I finally watched the series finale of the HBO series Rome last night.  Sigh.  I loved that show.  I ordered HBO just to be able to watch it, and now after two seasons, it's over.

Just as Antony "died well," I thought that the series ended well.  I liked the redemption of Verenus with his family, as well as the plot twist with Pullo, my two favorite characters.  For a moment, I thought that Antony was going to stage a duel between Verenus and Pullo, and that would have been stupid.  Whew.  I only had a few quibbles with the second season.  First, the Octavian actor switch didn't work.  Switching from the youthful Max Pirkis Octavian to the older-looking (but same age) Simon Woods Octavian was jarring.  Although there were lengthy time gaps in the show, the switch took place when time only advanced a matter of months.  Also, the whole character seemed to metamorphize, without any other trigger than the changing of the actor.  The first Octavian was cold, calculating and extremely strategic, but he loved those close to him, like Octavia, Pullo and even his mother.  He seemed to have a sense of moral compass about him.  The second Octavian was merely cold, calculating and strategic, using his sister, mother and even Pullo on a whim.  He was even a sexual deviant, which did not comport with the younger Octavian's earlier experiences.  Although a person may change over time, the show seemed to cheat by showing this change only through a casting switch.

Second, I got very bored with the Atia v. Servilia conflict that seemed to end each week with one of them almost killing the other.  The Spy v. Spy aspect grew comical to me, and I was relieved when Servilia committed suicide and ended the grudge match.  Third, the Timon subplot got interesting and then disappeared.  In a show full of subplots, it should have either been given full time or not introduced at all.

So now what do I do?  I am tempted to cancel HBO and get Showtime to watch The Tudors.  Has anyone seen this?  Would it be worth my while?  I just finished The Other Boleyn Girl, so I wouldn't want my new Tudor knowledge to go unused.  I'm sure most HBO watchers won't switch now, with the Sopranos finale coming up, but I stopped watching that show when Ralphie brutally killed his stripper girlfriend.  (For some reason, that scene put me over the edge, and according to this Vanity Fair article with the creator, it put others over the same edge.)  But, I want to watch the second season of Big Love, if it ever happens.  Decisions, decisions.

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