The Ram has Touched the Wall
| "The Ram Has Touched the Wall" | |
|---|---|
| Rome episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Allen Coulter |
| Written by | Bruno Heller |
| Original air date | September 25, 2005 (HBO) November 23, 2005 (BBC) |
| Setting | Rome and Italia |
| Time frame | Between January 10 – February 30, 49 BC |
"The Ram Has Touched the Wall" is the fifth episode of the first season of the television series Rome.
Pompey must stall for time, and his supporters urge for peace with Caesar. Caesar and Antony must balance that which is expedient with how their actions will appear to the people. Atia's jealousy of Servilia will lead to actions that spell humiliation for Caesar, and despair for Servilia. A sudden reversal of fortune forces Vorenus to choose whether it is to the Legions or the underworld of Rome that he will sell his integrity. Servilia's rage turns her into dark paths of revenge. Niobe faces the possibility of having to lose her son, and has her secret fall into the hands of those who do not know what to do with it. Pullo is retained to educate Octavian, but it is questionable as to who will teach and who will learn.
Pompey receives Julius Caesar's offer of a truce. To general surprise, he accepts. This presents Caesar with a 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.
Meanwhile, Vorenus's financial difficulties are mounting. He inspects his share of the slaves taken in Gaul, and finds that nearly all of them have died of disease, on top of which he still has to pay the bill for their transport and feeding. He asks Erastes Fulmen for a loan, but the crafty gangster demurs, and instead maneuvers Lucius into accepting a lucrative position as his enforcer.
Having captured the city, Caesar seems to be in no hurry to pursue Pompey to the coast, instead spending his evenings dallying with Servilia. Jealous of her influence over Caesar, Atia hires Timon to paint rude graffiti depicting Caesar and Servilia's relationship all over the city. Mortified, Caesar's wife Calpurnia threatens to divorce him unless he breaks off relations with Servilia. Since he still needs her family's political and financial support, Caesar does so, and Servilia is livid. Caesar prepares to march on Pompey without further ado, and appoints Mark Antony prefect of the city in his absence, despite the latter's protests ("I'm a soldier, not a peacekeeper").
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