Wellington begins his invasion of Spain from Portugal whilst Napoleon is preoccupied in Northern Europe.
To succeed, Wellington must first capture the two great frontier fortresses.
In the south - Badajoz;
And in the north - Ciudad Rodrigo...
Sharpe learns that his wife Teresa and newborn daughter Antonia are trapped in Badajoz, the fortress under British siege. Making things even more difficult is Sharpe's demotion to Lieutenant and the arrival of vengeful enemy Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill.
Tropes that appear in this episode:
- The Alcoholic: Lt. Harry Price. He's introduced drinking during combat.
- An Arm and a Leg: In the opening scene, Colonel Lawford is seriously wounded and Sharpe has to cut off his arm to save his life.
- Bad Boss: Obadiah Hakeswill stabs one of the soldiers under his command during the storming of the breach at Badajoz.
- BFG: This episode marks the first appearance of Sgt. Harper's Nock Gun, which fires seven pistol shots at a time.
- Big Bad: Obadiah Hakeswill.
- Boom, Headshot!: Clayton is killed with a gunshot to the head as he enters Badajoz.
- Chekhov's Gun: Hakeswill's shako, which he talks to as if it's his mother. Inside it contains the portrait of Colonel Windham's wife, which Hakeswill stole to frame Harper.
- Child Soldier: Ensign Matthews is only 16. The actor who played him, William Mannering, was 17.
- Collateral Damage: Cooper shoots a French soldier who was spying for the British.
- Composite Character: Lieutenant Harry Price takes the role of Robert Knowles, Sharpe's comrade who is sent to rescue Teresa and Antonia and is shot dead by Hakeswill.
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Sgt. Patrick Harper and Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill, who has tried to set a soldier up for undeserved punishment and is carrying a spontoon (a type of lance), have this hushed exchange:Harper: You do that to one of my boys again, Obadiah, and I'll shove that pointy thing you're carrying up your arse until it picks your nose.Hakeswill: Be quick, Paddy, for you is next.
- Death by Adaptation: The Claytons. In the books, Clayton makes it to Sharpe's Waterloo, while Sally Clayton lives through the end of the books. Here, Clayton is killed in the storming of Badajoz and Sally is raped and murdered by Obadiah Hakeswill.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the book, Ensign Matthews is already dead by the time that Sharpe finds him in the failed attempt to blow the dam; killed by French soldiers. Here, he's killed when he accidentally takes the brunt of Hakeswill's nock gun assassination attempt on Sharpe.
- Dirty Coward: Hakeswill, who kills one of his own men and uses the corpse as cover.
- Ensign Newbie: Ensign Matthews has only been a soldier for a few weeks.
- Frame-Up: Hakeswill frames Harper for stealing the portrait of Colonel Windham's wife, resulting in Harper getting flogged 100 times.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold:
- Ensign Matthews is blond and nothing but sweet-tempered.
- Rymer and Jack Colett are blond men who are much nicer than their dark-haired counterparts in the previous episode.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Colonel Brian Wyndham thinks that Obadiah Hakeswill is a proper sergeant.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Don Moreno is bayoneted by British soldiers as they storm his villa.
- I Want My Mommy!: Hakeswill as the storming of Badajoz takes a turn for the worse."Mother! Mother, Mother! Spread your wings and lift me high!"
- I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Hugh Fraser replaces David Troughton as General Wellington, two years after getting shot and killed by Sean Bean's character in Patriot Games.
- Made of Iron: Obadiah Hakeswill takes a full-on blast to the back from Harper's Nock gun (which can kill three men at a time and indeed kills the soldier standing next to Hakeswill) and keeps on walking.
- Mercy Kill: During a lull in the fighting at Badajoz, Sharpe sees a British soldier stumbling around, missing his arm. He immediately shoots the soldier to put him out of his misery.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Colonel Wyndham is utterly horrified to realize he had Harper flogged under false pretenses.
- Sharpe has one for himself while storming the breach of Badajoz after he hacks a surrendering French soldier to pieces in a bloodlust. Harper reminds him of Teresa to snap him out of his Heroic BSoD.
- Papa Wolf: Sharpe's wife Teresa and his infant daughter Antonia are trapped in the city of Badajoz, where there is a large possibility that they will be killed in the ensuing Rape, Pillage, and Burn that would result from invading the city. This is one of the reasons Sharpe wants to lead the charge into Badajoz (the other is so he can remain a captain).
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: The aftermath of the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo."I have an army acts beastly first opportunity given it: Looting, raping, and drunk."
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite appearing as a typical upperclass snob, Colonel Wyndham is ultimately this. He is polite and respectful to everyone he speaks with, even those who are below his station, and is mindful of the men's morale. When he discovers that he had Harper wrongfully flogged, he extends him a public apology and reinstates his rank on the spot.
- Serial Rapist: Obadiah Hakeswill. This continues into the next episode.
- Spiteful Spit: Sharpe spits into Hakeswill's hat, which he (Hakeswill) talks to as if it's his mother. The hat is where Hakeswill is hiding the portrait he stole and framed Harper for stealing.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: The heavyset Pvt. Clayton isn't very attractive, but his wife Sally is said (and shown) to be the prettiest wife amongst the wives in the camp. Much to her detriment.
- Unfriendly Fire:
- Hakeswill shoots Ensign Matthews while trying to kill Sharpe.
- Harper tries to shoot Hakeswill, but while he hits Hakeswill, he also shoots another British soldier standing nearby.
- Use Your Head: Harper knocks Hakeswill down with a headbutt.
- The Women Are Safe with Us: The plot is reliant on the aversion of this trope. The British army is camped outside the French-occupied city of Badajoz, and Sharpe's wife—a spy for British-allied Portugal—is inside the city, along with their infant daughter. Much of the plot, therefore, relies on his need to find and protect his family from his own army ransacking the city.
- Your Mom: Teresa uses this when she gets into a fight with Obadiah Hakeswill."Your mother was a pox-ridden sow that sold herself to a toad."
