This one focuses on a lesser known moment in Roman history: the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus. Gracchus was a reformer who wanted to help the poor, limit the land owned by senators, and increase his own power in the process. Tiberius was the first of the radical tribunes who bypassed the Senate in his efforts, which led to popular politicians courting the common people, and eventually to the fall of the Republic. So it's really hard to overstate the importance of this moment in Roman history. I think that this was my favorite of the bunch. It was paced well, had some good performances, and was from an era never shown before. Particular praise goes out to James D'Arcy who gives a wonderful performance in the lead. His Tiberius manages to be both idealistic and ambitious and not a little reckless. You see why this man would be a danger to the entrenched nobility. This episode is pretty much a one-man show but it features good supporting performances by David Warner, Geraldine James and Tom Bell, who I've never heard of but does a great job as Nasica, whose every look is ominous. He looks like a snake. I've never seen a more suspiciously evil looking person. There is enough dialogue in this episode that the vice over narration is almost unnecessary except for the beginning and end. In fact, it shows up only sporadically throughout and seems to be a measure of the quality of these episodes that the best ones have the least narration.
The best thing about this episode is that the main character is quite a complicated one. The question of whether he's an idealist doing what he does for the benefit of the people or an ambitious politician furthering his own ends is never made clear. While it does seem to land more on the side of idealist it makes quite clear that he is not unaware of the benefits to be gained from his actions. While the leaders of the Senate are portrayed as mere stock villains, considering their actions it seems completely justified. They overreacted badly and brought down violence and unrest upon themselves. David Warner as the extremely conflicted father-in-law Senator is the exception. He wants much of what Tiberius wants but he refuses to go to the extremes that Tiberius is willing to. The only real problem with this episode is that they cut out Tiberius' brother completely. Gaius Gracchus did the same thing a decade later, with even more success. While they don't have to portray that, it seems sad that Tiberius is presented as being an only child. They should at least have acknowledged that he had a brother. It would have tied up the ending rather better since one of the main themes is ambition and the desire to live up to and improve on the accomplishments of your family. What better way to show that than to see his brother trying to live up to his ideals?
The best thing about this episode is that the main character is quite a complicated one. The question of whether he's an idealist doing what he does for the benefit of the people or an ambitious politician furthering his own ends is never made clear. While it does seem to land more on the side of idealist it makes quite clear that he is not unaware of the benefits to be gained from his actions. While the leaders of the Senate are portrayed as mere stock villains, considering their actions it seems completely justified. They overreacted badly and brought down violence and unrest upon themselves. David Warner as the extremely conflicted father-in-law Senator is the exception. He wants much of what Tiberius wants but he refuses to go to the extremes that Tiberius is willing to. The only real problem with this episode is that they cut out Tiberius' brother completely. Gaius Gracchus did the same thing a decade later, with even more success. While they don't have to portray that, it seems sad that Tiberius is presented as being an only child. They should at least have acknowledged that he had a brother. It would have tied up the ending rather better since one of the main themes is ambition and the desire to live up to and improve on the accomplishments of your family. What better way to show that than to see his brother trying to live up to his ideals?