This Character Had the Most Satisfying Arc in ‘Rome’ — And It’s Not Even Close

The Big Picture

• HBO’s
  Rome
  showcases the turbulent political landscape of ancient Rome, focusing on loyalty, betrayal, and the rise of power among citizens.
• Ray Stevenson’s portrayal of Titus Pullo stands out as a character with a compelling redemption arc, impacting the future of the Roman Empire.
• Despite being canceled prematurely,
  Rome
  uniquely balances historical accuracy with engaging storytelling and complex character development.

If there’s any evidence that television has become a medium equal to film in recent years, it’s the sizable budgets that are generated for high profile series. HBO was certainly at the forefront of bringing incredible scale and scope to their television output, as genre programs like Game of Thrones, Westworld, and The Last of Us featured a level of intimate production design, epic action sequences, and fully-fleshed out universes. While these marquee franchises certainly succeeded in guaranteeing a loyal fanbase of viewers based on the programs’ vast popular culture influence, they weren’t the first instance in which HBO tried its hand with an ambitious ensemble genre series.Despite being canceled after its second season, HBO’s Rome was a compelling history lesson that found creative ways of reinterpreting some of the most pivotal events in medieval history. Although the show was packed with memorable actors, Ray Stevenson’s performance as Titus Pullo gave Rome its best character arc.

What Is ‘Rome’ About?

Set during the height of the Roman Empire’s domination of Europe, Rome begins by examining the reign of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarin Hinds), a brilliant military leader that is returning from a successful series of conflicts in Gaul. Despite his bravery on the battlefield, Caesar is less well embraced by his colleagues in the Roman Senate. They view him to be pompous and arrogant, and fear that he will take advantage of his popularity to become Rome’s dictator. Fears of Caesar’s rising power spur the Senators Cassius Longinus (Guy Henry) and Marcus Brutus (Tobias Menzies) to begin sowing the seeds of an assassination attempt. While much of the show examines the political machinations behind the Roman Empire’s evolution, Rome succeeded in showing how the changes in leadership affected citizens at every level of the political infrastructure. The result was a more fleshed out depiction of history that took a more grounded approach to what life during these hectic times was really like.

Much of the first season focuses on the rise of Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), a loyal Roman soldier who is looking forward to returning home from the conflict in Gaul to reunite with his wife Niobe (Indira Varma). Stevenson co-stars as the low-ranking soldier, Titus Pullo, who is initially placed in jail during the Siege of Alesia after breaking with Vorenus’ orders and single-handedly attacking Gaul. While disobeying commands set in place by his superiors dooms Pullo to a path of shame, he is surprisingly recruited by Vorenus to help recover a stolen eagle that is of great value to the 13th legion. Despite his initial reluctance to work with a haughty military leader who has no respect for him, Pullo recognizes that his refusal would lead him to an early death in one of Rome’s gladiatorial arenas.

While they come from completely different backgrounds and have very different opinions on chivalry, the dynamic between Pullo and Vorenus becomes the most important storyline in Rome. It’s over the course of their adventures together that two men discover that they have much more in common with each other than they had initially expected. Despite his rejection of formal orders and traditional chivalry, Pullo proves to have a strong sense of ethics, and is unwilling to let a crime go unpunished. While his knack for getting into brawls and ruthlessly dispatching with his enemies occasionally irritates Vorenus, the veteran centurion finds that his rowdy companion offers more truth than many of the politicians that they both claim to serve.

How Titus Pullo Has the Best Redemption Arc on ‘Rome’

In a series that primarily focuses on the political turmoil that engulfs Rome in the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination, Pullo’s story shows how those who don’t come from royal backgrounds can succeed. Pullo is essentially treated as a second-class citizen upon his return to Rome, despite the acts of heroism he committed whilst serving alongside Vorenus in combat; while Vorenus at least has the opportunity to return to his family life, Pullo finds himself confused and isolated when he is not in the thick of combat. This makes Pullo one of the most empathetic characters in the series, as he must prove himself worthy of dignity. While many medieval series indicate how challenging it is to advance within a strict social hierarchy, Pullo’s faith and optimism allow him to advance in stature.

Despite being initially dismissed as a “drunken fool” by Vorenus, Pullo’s action ended up having a significant impact on the future of the Roman Empire. After he joins Vorenus in freeing royal prisoners from an attempted kidnapping scheme by the Gauls, Pullo ends up becoming a surprising mentor to Gaius Octavian (Max Pirkis), the haughty grandnephew of Caesar. While Octavian’s obsession with wealth and inability to recognize his own privilege initially make him a completely unlikable character, Pullo’s influence changes his personality. Pullo’s plainspoken honesty ends up appealing to Octavian, as he offers practical insight on the opinions of the people that he is bound to represent. Once an older Octavian (Simon Woods) advances in his political career to oppose Mark Antony’s (James Purfoy) alliance with Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal), Pullo becomes one of his chief advisors.

Ray Stevenson Was a Special Performer

While he’s often used as a source of comic relief due to his talkative nature, Stevenson’s amazing performance generates more empathy for Pullo than initially expected. Pullo’s struggle of whether to inform Vorenus of his wife’s disloyalty speaks to the strong relationship that the two have built; Pullo fears how his friend will react to news that he has been disrespected. Despite yielding the benefits of his independence, Pullo also begins to desire the “settled down” life that Vorenus has. His romance with the brothel supervisor Gaia (Zuleikha Robinson) becomes one of the show’s most emotional storylines.

While the series was sadly canceled before it had the chance to reach its full potential, Pullo is one of the rare Rome characters that has a complete character arc. He goes from essentially being a spurned rebel to a pivotal political advisor who is given the responsibility of guiding the young Caesarion (Max Baldry) and explaining to him his extensive family history. While Stevenson was an actor who left us far too soon, he helped transform Rome into one of the most underrated historical epics in television history.

Rome is streaming on Max.

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