This Brutal, Battle-Heavy Netflix Action Drama Is Perfect for Fans of ‘The Last Kingdom’
There’s something weirdly satisfying about a show that knows exactly what it wants to be, and in a nutshell, that’s what Barbarians does. Without beating about the bush, the show dives right into everything from betrayal to unnecessary spilling of blood and groundbreaking battles. In just two seasons, this German-language Netflix series pulls off what some war dramas spend five years fumbling. Viewers are dropped in the middle of a real historical uprising, and as the cherry on top, they’re compelled to care about the people doing the fighting. It’s gritty, fast-paced, and oddly emotional, especially if you’re the kind of viewer who still isn’t over The Last Kingdom ending. And yes, it scratches that same itch — the swords, the shifting loyalties, and that all-too-familiar ache of watching leaders torn between two worlds.
Set during the Roman occupation of Germania, Barbarians tells the story of Arminius (Laurence Rupp) — a Germanic-born Roman officer who switches sides — and the brutal, complex lead-up to the real-life Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. But it’s not just about the action (though the action is solid), the show digs into divided loyalties, childhood trauma, tribal power struggles, and the personal cost of rebellion. Characters like his childhood friend Thusnelda (Jeanne Goursaud) and Folkwin (David Schütter) actually feel like people, not just props for sword fights. The real shock? It ended after just two seasons. Not because it got bad, but because it told a focused, gripping story and left before anyone was bored. Still, it’s hard not to wish there were more.
‘Barbarians’ Might Be the Most Historically Accurate Emotional Meltdown on Netflix
On the surface, Barbarians is yet another show about revenge and swords… until it becomes so much more. Then it becomes a full-blown emotional breakdown disguised as historical drama. The show goes beyond battles and gets into the messiness of what it meant to survive in a time when loyalty could cost you your family, and “honor” usually meant someone had to die. Let’s talk about one of the hardest scenes to watch in Season 1 — Roman soldiers show up in Thusnelda’s village demanding more tribute. Her dad, Segestes (Bernhard Schütz) — who’s basically Rome’s favorite puppet doesn’t hesitate to kiss the Roman eagle on demand. Thusnelda’s disgusted, and when she steps in to stop it, the soldier grabs her by the hair. Unfortunately, her little brother Ansgar, who’s barely six, runs in to protect her — and gets knocked in the head with the hilt of a sword. Just like that, he’s disabled. It’s brutal, and it all happens because her father bowed too low to power.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Ari (Arminius) was taken as a kid to be raised by the people who conquered his tribe. Another classic Roman strategy — steal the kids, raise them Roman, send them back as tools. Then, when it’s time to further oppress his people, the Romans make his father, Segimer (Nicki von Tempelhoff), kill himself so Ari can take over in some sort of sick power play. And he actually does it, quietly, in a bog, like that’s just the price of peace yet again. It’s in these little ways that Barbarians isn’t just sad, the series is more of a layered, raw, and heavy one. And it’s all because these people aren’t just stuck in history, they’re falling apart in it.
Every Episode of ‘Barbarians’ Feels Like It Actually Matters
For the kind of viewer who hates waiting around for a show to “find its feet,” Barbarians is a match made in heaven. From the very first episode, the show hits the ground running, void of slow-building tension or unnecessary backstory dumps. The Netflix series understands that the audience came for the three b’s — blood, battles, and betrayals — and it delivers all that in the nick of time. Take the very first scene: Thusnelda is basically inspected like livestock for marriage. It’s brutal and eye-opening, and boom — you already get the harsh realities of tribal life and the options that women had at the time. There’s no time wasted sugar-coating the stakes, and just a few scenes later, she’s stealing the Roman eagle alongside Folkwin in an act of rebellion against both her father and the Romans. In a nutshell, it’s a hard jump into the political tension and looming war. That’s a lot of world-building done in under 20 minutes — impressive for a historical drama.
Season 2 doesn’t slow down either. Even though the big historical event, the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, already happened in Season 1, the series presses forward with fresh conflict and new threats. The tension never lets up as Arminius fights not just Rome but his own tribe’s mistrust. It takes less than 15 minutes before we’re back in battle mode, with Arminius ambushed by rival Germanic tribes and bloodied in the mud. That same episode ends with a full-blown village raid and not a political chat in sight. Even quieter moments, like Thusnelda’s intense confrontation with her father, are steeped in urgency — everyone’s playing for power, and no one has time to pause. At the end of it all, the fast-moving plot pulls you into the world of Thusnelda, Arminius, and Folkwin without wasting a second.
Underneath the Blood and Armor ‘Barbarians’ Is a Show About Broken People
Some shows scream “emotional depth” by having characters cry dramatically in the rain. Barbarians takes a whole other approach by allowing the trauma to seep out slowly using silences, shifty eyes, and the way people pull away from each other after the fighting stops. Take Arminius, the Roman-trained warrior turned tribal messiah. He’s not just caught between two worlds; he’s basically coming undone from the inside. By Season 2, the pressure of leading divided tribes, outsmarting Rome, and protecting his family begins to weigh on him. He’s still composed, but his choices — like making a deal with Gaius or striking prematurely — reveal a man who’s fraying at the edges. Instead of skilful monologues, viewers get a masterclass in avoidance, coldness, and reckless moves on the battlefield. It’s more intriguing because they’re the kind of moves that look strategic but scream emotional damage.
Thusnelda, too, is not the stone-cold warrior queen as she’s initially set up to be. Her armor starts to crack somewhere in Season 2, especially after her son is taken and she’s paraded around like a Roman puppet. There’s a brutal quiet in how she walks through camp, like someone who’s still fighting, but mostly with herself. Even Folkwin, who often feels like the show’s emotional compass, spirals under the weight of betrayal and lost friendship. There was a fire in him in the first season that just burned differently as the storyline progressed. His scenes aren’t loud, but they hit hard, especially when he looks at Arminius with both love and loathing in his eyes. So yes, Barbarians has war. But it also has wounds that don’t heal when the swords are sheathed.
