I like my history with a side of Awesome. And that is exactly what Season One of Rome gave me. Incredible overacting, improbable British accents, creepy yet titillating incest, Polly Walker's vagina—all coupled with a vague fidelity to actual events. This, my friends, is the way to experience the past.

Season Two dishes up more of the same. I don't think it should come as a surprise to anyone that a power struggle is developing between Octavian (Mark Pirkis) and Marc Antony (James Purefoy)—at least, anyone who's taken a high school history course. Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), last season's paragon of stability, has gone off the deep end, proclaiming himself a "Son of Hades." And Brutus (Tobias Menzies), for those of you wondering, is still a giant pussy.

What can we expect from Season Two? Well, I have a good idea how it's going to end (hint: Antony and Cleopatra was a tragedy). But it's all about how we get there—hopefully traveling along a road called "Nudity/Violence Lane."—Dan Haley

LINK
• Official site