Barbarians Season 1 Episode 6 Recap – The Battle

[00:01:00] Segestes tells Varus about Arminius’ plan to lure the legions into a trap and that the head he has on display is not Folkwin. Arminius admits to Varus; everything Segestes told him is the truth. He told Varus he plans to lure the Roman Legion into a trap he devised with all of his five hundred barbarian friends. Arminius tells Varus he plans to ambush fifteen thousand Roman Legionnaires using five hundred barbarians. Varus laughs as he realizes how ridiculous Segestes claims were. He doesn’t believe Segestes and threatens to kill him if he repeats his accusations against Arminius. The guards pull Segestes out of the tent as Varus tells everyone they will proceed as planned. Varus apologizes to Arminius for doubting him. He blamed the barbarians for trying to fool him.

[00:05:00] Arminius went to the prisoner’s cage and saw Folkwin. Folkwin asks him to get him out of there. “Not now,” Arminius tells him. They were preparing to move out. Arminius goes to Talio, who orders his men to pack everything and prepare to move out. Talio asks Arminius if Varus agrees to go along as planned. Arminius responds they will soon find out. Arminius rides out with Varus as the cavalry prepares to take down any barbarians who stand in their way. Meanwhile, the Germanic tribes prepare to fight the Roman Legion. Rurik tells Thusnelda the Romans were already visible on the horizon. They couldn’t count how many Romans were marching; they were like a river of steel. The other reiks were beginning to worry, but Thusnelda had a plan.

[00:07:30] Thusnelda goes into the woods to pray. She asks the gods to grant her the power of foresight to see if they will be victorious against the Romans. The gods didn’t respond even though she vowed to sacrifice anything. Hadgan finds Thusnelda after praying and tries to rape her. Thusnelda puts a dagger on Hadgan’s throat then tells him to return to his men. Meanwhile, the Roman Legion arrives at the mouth of the forest. Arminius asks Varus for his command—their plan will only succeed if Varus trusts Arminius, which he does. Varus orders Arminius and his men to ride ahead and secure the path. Arminius rides ahead and stops to vomit. He remembers his childhood with Varus. He has also considered him as his father, and betraying him was no easy task.

[00:13:00] Hadgan abandons the plan and pulls out his men. He tells the rest of the reiks they can also retreat while they have the chance. So the other reiks start to doubt their plan, thinking to retreat. Thusnelda didn’t have a choice but to show them the power of the gods. She sacrifices her right eye to become a true seer. She takes a moment to get up but tells everyone they will be victorious against the Romans. Thusnelda promises the reiks gold and glory: both of which they cannot decline. Due to the narrow roads of the forest, the Roman Legion is forced to line up and abandon their war formation. The Germanic tribes use this to their advantage.

[00:19:00] Due to a large number of Roman Legionnaires, they are unable to notice whether the front of the line is still moving or if they’re still alive. The Germanic tribes used the trees to divide the troops into manageable sizes to favor their numbers. The Roman Legionnaires couldn’t defend themselves in small portions, so one by one, the groups fell. Arminius arrives at the battlefield, giving the soldiers hope. He took off his helm, showed them his painted face, and then ordered his men to kill everyone.

[00:22:30] Hadgan and his men were on their way back to their village when they bumped into Segestes. He tells Hadgan they could betray Arminius and become leaders of the tribes. Hadgan wanted to nail Segestes to a tree, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get back at Arminius. One of the generals went back to Varus to report what happened. Varus told his men to move back into open grounds to cover their flanks. He told his generals that Arminius must be caught in the fighting, which is why he couldn’t protect the flanks. The Roman Legionnaires turn around at Varus’ command and march back to open ground.

[00:24:00] Arminius meets Thusnelda on the battlefield. He asks her about her eye, but she tells him not to worry. Arminius wants to tell Thusnelda that Folkwin is still alive, but she is already in the zone, using Folkwin’s death as a motivator. So Arminius didn’t bother to tell Thusnelda. They heard the sound of the trumpets, which means the legion is retreating. Thusnelda tells Arminius everything is ready as he planned. Varus and his generals make it back to the rest of the legion when a burning man emerges from the forest. The Germanic tribes appear soon after, led by Arminius and Thusnelda.

[00:27:00] Thusnelda gives the signal, and one of their men lights up a river of fire. The fire quickly spreads and divides the legions phalanxes into small groups. Varus sees Arminius with Thusnelda as they rush out of the forest to begin the war. Folkwin uses the chaos to choke the soldier guarding them and escape. All hell breaks loose as Roman soldiers battle it out with Germanic warriors.

[00:30:00] Varus sees Arminius on the battlefield, but he can’t believe he betrayed him. Arminius continues to fight as Ansgar suddenly shows up in the middle of the battlefield. Thusnelda sees Folkwin trying to drag Ansgar to safety, but he doesn’t want to leave. Thusnelda runs to Ansgar and does her best to protect her brother. One by one, the reiks fall. But hope isn’t lost—the weather favors the Germanic forces as it starts to rain.

[00:33:00] Varus removes his helmet and dismounts from his horse during the battle. He is overwhelmed by sorrow, so he tells his slave to remove his armor before freeing him. He picks up a legionnaire’s sword and commits suicide in front of Arminius. Segestes and Hadgan emerge from the forest to support the other tribes. They were supposedly going to betray Arminius, but they just needed to stick with them since they were already winning. Segestes sees Varus’ dead body; he beheads him. Then, he raises Varus’ head in the air to show everyone that Rome has fallen.

[00:38:00] Nightfall came, and the Germanic tribes were victorious. They were finishing up the survivors as Arminius spoke to Varus’ head, mounted on a spear. Thusnelda approaches Arminius to console him. She knew that Arminius just wanted to feel a father’s love, but Varus was just using him for his gain. Thusnelda tells Arminius that he not only won the battle but the hearts of his warriors. Even though Thusnelda knows that Folkwin is still alive, she assures Arminius she will rule with him as his queen while he becomes king of the Germanic tribes.

[00:40:00] Thusnelda returns to the campfires to celebrate with the other men. She finds Folkwin sitting by the campfire and sits with him. “I thought you were dead,” she says to him. “Things are different now,” she added. Folkwin understood because he knew that Thusnelda wanted to rule with Arminius. He just wants to make sure Thusnelda is not making the wrong decision. He tells Thusnelda to visit him once she makes up her mind. Folkwin decides to leave, but he ends up seeing Arminius. Arminius asks him why he doesn’t want to share in the spoils of their victory. He tells Folkwin he wants him to become the first lord when he becomes king. Folkwin responds that he will be the first person who will try to kill him once he becomes king.

[00:42:30] Thusnelda sees her father walking through the forest. She doesn’t confront Segestes, but the oracle decides to confront her instead. The oracle tells Thusnelda she has a dangerous path ahead of her. The oracle touches her belly and confirms she’s pregnant—Arminius isn’t the father. Dawn came, and a rider carried Varus’ head, presumably to Rome.