#domina tv

[cocalynx]

Just imagine a movie with these two

[wolframpant]

"My friend. My brother. Senator. General. Architect. Warrior. As long as this city stands on these hills, men will remember the name: Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa."

[lightblindingme]

A thought that's been running 'round my mind for a couple of days:

Young Gaius could GET IT! He has an aura about him that lures you in and makes you believe he can and will do whatever he wants. He's got that Big D energy, if you will.

He's cute, flirtatious, attractive, fierce, smart, funny! He loves, he lusts, he hates. He schemes and plots, forges alliances and breaks them, outsmarts his foes and is streets ahead of them.

HE CAN GET IT 👏👏👏👏

And from the first moment he and Livia meet, even the moment he sees her wearing a veil and walking towards Nero, as a viewer you can just sense how intrigued and curious he is about her. And when they actually meet there's fire and lust and passion there - in their body language, their gazes, the unspoken. It makes you feel like you are there with them as well or at least wish to be - that's how charged their energies are. Of course they used each other for political and financial reasons, but the Passion (yeah, with capital P) was there, so palpable and real.

I mean, look at this!

On the other hand, older Gaius just doesn't have the same appeal. He can get it, but only because he's the Emperor and can't be refused. Not once have I thought 'What a stud'... I don't get any sense that he was this 'young Gaius Julius Caesar' who conquered and destroyed and rebuilt Rome and whom others fear or have feared. I feel like older Gaius could never end up with young Livia, that is, she wouldn't consider him as any option other than for political benefit. It's like he's not the same man and the fire that drew her to him initially is missing.

In that regard, to me at least, Agrippa has also changed but towards becoming more open and showing more of his emotions as he was getting older. I can totally buy that young and older Agrippa are the same person because they are both exuding with that strength, passion, and fierce resolution only amplified with age.

As a viewer I knew he had feelings for Livia when he was just a young man and I know he loves her now that they are older because the feelings and actions and his body language show it every.single.time! And regardless of his age, he can get it 👏👏👏 no question!

I'd always root for young Gaius and Livia because they burnt with kin flames, but the only fire, that unbridled passion and actual love years and years later are harboured by Agrippa.

[hober-mallowed]

From Ben's instagram.

[liviasdrusillas]

“so where do we go from here?” “where we were always going: to make you a god.” “what about you? do you want to be a goddess?” // domina 2.03

[thundersnowstorm]

tom glynn-carney getting well-deserved praise for his acting as aegon in hotd is huge for all four of us who loved him in domina

[irontrashglitter]

i think domina writers should just kill iullus like what is he giving. nothing.

[domitiaa]

"Goodbye, Livia, never forget our wedding."

I, Claudius (1976) - Brian Blessed/Siân Phillips

Imperium: Augustus (2001) - Benjamin Sadler/Martina Stella

Rome (2005 - 2007) - Simon Wood/Alice Henley

Domina (2021 - 2023) - Matthew McNulty/Kasia Smutniak 

[cocalynx]

Tom Glynn-Carney in behind the scenes of Domina

[wolframpant]

Domina characters and their busts

[lightblindingme]

Young Gaius and Livia are definitely a power couple but...

Older Livia and Agrippa are THE power couple and you can't tell me otherwise

[liviasdrusillas]

“F*** the gods! They took everything from me, everything! I was a child. What have I done to them?” // domina 2.05

[cocalynx]

Pookies 🥹🥹

From Ben's instagram.

[theromaboo]

Opinion on Domina season 2?

Wow thank you SO much for the ask.

I watched Domina season 2 during August so forgive me if my memory isn't perfect. Spoilers!

I feel like this season is much more funny but also much more heartbreaking than the first season. However, I feel like the first season was much more tense than this season. So basically when I was watching the first season I was constantly gritting my teeth and pulling at my hair and when I was watching the second season I was constantly alternating between laughing and crying. Which isn't a bad thing, but I think the majority of the tension in this season was me wondering how they would break my heart again, not from the plot.

Well I guess I should just jump right in.

Some Random Thoughts I Had:

In this season, two of the three characters I was watching this show for died. Luckily the third character isn't due to die for another fifty years or so! I don't have to worry about him dying. I only have to worry about him as a person.

Wouldn't it be crazy rad if Domina just kept continuing, past Livia's life, into the later Julio-Claudian dynasty? And we get to see Agrippina and Nero and Britannicus and Claudius? Ah, that would just be amazing! But it would kind of go against Domina, which is supposed to be a show about Livia's life. At least Livia still has a lot of life to live! I don't know if there's a third season coming. I hope so.

Tiberius got a new actor! But Drusus didn't. Livia actually mentioned this and it was so funny but so weird. She was like "Oh, Tiberius, you changed a lot! But Drusus hardly changed at all!" which feels so uncomfortable to me because Tiberius got a new actor but Drusus didn't and all the viewers know that but we're supposed to pretend like we don't to suspend our disbelief but when the characters themselves mention it ahhh!

On that note, Drusus, his age, and how that's all depicted in Domina is a super weird topic that I just don't have the time to talk about here.

I love Tiberius' new actor so so so much and he feels like Tiberius, but I also miss the old actor! Ah, that's what rewatching the first season is for!

Antigone is gone. It's implied she died in between the first season and the second but we don't get much information about that so it feels like she just vanished into thin air. I miss her ;(

There is so much Tiberius Pillow symbology in this season. They are rubbing it in your face.

Okay now that I'm done with that brain dump, let's review it with more structured topics!

Acting:

Amazing as always. I actually think the acting here was better than in the last season. Honestly the way these people play with their facial expressions like that... oh my gosh it's so good. Domina has phenomenal acting.

However, there are two little moments when I cringed, but they are 100% not the actors' faults. One of them I already mentioned, when Livia mentioned that Tiberius changed a lot and Drusus didn't. That was really funny but just so weird.

And then when a character mentioned that wearing trousers was weird and not fashionable. It's just that all the actors are so British, a line like that is impossible to pull off and sound right. They're all just too British!

But honestly the acting was so so good in this season!

Overall Beauty:

Domina is continuing to be absolutely beautiful. Every screenshot is a work of art. Domina is easily one of the prettiest shows out there.

Plot:

I think it was good. There were some parts that just felt very very random but overall I think the plot was very entertaining and heartbreaking and not historically inaccurate in the way that I'd dislike it, but historically inaccurate in the way good historical fiction is.

Humor:

Amazing as always. This show is so funny. Quickly alternating between two different things is quite a common theme in this season, so they use a lot of heartbreak but also a lot of humor.

Characters:

My favourite character always is and always was Tiberius, even though I don't really think he was created as a character for people to like. Tiberius... he's very very complicated in this show and I don't think I have the brain power to talk about it. But I've liked him ever since we first met him as a teenager in the first season because he's autistic-coded and I was like "Omg he's just like me fr." And then of course I had to like him for the rest of the show. But just because I like him as a character does not mean I like him as a person or condone anything he does.

Dang I wanted to say something more solid in this section but I just can't think of anything.

Anyway, when it comes to the characters as a whole, I think that generally they were all done very well. Vipsania was kind of done dirty, but other than that, I'd say everyone has a strong personality and I never found an issue with the characterization.

Things I Liked:

Honestly, everything I mentioned up there. Acting, humor, prettiness, sadness. I like 99% of this show.

That part when Augustus was getting kinky with Gemina while Agrippa was telling the senate about being more loyal and moral and that sort of stuff. Ohhh that was so clever.

When Tiberius was remembering the dream he had about his father and repeating all the words his father said and it was like Tiberius was becoming him. Ahhhhhh.

This hilarious part after Tiberius and Julia's wedding:

Antonina: Drusus. Did you give Vistilius permission to fornicate in our bedroom?

Drusus: Yes!

Antonina: 🤨

Drusus: No?

Antonina: 😬

Drusus: Possibly. Who can remember?

Antonina: 😟

Oh my god the way Drusus was just cycling through every response!

Antonina and Drusus stole the show they were amazing.

Things I Did Not Like:

They're trying to show Tiberius' mental health issues but I am not 100% agreeing with how they do it. But I don't really know how it could be better. And I'm just not very knowledgeable in this subject so maybe their depiction is actually really good. I don't know. It's just that I think it could be better in some way.

I wanted more Vipsania. And they were so mean in their portrayal of her.

When Agrippa died 😭😭😭😭😭 and Octavian was all sad about it 😭😭😭😭😭 but then Octavian and Livia were suddenly having sex and Livia was saying "Oh, it's okay, you don't need him anymore." 😟😟😟😟😟😟😟 Oh my god, what? I was literally crying but then that scene made my tears go back up to where they came from.

During Tiberius and Julia's wedding, what was simultaneously happening to Livia just felt so random and disconnected to everything else that was happening. Which is a shame because Tiberius and Julia's wedding was honestly my favourite part of the whole show. I remember that it kept jumping back and forth between the wedding and Livia. Watching it kind of felt like "Omg omg I feel so bad for Tiberius and Julia—who are those people in the masks chasing Livia?? Oh dang Drusus you're going to gamble everything away—why is Livia jumping off a cliff??" I know that part with Livia probably had a purpose in the show, but I actually forgot what it was.

In Conclusion:

The second season of Domina was funny, heartbreaking, pretty, and I loved it. It made some decisions I did not like, but it also made a whole lot of decisions I loved. Overall, I absolutely love this show. This is actually my favourite TV show of all time.

But the big question is, which season is better?

I don't know! They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

The first season has Antigone and Marcellus and just a lot of the "children" of the imperial family when they were teenagers, you know, Julia, Tiberius, Drusus, Marcellus, Iullus. And I like that a lot. In the second season, they're older, which is perfectly fine but I like teenager drama, you know?

The first season had two awkward episodes in the beginning where they had to pretty much explain all the context and characters, but they honestly weren't bad episodes. They were just really different compared to most of the show. However, because a lot of actors got changed in between the second episode and the third, it was quite confusing for a while. The very second I'm finally able to recognize most of the characters, bam, they all look different. Which is bad because I'm quite face blind!

Anyway, the first season really had me on the edge of my seat, especially for the last four episodes. But I think I felt even more suspense watching the second season wondering how they were going to break my heart again.

I think the second season was funnier but humor does not necessarily make or break a show, unless it's a comedy. And just because the second season was funnier doesn't mean the first season doesn't have its own fair share of hilarious moments, and it does!

Both seasons are very very beautiful and have great acting. The choice of actors is honestly phenomenal for both seasons.

Honestly, I don't know which season is better! In my opinion, Domina managed to do the rare thing in which the second season manages to live up to the first. But not everyone might agree with me. If you have anything to add, please do!

[bruhduck]

I've recently found out that there's a second season of Domina, but there's no longer Earl Cave as Tiberius.

Mmh... Domina without Earl Cave. Domina without Earl Cave...

Do I have other reasons to keep watching this series??

[cocalynx]

i love gaius evil smile and agrippa's cute giggle