Robin Hood 102: "Sheriff Got Your Tongue?"

In which the Merry Men come together, get a mission statement, and Robin a new name.

Robin Hood's second episode brings us the Merry Men! Or at least the members of Robin's band who already lived in Sherwood at the start of the series. These include the famous John Little, leader of the Sherwood outlaws. These all consider themselves to be "dead men" (and are believed to be so by the families left behind when they had to flee the local justice).

John Little and Royston White

Of course Robin's group and these don't become instant friends, bonding over their hatred of the Sheriff. Nope. It first involves one or other group tying the other up and stripping them (and then vice versa), possibility of a reward, a self-sacrifice to save some villagers' tongues and a daring rescue.

Robin Hood 101: "Will You Tolerate This?"

In which we meet our heroes and villains, and the adventures begin.

Well, well! Robin Hood's first episode definitely landed on its feet and immediately started running! Within the first 10' we've established Robin's skill with the bow and a sword, his intolerance for abuse of power, and that he's a ladies' man. :p

Lady Marion of Knighton and Sir Robin of Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon AKA Robin Hood

We also get our new Marian, who is feisty and speaks her mind (to her father's regret), and who has no time for Robin's flirting (we sense a past there!). Their fun banter gives us a taste of the romance to come.

"Robin: Marian, wait. This is not the time, I know. But I must say, you are, more than ever... your eyes, even when you look at me in anger... I feel you. And I still believe, even after all this time, you can see into my soul.

Marian: Five years and you're still peddling the same old drivel? Does it ever work?"

Adventures galore in the BBC's Robin Hood

I remember when I first heard about the BBC doing a Robin Hood series. It was a family trip to London in September 2006, and there were posters on the bus stops advertising it. I remember thinking "A Robin Hood TV series?! Yes please!".  I'd only ever seen the odd episode of Robin of Sherwood (the only other Robin Hood TV series I know of, to be reviewed here some day in the far off future ), so was extra excited at the chance to see one of my favorite characters brought to life on a weekly basis (and with the quality the BBC is known for). Of course it didn't come out on TV in Belgium where I lived at the time (boo!), but the next year (or later? not sure when exactly) I saw the 1st season on DVD in the Fnac in Alicante and just jumped on it! Then ended up having to order the following seasons off Amazon UK since for some reason Spain only did "one and done".

I also remember my first general reactions while watching it. It was a lot of fun, the actors were great (particularly the villains) and we were thrown straight into the action from the very beginning. However I also remember needing a while to adjust to the dialogue! The language felt a bit too modern for me, both in terms of jargon (some odd slang sneaks in from time to time, as well as groan-inducing puns or word games, showcased for example in the episode titles, i.e. 102 "Sheriff Got Your Tongue") as well as modern references or winks (political and cultural). To that I could add on the negative side the anachronistic elements in some of the costumes (some head coverings resemble bandanas or beanies, shirts under the armor clearly industrial etc.). I'm guessing the anachronistic wardrobe was due to budgetary restrictions, and the language probably to attract a modern young audience. Anyhow, once I got the hang of it, I was in it for the long haul, and on a re-watch the lingo is more amusing than jarring!