HBO Ruining Shows: Rome (Pics: NSFW)

[Illuminatus Primus]

I'm just guessing here, but I think the producers wanted to shove it in our faces just how different attitudes the Roman attitudes towards sex and violence was compared to us. While for us sex is something is done behind closed doors and rarely spoken about, the Romans had a far more casual attitude towards it.

But you don't need to shove it in everyone's face. I, Claudius did an absolutely fantastic job of showing that you can prove everyone around you is engaged hip deep in debauchery and sex and still only have a (usually very well done and yet surprisingly tasteful [the sex scene where Patrick Stewart With Hair and Livilla are together jumps to the top of my head]) bare minimum of sex explicitly portrayed and even then it's tied right into the story line.

What's with all you fucking prudes? The show treats nudity, violence, and sex the way the Romans did. Because its a show on the Romans. Sanitized drama misses the whole point about Rome.

Not to mention, how does explicit sex and/or violence actually detract from any show? I don't see how it is intrinsically a weakness in a drama. Sounds like prudish bullshit that I'd expect from fundie retards, not on this forum.

[Trytostaydead]

Not to mention, it's very intrinsic to some of the characters themselves, such as Pullo who'll basically fuck anything with a hole between its legs.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

[Stofsk]

Not to mention, it's very intrinsic to some of the characters themselves, such as Pullo who'll basically fuck anything with a hole between its legs.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

But it served the plot - which makes it necessary.

You can't just say it's unnecessary because one of the chicks was old.

[Trytostaydead]

Not to mention, it's very intrinsic to some of the characters themselves, such as Pullo who'll basically fuck anything with a hole between its legs.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

But it served the plot - which makes it necessary.

You can't just say it's unnecessary because one of the chicks was old.

I retract the word unnecessary. How about horrifying?

[Stofsk]

Not to mention, it's very intrinsic to some of the characters themselves, such as Pullo who'll basically fuck anything with a hole between its legs.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

But it served the plot - which makes it necessary.

You can't just say it's unnecessary because one of the chicks was old.

I retract the word unnecessary. How about horrifying?

Well look, Servilla isn't an ogre, and Octavia is pretty fucking cute. So there!

[B5B7]

I'd like to see you provide some evidence for that assertion.

Where is your proof that it is effective? From the screenshots supplied, the piece removed from the brain is not part of the skull. The piece is too large. There is no damage to the adjacent areas, no evidence of a piece of caved-in skull. And not to mention that the amount of force that would be needed to sever the supposed piece of the skull would be extremely great. If it is in fact a piece of the patient's skull, the amount of damage to the adjacent bone would be far more severe than shown in the screenshots. If it was a skull fracture, the patient would show signs of losing consciousness, which did not happen in this episode.

Link

The medical community collectively refuses to recognize trepanation as a legitimate therapeutic practice. Dr. William Landau, a neurologist in St. Louis, sums it up this way: "There is no scientific basis for this at all. It's quackery."

Dr. Robert Daroff's response is even more concise. "Horseshit," he says. "Absolute, unequivocal bullshit." Daroff is a professor of neurology at University Hospitals of Cleveland and editor in chief emeritus of the journal Neurology. "This is a crackpot notion that's not worthy of my time. And not only that -- it's dangerous. You expose your precious brain, you remove God's covering, there's a risk of infection and all sorts of other problems."

Dr McCoy in Star Trek IV thought some of our medical practices were primitive too. So, a show set in ancient Rome depicts use of a medical procedure they actually used (& whose medical use has continued since then, just as has also tracheotomies).
The quoted doctors are referring to a religious practice, not the medical useage. If someone (who was an actual medical expert) was sceptical of the medical value of trepanation, they would not speak of "God's covering" - that is no sort of medical terminology.
It is possible to have a skull fracture and not even be aware of it, nor lose consciousness - it happens with sportspeople.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

The young girl is fairly good looking in a plain sort of way, and the older one not too bad for her age. The scene isn't really about sex; it's about two lonely, grieving people taking consolation in each other (though the young one had shown prior symptoms of attraction to the older one, so it was heavily telegraphed that a lesbian scene was going to occur).

[General Zod]

Not to mention, it's very intrinsic to some of the characters themselves, such as Pullo who'll basically fuck anything with a hole between its legs.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

But it served the plot - which makes it necessary.

You can't just say it's unnecessary because one of the chicks was old.

I retract the word unnecessary. How about horrifying?

You must be blind. Or a virgin. Personally I'd fuck both of em. At once.

Nice try, but you're the one that made the claim that it isn't.

Am I reading this wrong, or did you just ask him to prove a negative?

[Jason von Evil]

Not to mention, it's very intrinsic to some of the characters themselves, such as Pullo who'll basically fuck anything with a hole between its legs.

Though I did think the sex scene between Servilla and Octavia was unnecessary. Both are not so good looking and one's old.

Lesbian sex unnecessary? To the Senate with ye! I demand a bannination!

[Setzer]

Yeah, Servilia looks damn good for her age.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

The Romans are an odd bunch. On one hand, they have a penchant for this and that, on the other, they wouldn't hesitate to accuse each other of sexual debauchery or what not. Octavian was even accused of doing sexual favours for Caesar to get Caesar to change the will.

Of course, Caligulia really obliterated any vestige of the limit...

As for the surgery, the Romans had some very relatively advanced surgery techniques, which the barbarians were quick to forget...

[Flagg]

Nice try, but you're the one that made the claim that it isn't.

Am I reading this wrong, or did you just ask him to prove a negative?

No, I demanded that he show some evidence of his assertion. I wasn't the one claiming that trepanation was stupid and didn't work.

EDIT: On rereading the previous page, I see I fucked up. He had posted the evidence and demanded I show some for my position, and my initial response for about 30 seconds (though not posted) was what you quoted. I realized he was right to demand evidence, and I thought I deleted that line when I provided it, but apparently I didn't and just missed it when I previewed the post.

[Stark]

The Romans are an odd bunch. On one hand, they have a penchant for this and that, on the other, they wouldn't hesitate to accuse each other of sexual debauchery or what not. Octavian was even accused of doing sexual favours for Caesar to get Caesar to change the will.

This was not bad because of a sexual more: it was bad because of power levels. Similar rumours were floated about Caesar himself. Nobody cared if you fucked little boys (indeed, it was quite usual), but it *was* bad if you were the little boy getting fucked, because you were on the recieving end. That's what the problem with the rumours about Oct and Caesar were: that they were 'womanly', as shown by Caesar's title as 'Queen of Pontus' or wherever it was.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

This was not bad because of a sexual more: it was bad because of power levels. Similar rumours were floated about Caesar himself. Nobody cared if you fucked little boys (indeed, it was quite usual), but it *was* bad if you were the little boy getting fucked, because you were on the recieving end. That's what the problem with the rumours about Oct and Caesar were: that they were 'womanly', as shown by Caesar's title as 'Queen of Pontus' or wherever it was.

True. You can't be seen to be not "manly". They had some weird ethos and code of conduct, which was part of the reason why Caligulia got killed by the Praetorian Guards for that matter. They were probably biting their fingers off seeing his idea of debauchery, which would have made this show look even very very tame for that matter.