Rome: The Complete Second Season + Deadwood: The
Complete Third Season (HBO DVD Box
Sets)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: B/B- Episodes: B+/B
HBO for
the past decade now has managed to produce an amazing amount of interesting and
creative series. While most networks
create 10 failing series for every 1 successful venture, HBO delivers hit after
hit. After the success of series like Oz and The Sopranos two newer series surfaced on HBO that utilized the
past to bring entertainment to the present.
Rome is a series that
dramatically focuses on a time of civil war, unrest, social and political
decay, and the men and women that made it all happen. Deadwood
also has a strong dramatic element in its 1870’s South Dakota setting that like
Rome uses both historical truths and
fiction to draw inspiration. Both Rome and Deadwood have since the time of their respective DVD releases have,
sadly, been canceled with no future plans to resurrect the series.
Though
there has never been a public statement as to why the popular series were axed,
many speculate that it was due to expiring contracts as well as the
astronomical filming costs. Both series
mix in a fair degree of mature material (sexual content and adult language) to
heighten the intense and shocking nature of many of the series factual and
fictional elements; the language of the cast on Deadwood could easily hold their grounds with the likes of Scarface and Good Fellas. Though the
series are now in the HBO history books, they still have a lot to offer in the
form of entertainment and fans will be more than pleased with their final
seasons.
Rome’s second and final season mainly
centers on the power struggle between Octavian and Mark Anthony after the
tragic assassination of Julius Caesar in Season
One. With Caesar no longer keeping
order in the lands, civil war is constantly threatening to destroy the
Republic. As both men and women come out
of the woodwork in the clamoring for power, Mark Anthony ambitiously attempts
to assure his place of power in the new empire by aligning himself with Atia,
but finds his ambitions challenged when Atia’s son Octavian becomes wise to
Anthony’s conniving ways. Octavian has
been named Caesar’s only son and heir and is not about to give up that
power. Powerful public figures from
Season One like Brutus have fallen from grace, now branded a murderer and
struggles to regain the publics’ favor and trust. While Brutus is struggles with his own
demons, his mother (Servilla) is making sinister plots of her own. The bulk of Season 2 takes place between 44 BC with Caesar’s death and 31 BC,
while Mark Anthony and Octavian fight for their places of power in the new
empire. With the masses aggressively
fighting for positions of power in Rome, only time can tell who the winners and
losers will be.
Deadwood, as previously mentioned, is
another historically based series from HBO that takes place in the South Dakota
Territory in the 1870’s and chronicles the growth of a society as it goes from
a simple base camp to a full thriving town.
In Season 3 the year is 1877 and whereas in Seasons One and Two
lawlessness and chaos ruled the growing town, the law and civilized society is
slowly arriving and it is apparent times are about to change. In this time of change Deadwood sees its
first elections and an ever growing power struggle. People are brutal, the town is in a state of
unrest, and the fate of the floundering town seems to rest in the hands of a
select few. George Hearst (Gerald
McRaney of Simon & Simon) arrives in Deadwood as a ruthless businessman who
has plans for the town that would reshape it to best fit his wants and
needs. The deranged Hearst will stop at
nothing to gain power, including killing his own workers, causing the town to
split up into an array of alliances. The
law, the towns’ folk, and even the cutthroat bar owner all must pick sides and
form a strategy to survive. With murder,
drugs, sex, kidnappings, and turmoil running rampant through the streets of
Deadwood some say only the strong will survive, but sometimes the bigger they
are the harder they fall.
Both
series, Rome: Season Two and Deadwood: Season Three are extremely
entertaining, well cast, well staged, and well written. The series both make the viewer want more and
more; making it even sadder that both series are now defunct. Both series do not rely too heavily on an all
star cast to take the writing to the next level, but instead utilize raw talent
and a degree of grittiness to promote the realism and emotion that is brought
to the table. With emotion and
intriguing storylines bursting at the seams on Rome and Deadwood it is
tremendously surprising that HBO did not give the series a better chance at
sticking around; especially with their golden goose (The Sopranos) now gone. Many
criticize the series for ‘overusing bad language’ and sexual explicit content,
but this reviewer thinks the adult content is effectively used and whereas
maybe unnecessary at times just thinks that people are being a little too
uptight; it is an HBO series after all, not ABC Family. Both series are a must see and will not
disappoint.
The
technical features are excellent on both box sets and deliver the quality that
fans of HBO have come to expect. The
picture on both sets is presented in a 1.78 X 1 Anamorphic Widescreen that is
enhanced for 16 X 9 televisions that is fantastic with bright colors, a crisp
image, and an admirable level of clarity.
For darker series there seem to be no light/dark issues and minimal
contrast inconsistencies. This reviewer
can’t wait to see the series in a higher definition format. The sound is almost equally impressive in its
Dolby Digital 5.1 surrounds on the sets, being booming and clear most of the
time, only having issues in the quitter dialogue scenes where this reviewer had
difficulty hearing what was occurring.
The extra features are very, very nice on both sets. The special features for each respective set
include:
Rome: Season Two
A Tale of Two Romes (20:30)
- A featurette that describes
the different classes in the Roman Empire and how they all functioned
together as one society.
The Making of Rome: Season Two (22:52)
- Your basic look into the
series with costumes, sets, and the more epic battle sequences. A very nicely done featurette for a
fan favorite series.
The Rise of Octavian: Rome’s First Emperor (20:44)
- A historical look into the
cunning heir to Julius Caesar that fought his way to the seat of power
in Rome.
Anthony & Cleopatra (14:48)
- A historical examination
into one of the most powerful love stories in history that in many ways
shaped history and empires.
- 5 very well done Audio
Commentaries with the cast and crew of the series
Deadwood: Season Three
Deadwood Matures
The Education of Swearengen and Bullock
- 4 in-depth Audio Commentaries
with the series creator, executive producers, and cast and crew.
- A Photo Gallery of Historic
Deadwood
In the
end, this reviewer highly recommends both series. Though they are not always historically
accurate and incorporate a degree of ‘shock factor’ and smut to pull in the
audience; it is also not hard to see that history is truly plagued with power
struggles, cutthroat characters, and a level of debauchery that
incomprehensible. It’s like they say, no
one could make this stuff up.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
