TV Review: Barbaren II (2023)

Barbaren II created by Andreas Heckmann, Arne Nolting, and Jan Martin Scharf

See my review of the first season here.

After being trounced at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, the Roman legion is sitting tight waiting for reinforcements to come. Tiberius (Giovanni Carta) is their new leader and he is a schemer. He wants to keep the German tribes from uniting, or at least from pulling in Marbod (Murathan Muslu), a tribal chief who has an army of 70,000 but who stuck to trading with the Romans rather than fighting at the forest. Better to be wealthy than to be dead, right? 

The German leaders from the battle have a different idea. Ari (Laurence Rupp) is formerly a Roman ward (the Romans took young nobles from each tribe as a tribute, though the real plan was to indoctrinate them as Roman leaders, not German). He fought with his tribe against his adopted family. He married childhood friend Thusnelda (Jeanne Goursaud). They have a newborn child who definitely won't be getting a free trip to Rome. They go to the folkmeet, a peaceful meeting of Germanic tribal leaders, to persuade the other tribes, especially Marbod's, to strike while the legion is weak. A lot of diplomatic negotiations go on since they are the leaders. A lot of violence and mayhem is used in negotiating since they are ancient barbarians. 

The show is produced by Netflix's German arm, so naturally the Germans are the sympathetic heroes. This season gets a lot more like a soap opera with romantic intrigues, questioned loyalties, and a lot of backstabbing. There's more actual backstabbing than metaphorical backstabbing, with a very high level of battle and ambush gore (including some very unpleasant beheadings). The epic battle at the end leaves a big cliffhanger for another season, a season that I will probably watch.

Recommended, highly if you liked the first season.

Currently (June 2023), this is only streaming on Netflix.

TV Review: Barbaren (2020)

 Barbaren (2020) created by Andreas Heckmann, Arne Nolting, and Jan Martin Scharf

In the first decade AD, the Romans raise the taxes in Magna Germania. The individual German tribes are upset by this but rebellion seems to be out of the question since Rome is at its imperial might. Governor Varus (Gaetano Aronica) took one son from each tribe some twenty years ago and sent them to Rome. One of the sons, Arminius (Laurence Rupp), has come back to help the Romans squash any notion of rebellion. But Arminius remembers his childhood, especially two friends who had a vision of a great upheaval in the future. Loyalties switch sides many times as the Germans plot to strike back at their Roman oppressors. The story ends with the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. 

The show gives a sense of historical verisimilitude while developing its own style. The German tribes still have their culture and devotion to their gods. They are a rough and ready people, all they need is leadership that doesn't kowtow to the Romans. The show is a German production, so the dialogue is in German and Latin. The ending leaves an opening for another season, which I would be interested in, though I am not sure where the story would go.

Parental warning: The series has a lot of graphic violence and a little bit of sex. This is not for little kids.

Recommended.

Currently streaming on Netflix.