WRITER: Bev Doyle & Richard Kurti DIRECTOR: Richard Standeven
CAST: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Lucy Grifiths (Marian), Keith Allen (Sheriff), Richard Armitage (Guy Of Gisbourne), Sam Troughton (Much), Gordon Kennedy (Little John), Harry Lloyd (Will Scarlett), Joe Armstrong (Allan-a-Dale), Anjali Jay (Djak), Michael Elwyn (Sir Edward), Tom Beard (Flaxton), Ryan Winsley (Cedric), Alan Stocks (Butcher), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Abbess) & Matt Devere (Guard)
Robin and his gang break into Nottingham Castle to steal some tax silver, while Marian makes a momentous decision...Finally, Robin Hood delivers its most complete episode to date, with action, plot and characterisation all pulling together to create an adventure/heist story that keeps you interested until the very end.
Writers Bev Doyle and Richard Kurti's script is leaner than most, nicely constructed and playing to all of the show's strengths. The Taxman Cometh is essentially a mediaval heist, although to reveal more would ruin the surprises and twists.
Suffice to say that Robin and his outlaws kidnap Flaxton (Colin Firth doppleganger Tom Beard; very good), a taxman on his way to count the region's tax money at Nottingham Castle. Gifted with an opportunity to steal so much money for the starving peasants (being fed rancid meat by a swindling butcher), how can the gang refuse?
Flaxton's kidnap forms the basis of the episode, and despite the fact it features yet another break-in to the "impregnable" Nottingham Castle (which they break into every other week), the story is actually a lot of fun and moves at a good pace.
The actors all deserve a lot of credit for carrying the show through the poor-to-average episodes, so it's rewarding to see them all performing in something worthy of their talents.
Keith Allen's Sheriff is enjoyably smarmy, just the right mix of pantomime and viciousness, although he's actually not the bright centre of the series as people expected. Jonas Armstrong makes for a convivial lead, while his outlaws finally get to act like a believable team here. Richard Armitage is excellent as Guy Of Gisbourne, making his villain refreshingly frail in intimate moments trying to woo uninterested Marian.
Which leads me onto Lucy Griffiths' portrayal of (Maid) Marian. Some critics have labelled her performance as smug, and it's true Marian can appear that way at times, but there's far more going on with her. For me, Griffiths' is the reason to watch Robin Hood (and not just for red-blooded reasons), because she brings a fragility and honesty that I find very watchable. There's always something going on behind her eyes.
Marian's ongoing sub-plot, with her becoming nocturnal vigilante "The Night Watchman", was obviously intended to show a level of feminist equality amidst all the testosterone, but it actually works because it's a brand new facet to the Robin Hood legend that can't be second-guessed. In this episode, her insistence on continuing her dangerous double-life reaches a head with her father Sir Edward (Michael Elwyn), in some nicely acted scenes.
Overall, The Taxman Cometh is the kind of adventure I expected from the series and proof that story is King, not the admittedly impressive production values. It helps that Robin Hood has decent actors that seem to be enjoying the experience, and hopefully now the series has settled into its groove, the second half of the season will capitalize on its successes and rectify some of its mistakes (an underwritten Little John, too much reliance on Nottingham Castle, more for the outlaws to do, etc.)
This is easily the best episode of the series so far. I just hope the quality can be maintained.
