The Price
Episode 6 of Barbarians Season 2 starts right off the back of that shocking reveal last episode. Boats are en-route, ready to engulf the Germanic tribes in a barrage of sword-fighting and bloodshed. There are hundreds of them, and they’re a day’s ride out from them.
What do the group intend to do?
There’s at least 10,000 men there, and the group gathers together to try and figure out what to do about this. Thusnelda suggests raiding the Roman camp and taking the fight to them, and although they’re split over the best way forward, it seems like the only logical way forward is to get the element of surprise. Segestes shows up at the Roman Camp though betrays the group, telling them that Thusnelda and the others intend to attack. They also have Germanicus held captive, who continues to taunt Dido. Germanicus knows that he’s much more valuable alive than being killed outright, but Dido promises to make him pay after the battle is done.
Do Thusnelda and the others gain the element of surprise?
The horns blow in the morning as smoke obscures the battlefield. Tiberius heads up to the walls and notices Germanicus tied up on the back of a donkey toward the gates. This is, of course, all a big distraction as the real force break into the camp and attack, catching them all off-guard. In the carnage of everything happening, a sword is dropped into the pit, allowing Flavus to escape. As for Marbod, he remains intent on finding Tiberius and making him pay. Flavus chases after Marbod and manages to save the big man. However, in doing so he also gets stabbed in the gut with a knife and begins bleeding out. “I’m sorry, for everything.” Flavus weakly says in his dying breath.
Does Folkwin survive?
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Germanicus stabs Folkwin in the back. Ari races up to him, tears in his eyes, as Folkwin admits he’s hated him for a long time…but also loves him too. “Promise me you’ll love Thumelicus as if he were your son,” He says. Ari hesitates but eventually promises to do this for him, watching as the light fades from his eyes. With the camp lost, Tiberius decides to leave but Germanicus is not happy, suggesting this isn’t the Roman way and that they fight until the end. Tiberius reminds him that there are many camps out there and this is but one. Losing a single camp is no big deal. The barbarians may have won the battle but they certainly haven’t won the war, and if you know your history, this won’t end well.
How does Barbarians season 2 end?
Meanwhile, Thusnelda returns to camp and finds Ansgar tied up and frightened, struggling to get away. After untying her, she simply mumbles ‘Thumelicus’. Unfortunately, Thumelicus is in Tiberius’ hands and Thusnelda finds herself surrounded by soldiers. “He’ll be better in Rome.” She’s told, and forced to drop her weapons. Watching in horror, the traitorous Segestes is killed, along with Irmina too, while Tiberius exerts his dominance. Thusnelda is also captured and forced to go with them to Rome, a bag thrown over her head and big question marks over the future of the tribes.
The Episode Review
So Barbarians bows out on a big cliffhanger again, this time leaving the fate for many of our characters hanging in the balance. This second season has definitely been an enjoyable ride and an improvement over the first. While this final chapter is the shortest of the whole show, it manages to keep things tense and bring in a good deal of action too. There’s definitely some casualties along the way though, and with Ari making that promise to Folkwin, it would seem that season 3 could well move in the direction of him heading out and saving Thumelicus and Thusnelda from a potentially nasty fate in Rome. Either way though, fans of the first season should find enough to like here and the ending certainly leaves the door wide open for a follow-up.
