From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Ram has Touched the Wall
The Ram has Touched the Wall
"The Ram Has Touched the Wall" dilemma, since he confidently expected Pompey to
refuse, but now needs a suitable pretext to reject a truce.
Caesar uses Pompey’s refusal to meet with him face-to-
face, calling it a mortal insult.
Atia announces that she has retained Titus Pullo to
tutor her son Octavian in the "masculine arts" — how
to fight, copulate, skin animals and so forth. Octavian
proves to be an indifferent swordsman, but takes a liking
to Pullo, and the soldier takes the boy into his confidence,
confessing that he has suspicions about Niobe and her
brother-in-law, Evander. The two make a pact to find out
the truth, without telling Lucius Vorenus.
Pompey mulls his options after truce is refused
Meanwhile, Vorenus’s financial difficulties are
Season 1 (2005) mounting. He inspects his share of the slaves taken in
Gaul, and finds that nearly all of them have died of dis-
Episode "5 (HBO; see BBC editing)"
ease, on top of which he still has to pay the bill for their
Air date(s) September 25, 2005 (HBO) transport and feeding. He asks Erastes Fulmen for a loan,
November 23, 2005 (BBC) but the crafty gangster demurs, and instead maneuvers
Writer(s) Bruno Heller Lucius into accepting a lucrative position as his enforcer.
Having captured the city, Caesar seems to be in no
Director Allen Coulter
hurry to pursue Pompey to the coast, instead spending
Setting Rome and Italia his evenings dallying with Servilia. Jealous of her influ-
ence over Caesar, Atia hires Timon to paint rude graffiti
Time frame Between Jan 10 – Feb 30, 49 BC
See also: Chronology of Rome depicting Caesar and Servilia’s relationship all over the
city. Mortified, Caesar’s wife Calpurnia threatens to di-
Link HBO episode summary vorce him unless he breaks off relations with Servilia.
Prev: "Stealing from Saturn" Since he still needs her family’s political and financial
Next: "Egeria" support, Caesar does so, and Servilia is livid. Caesar pre-
I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII pares to march on Pompey without further ado, and ap-
XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII points Mark Antony prefect of the city in his absence, de-
spite the latter’s protests ("I’m a soldier, not a peacekeep-
The Wall"
"The Ram Has Touched the Wall is the fifth episode of er").
the first season of the television series Rome. Late at night, Pullo kidnaps Evander, with Octavian
Pompey must stall for time, and his supporters urge for tagging along, and they interrogate him in an under-
peace with Caesar. Caesar and Antony must balance that which ground walkway beside one of the sewers. Octavian, to
is expedient with how their actions will appear to the people. Pullo’s surprise, directs Pullo to torture Evander when
Atia’s jealousy of Servilia will lead to actions that spell humili- he refuses to talk with surprising blood lust and cruelty.
ation for Caesar, and despair for Servilia. A sudden reversal of After losing both thumbs and being beaten severely,
fortune forced Vorenus to choose whether it is to the Legions or Evander admits that he and Niobe had become lovers af-
the underworld of Rome that he will sell his integrity. Servilia’s ter Vorenus was mistakenly pronounced dead in Gaul,
rage turns her into dark paths of revenge. Niobe faces the pos- and that Niobe’s "grandson" is in fact her son by him. Ou-
sibility of having to lose her son, and has her secret fall into the traged, Pullo kills Evander and dumps his body into the
hands of those who do not know what to do with it. Pullo is re- sewer. Octavian warns him that Vorenus can never learn
tained to educate Octavian, but it is questionable as to who will what has happened.
teach and who will learn. Vorenus reports for duty as Erastes’s "bodyguard,"
but quits as soon as he sees what is expected of him: tor-
Plot summary turing, and then killing, a business client of Fulmen’s who
considered himself cheated in a recent deal.
Pompey receives Julius Caesar’s offer of a truce. To gen-
eral surprise, he accepts. This presents Caesar with a
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Ram has Touched the Wall
Despite his political opposition to Caesar, Vorenus • A displeased Mark Antony reduces Lucius Vorenus’s
has no choice but to approach Antony, pleading for a re- signing bonus to 9,000 sestertii—or 2,250
newal of Antony’s prior offer. Antony does not usually denarii—when Vorenus returns to him. The value of
believe in second chances, but he needs good men around the Denarius is discussed in How Titus Pullo Brought
him in his new, unfamiliar role as city protector. Vorenus Down the Republic, but 2,250 denarii would be roughly
is reinstated into the army as Evocati prefect (with a cut equal to USD $225,000. (The significance of the
in his promised signing bonus). reduction may be that this is Antony’s final
In the most solemn terms, Servilia inscribes curse offer—Vorenus’s last chance.)
tablets against both Caesar and Atia, and a slave deposits • Mark Antony promotes Lucius Vorenus to the rank
them in their respective houses. She is now committed to of "Prefect, of the first grade". It is not clear what
destroying both of them. rank is being awarded here. The rank of Prefect
Caesar and his army reach the coast to find that they within the legion was roughly that of a Lieutenant
are too late: Pompey has escaped to Greece, no doubt to Colonel—they occupied positions of authority over a
raise a new army against Caesar. particular aspect of the entire Legion (Praefectus
castrorum = camp commandant, Praefectus fabrum =
Historical and cultural back- officer in charge of engineers and artisans, Praefectus
legionis = equestrian legionary commander, etc.).
ground Regardless of his specific area of responsibility upon
re-enlisting in the 13th, Vorenus’s new rank is a
• The title of the episode is a phrase used by Mark
three-grade promotion.
Antony advocating "no mercy" toward Pompey and
• As part of his induction into the evocati, Vorenus—in
the Optimates. The phrase is English translation of
full dress armor—sits a vigil in the temple of Mars,
the Latin "Murum aries attigit" (see De Bello Gallico,
Roman god of War.
Book II, Chapter XXXII). It refers to the policy of not
allowing any mercy or surrender to the occupants of
a fortification once the battering ram begins the Episode characters
assault on the gates. This policy was to act as a
deterrent against resistance to those about to be Main cast
besieged. It was an incentive for anyone who was not • Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd)
absolutely sure that they could withstand the assault • Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson)
to surrender immediately, rather than face the • Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds)
possibility of total destruction. • Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Kenneth Cranham)
• Posca mentions that Caesar cannot allow his wife to • Atia of the Julii (Polly Walker)
divorce him—her family’s influence is critical. • Marcus Antonius (James Purefoy)
Calpurnia was Calpurnia Pisonis, daughter of Lucius • Marcus Junius Brutus (Tobias Menzies)
Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus. That would make her • Servilia Caepionis (Lindsay Duncan)
father an ex-consul of Rome, as well as an • Niobe (Indira Varma)
ex-proconsul of Macedonia—clearly a man of • Gaius Octavian (Max Pirkis)
political experience and influence. It is also • Octavia of the Julii (Kerry Condon)
interesting to note that Lucius Calpurnius Piso • Quintus Pompeius (Rick Warden)
Caesoninus was instrumental in having Marcus • Marcus Porcius Cato (Karl Johnson)
Tullius Cicero exiled from Rome for a period in 58 BC • Marcus Tullius Cicero (David Bamber)
and 57 BC. This fact may explain part of the • Timon (Lee Boardman)
animosity Marcus Tullius Cicero bears towards • Eirene (Chiara Mastalli)
Caesar and his family.
• Towards the end of the episode, Lucius Vorenus re- Guest stars
enlists with the 13th Legion, and is inducted into the
ranks of the evocati, who were "career" soldiers who
had re-enlisted in the legions after their original External links
"term of service" was up—usually at the request of • "The Ram Has Touched the Wall" at the Internet
their commander. The evocati tended to occupy the Movie Database
higher-ranking positions within the Legion, were • Plot Summary at HBO
released from some of the more menial duties, and
were awarded a certain level of respect.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Ram has Touched the Wall
Categories:
• 2005 television episodes
• Rome episodes
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