Barbarians Season 1 Episode 2 Recap – Vengeance

[00:01:00] A wolf is chasing a child through the forest. The wolf catches up to him and tackles him to the ground. The child defended himself against the wolf using a stick he was carrying. Two children came out of the forest to help the other child. They killed the wolf, taking three of its teeth, then recited a pact. They were interrupted by Roman soldiers looking for a child named Ari. They ran away from the soldiers and went back to the village. Ari immediately went to his father, Segimer, to tell him about the Roman Soldiers. Segimer knew the soldiers were looking for him because he offered his sons to keep the peace between the Roman Empire and his village. Segimer’s wife refused to give the Romans their sons.

[00:02:30] Segimer apologized to her then took their youngest son—he kissed him one last time before handing him over to the Romans. Segimer explained to Ari why he was giving them away. Ari begged his father not to give them away as the soldiers took them from him. Ari is all grown-up: now he’s Arminius. Segimer faced him for the first time since he gave them away. He told Arminius he looked splendid, but he immediately asked for his mother. Segimer couldn’t tell Arminius right away, but Arminius already knew from the way Segimer looked at him. He asks when his mother died. “Six winters ago due to fever,” Segimer answered. “She was praying for you and your brother until the end,” he added.

[00:04:30] Segimer asks Arminius how his brother is doing. Arminius responds his brother is doing fine. He hands Segimer an hourglass and tells him Romans measure time using it. Segimer tries to talk to Arminius. He referred to him as Ari, but Arminius made it clear that he was no longer Ari. He knows Segimer has the eagle and demands its return. “Varus won’t find out it was you,” Arminius assured Segimer. Meanwhile, Segestes went to speak with Varus. He told Varus he knew where the eagle banner was. Segimer plans to hide the eagle banner, but he is interrupted by Berulf. He’s looking for Arminius because he wants to avenge the death of the man he beheaded.

[00:07:00] Arminius met with his old friends up on a hill. Thusnelda remembers the day Ari and his brother were given away. Folkwin hugs Ari. They tell him he’s changed. Arminius responds nothing has changed from how they look. Arminius showed Thusnelda her necklace she carelessly left at the Roman fort. Thusnelda couldn’t believe Arminius returned because he was looking for the eagle. Folkwin told him taking the eagle was only the beginning of their plans. Arminius warned them about going up against Rome and told them only peace with Rome could save them. She told Arminius she believed he would return one day, but she didn’t picture it like such. They left Arminius on the hill.

[00:11:00] Meanwhile, Segestes continues his talk with Varus. Varus asks him to lead the way towards their village. He told Varus he could persuade the other Reiks to conform to Rome’s leadership should he be made Reik of his village. Varus disagrees to help Segestes, but he tells Varus he will need men like him to conquer Germania. Arminius returns to the village where Berulf is waiting for him. Berulf calls out to Arminius, telling him he murdered a Reik named Gernot Rotbart: his uncle. “I carried out a sentence,” Arminius told him. He stops Arminius from seeing Segimer and asks him if he’s a god. “Only the gods can sentence a man to death,” Berulf added.

[00:13:00] Arminius responds that Roman law could also sentence a man to death. Berulf headbutts Arminius to start the fight, but Arminius quickly draws his sword. Berulf wounded Arminius with his axe, but he still lost the fight. Arminius pins Berulf to the ground using his axe. He was about to win, but he decided not to continue the fight. Arminius gets up and throws away the axe, thinking that he won. He turns around, and Berulf sends him to the ground—fistfight. Berulf overpowers and nearly kills Arminius, but Folkwin interferes, hitting Berulf on the head with a stick, knocking him unconscious. “Anyone else want to take my friend from me?” he asks everyone. Arminius struggles to get up as Folkwin and Thusnelda leave.

[00:15:00] Arminius tends to his wounds inside Segimer’s hut. Segimer tells Arminius to leave while he has the chance. He couldn’t believe Segimer now cared for him when he gave him away back then. “I wasn’t given a choice,” Segimer explained. He needed to give a pledge for peace so the Romans wouldn’t burn their village to the ground. Arminius called his father a coward, but Segimer claims to have provided a new life for him and his brother. “I made it possible myself,” Arminius argued. Their conversation is cut short when Berulf demands Segimer to bring Arminius out. Segimer pleads for Arminius to run, but he refuses to leave without the eagle.

[00:17:00] Segimer opens his hut to confront Berulf. “Haven’t you had enough?” Segimer asked him. But Berulf demanded his right. Segimer tells Berulf that he isn’t keeping any Romans in his hut. Folkwin defends Segimer as Berulf tries to step inside his hut. Arminius speeds off on a horse carrying the eagle along with him. Segimer gave the eagle to Arminius so he could leave. Folkwin tries to stop Arminius, but his spear misses its mark. He runs through the forest to cut Arminius off, but he gets off the horse before Folkwin arrives. Folkwin sees Arminius walking in the forest and tries to hit him with his spear. The spear misses, and Arminius tells Folkwin that he’s still lousy with a spear.

[00:20:00] Folkwin decides to jump down the cliff to face Arminius and retrieve the eagle, but Arminius hits him on the head with the eagle, knocking him unconscious. Segestes arrives at the village with Varus. He wants to leave Varus’ side, but he tells Segestes to stay by his side and enter the village with him. Meanwhile, Arminius continues on foot through the woods. He cuts a piece of fabric from his clothes to put pressure on his wound. He suddenly remembers the day they were turned over to Varus. He gives them toys to ease the tension and tells them, “Rome will be your mother and father now.”

[00:23:30] Varus and his translator meets with Segimer to find Folkwin. Segimer refuses to betray Folkwin, so Varus searches for him with the help of Segestes. Thusnelda warns Folkwin’s family to leave before the Romans arrive, but they are caught just as they are about to leave. The Romans killed Folkwin’s father and held his mother and siblings hostage. “Bring us Folkwin Wolfspeer by dawn!” they exclaimed.

[00:27:00] Meanwhile, Arminius struggles with his footing due to his injury and the eagle’s weight. He loses the eagle on a hillside, rolling down the lake. Arminius manages to recover the eagle but sees an old enemy: a wolf. He thought the wolf was real, but it was just a figment of his imagination. Folkwin wakes up by nightfall and returns to the village. Varus provides an ultimatum for the village. He crucifies Folkwin’s family and makes Segimer watch along with the rest of the village. They demand the eagle to be returned along with Folkwin. “Anyone who dares to take them down will be crucified themselves,” they threatened, referring to the crucified bodies.

[00:30:00] The people called Segestes a traitor for ratting out Folkwin to the Romans. He told everyone Folkwin brought this upon himself and his family when he provoked the Romans. He told everyone he kept reminding them they needed to uphold the peace, but Folkwin disobeyed Segimer by stealing the eagle, so he must suffer the consequences. The people of the village were disgusted by Segestes. He chose to side with the Romans even though they nearly killed Ansgar. “My son is my sacrifice to the gods, for you and for our tribe,” Segestes responded. “Shame on you!” Segimer shouted at everyone arguing in front of the dead. He told everyone to go home, staring at Segestes and his wife.

[00:32:00] Folkwin finally arrives at the village, but Thusnelda tries to stop him from entering. He knew something had happened, so he hurried inside the village. He stumbles upon four lifeless bodies crucified like criminals. Folkwin mourns the death of his family while Thusnelda begs for him to leave. She tells Folkwin that the Romans want his head on a spear. She continues to beg Folkwin to leave, but he insists on staying and burying his family. Thusnelda assures Folkwin she won’t leave his family on the crosses, but he still won’t leave. Berulf came out with his friends and told Folkwin they would follow him wherever he went. Folkwin tells Berulf he needs to bury his family first, but they don’t have time. They knock Folkwin out and carry him out of the village.

[00:35:00] Arminius barely makes it back to the Roman fort the next day. He passes out just outside the gates. The doctors tend to his wounds as Varus greets him as a proud father. Arminius requests to be redeployed elsewhere, but Varus has other plans for him. He told Arminius he submitted his name to the emperor for knighthood. Arminius is glad he’s finally getting what he deserves, but Varus tells him about one last task—find and kill Folkwin.