The 10 episodes of the new series “Those about to die” by Roland Emmerich have been released on Amazon Prime. MeinMMO series expert Schuhmann has ventured into ancient Rome and says: The parallels to Game of Thrones are clear: Many murders, intrigues, sex, and violence. The scenario most closely resembles Gladiator.
This is the situation in “Those about to die”: The series takes place 120 years after the assassination of Julius Caesar. From the civil wars, Emperor Vespasian has emerged as the ruler, a descendant of mule breeders. He has reached the end of his life and must decide which son should succeed him:
- Titus is a noble Roman and warrior who has subjugated the Jews but has taken their queen as his mistress back to Rome, which is not appreciated there.
- Domitian is a weaselly politician who delights in young boys, places high bets on chariot races, and always seems to be brewing an intrigue.
The situation in Rome is tense: The people are starving, and the grain from Egypt simply isn’t arriving. The restless populace must be appeased with chariot races and gladiatorial fights. And then there’s that volcano near Pompeii.
The psycho from Game of Thrones is the main character of the new series on Amazon
Who is the main character? The “hero” of the story is Tenax. He is played by Iwan Rheon, the “bastard Ramsay Bolton” from Game of Thrones.
Tenax runs a betting house and mainly operates in the Circus Maximus and its catacombs. He has already made his fortune, and now he wants to rise in society: Tenax wants to open his own racing stable, which is usually reserved for the old nobility. To rise, he will go over corpses. For in Rome, you either ascend or die trying, as he knows.
To help him rise, he has the drunken racer Scorpus, who speaks of himself only in the third person. Scorpus likes to celebrate racing victories with wine and women.
2 families of newcomers show us Rome
How do we get to know Rome? Just as we explore the world of Westeros through the eyes of the Stark children in Game of Thrones, we see Rome through the eyes of two families of newcomers:
- One family comes from present-day Tunisia: Cala (Sara Martin from Death in Paradise) comes to Rome to ransom her 3 abducted children. Her son Kwame will fight in the arena.
- 3 young men come from present-day Spain to Rome and want to sell their magnificent horses there. They will enter the business of chariot racing.
A third family whose fate we follow belongs to the old nobility of Rome: Consul Marsus and his wife Antonia own the dominant racing stable, “the Blues,” and strive for political power. It cannot be that the descendant of a mule breeder sits on the throne.
As bloody as Game of Thrones, but not as clever
So much Game of Thrones is in “Those about to die”: A lot of violence and sex, definitely. There are already severed limbs, or it is enjoyed by four together. However, sex often takes a back seat – the series is rated 16, as it is often only suggested, but not lingered on with the camera.
Additionally, the new series on Amazon offers political power games and indulges in the trend of main characters unexpectedly dying. While there are no major battles, there are bloody duels in the arena.
With Iwan Rheon, viewers know the main actor from Game of Thrones. The “biggest name” in the cast, Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian, does not play a large role in the series – he is similar to Sean Bean in Game of Thrones, primarily a big name for trailers and posters.
“Those about to die” is not as clever and surprising as Game of Thrones. While there are intrigues, they proceed linearly. The motivation of each character is clearly recognizable. The vibrant side characters from George R.R. Martin are sorely missed; the characters are morally gray but largely remain in their defined roles and do not surprise.
From Game of Thrones, the characters have the pragmatic approach. They are also driven by emotions and moods. Even the so-called heroes are capable of acts of cruelty if the mood strikes. A life holds little value in Rome.
Many chariot races in the arena
So much gladiator is in “Those about to die”: The focus is more on the chariot races than on the gladiatorial fights, roughly in a ratio of two to one. We get to know 5 charioteers but only 3 gladiators, including the enormous “Flamma,” a gigantic warrior who seems to spring directly from “300”.
Towards the end of the series, there are some spectacular scenes in the new Flavian amphitheater, where exotic animals come into play.
Who is “Those about to die” worth it for? The series is solid, but one should not expect a masterpiece; despite Roland Emmerich and supposedly more than $140 million, the budget probably just wasn’t there. Those looking forward to complex plots or great dialogues will likely be disappointed.
Anyone who had difficulty remembering too many names and following too many plots in Game of Thrones will not have that problem with “Those about to die”. The series operates at a similar narrative level as “Last Kingdom”: a series with multiple plots that ultimately does not delve as deeply into the material as Vikings or Game of Thrones but also asks less of its viewers.
The series is reminiscent of the “SPQR” novels by John Maddox Roberts, which take place 100 years earlier.
A problem with the series is that one never really knows how powerful the individual characters are and how many resources they possess. Can Tenax hire five street fighters or fifty? How well protected is a Roman emperor when he is traveling “with full escort”? How powerful is a consul, and how much power can really be bought with wealth? All questions that remain unanswered.
“Those about to die” offers 10 episodes of good, solid television fare. The close focus on chariot racing and gladiatorial fights makes the series somewhat monotonous over time. But there are always nice highlights and exciting scenes – and ancient Rome provides a fascinating backdrop that has been underrepresented in recent years.
While the series takes some historical liberties to seem even more dramatic than ancient Rome already was.
Where can you watch it? Those about to die is available on Amazon Prime in German. The series is rated 16.
Game of Thrones, with its many characters and plots, was a delight for many fantasy fans, especially in the early episodes. For those who crave more series material in this direction, we have compiled this list: 11 series like Game of Thrones
