 " The Stolen Eagle " received generally mixed reviews from television critics , many of whom criticized its slow pace . Mark A. <unk> of The Boston Herald wrote , " Less <unk> than I , Claudius , more entertaining than American Broadcasting Company 's ( ABC ) <unk> <unk> Empire , " Rome " gets off to an uneven start . " Terry Morrow of the Dayton Daily News criticized the premiere , writing that " the opener , like most pilots , is so bogged down with introducing faces and setting up the story that it turns into a long and tedious journey . " Morrow also said the episode suffered from lacking one " standout , signature character " , though he believed that the " flaws in Rome should clear up in time , given HBO 's <unk> for winning dramas . It 's an epic story , and one worth <unk> if you can <unk> through the demands of slow storytelling in the beginning . " 
