Barbarians Season 2 is the follow-up to the German historical war drama about the epic clash between the tribes of Germania and the Roman Empire. The second season takes place exactly one year after the defeat of Varus, after Arminius (played by Laurence Rupp) sides with the tribal forces, followed by the continuous threat of reinforcement from the Roman army.
The cast of the second season includes many familiar faces like Jeanne Goursaud as Thusnelda, David Schütter as Folkwin Wolfspeer, Bernhard Schütz as Segestes, Nicki von Tempelhoff as Segimer, Ronald Zehrfeld as Berulf, Eva Verena Müller as Irmina, Nikolai Kinski as Pelagios, Valerio Morigi. Moreover, the series is divided into six episodes with an average length of forty to forty-five minutes each.
During the latter half of 9 AD, the Roman occupation of Germania is compromised after the strong pushback from the local tribes. Their King Arminius leads a whole year of peace and safety after the revolt but soon realizes the imminent danger from one of the strongest empires in history.
He learns about the reinforcement that Rome is sending to their native land and immediately formulates a strategy to save the tribe. This includes uniting each and every member of the native land and making them realize the extent of the threat.
Furthermore, to defeat the Romans, Arminius needs the help of Marbod (another leader of the local tribe), who has a strength of 70,000 soldiers. The only catch is that Marbod is more faithful to the enemy than his own ally. Which makes for an interesting dynamic and adds an element of intrigue to the story.
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Barbarians Season 2 is a raw look at the blood-filled history of occupation with the help of several fictional storytelling tools. The core theme of season 2 is men and their wars, which is not far away from the first season. The USP of the series is the full-fledged war scene with an intact dose of emotions, accompanied by strong character arches and build-ups.
The show excels in the department of high-voltage drama between the Romans and the Barbarians. It clearly provides a distinction between the causes of the two and the after-effects of suppressing the independent groups.
Moreover, every character has its own space to live and breathe, which makes for a fine characterisation. Folkwin(played by David Schutter) is the redemption-filled hero of the series, with one of the best scenes in Episode 4.
The only con of the series would be the troubled arch of tribal leader and former Roman Ari. A role that could have been more heroic in comparison with the first season. Other than that, the series is pitch-perfect.
Barbarians Season 2 Final Thoughts
The six-episode series is a worthy watch and filled with several epic moments. It is lined with the theme of blood and history that are carried through some intense battle scenes. All in all, the series will definitely leave you with enthralling emotions.
You can watch all eight episodes of the historic series on Netflix. Tell us your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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