Writer: Julian Jones
Director: James ErskineCast: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Lucy Griffiths (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), Tony Slattery (Birkley) & John Hopkins (John Of Yorke)
Robin attempts to steal the Pact Of Nottingham from the Sheriff, as it's proof of his treason against King Richard...Show Me The Money is a strange mix of bad and good. It clogs itself with the usual cliches of the series (notably the ineffectual security of Nottingham Castle, as the outlaws break in and out half a dozen times in the same episode!), but it also capitalizes on the one change to season 2 that has ensured this year is a definite improvement on the last: continuing storylines.
Sure, there were a few plot-strands in season 1 that recurred in a handful of episodes (like the Marian/Guy wedding), but it was ultimately a series of standalone escapades. This year has seen more cohesive storytelling, thanks mainly to the bubbling threat of the Black Knights and the treachery of Allan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong).
Julian Jones' script gets off to a weak start, as the outlaws are in the midst of yet another Castle break-in -- this time to steal the Pact Of Nottingham, which is material proof that the Sheriff (Keith Allen) is a traitor to King Richard. Unfortunately, the Pact can't be found anywhere, so Robin's gang are forced to retreat back to Sherwood Forest...
Back at their camp, the surrounding defences are triggered and capture John Of Yorke (John Hopkins), a love-struck man who is slowly paying the sly Bishop Of Yorke (Tony Slattery) £2000, so that he grants him permission to marry his girlfriend Beatrice, who is being held in Nottingham Castle.
Robin (Jonas Armstrong) agrees to help John pay-off the greedy Bishop, using some of their stolen loot which they'll steal back later. But, having infiltrated the Castle once again (dressed as John's porters), the Sheriff seems to be once step ahead of their plans -- as he's now taking advice from ex-outlaw Allan, who clearly a baddie now because he's dressing like a Guy Of Gisbourne clone and is letting the Sheriff know some of Robin's secrets...
It's great to see Allan's storyline developing further, especially as this episode begins to answer some of the questions I'd raised myself last week -- about why Allan doesn't just show the Sheriff where the outlaws' camp is, or blow the cover of mole Marian (Lucy Griffiths). It appears that Allan is still a bit conflicted over his allegiance to Guy (Richard Armitage) and the Sheriff, and cares enough about his former friends to keep some of their bigger secrets...
While the ridiculously porous Castle security is already a joke in the series, Show Me The Money gradually begins to earn some respect in other areas. The main story this week, surrounding John's attempt to rescue his girlfriend and teach the Bishop a lesson, takes awhile to get going, but it eventually becomes quite entertaining.
However, it's a shame Tony Slattery becomes the latest victim of Robin Hood's inability to give its celebrity guest stars anything decent to work with. Slattery certainly looks like a corrupt Bishop, but the character never comes to life on-screen.
Along with some question answering, this episode also finds time to develop the relationship between weedy Sir Edward (Michael Elwyn) and his daughter Marian. Sir Edward has been a poorly utilized character since day one on the show, but he's given some interesting material to work with here and Elwyn grabs it with both hands.
Everything builds to a series of compelling moments in the final third, as Robin engages in a fight to the death with Allan (to keep Marian safe), Allan is forced to reveal the outlaws' camp, cowardly Sir Edward earns respect with a brave move, and the episode concludes with an effective death scene that brings out the best in Elwyn, Griffiths, Armstrong and Armitage as actors.
I've often complained about the lack of darkness in Robin Hood, which isn't to mean I expect blood, guts and realism about the Middle Ages on Saturday early-evenings, just that nothing ever seemed to carry much consequence. Everything was so much of a lark, whenever anybody was captured (every week last year, usually), you never believed they'd come to harm. There's still some way to go in rectifying this problem, but season 2 has been much better at keeping everything less predictable...
Indeed, the last 15 minutes of this episode actually contained a few emotionally-charged sequences and a genuine sense of daring (an escape from a tower), tragedy (a character's death) and romance (Marian finally leaving for a forest life with Robin.)
Even the humour didn't seem as forced as usual. In the epilogue, which regularly causes eyes to roll in the manner of a live-action He-Man cartoon's denouement, Much (Sam Troughton) offered newlyweds a toasting fork as their wedding present -- which is a groan-worthy little anachronism, but it worked well and was presented as a throwaway line. The show is just easier to invest in without much slapstick, silliness and cartoonish moments.
Overall, Show Me The Money got off to a weak start, but managed to gather itself for a few surprises in the second half and some of the more compelling moments of the show in its finale. It's a shame Slattery is mostly wasted and John Of Yorke's relationship with Beatrice didn't really engage me, but it was all worth it for the focusing of Allan/Robin's tension, development for Sir Edward, and the confident steps taken to make Robin/Marian into one of mythology's great romantic couples...
Don't get me wrong, Robin Hood is still frustratingly repetitive in numerous areas, and it rarely delivers a consistently excellent episode, but there were more flashes of greatness in Show Me The Money than usual. I'm actually rather enjoying season 2 now, and there are actually some narrative reasons to keep watching... rather than vague hope the general quality will increase.
17 November 2007
BBC 1, 7.10 pm
