It transpires that Robin and Guy knew each other as kids living in Locksley, and that they're more closely associated than they realize. Robin's father Malcolm (Dean Lennox Kelly) was having an affair with Guy's mother Ghislaine (Sophie Winkleman) while her husband Sir Roger (Paul Hilton) was presumed dead in the Crusades. That is until Sir Roger returns from battle very much alive, creating a love-triangle complicated by Roger's undisclosed leprosy and Ghislaine falling pregnant with Malcolm's child. Meaning, of course, that Robin and Guy have a half-brother in common...
It's a refreshing chance of pace for a show that tends to fall into easy ruts, with the majority of the episode focusing on brand new characters who were more more engaging than some of the regulars! Even the atmosphere of the episode felt a lot darker and grimier than usual, which was surprising given the fact these were the supposed good ol' days of King Richard's reign, years before the Sheriff started raising taxes in the monarch's absence. With an adult love story at its core -- admittedly with a fairly clichéd plot and another boo-hiss villain in bailiff Longthorn (Ian Reddington) – it nevertheless felt weightier than usual. The performances of Kelly, Winkleman and Hilton managed to overcome a few of the sillier moments; so much so that I could even forgive Winkleman doing another of her comedy foreign accents.
As a peek at a pivotal moment in Robin and Guy's lives (who both lose their parents in a climactic fire), it was quite entertaining, although the emphasis wasn't really on the young Robin (Charlie Rowe) or Guy (Tommy Bastow). Amusingly, the juvenile Robin came across as an irritating brat, while the teenage Guy was far more sympathetic and interesting. Even in flashback the series can't quite bring itself to make Robin the star, although we are given a brief moment of catharsis when the youngster's inspired at his father's grave to grab his bow, embrace his birthright, and scare Longthorn out of town.
Throughout it all there's the mystery of who the hooded figure is in the present day, relating the undisclosed facts of the Malcolm/Ghislaine/Roger tragedy, and it doesn't take a genius to work it out early. That said, the reveal that it's Robin's "dead" father with a gravelly-voice still worked nicely. The aging Malcolm's intention was for Robin and Guy to make amends and unite to find their half-brother Archer, whom Ghislaine gave birth to before she died, but then went missing. Apparently the grown boy is due to be hanged at York, so Guy and Robin must put aside their differences to rescue him.
Usually with episode designed to cause a 180-degree shift in two character's relationship, is never quite works as it feels too manipulative and implausible, but I actually accepted this twist quite readily. Maybe that's because it's just become incredibly tedious seeing Robin and Guy at each other's throats, so giving them a reason to work together felt like a welcome break. I'm sure there'll still be sparks and disagreements in the episodes to come, but then it wouldn't be dramatic otherwise.
Overall, "Bad Blood" was a very good installment from Lisa Holdsworth that actually dared to do something a little different, and did it convincingly. You can still nitpick a great many details and, broadly-speaking, it wasn't a very innovative storyline, but it was something unusual that held my interest throughout. Its legacy is in providing us real, meaningful character development, while simultaneously setting up a stimulating storyline to lead us into the final three episodes. I sincerely hope hindsight will show it was a belated turning point in season 3's quality, too.
6 June 2009
BBC1, 6.45pm
written by: Lisa Holdsworth directed by: Roger Goldby starring: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Richard Armitage (Guy), Dean Lennox Kelly (Malcolm), Paul Hilton (Sir Roger), Sophie Winkleman (Ghislaine), Ian Reddington (Longthorn), Ian Hughes (Swain), Tommy Bastow (Young Guy), Charlie Rowe (Young Robin) & Laura Hegyi (Young Isabella)
