WRITER: Simon Ashford DIRECTOR: Graeme Harper
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), Juliet Seal (Alice Little) & Clem Tibber (Little John Jr)
When his son is captured by Gisbourne's men, Little John is provoked into mounting an unsuccessful surprise attack that lands him in jail...Better late than never, I suppose. Yes, Little John (Kennedy) finally gets something to do in episode 11, even though that just means even more grimmacing, worldess staring, bellowing and punching people in the face.
I've been sorely disappointed with Little John's character in this series, as the silent giant isn't really working. It doesn't help that Gordon Kennedy isn't really physically imposing (no matter what anyone says), and his performances have been low-key and mumbling. Simply put, he lacks the charismatic sparkle that should be speaking volumes through muted performance.
Dead Man Walking (a serious title atlast, although not particularly relevant) returns us to Little John's fractured family -- Alice, his wife who thinks he's dead and Little John Junior, a blonde-haired sprog who doesn't recognise him. The plot finds all three locked in the Sheriff's dungeon after Little John attempts to rescue his son following an unfair tax collection in Locksley. From here, it's a predictable emotional journey into acceptance of Little John as a father and their eventual rescue by Robin and his outlaws.
Dead Man Walking (a serious title atlast, although not particularly relevant) returns us to Little John's fractured family -- Alice, his wife who thinks he's dead and Little John Junior, a blonde-haired sprog who doesn't recognise him. The plot finds all three locked in the Sheriff's dungeon after Little John attempts to rescue his son following an unfair tax collection in Locksley. From here, it's a predictable emotional journey into acceptance of Little John as a father and their eventual rescue by Robin and his outlaws.
So far, so painfully familiar. As we reach the end of the season, the storytelling repetition is becoming almost unbearable, with each installment concocting different circumstances to rescue people from dungeons! This episode is also the first time the music became unbearable to hear -- not because the music is bad (it's actually one of the show's strong points), but because the same cues are used over and over ad nauseum. Running scene? Track 1. Fight scene? Track 2. Evil plotting scene? Track 3. Etc.
The Sheriff (Allen) reaches almost pantomime levels of absurdity here with his "Festival Of Pain" (a room of torture devices and hot coals with which to burn people). The tone is also wrong, particularly when the Sheriff sadistically has his guards try and burn a little boy's face off! It's all very well making Keith Allen's Sheriff more devilish and cruel than other incarnations, but it's not really family viewing when taken to this extreme.
As a side note, the gutless townsfolk are beginning to wrankle with me. They're constantly standing back and letting the Sheriff walk all over them, happy to sit back and let Robin do all the dirty work. One is beginning to think Robin should start a peasant's revolt, as these simpletons need a kick up the backside to stirr them into action. Guy Of Gisbourne seems to be the only character actively on the Sheriff's side, so it's hardly an insurmountable task to topple them both. Or why not send someone back to the Middle East to let King John know what's going on? Oh well.
We also have to contend with the absolutely ridiculous notion that Little John isn't recognised by the Sheriff or identified as one of Robin's men because he forgot to wear his ID tags! I can't believe the Sheriff is incapable of recognising Robin's men, especially considering the number of times he's seen them (bearded oaf Little John is hardly a face in the crowd!), but the plot demands this selective amnesia. The outlaws also spend most episodes wandering around Nottingham Castle in cloaks and getting away with it. The Sheriff better hope somebody invents the WANTED poster soon!
Overall, Dead Man Walking is very average at best, with long droughts of boredom, some misjudged sadism and a pervasive feeling of repetition and predictability. Robin Hood had better gets its aim back now the season's end is in sight...
