Pharsalus (Rome)
| "Pharsalus" | |
|---|---|
| Rome episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Tim Van Patten |
| Written by | David Frankel |
| Original air date | October 9, 2005 (HBO) December 7, 2005 (BBC) |
| Setting | Greece (Pharsalus), Rome, and Ptolemaic Egypt |
| Time frame | Summer of 48 BC (battle of Pharsalus on August 9) through September 28, 48 BC |
"Pharsalus" is the seventh episode of the first season of the television series Rome.
Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo wash ashore on a small cay, after their ship is lost at sea. Without water, food, or any sign of rescue, they are nearly resigned to their deaths, when Vorenus notices the corpses of their dead comrades floating. The two men fashion a raft using several bodies to float it, and paddle out to sea.
In Julius Caesar's camp, Mark Antony and a small contingent of soldiers have arrived, but the majority of the 13th Legion has been lost at sea. Pompey's army has Caesar pinned down, and outnumbers his forces 3 to 1. Grimly, Caesar and Antony decide they have no choice but to make what will probably be their last stand from where they are.
In Pompey's camp, his officers consider the war all but over. Pompey knows that they need only wait, and starvation and weariness will cause Caesar's troops to desert. However, as predicted by Caesar, the politicians in the camp, led by Cato the Younger, want a decisive victory and pressure Pompey to attack. Cato and Scipio urge Pompey to crush Caesar in a final battle, reminding him of his reputation as a war hero. Pompey eventually gives in and agrees to attack Caesar.
In the ensuing battle, Caesar's forces inflict a devastating defeat on Pompey. Caesar, exhausted, staggers back into his tent and instructs Posca to send word of his victory to Rome, before collapsing.
In Pompey's camp, Cato and Scipio resolve to retreat to Africa and continue the war from there, although Brutus wearily remarks that they are "running out of continents" to flee to. Sick of fighting and the constant retreats, Cicero and Brutus both declare their intentions to surrender to Caesar and beg for his mercy. "I'm not afraid to die," Cicero declares in response to a sympathetic Scipio's comment they will probably be executed, "I'm tired, and I want to go home."
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