Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Kasia Smutniak, Matthew McNulty, Darrell D’Silva, Christine Bottomley, Ben Batt, Claire Forlani, Alex Lanipekun, Ewan Horrocks, Alais Lawson, Liah O’ Prey, Joseph Ollman, David Avery, Hannah Chinn, Benjamin Isaac, Joelle, Mia Jenkins, Isabelle Connolly, Ethan Moorhouse, Nathan Welsh, Yuliia Sobol, Fabrizio Romagnoli, Alexandra Moen.
How much do we really think of those that forged the Roman Empire, the men and women, the politics, the overwhelming strength and fortitude of an army that struck terror into the hearts of all who dared crossed its path, and of its arts, its poets, its record keepers, whose diligence and meticulousness time and work was spent making sense that those to follow in their wake, the wars, the lies, state propaganda and manipulation make the era so fascinating for many to contemplate of when time insists that they pay homage to the long since departed.
As the second series of Domina takes the serial television viewer down the road of Roman influence, of the sheer drama that surrounded the family under the matriarchal eye and plotting of one of history’s most formidable women, Livia Drusilla; and as each episode places distrust and familial combativeness within its arc, as well as the sense of madness that comes with the prospect of absolute power, what the watcher cannot but help do is reach for the internet and research in detail for the truth behind each fascinating and troubled character.
That is the sign of being in the thrall of a series that doesn’t just set out to entertain, but to illuminate, to do more than titivate and decorate each scene with the opportunity to shock and determine the ‘love life of the Caesers’, bit instead dominate the surroundings as though those watching themselves are willing to be scribes framing history as murder and every form of ‘cide’ is practised with alarming frequency.
Domina brings political manipulation and the power of the machine to new heights, and whatever we may think of our own history’s political dynasties, it really does not compare to the hedonism and sexual displays that outlandishly require an understanding far beyond our modern sensitivities that fill the family of Livia Drusilla.
In Kasia Smutniak’s reading of the wife of Gaius – Caeser Augustus, the viewer is left in no doubt of the seriousness of the conviction of the guiding hand that Livia wields, her power behind the supposed throne is absolute, and in being so upfront in her determination to see her descendants become legendary leaders of Rome, and with towering performances from the likes of Darrell D’Silva, Claire Forlani, and Alexndra Moen, Domina is a reminder that excellent drama often needs to challenge the sensibilities of our own repressed, often squeamish, dalliances with the truth of humanity…we will destroy anything if it interferes with our desire to be top of the tree.
Domina dominates with fierce argument, a series that refuses to shy away from the questions of its time and delivering them with honour.
Ian D. Hall