BBC's Robin Hood

*Spoilers*

Who Doesn't Love a Good Robin Hood Story?

So this semester I'm taking a Robin Hood in Culture literature course and I am loving it! (Actually I am now done with the course, but I just got around to doing this post.) Before the class I had come across BBC's Robin Hood, but at the time I was way too immersed in Merlin to watch anything else. Oh and also the beginning was pretty off-putting too; in the first 20 minutes Robin Hood is shown to be a player (which he really isn't as you soon find out if you keep watching). So anyway, once my class started I went back and watched the whole series in a couple of weeks. Since I watched the whole series at once I'm going to stuff all my thoughts about it in one post! Let's begin!

                                    

 

                                       

Let's start with the characters!

Robin Hood: So Robin Hood has just come back from the Holy Land, after fighting five years alongside King Richard the Lionheart in the Crusades. He's a reluctant outlaw, he only goes against the law for morality's sake. He's your standard Robin Hood, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor, getting the girl, and showing off some mad skills with his bow and arrow.

Little John: Little John, in this adaptation has his own gang of outlaws who claim Sherwood Forest as their own. In true Robin Hood fashion, Robin Hood and Little John start out as nemesis and gradually become friends. 

Much the Miller's Son: In this adaptation, Much takes the place that Little John usually occupies in the legend and that is of the right hand man. Fiercely loyal and not much of a fighter Much is pretty awesome in his own way.

Allan A Dale: Instead of the love-struck minstrel portrayed in the 17th century ballads, Allan a Dale in the TV show is a manipulative, unscrupulous thief that is very reminiscent of the amoral Robin Hood of the past. Allan a Dale is seriously one of my favorite characters in this show; he just provides so many of the best one-liners! I actually wrote one of my research papers on him and got an A! :)

Will Scarlet: Will Scarlet is one of the four men (as is Allan a Dale) that Robin Hood has to initially save from a unjust hanging ordered by the Sheriff of Nottingham. The scene is an adapted version from the "Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires" ballad. Will Scarlet is like the all around nice guy that you like just because. He also has a pretty good bromance with Allan a Dale which doesn't even get marred by the fact that they are both pining after the same girl. Which brings me to my next character...

Djaq (The Saracen): Djaq (pronounced Jack) is the Saracen who was brought over as a slave from the Holy Land. She quickly falls in with the Merry Men, proving she's just as kick-ass as them, if not more. Speaking of kick-ass women...

Maid Marian (aka The Night Watchmen): Okay I need to stop it with the segues. That was the last one I promise! Maid Marian's alter ego is the freaking caped crusader by night! While Robin Hood was away fighting in the Crusades, Marian donned a mask and cape and became the Night Watchmen. She steals from the rich and gives to the poor under the cover of night, and she's not giving up her vigilantism just because Robin Hood, her ex-fiance has returned. 

The Sheriff of Nottingham: One of the weirdest and snake-like villains ever. In the first episode the Sheriff of Nottingham is seen taking a bird out its cage and then crushing it in his fist until it dies. Yep, there is something wrong there, psychologically. He also serves as a twisted, manipulative father figure to the other main villain, the dark and brooding Guy of Gisborne...

Guy of Gisborne: Yeah I said no more segues, but oh well. Okay so I saved the best for last! Every time Guy of Gisborne came on my screen, I'd be like "Ahhh why are you so bad? And why do I still feel bad for you!" Gisborne does some pretty horrendous things, but it's not his fault, he had a horrible childhood and his eyes are so pretty. Yeah no, Gisborne's a pretty awful/evil/jerkish dude that much is set in stone. I mean he burns people's homes, kills people and tried to assassinate King Richard all because the Sheriff of Nottingham tells him to do so. I guess what makes him interesting are his moments of confusion and self-doubt, the rare moments where he thinks about doing the right thing for his beloved...you guessed it Maid Marian! I also wrote a paper about Gisborne being Robin Hood's doppelganger. That was a lot of fun proving!

Okay so I basically just gave character rundowns, but I think the show is worth watching if you're a avid Robin Hood fan. You will like the show even if you have never heard of Robin Hood (Where have you been?) or the Merry Men. There's a lot on interesting similarities as well as deviations from the legend, but that's the fun part as the Robin Hood legend is so fluid and ever-changing with the times.

Keep the spirit of Robin Hood alive!