Radio Times

• Episode 1/10 Passover

  Following Caesar's murder, Mark Antony plans to raise an army to avenge him. At the reading of the emperor's will, those assembled are stunned to learn he has named Octavian as his heir. Antony scoffs as Octavian declares his intention to stay in Rome and claim what's rightfully his, but it later appears the young man's argument has won Antony over, as he offers Brutus a deal. Meanwhile, Vorenus struggles to deal with the death of his wife Niobe.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 20 June 2007)

  Severed body parts, topless women, bad Latin: the ingredients of Rome haven't changed much in a year. But, thank Juno, it's back. Nothing else has quite the ability to deliver shiveringly good scenes time and time again, along with enough sex, violence and swearing to make Tony Soprano blush.

  The first series got a lot of stick, and it was incredibly uneven: toga-rific one minute, awful the next. Series two may turn out to have the same problem but the first episode, written by co-creator Bruno Heller, is a beauty.

• Episode 2/10 Son of Hades

  Mark Antony, now Consul of Rome, orders Vorenus to put a stop to the gang violence that threatens to plunge the city into chaos. Cleopatra arrives, seeking an accord with Mark Antony, and irritates Atia by making a play for the new Consul. Meanwhile, Octavian is becoming more sure of himself, drawing up ambitious plans that will challenge Mark Antony's authority.

• Episode 3/10 These Being the Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero

  Pullo accuses Vorenus of mishandling the case when two men come to him with a grudge against a third. The ill feeling between the two friends simmers, then explodes in a burst of violence. Octavian sends his friend Agrippa to Rome to broker an alliance with Cicero, but Mark Antony is confident Cicero will remain loyal. Meanwhile, Servilia plots to have Atia killed, and Lyde makes a desperate bid for freedom.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 27 June 2007)

  Actors must love appearing in Rome. They get to dress up in togas, they get to film in Italy, and boy do they get great lines to say. This [episode's] peach goes to Lindsay Duncan as Servilia, [who] tells an impudent slave, "Address me by my name again and I'll have your tongue nailed to a wagon wheel."

  Meanwhile, David Bamber makes hay playing Cicero. I'm not sure anyone can do craven quite as well as Bamber; he takes on the air of something between a slug and a rat, but a clever rat. Watching him wince and simper his way through an awkward tête-à-tête with Mark Antony is a delight.

• Episode 4/10 Testudo et Lepus (The Tortoise and the Hare)

  The attempt on Atia's life fails, and she's determined Servilia will pay the price for plotting against her. Pullo finally tracks down Vorenus, and together they head off to rescue Vorenus's enslaved family. Octavian's men emerge triumphant after a pitched battle with Mark Antony's forces, and Agrippa is keen to convey the good news to Octavia. Meanwhile, Cassius and Brutus raise a huge army and prepare to challenge Mark Antony themselves.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 1 July 2007)

  Some dramas have the air of a string quartet; others throb like thrash metal. By that analogy, Rome is most like one of those big, echoing organ pieces, full of sound and fury: when it pulls out all the stops, it can blow you away.

  In [this] episode, several crunching storylines come to a head. Rival matriarchs Atia and Servilia take their hostilities to a new level - and the acting's so good you can feel the hatred coming off the screen in waves.

  [Meanwhile,] Pullo hunts for Vorenus, who has no idea his children are still alive. Usually it's the Pullo/Vorenus storylines that work least well, but [this one] may bring a tear to your eye.

• Episode 5/10 Heroes of the Republic

  Octavian returns to Rome and claims the title of Consul. At first the Senate are united behind him, but when he declares Brutus and Cassius enemies of the state, the tide of opinion begins to turn. The strategic advantage now lies with Caesar's killers, and Octavian finds his position threatened. Meanwhile, Vorenus vows to turn over a new leaf as he takes care of his traumatised children.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 4 July 2007)

  We've reached about 43 BC, although Rome plays so fast and loose with events, it's no kind of ancient-history lesson. Best to see it as an elevated, camp and very enjoyable super-soap - and all the better for it.

• Episode 6/10 Philippi

  New comrades-in-arms Mark Antony and Octavian plot to kill Brutus and Cassius's supporters, hoping to simultaneously weaken their foes' power base and add to their own coffers. As the opposing armies prepare for the clash, Pullo confesses to Vorenus that he fears a peaceful future - he's not sure that there will be a place for a man like him in such a world. Meanwhile, Agrippa regrets that he and Octavia can never marry.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 8 July 2007)

  As ever, it's the sex and violence that Rome does best. There are dollops of both, including a battle scene where you can almost feel the swords slicing through flesh.

• Episode 7/10 Death Mask

  Mark Antony, Octavian and General Lepidus meet to divide the spoils of war. Herod arrives in Rome and attempts to buy Mark Antony's support in his efforts to claim the throne of Judea. Servilia confronts Atia and curses her. Gang boss Memmio finds Vorena the Elder in a compromising position with her admirer Omnipor, and manipulates her into spying on her father.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 11 July 2007)

  "Atia of the Julii, I call for justice!" These haunting words echo through an awkward, nasty episode that nonetheless has stunning moments.

• Episode 8/10 A Necessary Fiction

  Maecenas finds a suitable bride for Octavian. Herod's gold is stolen after Vorenus's men come under attack while transporting it from Ostia. The evidence points to a betrayal from within. Vorenus vows to find the traitor, but is shocked to the core when he does. Meanwhile, Octavian takes drastic action when he hears that the marriage between his sister and Mark Antony is a sham.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 15 July 2007)

  The more I see of this second series, the sadder I am that there won't be a third. [This] episode is directed by Carl Franklin, who made the terrific indie thriller One False Move, and he has a peach of a script to work with, too. So no wonder it's another impressive episode, the usual mix of the muscular, the subtle and the stuff that pricks your eyes with tears.

• Episode 9/10 Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus

  As the people of Rome starve, Mark Antony and Cleopatra, who control the grain supply, increase their demands - and Octavian is forced to comply. Hoping that some familiar faces will be able to talk sense into Mark Antony, Octavian dispatches Atia and Octavia to Egypt. If their mission fails, war is likely to follow. Meanwhile, Cleopatra's son Caesarion demands information about his father from Vorenus.

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 18 July 2007)

  One big challenge for the writers of Rome is tiptoeing around our expectations. Again and again, the ghost of Shakespeare hovers in the wings, coughing. When Caesar was killed, we kept expecting Mark Antony to make a rousing "lend me your ears" type speech, but we saw nothing; now Antony has moved to Egypt - Antony and Cleopatra territory. Can the writers improve on Shakespeare's picture of dissolute lovers?

  No, but they can show us the rough sex. And the drugs.

• Episode 10/10 De Patre Vosto

  The battle is over, and Mark Antony is defeated. He tries to bargain for his life, but Octavian will accept nothing less than complete surrender. Knowing that the situation is dire, Mark Antony and Cleopatra contemplate suicide. Vorenus volunteers to take Caesarion to safety - and his real father, Titus Pullo. But even when the two old friends are reunited, the danger they face is far from over…

  RT Choice (David Butcher, 22 July 2007)

  You can keep your Sopranos - if it's tall tales of violent Italians you want, Rome's the business. I know it over-reaches itself sometimes, but that's only because it aims high. It's not often that television attempts full-on, big-budget tragedy, and Rome not only pulls it off, but it also manages to be hilarious, sexy and thrillingly violent by turns. I'm missing it already.

  Because [now] we bid a tearful vale! to the whole messy saga with a final episode based on the usual mix of love, death and great one-liners.

  Polly Walker as Atia should be inducted at once into the hall of fame for small-screen she-monsters. And if James Purefoy ever does better work than he has as Mark Antony, he'll be a lucky man.

Go to Series one