MovieChat Forums > I, Claudius (1977) Discussion > Favorite and least favorite episodes

Favorite and least favorite episodes

posted 11 years ago by Mortimer605
8 replies | jump to latest

( I count I Claudius as 13 episodes - A Touch of Murder and Family Affairs were always separate episodes for me )

Favorite:

- Poison is Queen(episode 5): Excellent conclusion to the reign of Augustus. The entire episode is like game of chess between Augustus and Livia. In the end, Livia delivers checkmate. Death of Augustus is the highlight ( legendary scene ). Livia's evil laugh is probably the most depressing ending of all episodes (episode 13 is a copy) - powerful, ruthless and amoral people always win at the end and most disturbingly - they are mistaken for pillars of the society - something that happens in real life very often.

- Queen of Heaven (episode 7): My personal favorite. This is central part of the story - Livia and Claudius have their moment of truth, Caligula emerges as new, menacing presence, Livia's death - and all that in the shadow of the "main" plot ( perversities in the Royal Palace, terror of Sejanus, Tiberius and his private war with Agrippina, Livilla's treachery and Castor's fate ). Highlights are without a doubt, Livia's confessions to Claudius and later, Livia's death. Livia and Claudius, grandmother and grandson, main villain and main hero, amoral serial killer and innocent goodness, evil spirit and hope - they are finally united at the end.

- Reign of Teror (episode 8): Great episode ! Long time my favorite. You know that this is excellent scriptwriting when you fell sorry for main bad guy after his fall from power. And this episode has one advantage above others - Tiberius, Claudius and Caligula in one scene together. Highlights - Sejanus and his spectacular fall from the power, eruption of barbarity in the most civilized city on the world and off-screen death of Livilla.

- Hail Who ? (episode 10): In comparison with the previous, most disturbing and darkest part of the whole show, this episode comes almost as comic relief. Caligula is crazier than ever but he didn't kill anybody this time ( at least on-screen). Hillarious, dark comedy is all around. Highlights - every scene with John Hurt.

Least favorite ( I'm not saying that these two episodes are bad, far from it; I just think that they are weaker than the other):

- What Shall We Do About Claudius ? (episode 4): This episode is very good but I find her the weakest of the first five with Augustus. Reason ? Predictability. In the first three episodes Livia's scheming and crimes are displayed to us with a dose of suspense but at this point it had become little repetitive. We all know that Postumus is doomed when Livia noticed flirting between him and Livilla at the family dinner. When I watched this episode for the first time I expected some twist to happen ( especially if we see that Postumus is intelligent and more aware than his mother, brothers and everyone else ). But twist never come - Postumus was caught in Livia's web easier than anyone else. Highlight - Postumus confronts Livia and Augutus.

- Fool's Luck (episode 11): Weakest in my opinion. It's not that after Livia, Tiberius, Sejanus, Caligula etc. this episode seems rather ordinary and boring. No, I think too much time is spent on Silanus ( and he is mentioned only sporadically in the book ). I know, his character serves to show true character of Messalina and these two scenes are great but it seems that Pulman wasted this episode and than he threw everything in the next ( Messalina's excesses, conquest of Britain, events on the East and Herrod's betrayal and finally Silius affair ).

"The trick, William Potter,is not minding that it hurts."

[–] hodie 10 years ago

I don't know which is my favorite episode. But I felt a little let down by "Old King Log," since to me it was just winding up and recapping the story, and the wonderful ride was coming to an end. It was a treat to see some of the earlier characters who had gone to their reward.

[–] melj 9 years ago

I must say, Mortimer605, that I agree with virtually everything that you say (except that I like What Shall We Do About Claudius?).

I have only ever seen the twelve-part version, but I shall make a list with thirteen episodes:

1. Poison Is Queen (episode 5)
2. Queen of Heaven (episode 7)
3. Reign of Terror (episode 8)
4. Hail Who? (episode 10)
5. Some Justice (episode 6)
6. A God in Colchester (episode 12)
7. What Shall We Do About Claudius? (episode 4)
8. Family Affairs (episode 2)
9. Waiting in the Wings (episode 3)
10. Zeus, by Jove! (episode 9)
11. A Touch of Murder (episode 1)
12. Old King Log (episode 13)
13. Fool's Luck (episode 11)

If I were making a list of twelve episodes, I would place the double length episode one between Waiting in the Wings and Zeus, by Jove!. I think that the second half is much better - for one thing, it contains the scene between Drusus (Ian Ogilvy) and Tiberius (George Baker), which is one of my favourites. Ian Ogilvy is one of the best "guest" actors in the whole production, along with Stratford Johns (Piso) and Isabel Dean (Lollia).

[–] Mortimer605 9 years ago

I always felt that 2-3 episodes are missing.

- between episodes 5 and 6 (rebellion on the Rhine, growing mistrust between Tiberius and Germanicus, final triumph over Germans, mission in Syria and Germanicus's death in Antioch). This part was well covered in The Caesars. Germanicus was very underused in I Claudius, even Drusilla got more screen time.

- between episode 8 and 9 (final years of Tiberius at Capri. Death of Agrippina and two elder sons, Nerva's death (In my opinion his charater was missing in I Claudius - as total opposite of Sejanus), Caligula's relationship with Macro and Enia, innocence of Gemellus, some subplot with Herod and his arrest (described in the book). And of course, Thrasyllus as comic relief.

- at least one episode more dedicated to Claudius's reign (episode 12 should have been two episodes in my opinion)

Also in Caligula episodes, what is missing is appearance of Agrippinilla (and the third sister) - at least cameo. In the final episode, it seems that Agrippinilla and Nero come out of nowhere.

Fassbender - Mara - Blanchett

[–] melj 9 years ago

Interesting! I also thought that The Caesars was better at covering the Germanicus part of the story. Having just re-watched I, Claudius, I am surprised at how small Germanicus's role is, considering how important he is to Claudius and how many times his name is mentioned by so many of the characters!

Also, I think that Macro's unexplained disappearance is a rare example of clumsy writing on Jack Pulman's part.

[–] Mortimer605 9 years ago

Having just re-watched I, Claudius, I am surprised at how small Germanicus's role is, considering how important he is to Claudius and how many times his name is mentioned by so many of the characters!

Looking shocked in episode 4, having conversation with Claudius in episode 5 and being dead in episode 6 is basically all what poor Germanicus got from Pullman. Obviously, he wasn't lurid enough material for more screen time. More "normal" moments were missing from the series. It wasn't all about debauchery, regicide, patricide, double crosses, madness, lust for power etc. At least 2-3 "balanced" episodes more wouldn't hurt series at all.

Also, I think that Macro's unexplained disappearance is a rare example of clumsy writing on Jack Pullman's part.

Yeah, Caligula mentioned him once in Hail Who ? and that was it. His ultimate fate should have been part of Zeus by Jove - at least one satisfying moment (Although I can't imagine better and more fitting ending for the most creepiest episode than Drusilla's horrible death).

One of the characters from the book who in my opinion should have had more prominent part in the series was Asinius Gallus - senator, son of Asinius Polio, 2nd husband to Vipsania and later to Agrippina, in opposition to Tiberius from the first day of his reign and leader of Agrippina's party in the senate during 20s. In the series, he is "demoted" to be just some senator opposed to Sejanus and his policies (I liked Charles Kay's cameo though). Even his age wasn't right - Gallus belonged to Tiberius' generation, not to the one of Sejanus and Claudius.

And I must admit - I never liked Robert Graves' simple idea about "good" and "bad" apples from the Claudians' family tree. I would have preferred more to see Caligula's realistic, gradual development of madness - very interesting concept of Caligula as horrible monster but at the same time tragic figure. But for Graves and Pullman, Caligula is just psychiatric case from early childhood. It's entertaining but it never worked for me really.

Fassbender - Mara - Blanchett

[–] melj 9 years ago

Ah, that is interesting about Gallus. You are really making me want to read the books soon! I've never got round to it, although they have been on my "to read" list for years.

I suppose that the apple concept was a neat way of answering all those questions about how the "saintly" Germanicus and Agrippina could have had such depraved children. Maybe, for all their virtues, they weren't very good parents...

[–] Mortimer605 9 years ago

Another interesting detail - granddaughter of Gallus and Vipsania was probably Pomponia Graecina, wife of Aulus Plautius, conqueror of Britain. As you know, in Quo Vadis ? their fictional adopted daughter was Lygia.

Fassbender - Mara - Blanchett

[–] simonxlong 9 years ago

I didn't see Macro's disappearance as so much of a problem, simply because of how the series portrayed him. He came across more as a basic, opportunistic toady versus an important person in his own right. In the context of the TV series, he didn't matter anymore to the story once Sejanus was gone. At least, that was the impression I got from how he was presented.