For those who may be interested, I have posted a review of "Rome" on my author site.

Link to my site!

I too missed the chat, as I had to go out somewhere at the time. I do wish I had participated too after reading the transcript. Well, maybe next time.

BTW, everyone check out Heraklia's site on Augustus, really spectacular. I'm sure all "Rome" fans will be delighted as Octavian becomes Augustus (Season 3 ?)

On the most recent episode, there have been a number of negative comments about Cleopatra and the way they portrayed Egypt (sand on the floor, no spectacular shots of the harbor, etc.) I think most viewers probably expected a really glamorous Cleo like Liz and were commenting on everything from her make up to the wigs she wore and her overall 'beauty'. Personally, I thought she was pretty good and it was an interesting take on the great Queen. I do think they were severely limited in their production by the budget and it's obvious they made a number of compromises.

However, the dirty, grimy and unprepossessing Egypt they show us does convey the impression that Egypt's magnificence was in decline and there was very little to show now, compared to her former greatness. If I remember right, around that time there had been a drought for a couple of years with no flooding of the Nile and shipments of grain to Rome had been halted. Caesar's first priority was to ensure that the grain shipments be resumed immediately and that there was no threat in the future too, as it would cause riots to develop in Rome.

The Pullo episode was obviously a HBO plot and it looks like they are setting up something for later, when Octavian enters Egypt. There were some doubts, after all, cast on Caesarion, although Caesar did accept him as his son and it is even said that the boy did resemble Caesar.