"Robin Hood" Sheriff Got Your Tongue? (2006)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John McKay

Writers:

Dominic Minghella (creator) and
Foz Allan (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Robin Hood" (2006)

Original Air Date:

14 October 2006 (Season 1, Episode 2)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Robin is captured by Little John, the sheriff takes extreme measures to find Robin, and Marian tries to offer assistance. |

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | Historical | Archery | Based On Legend | Castle

Cast

Jonas Armstrong	...	Robin Hood
Lucy Griffiths	...	Marian
Richard Armitage	...	Guy of Gisborne
Keith Allen	...	Sheriff of Nottingham
Gordon Kennedy	...	Little John
Sam Troughton	...	Much
Joe Armstrong	...	Allan A Dale
Harry Lloyd	...	Will Scarlett
William Beck	...	Roy
Michael Elwyn	...	Edward
Mark Bagnall	...	Forrest
Josh Cole	...	Hanton
Juliet Seal	...	Alice Little
Clem Tibber	...	Little Little John
Mark Phoenix	...	Jailer

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The sheriff makes a "tick-tock" sound to indicate that he reckons the hour is up. Mechanical clocks weren't invented until at least the 1300's and the pendulum clock (which actually makes the right sound) not until 1656 (by Christian Huygens).

Quotes:

Much: We are also against the Sheriff!
Roy: What do you want, a medal?

Better than last time (which wasn't difficult)

The rumours were right: the second episode is definitely better -- as in, it's actually watchable now.

I still don't find either Much or the pantomime Sheriff funny, Robin is still ridiculously young to be coming back home five years older and wiser (wiser? Has he learnt tactics yet? And just what is the meaning of getting his shaky new allies to risk their lives against heavily-armoured troops for five minutes just so that he can have a philosophical debate with the Sheriff?), and the 'bowshot' location names and jerky rewind stunts are still annoying. But the real first-episode killer, the stilted dialogue delivery, has reduced by a long way -- not, sadly, gone altogether, but reduced to the level of annoyance every so often rather than constant nails-on-a-blackboard torture.

However, at least I now have not one but two characters I enjoy watching: to Guy of Gisbourne I can now add Little John :-)

Annoyances: all-too-blatant digs at contemporary politics (terrorist training camps at the Crusades? Come on!); people fighting with swords who inflict all their damage by kicking people (doesn't anybody EVER get a blow in?); highlighting the credibility problem of failing to kill anybody, even the Sheriff's faceless and stereotypical "Guards! Guards!" (presumably on the grounds that this would be unsuitable for children?) by having a long debate about it; would-be humorous lines that aren't. The Sheriff's black silk pyjamas: horribly anachronistic -- where's his nightshirt and bedgown?

Good points: Marian telling Robin how stupid and useless he is, when he is being stupid and useless. The Sheriff proudly proclaiming that he is going to be vindictive and cruel, and nothing Robin says is going to stop him. (Played straight for once -- he doesn't flinch under Robin's threats -- and that's much more effective.) The outlaws scoffing at the idea of noble heroics.

Rather a negative-sounding list, when I look at it, but then the show still 'could do better' so far as its end-of-term report goes; I wouldn't actively recommend it yet. In honour of its improvement, however, I'll upgrade my initial rating from a 4 to a 6.

(Edit: Right, I've now watched the third episode of this, and that's enough -- I'll leave it to those who actually enjoy it, which frankly I don't.)