In "Something Worth Fighting For", Guy (Richard Armitage) devises a plan to sneak into Nottingham Castle and remove Isabella (Lara Pulver) from power in the name of King Richard, using a secret escape tunnel he oversaw the construction of. Concurrently, hustler Archer gets an audience with Isabella and tries to convince his half-sister that he can catch Robin (Jonas Armstrong) and Guy (for a price), after learning about Guy's secret tunnel from a drunkard at a local tavern...
Isabella herself has a plan to dismantle Robin's gang from within that involves blackmailing Kate's mother (Teresa Banham) into planting her necklace on Robin, so her daughter Kate will discover it and believe he still has feelings for Isabella. Said necklace is hidden about Robin's person but falls on the floor of the outlaws' camp, instilling a sense of team mistrust when Guy identifies the jewellery as belonging to his sister...
This internal disquiet is bad news for Allan (Joe Armstrong) after Isabella releases a proclamation pardoning him of his crimes. Suspecting that Allan might be sleeping with the enemy, Robin, Much (Sam Troughton) and Guy leave him tied-up in their camp as they enter the tunnel to stage their coup d'état. Meanwhile, Little John (Gordon Kennedy) and Tuck (Dave Harewood) try to inspire the demoralized villagers of Locksley to mount a sit-down protest over Isabella's intention to deny them food and enslave an army to fight against the returning King.
There's a lot going on here, but Ryan Craig's script kept everything focused and nimble. It was particularly good fun seeing glowering Guy work alongside Robin's group in pursuit of a common goal, and some of the show's more undernourished characters got some much-needed screentime: Kate grappling with the possibility Robin still holds a candle for Isabella, Tuck delivering two rousing speeches (the best, perhaps only, use of Harewood's booming voice), and Allan once again finding himself under suspicion by his friends.
However, there are elements of the plot and creative choices that didn't sit easy with me. The biggest frustration was undoubtedly Archer, a fickle character who starts the episode conspiring to kill the men who risked their lives to rescue him from the gallows last week, before changing his mind to help Robin's gang just because he overheard Tuck's protest speech. Archer's motivation and development just wasn't believable, which is particularly shameful if he's being primed to take over as the show's hero if Robin Hood is recommissioned. If that rumour's true, the writers have only one episode to transform Archer from opportunistic conman to selfless hero. Good luck.
Also, Kate's heartache over the thought Robin doesn't love her didn't work, as their romantic entanglement has been very badly mishandled. I'm not even sure Robin knows he's in a relationship with Kate at this point, and the writers appear to have forgotten about Much and Allan's feelings for Kate, too. A pity, as Joanne Froggatt deserved more consistent writing for this fumbled subplot -- but, seeing actors ill-served by the writing is nothing new for this show.
Still, for the most part "Something Worth Fighting For" provided a fast-paced, exciting hour of entertainment, topped off with a few fights that felt more realistic than usual (especially Allan's short duel in a forest.) Given the uncertainty over exactly which actors will be returning next year (if the show does return), even the moment when Much, Robin and Guy were trapped in a tunnel filling with grain worked well. I really did think Much was a goner at one point.
Overall, part 1 did exactly what was required of it, setting the scene brilliantly for a castle siege finale against hundreds of men. It even ended with the surprise death of a veteran character (hastily done, but otherwise good), and the expected return of a supposed dead man. No prizes for guessing who that was, but it was still a nice reveal. Above all, I leave you with this thought: when was the last time you were excited to see the next episode of Robin Hood? Exactly.
Let's hope they don't blow it.
20 June 2009
BBC1, 6.45pm
written by: Ryan Craig directed by: Matthew Evans starring: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Richard Armitage (Guy), David Harewood (Tuck), Gordon Kennedy (Little John), Sam Troughton (Much), Joe Armstrong (Allan), Lara Pulver (Isabella), Clive Standen (Archer), Joanne Froggatt (Kate), Teresa Banham (Rebecca), Fraser James (Blamire) & Ben O'Brien (Diggler)
