Ok I'll finally get down to me review of episode 2...
Episode 2 - Sheriff Got Your Tongue?First off I'm gonna start by saying something that a lot of people on the Robin Hood forums say (those who don't just rant that the whole thing is crap I mean - and I'm surprised how many people do) and that is that this episode would have been much better if they'd combined it with the first episode to make an extra long pilot episode, possibly with one or two details left out.
This is because alone the second episode is simply another 'establishing' episode. You meet the Merry Men (not called that anymore but no-one's here to stop me) and they meet Robin and friends. You learn a little about each of their characters (especially Little John who I think works incredibly well for someone who says so little) as well as their families... a bit. And this is all fine and well but after a similar style on the first one that ended on such a dramatic high I was really after some full-on adventure and this wasn't it. It was a lot of talking, some of it quite annoying talking (especially by Much, I really wanted to kick him) and even when Robin is face to face with his arch nemesis I wasn't that excited about it. I just wanted the fights to start.
That's not to say there wasn't some great action in it. The threatening of the Sheriff and the escape from the castle was fantastic and seeing all the Merry Men leaping into the fray was a moment of joy - but it would have been a lot better if it hadn't felt so much like a repeat of the first episode. The setting was the same, the style of escape was the same... I know, I know, there will be a lot of escapes from Nottingham castle and a lot of fighting guards, especially if it's going to be anything like any of the other versions of Robin Hood. I'm not making a serious complaint here, I just could have done with something a little different.
The confrontation between Robin and the Sheriff smacked of 'we have to stick think up a reason why the Sheriff can't just threaten to cut out tongues every week' - but that didn't bother me so much. At least they made up an excuse for that, which is more than a lot of Robin Hoods do.
There's a lot of good (if unoriginal) humour and the quite obvious attraction thing between Much and Robin is quite amusing (I'm assuming it's supposed to be either obvious or a joke otherwise they maybe in for a bit of a surprise there...) and it's interesting seeing the forums buzzing with discussion about all the new characters and what's going to happen. Not much about Guy of Gisbourne yet and Marian is once again a bit vague on her accusations and show of feelings (both towards Guy and towards Robin) but then I'm fine with there being as little romance as possible. After Sarah-the-ridiculously-over-endowed-in-every-sense-peasant girl in episode 1 I'm all for less sexual tension and more sword fights.
I really hope that for next week they do something a bit more clever. That was what impressed me most in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves was when they thought up clever ways of robbing people in the forest and escaping capture - not all this blunder in and get caught then fight our way out again stuff. Tricks, cunning and a little more (subtle) humour please.
Describe this episode in a (few) word(s):
Too much talking not enough fighting!By the way, I didn't stress this enough before but this site here has an EXCELLENT forum for Robin Hood discussion old and new so sign up and get your views heard:
http://www.robinhood2006.com/And don't mind all the drooling.
Reply
