BBC Troy

[SV52]

Too many cut scenes away from the action, who cares about the various domestic issues.  Some good stuff in it from the cast though, especially Achilles' 'attitude'.

[FierceKitty]

I sing the attitude of Achilles....hmmm, not sure this is ready for reciting, Mr Homer.....

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Dull was an understatement Dan! Did let me get on with Sassanid cavalry though.

[SV52]

I sing the attitude of Achilles....hmmm, not sure this is ready for reciting, Mr Homer.....

In the original Greek I hope.

[d_Guy]

I sing the attitude of Achilles....hmmm, not sure this is ready for reciting, Mr Homer.....

..obnoxious and entitled attitude that sent many Achaeans to the house of drink... Homer Simpson

[Ithoriel]

Episode One; Very slow.

Episode Two; Not as slow and slightly more interesting.

Episode Three: ?

I think Episode three will be the deal breaker...or not. I think it'll show where they intend to go with the rest of the series.

Also, is it me or does Troy appear a bit too BIG?

Episode Three: Turgid!

Though to be fair, Troy was a big city for the period. Currently estimated at around 10,000 of a population, assuming that Homer's Troy was Troy 6 and/or Troy 7. Puts it on a par with Thebes/ Athens/ Tiryns but only about a third of the size of Mycenae on current best estimates.

[toxicpixie]

Congrats Ithoriel, you're now massively more interesting than the show with that tit bit of info!

[DanJ]

It's like a bad mash up of "proppa historicals" and " proppa miffic", which has somehow taken all the excitement out and replaced it with, errr, dunno.

I think you've hit the nail on the head; Homer is about great and heroic actions against the mighty backdrop of "high walled Ilium" even Achilles's sulk was mighty and heroic.  The BBC series fails to inspire, it's written more in the 'kitchen sink' tradition of British drama than in the Shakespearian tradition of great but flawed and tragic heros.

[mollinary]

I could forgive it everything if only it had something, anything, that triggered a spark of interest. To quote Blackadder it moves with the pace "of an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping".  For me, if it has a redeeming feature, it is Zeus. He sits there with a look of intense boredom and puzzlement  on his face, stunned by the ludicrous actions of gods and mortals that unfold  before him.  He is Everyman, and I sympathise with him!

[Ithoriel]

"The Oddity" by Ithoriel of Ionia

I tell a tale of heroes bold
It's setting is the days of old
In days when Noah was a boy
Our heroes set a course for Troy
What's the premise for our story?
Was it greed or lust for glory?
Or, is the cause of all this strife
Seduction of another's wife?
It started with the squabbling gods
Three godesses were quite at odds
So mighty Zeus bid Paris grapple
With who should have the golden apple.
Thus Paris, thanks to Aphrodite,
Wound up with Helen (rather flighty),
She was fed up with her old man
So off to Troy the lovers ran.
What follows is a tale of slaughter,
The sacrificing of a daughter,
The endless battles on the plain,
To walls, to ships and back again.
Of love, betrayal and deception
With meddling gods from the inception.
And crowning all, we have ,of course,
The story of the Trojan Horse.
All the excitement there could be
Made deadly dull, Dear BBC!
A story of so many splendours
Now Bronze Age version of Eastenders.

[Steve J]

Superb

[Matt J]

love it! 

you are a talented fellow!

[Techno]

Excellent, Mike !!

As I haven't been able to bear (bare ?......Help, Kitty)  to watch that particular prog for decades and decades now.....I take your comments on board.

Cheers - Phil.

[DanJ]

Absolutely brilliant 


One bit I did quite like was at the start of the battle scene where all the soldiers are rushing to get at each other and the Gods are seen walking through the armies bestowing their blessings on their favourite heroes.

[FierceKitty]

"Bare" is my act. In your current cold spell, it isn't advisable.