Episode Title: "Egeria"
Original Air Date: October 2, 2005
Episode Grade: B-
What kind of man is Rome's Marc Antony? We've seen a fair bit of him in the first five episodes of the show (and, in one memorable scene, we saw all of him), but Antony's characterization, while direct and entertaining, has been rather thin. James Purefoy is clearly enjoying playing the blunt, brutish counter-weight to Caesar's smooth manipulator, and it's fun to watch, but Rome is a little too fond of that juxtaposition, and hasn't really given Purefoy much of weight.
That changes a bit in "Egeria," which is very much an episode about Antony and his priorities. There's still a lot here that's groan-worthy, though Purefoy does his best with it. But there's also some genuine insight into Antony's character, all sparked by the episode's primary story development.
But first we get the thoroughly entertaining spectacle of Antony trying to oversee the governing of the city in Caesar's absence. Caesar is in Greece, chasing Pompey in the hopes of forcing a climactic battle, and he left Antony behind to "keep the peace."
This, it goes without saying, is a task for which Antony is singularly ill-suited, though he executes Caesar's will well enough. When he calls in the senior Senator remaining in Rome and tells him he will be co-consul with Caesar, the Senator points out that Caesar is already dictator-in-fact. Antony has enough cunning to reply, "It sounds so much better if he's consul. Much more amicable."
Again, Purefoy is excellent here; he's all pleasant malevolence in his conversation with the Senator, and it's possible to see in this early scene why Antony has a position of power. But this is Rome pounding home a certain point about Antony, and it's a point we've seen made plenty of times before.
Things truly get interesting when Caesar writes Antony with a plea for help. While Caesar was pursuing Pompey, assuming that the aged general was just mindlessly fleeing in an attempt to postpone the inevitable, Pompey was actually gathering legions from the eastern provinces. Now, Pompey out-numbers Caesar 10-to-1, and he is the one chasing Caesar, who wants Antony to bring the 13th Legion to Greece as soon as possible.
But Antony is given another path. An ambassador from Pompey visits Antony and makes him an offer: abandon Caesar and side with Pompey, and the general will give Antony immunity for any crimes, a great deal of money and a province to rule.
It's hyperbole to say that Antony is torn by this turn of events; as played by Purefoy, there's not much introspection or psychological torment in Marc Antony, and he receives Pompey's offer with his usual smirk and bravado. But he is clearly considering it; when he dismisses Pompey's ambassador, he tells the man to disguise himself, evidence that he's ashamed of the meeting. The ambassador has a smirk of his own in response.
This gets to a question at the core of Antony's character: namely, does this character have a core? Antony has been set up, in many ways, as an opposite of Lucius Vorenus' duty-bound sense of honor, a man of coarse interests and simple tastes, with no sense of loyalty to the idea of "Rome" or her traditions. He has here an opportunity to protect himself at the expense of his oldest friend.
And Atia paints him an even more interesting picture. Once she discerns that Caesar might actually lose the war with Pompey, she starts looking for a way out; as Caesar's niece, she is vulnerable to a backlash from Pompey's loyalists should he win. So she makes a rather startling proposal in the aftermath of yet another sex scene: marriage.
Antony's reaction ("Why on Earth would we want to do that, of all things?") is appropriately incredulous, but Atia is dangling a hell of a future in front of Antony. Abandon Caesar, accept Pompey's offer, marry Atia, gain the advantage of her name and wealth and become de facto King of Rome. The choice in front of Antony, then, is not just loyalty or survival, it's loyalty or unfathomable power.
But Antony, it seems, does believe in something more than himself, even if it's only friendship. He chooses Caesar over Pompey, Atia and the throne of Rome, and he leaves Atia's bed after an exchange of slaps (Polly Walker gets the worst of these, of course).
The course of history dictates the result of this storyline, of course; the writers couldn't very well have Antony betray Caesar at this point, not when there's a battle with Pompey to be fought and a famous assassination to witness and Antony's own renowned end to orchestrate. But there's still something to be said for the details here, and this is an excellent way of making us give a damn about Antony.
So Antony makes his decision, and the episode ends with Vorenus and Titus Pullo sitting in a ship on the Aegean Sea, surrounded by their comrades, sailing to Greece.
Vorenus is the focus of the episode's other main plotline, which is always good. It's primarily a small scale, domestic story, which is less good. Kevin McKidd is exceptional no matter the story he's given, but he is at his best when his honor and dignity are set against the larger cynicism of Roman power.
Regardless, there is real and remarkable tenderness in this story, which is yet another chapter in Lucius' attempt to make Niobe hate him a little less. And it works in this episode, even if that's less a result of anything Vorenus does and more of Niobe making a decision to forget Evander, the man who fathered her child while Vorenus was away soldiering (Pullo and Octavian killed him in last week's episode, you might remember).
I haven't written a lot about the work Indira Varma has done as Niobe, and to an extent that's because the writing for her has been workmanlike at best. She's a put-upon wife uncomfortable with her absentee husband. It's not terribly original stuff.
But she shines in this episode, and when placed alongside McKidd, the chemistry between the two is outstanding. The awkwardness of their early scenes together is continued in this episode, only to fade in a way that is both genuine and consistent with the characterizations we've seen. The few days of bliss that Niobe and Lucius share feel earned, as does the sadness on display when Vorenus has to leave for Greece.
Notes
- One other plotline in this episode: Pullo takes Octavian to a brothel to lose his virginity at Atia's urging. It's an insignificant little affair, though it ends with Octavian having sex with a prostitute whose accent seems vaguely Russian (well, probably. We never see the act itself, and it's possible Octavian wimped out at the last second)
- "Octavian, have you penetrated anyone yet?" Oh, Atia. Never change.
- Atia tries to get in good with Servilia by sending her a jeweled turtle (everyone's favorite Christmas gift) and a well-endowed slave. "A large penis always welcome." Oh, Atia. Never change.
- Antony holds court with his beloved dwarf aide by his side, something that offends Vorenus to no end.
- Lucius and Niobe are in the middle of a pleasant romp when their daughter interrupts. "Father, that dwarf wants you." Hell of a cockblock right there.
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