbiting and 100% satisfactory. As with everyone, I agree that this was a great, great episode and I just cannot convey enough how great of a show this is. Bravo HBO!

A Short Story of the Two Sargents

Book V 44

Erant in ea legione fortissimi viri, centuriones, qui primis ordinibus appropinquarent, Titus Pullo et Lucius Vorenus. Hi perpetuas inter se controversias habebant, quinam anteferretur, omnibusque annis de locis summis simultatibus contendebant. Ex his Pullo, cum acerrime ad munitiones pugnaretur, "Quid dubitas," inquit, " Vorene? aut quem locum tuae probandae virtutis exspectas ? hic dies de nostris controversiis iudicabit. " Haec cum dixisset, procedit extra munitiones quaque pars hostium confertissma est visa irrumpit. Ne Vorenus quidem tum sese vallo continet, sed omnium veritus existi mationem subsequitur.

Mediocri spatio relicto Pullo pilum in hostes immittit atque unum ex multitudine procurrentem traicit; quo percusso et exanimato hunc scutis protegunt, in hostem tela universi coniciunt neque dant regrediendi facultatem. Transfigitur scutum Pulloni et verutum in balteo defigitur. Avertit hic casus vaginam et gladium educere conanti dextram moratur manum, impeditumque hostes circumsistunt. Succurrit inimicus illi Vorenus et laboranti subvenit.

Ad hunc se confestim a Pullone omnis multitudo convertit: illum veruto arbitrantur occisum. Gladio comminus rem gerit Vorenus atque uno interfecto reliquos paulum propellit; dum cupidius instat, in locum deiectus inferiorem concidit. Huic rursus circumvento fert subsidium Pullo, atque ambo incolumes compluribus interfectis summa cum laude sese intra munitiones recipiunt. Sic fortuna in contentione et certamine utrumque versavit, ut alter alteri inimicus auxilio salutique esset, neque diiudicari posset, uter utri virtute anteferendus videretur.


Translated...

There were in that legion Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, very brave men [and] centurions who were close to the first rank. These had continual disputes between themselves as to which of the two should be preferred to the other, and every year they fought with the greatest of rivalry for the position. From these, Pullo, when there was very fierce fighting at the fortifications, said, 'Why are you hesitating, Vorenus, or what opportunity for proving your courage are you waiting for? This day will decide our disagreements.' When he said this he went outside the fortifications and rushed [into] where the densest part of the enemy was [to be] seen. Nor did Vorenus confine himself to the rampart (lit. contain himself with the rampart) but, fearing the opinion of all, followed (on the tense of veritus see 14.1/4).

When a short space away (lit. short space having been left), Pullo hurled his javelin into the enemy and transfixed one of the crowd who was running forward. When the latter was hit and killed the enemy protected [his body] with their shields [and] all threw weapons at Pullo and did not allow him to advance. Pullo's shield was pierced through and a spear was fixed in his baldric. This chance turned back his scabbard and obstructed his right hand as he tried to draw his sword (a baldric was a belt hanging from the right shoulder to the left thigh to which a solder's scabbard and sword were attached; a Gallic spear hit Pullo's baldric in such a way as to dislodge both baldric and scabbard from their usual positions)

The enemy surrounded him, hampered [as he was]. His rival Vorenus ran up to him and helped him in his difficulties. The whole crowd quickly turned to him from Pullo; they imagined the latter transfixed by the spear. Vorenus fought hand-to-hand with his sword (lit. did the thing at close quarters with sword) and, after killing one man, drove the rest back a little. While he was pressing on too eagerly he was brought to a lower spot and fell. Pullo in turn gave him help when [he was] surrounded, and, after killing many, both retired safe[ly] to inside the fortifications with the greatest praise. In their dispute and contest fortune manipulated them (lit. turned them this way and that) in this way (sic) so that each rival helped and saved the other, and a judgement could not be made as to which of the two should be considered superior (lit. seemed to be needing-to-be-preferred) to the other in courage. (Caesar, de Bello Gallico. V, 44 adapted)


Reminiscent of the first episode where the two characters are introduced, with dramatic flourishes, obviously

Apparently it's not the first time they've appeared in works of historical fiction, either: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...73403?v=glance

Another find... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Vorenus
Essentially a summary of the above translation, along with a couple sentences about the HBO show.