ROBIN HOOD 2.11 - "Treasure Of The Nation"

Writer: Simon J. Ashford

Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Lucy Griffiths (Marian), Keith Allen (Sheriff), Richard Armitage (Guy Of Gisborn), Sam Troughton (Much), Gordon Kennedy (Little John), Harry Lloyd (Will Scarlett), Joe Armstrong (Allan-a-Dale), Anjali Jay (Djak), Stephen Beckett (Legrand), Andy Helfer (Paxton) & Lynda Bellingham (Queen Eleanor)

Robin receives a message from King Richard, which tells him to find the "treasure of the nation" -- hopefully before the Sheriff does...

The penultimate episode of this improved second series starts slowly, but hots up after 20-minutes to provide fun adventuring with Robin's gang and compelling drama between Marian (Lucy Griffiths) and Guy Of Gisborn (Richard Armitage).

If season 1 was obsessed with breaking into Nottingham Castle, season 2 is definitely fixated on messengers; as another one arrives in Sherwood Forest to hand Robin (Jonas Armstrong) a message from crusading King Richard himself...

Legrand (Stephen Beckett) is the burly herald in question, a character created to cause antagonism with the similarly meat-headed Little John (Gordon Kennedy), although Beckett's performance doesn't really stretch much beyond a few baritone chuckles. A clichéd attempt to have the two giants eventually become friends doesn't quite come off, either.

Despite the first 20-minutes being a little dawdling, with Legrand taking Robin to see a wool merchant called Paxton (Andy Helfer) to decipher the King's message, things slowly become more interesting. Paxton helps decrypt the message, that asks Robin to find the "Thesaurus Patriae" (Treasure Of The Nation), and the gang head off on a treasure hunt through the forest, to some circular standing stones, and finally into an underground room…

Meanwhile, Marian is upset that Robin's latest quest means the villagers of Locksley will have to fend for themselves, now that the Sheriff (Keith Allen) has turned the place into a garrison for his mercenaries. She has no alternative but to take on her Nightwatchman persona and sneak into a storeroom to steal food for the starving people, only to be discovered by sympathetic Alan (Joe Armstrong) and Guy...

At this point, the subplot becomes more interesting than the main plot, as Guy discovers Marian's true identity and has no option but to take her prisoner. Robin Hood has always struggled to make its characters emotionally connect with viewers, but Guy and Marian have more history and facets to their characters than anyone else. It helps that Armitage and Griffiths play well against each, and seeing Guy realize his former fiancé has been leading a secret life against him, is by far the most engaging aspect of the episode…

But that's not to say there isn't merit with the treasure hunt plot, as it leads to fun moments of Indiana Jones-style underground adventure -- complete with a stone doorway (obviously made of polystyrene!) that traps our heroes inside. The Sheriff promptly turns up to eavesdrop on some information about the mysterious treasure's location and rides off with his men to a church at Kirklees.

Of course, Robin's gang soon escape and find the location of the treasure first, all amazed to discover it's actually a person: Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Lynda Bellingham), King Richard's mother, who must be evacuated from England. There follows a scramble to get the Queen out of the church and to safety, with the Sheriff's men back on their tails, leading to a fight sequence in the woods where (for once) the Sheriff shows backbone by killing Paxton and fighting Robin man-to-man...

Yes, after spending so long acting like the stooge to his own henchmen at times, it's great to see the Sheriff getting stronger material to work with recently. It's more iconic and enjoyable to see noble Robin Hood fighting the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham -- rather than just foiling another of his elaborate schemes and traps.

With most of the cast off being action men, it's left to Lucy Griffiths and Richard Armitage to provide the "real" acting, as outed Marian tries to appeal to Guy's better nature. But a bitter, hurt and resentful Guy sees no other option but to kill the love of his life for her vigilantism.

Needless to say, Robin's team manage to get Queen Eleanor to safety and she leaves for Ireland, before heading onto France. Back at the castle, a despondent Sheriff hopes to be cheered up by news Guy has captured the Nightwatchman and is readying him to be hung from the gallows. But, as Marian arrives (and is amusingly mistaken for an onlooker by the Sheriff), the "Nightwatchman" appears on the battlements and leads Guy and his men away in pursuit…

Guy therefore incurs the wrath of the Sheriff for allowing the Nightwatchman to escape again -- but, as consolation, he wins the respect and admiration of Marian – for making Allan pretend to be the Nightwatchman to spare her life. Honestly, I'm more interested in seeing if Marian can slowly turn Guy into a good guy, rather than watch her elope with Robin elope into the forest!

Overall, Treasure Of The Nation is mostly filler, although the Nightwatchman subplot unexpectedly ends a recurring plot neatly and simultaneously provides an emotional punch that's lacking elsewhere. It was interesting to have Queen Eleanor turn up in the series, particularly when she took a shine to "Big Bear" Little John, and I'm also enjoying the suddenly pro-active Sheriff, too...

It takes awhile to get going, but episode 11 is entertaining and manages to surprise a few times. The main irritation (beyond the repetitive use of music; that blares out for such thrilling moments as... a man hiding in a well!) is that the 90-minute finale won't arrive for another fortnight…


15 December 2007
BBC1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.10 – "Walkabout"

Writers: Robert Kurti & Bev Doyle

Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Lucy Griffiths (Marian), Keith Allen (Sheriff), Richard Armitage (Guy Of Gisborn), Sam Troughton (Much), Gordon Kennedy (Little John), Harry Lloyd (Will Scarlett), Joe Armstrong (Allan-a-Dale), Anjali Jay (Djak), Charlie Brooks (Ceris) & Lee Ross (Sir Jasper)

After the Sheriff disappears, a messenger from Prince John carries out the threat to raze Nottingham to the ground at sunset...

After penning some of season 1's better episodes, writing duo Robert Kurti and Bev Doyle return in this much-improved second year with Walkabout. Their story takes an unusual angle, with the Sheriff (Keith Allen) waking up deep inside Sherwood Forest, having sleepwalked out of his castle...

Unfortunately for the peasants of Nottingham, Sir Jasper (Owen Turner, the second Catherine Tate Show alumni to appear in as many weeks), has arrived for the Sheriff's seal -- which acts as proof all is well in the county. With the Sheriff missing (presumed dead), Jasper makes good on Prince John's threat to raze Nottingham to the ground by sunset, meaning Guy (Richard Armitage) is forced to ask Robin (Jonas Armstrong) for help finding his wayward boss...

To complicate matters, the self-paupered Sheriff is in no hurry to get back to Nottingham, as he hatches a plot to infiltrate the outlaws' camp and steal back the Great Pact. After exchanging his silk pajamas with a peasant, he allies himself with vagabond Ceris (ex-EastEnder Charlie Brooks) and her three scallywag kids. Having disguised himself as a blind man, doing his best for his starving family, Little John (Gordon Kennedy) and Djak (Anjali Jay) have their heartstrings tugged and agree to take the suffering back to camp...

Walkabout is pretty solid, particularly because it plays out the threat made in the premiere, with the destruction of Nottingham the price anyone will pay if the Sheriff is killed "unnaturally". It's fun to see Prince John's enormous private army (erm, 10 people on horseback filmed from different angles) descending on Nottingham, and the ticking clock sunset deadline instills plenty of old-fashioned tension in things. The safety of Nottingham is never really in doubt, of course, but the threat of a town purging is nicely achieved.

Keith Allen finally gets something to do this year, as the Sheriff is generally limited to making grandiose speeches and storming around his castle. It's good to see him more pro-active in the story, particularly once his own cunning and hands-on approach almost succeeds where Guy has failed dismally many times before. Basically, it's nice to see the Sheriff written as less of a bumbling twit and with some intelligence, for once.

Once again, it's Richard Armitage who proves most memorable, as Sir Guy realizes he has immunity from Jasper's men (on account of him being a Black Knight), but can only save Marian (Lucy Griffiths) if she agrees to marry him by sunset. The moment when Guy is forced to abandon his love for his own safety, only to return and accept certain death alongside Marian, is another great example of the nobility and chivalry that lurks beneath Guy's villainous veneer. He remains the best character, purely because he has more texture and depth than the rest of the cast put together...

Robin and Much (Sam Troughton) are pretty much sidelined for this episode, left to bumble along while more interesting events take place with the Sheriff, Guy and Little John. Alan (Joe Armstrong) is similarly superfluous this week, although I liked his fruitless attempt to gain sympathy from Will (Harry Lloyd) in one scene, with the former friends re-teaming to protect Nottingham from the approaching army.

Guest star Charlie Brooks was good value, bringing her soap villainy to bare on the role of Ceris, a mother-of-three whose greed is used against her by the Sheriff. Brooks certainly looks the part of a feisty beggar, and part of me hoped we'd see more of her character -- as Robin Hood could do with a anti-Marian; someone who sides with the Sheriff, and slowly achieves social standing through devious means. But it's probably not to be.

Ultimately, there's little point to this episode, but as an exercise in reminding what the stakes are should Robin simply shoot an arrow through the Sheriff's neck, it works perfectly. Allen is the best he's been on the show, Armitage is again impressive, and the slow-burn tension works well. It's a shame Robin is sidelined so much, and Ceris' role didn't have much pay-off, but Walkabout entertained and, more importantly, it was another episode that got the drama/action/comedy balance just right...


8 December 2007
BBC1, 7.00 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.9 – "Lardner's Ring"

Writer: John Fay

Director: Roger Goldby

Cast: 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), Mike Kelly (Gisbourne's Man #2), Matthew Horne (The Fool), Zortan Gal (McLellan) & Tamas Varga (Jailer)

A messenger from King Richard is killed by the Sheriff's men, but not before he sets in motion a search for the mysterious "Lardner"...

Lardner's Ring seems to be another silly episode, although it's surprisingly pertinent to the series as a whole. After a one-legged messenger from King Richard (Zortan Gal) arrives in Sherwood Forest, he is killed by the Sheriff's men before Robin (Jonas Armstrong) arrives and received one word of the message: Lardner.

At Locksley Village, Guy (Richard Armitage) is celebrating his birthday, with the Sheriff (Keith Allen) in attendance. A hired Fool (Matthew Horne) performs a rather weak comedy routine about Richard The Lionheart ("why not Lionclaw?"), before he upsets the Sheriff, makes a series of strange predictions about the future (including mention of "the ring of Lardner"), and is escorted away to be tortured and hung. That Sheriff; what a party-pooper.

Eventually, the episode boils down to a two-pronged attempt to find out exactly what Lardner's ring is. The Fool manages to escape from custody along with a captured Will (Harry Lloyd) and joins Robin's men, while Djak (Anjali Jay) realizes Lardner is actually the name given to the Sultan's best carrier pigeon...

As ridiculous as it sounds, Lardner's Ring does indeed become a mad scramble to find a pigeon. In one dumb moment, the Sheriff even causes head-slaps across the country when he declares: "We must catch the pigeon. Catch the pigeon: now." I'm sure Dick Dastardly & Muttley would be proud of the mention.

To be fair, while the surface level silliness is clear and The Fool character is a clear plot-device, it's still good to see the show actually progressing its overall storyline to warn the King about the Sheriff's machinations back home.

Against expectation, Robin even proposes to Marian (Lucy Griffiths) in the forest, adding another fresh element to the show – although it's constructed as a means to structure the future of the series, as Robin and Marian agree to only marry once the Sheriff is defeated and King Richard returns to give Marian away in church. So, about three to five years time, if the ratings stay strong?

Towards the end, with Lardner found and equipped with a return message to the King (asking him to hot-foot it back to England before he loses his throne), Robin and Marian are forced to hide up a tree from Guy, Allan (Joe Armstrong) and some soldiers...

With Robin cornered and only a small supply of arrows to fend off the waiting goons below, Guy decides to set fire to the tree and kill Robin once and for all. Fortunately, Guy is unaware Marian is up the tree with Robin (or, indeed, that the two are lovers), so Marian forces Robin to use her as a hostage...

By this stage, the gang have been alerted to Robin's predicament and Will comes up with a plan to smokescreen the area and shoot Robin a rope-slide escape route. Marian is left behind in the tree as Robin escapes, meaning she'll soon be back inside Nottingham Castle acting as Robin's eyes and ears.

In a short-lived moment of surprise, once the gang release Lardner back to King Richard with their message of help, the Sheriff arrives with a bird of prey that quickly catches the pigeon in mid-air. For once, it seems the bad guys have won this round... although the story chickens out and reveals the gang had a Lardner decoy (amazingly predicting the Sheriff's clever move!)

Lardner's Ring is a mixed bag. The "catch the pigeon" storyline is clearly a bit daft, the character of The Fool is little more than a plot-crutch that adds texture, and there's a ridiculously-dubbed Jailor character -- but everything is well-paced, the sense of hope given by the returning carrier pigeon works well, and Robin's proposal to Marian was unexpected.

Taken as a single episode, it's nothing special -- but there are some important plot-points to be found, and it's a good example of the show's more cohesive style this year.


1 December 2007
BBC1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.8 - "Get Carter"

Writer: Richard Standeven
Director: Roger Goldby

Cast: 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) & Joseph Kennedy (Carter)

The Sheriff recruits a deadly assassin to kill Robin, and Marian becomes a loose canon in Robin's gang...

The most memorable thing about Get Carter is a sudden wave of thinly veiled double entendres from the Sheriff (Keith Allen) -- beginning with a fnar-fnar "why don't you ever kiss my ring?" comment to Guy (Richard Armitage), who he later teases with the threat of kisses, before Nottingham's vilest is kicked in the balls by Robin (Jonas Armstrong). A gay-bashing subtext on a family show? Surely not!

But away from the episode's weird dalliance with homosexuality in the Middle Ages (in pure dirty panto-style, obviously), episode 8 finds the Sheriff recruiting Carter (Joseph Kennedy), a handsome blonde assassin fresh from the Crusades, to kill Robin Hood and retrieve the stolen Great Pact Of Nottingham...

Meanwhile, Robin is having problems trying to merge Marian (ravishing Lucy Griffiths) into his team, as her single-minded fighting style doesn't click with their team-work ethic. Indeed, she proves herself quite a liability when she drags the outnumbered and unprepared gang into a fight in Clun Village Fortunately, Carter promptly arrives to upstage everyone with his superior fighting skills, saves their skins, endears himself to Robin, and tricks his way back to the outlaws' camp...

Much (Sam Troughton) has his suspicions about this curiously-familiar stranger, and he's later proved right when Carter effortlessly captures the gang and reveals himself as the vengeful brother of Thomas -- a heroic soldier who died in the Crusades, supposedly because of Robin's actions...

Elsewhere, Guy orders Allan (Joe Armstrong) to find the runaway Marian, forcing Allan to pretend she's joined a convent and forge a letter to Guy from the Mother Superior.

Get Carter is quite possibly the best episode of the season, mainly because its plot is less convoluted than usual, and it builds on the season's past events very well -- continuing the Sheriff's Great Pact subplot and involving a belated return to the series' Crusades back-story...

In Carter, the script creates a character who should have become Allan's replacement, manages to make limp Robin feel like a formidable opponent for once, and contains a handful of emotional scenes that are surprisingly effective: Little John consoling a grieving Marian, Robin persuading Carter he's not to blame for his brother's death, and Much bemoaning his low-standing in the gang hierarchy...

The action sequences are better staged than usual, with even occasional Asterix-style comedic clangs slotting in well to the choreography. The overall production is clearly more expansive and immersive this year, too -- and there are some wonderful castle sequences running along the battlements.

As always, there are some irritations: like Carter's incessant sword-swinging and further reliance on Djak's magical Turkish medicine to get the storyline out of a dead-end, but nothing too distracting. In streamlining the script to simple A and B plots, beefing up the character moments, and ensuring the episode continues some ongoing subplots, Get Carter becomes nothing less than enjoyable and occasionally rather thrilling.

The turnaround in quality is actually quite startling when you compare season 2 to the dawdling, repetitive, slog of season 1. The unfortunate casting decisions in key roles, anachronisms, and a general family-too-friendly atmosphere, will always be its undoing -- but, given its ingredients, Robin Hood is finally cooking up a Saturday evening treat!


23 November 2007
BBC1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.7 - "Show Me The Money"

Writer: Julian Jones

Director: James Erskine

Cast: 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

ROBIN HOOD 2.6 - "For England...!"

Writer: Rob Heyland

Director: James Erskine

Cast: 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) & Denis Lawson (Harold of Winchester)

The Black Knights descend on Nottingham to sign a Pact the Sheriff has drawn up, that will remove King Richard from the throne...

Credit where it's due; series 2 of Robin Hood has been a great deal more fun, and the recurring subplots (the Black Knights, Allan's treachery) have given the series more cohesion. I'm enjoying each episode much more than last year, although it helps that I've learned to lower my expectations considerably...

For England...! marks the sophomore year's half-way point, and it's only fitting that this episode revolves around series 2's best new idea -- the Black Knights and their plot to dethrone King Richard upon his return from the Crusades. The Sheriff (Keith Allen) is gathering the Knights to sign The Great Pact Of Nottingham -- drawn up by a mute scribe he pushes off a tower by way of thanks, in fine pantomime baddie tradition. Seriously, all we needed was a long scream that faded to a squelch!

One of the gathering Knights turns out to be the Sheriff of Winchester (Denis Lawson), an old friend of the former Sheriff of Nottingham, Sir Edward (Michael Elwyn), Marian's father. Edward's now in the castle dungeon, so Robin (Jonas Armstrong) hopes Winchester's loyalty to his old friend will help undermine the current Sheriff's masterplan...

The Pact's signing is taking place on the King's birthday, so Robin's gang have the ideal excuse to infiltrate the castle (not that they ever usually have a problem), by dressing up as entertainers and smuggling weapons inside musical instruments. In one unintentionally hilarious scene, the worst security checkpoint in the world fail to spot an obvious sword handle sticking out of a lute!

Of course, things are complicated when Winchester's past history with Edward is revealed as being less than rosy. It seems Edward "stole" Winchester's girlfriend from him years ago, and later married her, resulting in their child Marian (Lucy Griffiths). So Winchester allies himself with the dastardly Sheriff and agrees to sign the Pact in return for Sussex and the sweet Marian as his concubine...

Rob Heyland's script gets more mileage out of its idea than you'd expect, and even manages to make some of its sillier ideas just about work -- like the suggestion Robin's gang need to dress up as a Morris Dancers-style troupe, when Robin himself has a preternatural ability to drop from castle ceilings and masquerade as anybody simply by wearing a cloak!

Still, it's nice to see that Allan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong) hasn't been dropped from the show entirely, as he's already sniffing around Guy (Richard Armitage) and making inquiries about joining the baddies full-time. It's about time the villains of the show amounted to more than a two-hander between the Sheriff and Guy, so I hope Allan's successful in his application. Of course, not even Guy is clever enough to realize Allan knows important information they can use -- like exactly where the Outlaws' Camp is!

But with Robin Hood, you're always being asked to suspend your disbelief and go with the flow. I mean, after almost 20 episodes, the Sheriff still hasn't realized that devising complex ways for enemies to die (this week, a medieval version of Gladiators over a giant cauldron) may be great fun, but it never gets the job done. So cue another action sequence, as Robin and Allan are forced to knock each other around with giant cotton-buds on a plank, before the outlaws spring into action and save the day.

But I always expect a frothy mix of good, bad and embarrassing with Robin Hood. It's best not to focus too much on specifics and just enjoy the great scenery, sets and the handful of decent performances. Chief amongst them has always been Richard Armitage's Guy, who here gets the most development of his character since last series 1...

Once Guy learns dirty old Winchester wants to whisk beautiful Marian away with him, he's the first one to start arranging his ex-fiance's escape from the castle. Then, in the finale, there's a neat reversal of expectation when it's Guy and the Sheriff who rescue Marian from Winchester's clutches -- not a seconds-too-late Robin...

It seems that, for all his faults and sucking-up to the Sheriff (in pursuit of power and social standing), Guy's not actually so terrible. In fact, where Marian's concerned, he's actually just as heroic towards her (and a damned sight more dashing) than Robin! How much better would this show be if Armitage were the one carrying the arrows, leading men with beards that look like they can withstand a strong breeze?

Overall, For England...! has some repetitive spells and there's the usual unintentional silliness, but that's par for the course. For the most part, episode 6 is entertaining and even has a few surprises along the way. But it's mostly successful because it continues Allan's storyline after his recent fall from grace, the excellent Denis Lawson is a memorable guest star, and it puts some emphasis back on Guy of Gisbourne -- who was the best thing about series 1, and is still the only character with any real personality.


10 November 2007
BBC1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.5 - "Ducking And Diving"

Writer: Debbie Oates

Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: 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), Josie Lawrence (Matila), Sara Howarth (Rosa) & David Bamber (Blight)

Robin must stop a messenger revealing information to the Sheriff about King Richard's return, and later discovers there's a spy amongst his gang...

Ducking And Diving is a rather humdrum episode of Robin Hood, focusing on a quite uninteresting central plot that wastes the talents of its guest stars and is ultimately crippled by the fact a subplot (with traitorous Allan-a-Dale being slowly exposed) is far more interesting than the main story -- about a messenger who has information for the Sheriff (Keith Allen) about the King's return, but it must remain a secret to prevent an assassination attempt...

The main story wastes a guest appearance by David Bamber as ratty physician Blight, then crowbars in Josie Lawrence as an unconvincing "wise woman" Matilda -- who more closely resembles a school art teacher! As luck would have it, Matilda helped usher Robin into this world as a baby, so she helps the outlaw by drugging the messenger (Henry of Lewes) and turning him into an incoherent lunatic.

Unfortunately, Matilda's actions are discovered and the Sheriff's punishment is to expose her as a witch by ducking her in the local village pond. The treatment of witches in the Middle Ages is something I've been waiting to see appear in Robin Hood, but while the ducking sequence itself is well-crafted, it seems a waste to limit witchcraft to almost an afterthought here...

So while the thrust of Ducking And Diving is dispiriting and plodding -- not helped by Matilda's daughter Rosa (Sara Howarth) giving birth back at the outlaw's camp -- Debbie Oates' script gets some respect for unexpectedly exposing Allan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong) as a traitor in Robin's midst. Allan's dealings with Guy Of Gisbourne has been a good recurring plot strand for season 2, but it's nice to see the writers refusing to stretch it to breaking point, and it's ended very well in episode 5.

For once, the last 10 minutes of an episode doesn't revolve around an escape from Nottingham Castle, but instead it's just a simple two-hander between actors in a tavern. I hope the series as a whole realizes character relationships and interplay are what audiences really want to see, as they're what make the action worth watching. Of course, now that Allan has been exposed, it's frustrating to realize nothing else is around to replace that recurring plot!

As side-notes, it's nice to see Little John (Gordon Kennedy) being treated as a normal human being, instead of a monosyllabic cliche, for the second week running. Little John was always my favourite "merry man", but his treatment in this BBC series has been especially weak for the most part. Hopefully this is the beginning of a turnaround for the character.

On the flipside, Much (Sam Troughton) is seriously beginning to irritate me now. He was quite effective comic relief during season 1, but he's become almost dangerous a liability lately. Purely for the purposes of the plot, it takes Much mere seconds to blurt out the secret about a traitor to the whole group, before a later slip-up with a knife almost costs him his own life!

Still, while Much is flawed, he's at least memorable -- compared to Harry Lloyd's limp Will Scarlett -- but his constant screw-ups are beginning to annoy me. Another script convenience arrives when physician Blight conveniently discovers (off-screen) that Matilda delivered Robin into this world. I can live with it, but it's still lazy plotting that proves irksome...

Overall, Ducking And Diving is only worthy of attention for Robin's discovery of Allan's betrayal, as the main plot is quite a bore. The ducking sequence, with Matilda fastened to a chair to be drowned, is great when it arrives -- even if her inevitable rescue is a far-fetched -- but I'd have preferred a proper episode about the treatment of suspected witches...

The tragic waste of guest star David Bamber, and a miscast Josie Lawrence, only confirm episode 5 as a disappointing misstep. It's only rescued from total failure by a late emphasis on character over action.


3 November 2007
BBC 1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.4 - "The Angel Of Death"

Writer: Julian Unthank

Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: 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), Ralf Little (Joseph), Michael Elwyn (Sir Edward), Jonathan Readwin (Luke Scarlett), Sean Murray (Dan Scarlett) & Bethany Turner (Sarah)

Pestilence descends on Nottingham, so part of the town is quarantined by the Sheriff. Meanwhile, Will Scarlett's father and brother arrive in Sherwood Forest, and aren't quite so convinced a pestilence is to blame...

One criticism of Robin Hood last year was its bright, sunny atmosphere and cheery disposition -- something which hasn't quite vanished in season 2, but there are more slithers of darkness to in the mix. Here, The Angel Of Death focuses on that staple of Middle Age life: plague.

The plague is grisly stuff for tea-time family viewing, so it's predictably watered-down for family consumption. Instead of frightening horror, it's the kind of plague that can be treated in seconds by rubbing antidote on your lips and always has a comically-delayed reaction time if you're one of the main characters.

As is customary on the show, family members of the "gang" arrive to signal another adventure -- this time in the shape of Will Scarlett's father Dan (Sean Murray) and brother Luke (Jonathan Readwin.) Dan's not keen on his son being an outlaw, not when the family carpentry business awaits him in Scarborough(!), but Will's adamant he wants to stay fighting alongside Robin (Jonas Armstrong)...

In one of the show's more surprising moments, Dan is quickly murdered by the Sheriff's men after speaking out about the supposed pestilence that has struck Nottingham. It appears the pestilence is actually a chemical weapons test, meant for King Richard upon his return from the Crusades. The master poisoner behind everything is Joseph, a religious nut hired by the Sheriff, played by the nonthreatening Ralf Little -- whose performance is more wooden than Nottingham's gallows. Joseph has been posing as the Nightwatchman and delivering "poison pies" to the residents of Pine Street -- the rotter!

The Sheriff (Keith Allen) quarantines Pine Street with make-shift wooden fences -- trapping Robin, Djak (Anjali Jay) and Little John (Gordon Kennedy) inside to die with the infected. Meanwhile, Will goes rogue to avenge his father's death, and traitorous Alan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong), entrusted with delivering a message from Robin to Roger of Stoke, lets slimy Guy (Richard Armitage) in on his secret mission...

I still don't believe Alan would help Guy just for monetary gain, particularly after witnessing the Sheriff and Guy's evil schemes first hand, but having a mole in Robin's camp has certainly added a good recurring undertone to season 2.

It's also nice to see Will (Harry Lloyd) get something to do, as Lloyd is a particularly strong actor who's never been given much to do. You could say the same for most of the gang, truth be told. Will's particularly fun to watch in avenging mode later on, singlehandedly doing a damned sight better job than he does as part of a team!

For the second week running, Marian (Lucy Griffiths) is kept in the background, without being shoehorned into the story if she's not needed. She instead has a few minor scenes, highlighting the fact her father is being starved as punishment for her actions last week, and enjoys a brief flirtation with Robin.

For about half the episode, The Angel Of Death was surprisingly strong for an episode of Robin Hood; its plots were swiftly deployed, tackled darker themes, and provided a few surprises along the way. Unlike most episodes, it wasn't always clear where everything was headed, which made it the most watchable storyline thus far...

However, the good work was undone by Robin Hood's usual ability to shoot itself in the foot with frustrating and stupid scenes. The Sheriff yet again can't see Robin and his gang in Nottingham's courtyard, even when they're stood in plain sight not 20 metres away! Robin continues his preternatural archery skills -- here shooting 3 whooshing arrows faster than you can blink. It doesn't highlight his amazing skill, it just makes him look like a cartoon...

Much (Sam Troughton) pretends to be dead by pulling the most obviously-fake bug-eyed, slack-jawed face this side of panto. Then, the finale's protracted death throes of the Sheriff and Joseph, poisoned by vengeful Alan, was played so much for laughs it sapped any hint of danger... and the denouement -- where Alan is shown an optical illusion of his dead father's face on a rock in the forest -- didn't tug on the heartstrings as intended, it just left you confused such an effect could be achieved in the Middle Ages. What next; will someone make a hologram out of a carved piece of amber you hold in front of a camp fire?

Still, while it was ultimately undone by silliness, the meat of Julian Unthank's script was very palatable. In terms of production alone, the wonderful sets have never looked better, and some special effects sequences of people climbing up a castle tower were fantastic. It was great to see some ambition in the series, in terms of scale and stunts.

Overall, The Angel Of Death was very good. I can safely declare season 2 is superior to the first, but it's extremely annoying when solid episodes like this are dragged down by bad creative decisions. Children like darkness and television that treats them with some credibility -- just look at Doctor Who! While I'm glad a few death scenes made it through the censor, I wish Robin Hood would show more courage when it comes to depicting the Middle Ages. The show still has the sniff of modern adults playing around in a giant "Medieval World" theme park.

Still, at least those villagers finally showed their appreciation for all the good work Robin and his outlaws do every week. It was about time!


27 October 2007
BBC1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.3 - "Childhood"

Writer: Jason Sutton
Director: Ciaran Donnelly

Cast: 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)

After a gang of children discover a plan to create impenetrable armour for the Sheriff's soldiers, all but one are captured and Robin Hood 's assistance is required...

Childhood is another entertaining adventure for the series, which has clearly improved from its first year, but remains a frustrating blend of missed opportunities and stylistic oddities (slo-mo, whooshing graphics). It really helps that this episode focuses on children, as a small gang of kids led by Daniel play "outlaws" in Sherwood Forest and accidentally witness Guy Of Gisbourne (Richard Armitage) testing a new, impenetrable armour.

Soon enough, the kids are captured and taken to Locksley Manor, although their leader Daniel manages to escape and find his hero Robin Hood (Jonas Armstrong), who draws up a rescue plan. The episode sees Daniel live out his boyhood fantasy, while Robin devises a way to free his young friends, and ensure the Sheriff's "magic metal" is never put into production -- by stealing the diamonds used to create it...

The idea to involve kids proves to be a brilliant one, as it's nice to see Robin Hood and his men are treated as heroic figures. Too often on this show, the poor villagers are quick to take the stolen riches given to them by Robin's gang, but rarely show their appreciation. Indeed, the general spirit of everyone outside of Robin's clique is annoyingly ambivalent to the situation with the Sheriff. I really hope the series begins to cultivate a growing sense of unrest with the population, as surely a mass uprising wouldn't be too far away?

For a family-friendly show, kids watching will love seeing people their own age taking part in the adventure. It's just a shame the emphasis on the children dissipates and eventually becomes a more typical Robin Hood plot. But, for all the criticism heaped upon Robin Hood every week, it would make a great children's series -- if that were its intent.

Richard Armitage is a constant source of joy as Guy, primarily because he's the only villain you're ever fearful of. In stark contrast, Keith Allen's Sheriff is too often a figure of boo-hiss fun, who exists to be humiliated. Guy snakelike charm is far more insidious and, unlike his master, he actually carries out his threats. I didn't expect to see children being slaughtered on primetime Saturday night TV, but it's a testament to Armitage's performance that the thought crossed my mind...

The late appearance of Marian (Lucy Griffiths) is also a wise choice -- not that I don't like Griffiths' performances, but because keeping her at distance makes a change. Robin Hood is quick to settle into formulas and repetition, so the episode takes a different shape by keeping her at arm's length for awhile. Indeed, it might good to have future episodes entirely without Marian, Guy or the Sheriff's involvement. Marian does play a significant role in the finale, but it's nice to see the emphasis of an episode move away from the obvious.

Alan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong) continues his traitorous subplot, reporting Robin's plans to Guy, in exchange for food, wine and silver. This storyline is certainly one of the better ideas introduced in series 2, and it will be interesting to see the fallout when his actions are inevitably revealed to Robin. I'm predicting a last-minute change of heart and redeeming action from Alan, myself.

Unfortunately, the finale reverted to type and became a bit too jokey for my taste. The Sheriff threatens to hang a captured Daniel unless Robin hand over his stolen diamonds (and you know his threats are never born out), Guy gets to lurch around dressed as a medieval RoboCop, and Marian again scuppers the Sheriff's plans. Another silly punishment for Marian should be forthcoming, but atleast Guy finally begins to consider Marian may be working for Robin...

Overall, Childhood was a solid story and Robin Hood is beginning to show form in series 2. I could do without the panto villainy of the Sheriff (he even utters a "oh no..." when his plan falls apart), while the show's general attitude and casting decisions will always cripple it -- but this was entertaining, light-hearted fun. Robin Hood is worth watching if only for the marvelous Richard Armitage, endearing Lucy Griffiths, and the beautiful scenery.

As a TV show, it could be so much more -- given the big production values and classic premise -- but if you're willing to accept its many artistic faults, Robin Hood is breezy fun with a handful of performances to savour.


20 October 2007
BBC1, 7.15 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.2 - "The Booby And The Beast"

Writer: Simon J. Ashford

Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: 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) & Dexter Fletcher (Prince Frederick of Hanheim)

Robin and his gang try to rob the Sheriff's new "Strong Room", just as Prince Frederick of Hanheim arrives in Nottingham to play the Sheriff's new casino...

With a title like The Booby And The Beast, there's no sign series 2 of Robin Hood is aiming any higher than last year. It's resolutely suck in family-friendly, silly, undemanding adventure mode. It's not going to offend or challenge anything, it's just going to go about its business: entertaining young kids, boring teenagers and frustrating adults.

After those awful opening titles (which visually trot as the music gallops), we're soon introduced to the Sheriff's "Strong Room", an impregnable chamber inside Nottingham Castle containing silver to aide the plot to assassinate King Richard upon his return. Of course, accessing the Castle is a daily occurrence for Robin's outlaws, but the Room's array of Indiana Jones-style booby-traps, proves difficult to negotiate...

So Robin (Jonas Armstrong) retreats to Sherwood Forest to find the Strong Room's designer, a blind man called Steven, who explains the Room's complex assortment of mechanical death traps. It's essentially Ocean's 1200 A.D.

This merging of olde and new continues with the opening of a casino, where the Sheriff (Keith Allen) intends to fleece visiting moneybags Prince Frederick of Hanheim (Hotel Babylon's Dexter Fletcher, complete with comedy German accent). As usual, the Sheriff makes the fatal mistake of entrusting Marian (Lucy Griffiths) with something -- as she escorts Frederick around and reports everything back to Robin. Still, it's easier to accept Marian will do the Sheriff's bidding in series 2, as he has her elderly father's life to threaten...

Episode 2 boils down to a climactic casino heist, after not-so-dumb Frederick discovers the Sheriff's plot to cheat him, and takes sides with Marian to turn the tables. Simultaneously, directly below the casino in the Strong Room, Robin plays a deadly game of The Crystal Maze, becoming a medieval Lara Croft to dodge CGI darts and avoid falling down crumbling flagstones that cover fiery pits! Erk!

To be honest, I had some fun with this episode. If you accept Dominic Minghella's Robin Hood has modest intentions, try to overlook the awful anachronisms, and generally lower expectations, The Booby And The Beast is light-hearted fun. The problems are so ingrained in Robin Hood's overall style and bad casting that it'll never really improve. You just have to find whatever enjoyment you can.

I'm sure kids will love the Strong Room (with its Tomb Raider-tyle booby traps), won't snigger at the sight of a "medieval casino", or consider how boring the outlaws are (Little John's performance extends to saying "This, I do not like" before hitting someone with a stick!), or notice the repetitive musical cues. Seriously, I swear there are only four tracks that get played over and over: track 1, rousing action music; track 2, romantic music; track 3, Sheriff's evil music; and track 4, Guy of Gisbourne's devious tune...

Overall, Simon J. Ashford's episode is silly and cartoony (we even get "clunk" sounds when fleshy hands punch metal helmets), but it should please the kids. The sets and landscapes look great, despite the distractingly modern camera style, but you have to watch it with the mindset of an 8-year-old. It's a big-budget Maid Marian & Her Merry Men -- without the laughs.


13 October 2007
BBC1, 7.30 pm

ROBIN HOOD 2.1 - "Sister Hood"

Writer: Dominic Minghella
Director: Matthew Evans

Cast: 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) & Sara Stewart (Davina/Rose)

The Sheriff's sister arrives at Nottingham Castle, prompting the capture of Robin and the destruction of Marian's home…

The adventures of Robin Hood continue for another series, despite the first run being widely criticized for its anachronistic attitude and flimsy shoehorning of political parallels between the 12th-Century's Crusades and the 21st-Century's War On Terror.

Sister Hood makes it immediately clear that lessons haven’t been learned from series 1, with another swishing arrow sound effect heralding the legend we're in "Sherwood Forest", witnessing Robin (Jonas Armstrong) and his merry men (sorry, "gang") robbing a devious-looking lady of her riches. It's business as usual.

The after-shocks of last year's finale are only moderately felt, primarily when jilted fiancé Guy of Gisbourne (Richard Armitage) burns down former-fiancée Marian's home. Ooh, the rotter! To be fair, Armitage is still the only actor successfully counteracting the show's inherent breezy nonsense with something approaching real malice.

Keith Allen is quite good fun as the Sheriff, but too often his pantomime, nasty uncle attitude robs the show of what it so desperately needs: a bit of real nastiness. Help seemed to be at hand with the introduction of Davina (Sugar Rush's Sara Stewart), the devious-looking lady from the teaser, who is revealed to be the Sheriff's sister.

Davina's arrival is just the kind of seductive, faintly-incestuous undertone Robin Hood needs, but all hope Stewart would become the Evil-Lyn to Allen's Skeletor, is flushed away by the episode's end. It's a real shame, as Sara Stewart showed plenty of promise as a sort of dominatrix, snake-obsessed version of Penny Smith.

While the overall feeling behind series 2's premiere is one of humdrum continuation, writer Dominic Minghella does find the time to iron out a few kinks in Hood's armour. A big problem last year was coming up with a reason Robin doesn't just twang an arrow into the Sheriff's neck from behind some bushes. Sister Hood finds a workable solution, by revealing King John has vowed to decimate the county of Nottinghamshire if the Sheriff should die an unnatural death. As reasons go, it'll do.

Minghella also gives the outlaws a nifty new camp, which is a better hidden area for them to retreat to and plausibly avoid soldiers. Djaq (Anjali Jay) has also been allowed to let her hair down (literally), meaning she's less androgynous-looking.

There's also some set-up for a few continuing plots for series 2, as the Sheriff outlines his plot to assassinate King Richard when he returns from the Crusades, with the help of his Black Knights. Elsewhere, Gisbourne successfully manipulated Allan-a-Dale (Joe Armstrong) into becoming a traitor in the outlaw's midst…

And yet, for the few attempts to paste over some series 1 cracks, Robin Hood still doesn't have the desired punch. Jonas Armstrong is likable, but lacks a commanding presence as Robin -- and his outlaws are annoying scallywags, not well-trained freedom fighters. Above all, despite some gorgeous scenery and atmospheric sets, the vibe of the show is too consciously modern and hip, with an eye on the American market. The 80s ITV series may be plodding and visually murky by comparison, but there was authenticity and atmosphere sadly lacking from the BBC version.

Last year's dark, muddy opening titles have wisely been given a lick of paint, but now come with a patronizing summary of the show! Frankly, if you're watching Robin Hood and you need the premise explaining to you… well, you're beyond help!

However, Sister Hood wasn't a total, brainless failure. If you're prepared to accept the inherent faults with casting and overall style, Robin Hood is a fair amount of fun at times. Keith Allen and Richard Armitage are generally entertaining to watch, Lucy Griffiths is easy on the eye as Marian, and this episode had a wonderful snake-pit finale – with the Sheriff taunting a captured Robin with all the glee of a particularly stupid Bond villain.

Sister Hood was a reasonable start to series 2, but not the reinvention necessary to do justice to this enduring legend.


6 October 2007
BBC1, 7.30 pm

ROBIN HOOD 1.13 - "A Clue: No" (Part 2 of 2)

30 Dec 06. BBC 1, 7.15 pm

WRITER: Dominic Minghella DIRECTOR: Matthew Evans

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), Lukacs Bicskey (King Richard), Michael Maloney (Pitts), Ben O'Brien (Gisborne's Man), Timothy Knightley (Canon Bond), Simon Green (Merton), Barna Illyes (King's Guardsman), Alexis Latham (Scribe), Michael Elwyn (Sir Edward) & John Carlise (Thornton)

Robin tries to prevent Marian marrying Sir Guy as King Richard arrives at Nottingham Castle. But is everything as it seems?

The final episode of Robin Hood's extremely haphazard first season ends on a generally bright note, but one that's not without its problems. It's not a spoiler to reveal that Marian's untimely "death" last week is soon proven inaccurate and the thrust of the episode is divided between Robin's desire to stop her marrying Sir Guy and King Richard's imminent arrival at Nottingham Castle.

A Clue: No (these titles get worse) is a step up from most efforts, again from creator Dominic Minghella, who has the luxury of writing episodes ingrained with importance regarding the season's ongoing plot threads. The most emotionally engaging aspect to the show has been Marian's impending wedding to villainous Sir Guy, despite being written as a medievel soap opera. This strand is fittingly resolved, although the wedding is a damp squib because the story demands most of the characters be elsewhere. Still, there's just the right amount of romance when true love wins through and Lucy Griffiths has never looked lovelier.

The meatier part of the story concerns King Richard's return, although the sovereign's return isn't quite as straight-forward as you'd expect. Actually, you'll probably guess the twist before it happens, but it's good fun and a suitable storyline for a finale.

While the sense of closure to the season is adequate, nothing particularly revolutionary happens. In fact, the finale just resets everything back to how it was by the end of episode 1, which is disappointing. The only thing that will be interesting to see next year will be how Marian is incorporated into events as her priviledged position seems untenable now.

Minghella looks to have a better handle on the characters, with Robin and Much's relationship better explored and Sir Edward (Michael Elwyn) finally getting something to do beyond provide a sounding board for daughter Marian.

Technically, this episode is to the series' usual standards, although a forest fight sequence is better directed by Matthew Evans thanks to good use of wide shots. The scenery and set-design remains excellent, if too pristine and idyllic for my personal taste.

Overall, Robin Hood has been a curious frustration. There have been a few episodes that really worked well, but most are either pedestrian excuses for routine rescues or plain boring. Jonas Armstrong is likeable but lacks gravitas in the title role, Lucy Griffiths struggles to make smug Marian interesting (but when she succeeds it's a joy), Keith Allen has his moments but isn't the electrifying presence the Sheriff role demands, while the gang of outlaws are underwritten and too young (particularly giant bore Little John). Richard Armitage gets the balance totally right as slimy Sir Guy, an enjoyable and charismatic presence, while Sam Troughton is effective comic relief as Much.

The action sequences are over-produced, the supposedly downtrodden peasants rarely look starved or dirty, the storylines are repetitive (how many rescues and Nottingham Castle break-ins can they get away with?), while the attempts to parallel contemporary Middle Eastern politics is interesting but overdone and hackneyed.

However, for all its flaws and disappointments, there's glimpses of something greater struggling to break out. If the characterisation improves, the storylines grow more diverse, the actors attack the script with more relish, and the production designers give us a realistic mediavel world... there's hope yet.

But I won't be counting the days for Robin's return....

ROBIN HOOD 1.12 - "The Return Of The King" (Part 1 of 2)

23 Dec 06. BBC 1, 7.05 pm
WRITER: Dominic Minghella DIRECTOR: Matthew Evans
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)

News of the King's imminent return has serious repercussions; Allan-A-Dale and Will contemplate going back to their former lives, while Marian faces her marriage to Sir Guy...

The end is near. Series creator Dominic Minghella returns to write an episode and the result is a more involving episode than usual, although much of this is because the story promises a major shake-up for the show...

The Return Of The King (that whirring is Professor Tolkien spinning in his grave) is a strange mix of rudimentary subplots that helps the episode become greater than the sum of its parts. I suppose we should just be grateful we don't have to suffer another dungeon rescue, but it's interesting to note that this episode barely utilizes the series greatest assets: Keith Allen's Sheriff and Richard Armitage's Guy Of Gisborne. Sure, it touches on them, but the main thrust of the story is some investigation by Robin into proving Sir Guy tries to kill the King in the Middle East.

King Richard's return provides the impetus for some character development and also seems to be effectively winding up the series. Of course, a second series has been confirmed by the BBC, but part of me feels Robin Hood should have been a mini-series with a definite beginning, middle and end. I've enjoyed the series, for what it's worth, but the thought of another 13 episodes doesn't fill me with joy, just apathy.

Anyway, the saving grace of the episode is with Minghella's sure-handed writing, particularly regarding the Robin and Marian romance. This love story has always been a focus of previous Robin Hood adaptations, but it's been curiously mishandled throughout Minghella's new series. Jonas Armstrong and the delightful Lucy Griffiths work well together and this episode only proves that more should have been done earlier to strengthen the Robin/Marian dynamic.

As it stands, everything is effectively set-up for the series finale and this episode ends on a daring note that I didn't expect (but am 99% certain will be resolved quickly next time!) The finale looks set to bring the whole Robin/Marian/Guy plot to a satisfying conclusion and this episode provides an entertaining preamble with fewer annoyances than most episodes.

Overall, this isn's great -- but it's good. There's enough freshness and developments to ensure you'll stick around to see how the series ends, but there's still that nagging feeling that once this story is resolved... would you still want to go visit Sherwood Forest next year?

ROBIN HOOD 1.11 - "Dead Man Walking"

16 Dec 06. BBC 1, 7.15 pm

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.

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...

ROBIN HOOD 1.10 - "Peace? Off!"

9 Dec 06. BBC 1, 6.55 pm
WRITERS: Bev Doyle & Richard Kurti 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), Rhys Meredith (Harold) & Raji James (Prince Malik)

An emissary from the Middle East arrives to negotiate peace with Prince John, but the Sheriff has plans to use him as ransom...

The last episode written by Bev Doyle and Richard Kurti was the great The Taxman Cometh, so my expectations were high for their sophomore effort. Sadly, Peace? Off!, while containing some good ideas and fun moments, is a mess.

Robin Hood has always had a tendency to parallel the Crusades with current Middle Eastern issues throughout its stories, but this episode marks the most overt attempt yet. When Prince Malik arrives at Nottingham Castle to begin peace negotiations with Prince John, the outlaws find themselves fearing the arrival of this "Saracen sorceror" after discovering a ghoulish mask in his abandoned carriage.

Their discovery leads to the series' first dabble with the supernatural (an angle used often, to fantastic success, in Robin Of Sherwood) and for awhile the intriguing elements, including a hypnotized Crusader setting fire to churches, all indicate a silly but entertaining story is about to unfold. Sadly, once things are set in motion, it all quickly crumbles into nonsense after 20 minutes.

Basically, Doyle and Kurit's script begins to overload credibility (female ninja's) and contains unforgivable lapses in historical fact. Of course, it's easy to overlook these slip-ups and enjoy the show on a basic level, as it contains some entertaining fight scenes and the best use of Keith Allen's Sheriff in weeks, but is that enough? As a story, Peace? Off! just washes over you, testing your patience as its plot thickens into sludge.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the best aspect of Robin Of Sherwood was its pagan mythology, a fresh element that even appeared in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Quite why this new series shys away from a supernatural angle is ridiculous, as kids are far more interested in spooky stories than politics! I don't mean the series should start including witches huddled around cauldrons, but the 12th-Century was a more superstitious and fightening place than Robin Hood is showing us. Maybe we should get a taste of that occassionally.

The usual saviours of bad episodes, Lucy Griffiths and Richard Armitage, are mostly sidelined here, leaving Keith Allen to wring some entertainment in the latter moments as the cowardly Sheriff -- but it's not enough. Guest star Raji James, as Prince Malik, isn't very convincing, delivering stilted dialogue and looking faintly embarassed by everything. Rhys Meredith is better as "psycho" Harold, particularly in scenes alongside Sam Troughton, but even his performance is tainted by the climactic fight scene (army issue khaki? The costume department must have gone to sleep!)

Overall, the title Peace? Off! should tell you all you need to know! This episode is unintentionally hilarious in places, so there is entertainment to be had, but it's just disappointing to see a potentially interesting story shoot itself in the foot. All the actors seem to be trying (with the exception of the self-conscious James) but nobody can rescue a plot this messy.

A terrible disappointment given the potential.

ROBIN HOOD 1.9 - "A Thing Or Two About Loyalty"

2 Dec 06. BBC 1, 7.05 pm
WRITER: Paul Cornell 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), Michael Elwyn (Sir Edward), Simon Green (Merton) & Kelly Adams (Eve)

A scientist who has created an explosive powder is tortured by the Sheriff into revealing how to make it. Meanwhile, Much is made a Lord as part of a propoganda plot...

It's a Doctor Who reunion in Sherwood Forest, with writer Paul Cornell (Father's Day) and director Graeme Harper (Rise Of The Cybermen) both involved in Robin Hood's ninth adventure, as the series gallops into the home stretch...

Things seem to be solidifying more in this episode. The series began on a shaky footing that showed signs of improvement around episode 4, but most plots still suffers from a repetitive nature. In A Thing Or Two About Loyalty, if you ignore yet another prisoner in the dungeon, the deja vu is quite minimal -- although it's unfortunate last week's acid plot bares similarities to this week's quest for "Greek Fire"...

What works best in episode 9 is the characterisations, most notably Sam Troughton's Much, who gets away from dopey sidekick status to become quite an endearing hero, after the Sheriff grants hima Lordship. Of course, it's all in the hope of making the populace believe such reward is possible if they follow the law. It's an idea that seems implausible and weak at first, but the plot thickens once Much's new servant girl, Eve (Adams; excellent), is revealed as snooping for the Sheriff.

Quite why Much seriously thinks the public wouldn't be suspicious of the Sheriff rewarding a known outlaw is anyone's guess, though! Maybe he was just too enamoured with those fancy robes to think straight? Or maybe he really is just a dopey sidekick after all...

Richard Armitage is fast overtaking Lucy Griffiths as the best reason to watch. As Sir Guy, his rortured character is the most three-dimensional creation. Here it's revealed the principled scientist Lambert was once Guy's friend -- hardly the sort of friendship you'd expect. So was Sir Guy once a more level-headed nobleman before the Sheriff poured poison in his ear? Darth Vader to the Sheriff's Emperor? It certainly seems that he's using Marian as some kind of redemption through marriage, at any rate.

Paul Cornell's script is good, moving smoothly between the two plots (the Greek Fire ledger and Much's nobility) with ease. It also manages to overlap both stories without seeming too forced. The explosive finale (literally) is a little over-directed by Graeme Harper, appearing disjointed in places, but the effects work is decent.

However, it's becoming apparent to me that the modern flourishes to Robin Hood don't do the show any favours. Every time a fired arrow makes a cartoony whoosing noise, an on-screen legend shoots onto the screen, or a "bullseye screen transition" occurs, it just distances me from the period setting. But I don't hold out much hope in them disappearing!

Overall, the strong characterisations help grease the wheels on an occassionally wayward plot. It's good to see some darkness return (a death scene is quite grizzly, even if it's not shown on-screen) and the performances from Armitage, Troughton and Allen provide a lot of enjoyment. I particularly hope Much's love interest Eve (the beautiful Kelly Adams) returns soon.

ROBIN HOOD 1.8 - "Tattoo? What Tattoo?"

25 Nov 06. BBC 1, 7.05 pm
WRITER: Julian Mitchell DIRECTOR: Declan O'Dwyer
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)

Robin and his gang steal an engagement ring Guy Of Gisbourne intends to present Marian with... and uncover a terrible secret...

The episode opens on a very promising note with a stylish flashback to Robin's time in the Middle East, saving King Richard from a Saracen assassin with a distinctive tattoo on his arm. It's a clear reminder that Robin Hood can occassionally rise above its family-friendly doctrine into darker areas. Of course, such injections of adrenaline (when the action matches the rousing music for once) are fleeting.

Tattoo? What Tattoo? (why these awful titles?) is another step in the right direction for the series, bringing some much needed development between Robin, Guy and Marian. This love triangle looks to be forming a decent backbone to show and it's a valuable addition regarding the emotional stakes of the series...

You see, we're supposed to be emotionally connected to Robin's cause (robbing the rich to feed the poor) but it's hard to feel sympathy for these peasants when they all dress so nicely, with clean faces and big bellies! As a consequence, Robin's actions almost seems like an overreaction, so it's much easier to get involved in the show's soap opera side.

Robin soon discovers that brooding Sir Guy was the assassin he encountered in the Middle East, providing a further layer of animosity between the pair, and one that lends the show a more political angle. If King Richard returns, will that really be the end of things if those he left in power usurp him?

Deja vu occurs once again as another outlaw is captured by the Sheriff and thrown in his dungeon (if he'd simply kill every outlaw he captures, he'd have wiped them all out by now!) This time it's Djak (Jay) who is imprisoned, but this series cliche is subverted following Djak's escape attempt using corrosive acid on the jail bars. Of course, once the Sheriff discovers this extraordinary liquid, he immediately forces Djak to make him more...

Julian Mitchell's script is decent enough, although the outlaws' disbelief at noble Robin's claims against psycho Guy is a little hard to swallow. Where's all the trust and loyalty when you need it, eh? The greatest obstacle for writers working on Robin Hood is the restrictive nature of the show's premise -- each plot has to involve certain elements that are difficult to keep fresh and, technically, the production team need to get value from their sets. This means most episodes have to involve a village, the dungeon, the castle, the mine, etc. Mixing these elements and trying to create an original story is difficult, but Mitchell just about manages it here.

Richard Armitage is wonderful as Sir Guy and gets to use his full range of dead-eyed stares here. There is also a lengthy fight sequence with Robin that breathes some old-fashioned mano-et-mano fisticiffs into the mix.

Jonas Armstrong is a likeable lead, but little more at this stage. It's always difficult playing a pure-hearted hero, so it was nice to see some bitterness and hatred bubbling to the surface in this episode. I hope the writers begin to concentrate on making his relationship with Marian more expressive soon, as Robin's jealousy at Guy and Marian's engagement just seems like sour grapes and not a genuine knife through the heart. If we're going to be denied a proper sense of Robin and Marian's love (beyond doe-eyes and sneaked kisses), then perhaps a flashback to their situaiton pre-Crusades is called for?

The comeradie between the outlaws is now more noticeable and enjoyable to watch, although Little John (Kennedy) is proving to be a collossal waste of space. Somebody give that guy a personality, please! I know John is supposed to be an untalkative giant, but it's just not working. Gordon Kennedy isn't even particularly gigantic, so just comes across as just a grouchy middle-aged man amidst all the twentysomethings. He exists to lift heavy items and punch people at the moment. It's even more shameful because episode 2 created a backstory for Little John that has been ignored ever since!

Overall, the new revelations concerning Sir Guy's actions in the Middle East and the interesting acid sub-plot compensates for the episode's shortcomings elsewhere. I'm growing tired of the ease the outlaws enter Nottingham Castle, even though I understand why plausability has to be stretched liek this each week. But it still bothers me.