Robin of Sherwood
Apr. 3rd, 2007 05:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreI've seen through "The Fool King"(or something like that...the King Richard ep) and about half of the next episode("The Prophecy"?) Obviously, I'm doing this at work, as opposed to at home with the set beside me for referrence.
Given that everyone has new clothes and slightly more stylish hair in "Prophecy"(and I swear, Robin's hair has about 5 more feathery layers and are those highlights I see?) and that the "King" ep had a bit of a "just in case this is the end" feel to it, I assume I've started season 2. Incidentally, I swear that that's the first time I've seen Johnathan Rhys-Davies without a full beard. I mean, even in Gargoyles, which was animated, Macbeth had a full beard both in the past AND the present(not counting kid-Macbeth) If it wasn't forthebeard, I wouldn't have recognized him.
crumpeteer helped me realize yesterday why it is that, while I usually like Robin himself well enough(with the exception of Costner), it's usually just in the contect of he's a good hero, but this Robin I adore(not as much as Will, but...) Largely, I think, because Robin is always self-assured and confident and has no doubts in his plans, abilities or leadership skills. While Praed's Robin also has these qualities, they aren't in himself, but in his friends and his knowledge that it doesn't matter who's doing it, it just needs to be done. He's the one doing it now, but he fully believes that all his death would affect is who's doing it...on his death, someone else will take on the job, and he expects his friends to help that person, no matter who it is. Unlike the other Robins, there's no feeling that he gets off on being an outlaw and leading his band in the forest...it's just what he does. He also lacks the cockiness that only Errol Flynn and Cary Elwes could really pull off...while he has his cocky moments, he has them because it's how he needs to be and there's a certain sheepishness to it. Like when he tells King Richard he has to pay for his meal...he means it and part of him is enjoying it, but he's almost bashful about it with his little grin-like he's only doing it because it's what his friend expects. And when we see him and Marian walking in the village after Richard pardons them(not that it lasts) you can see that it's what he REALLY wants...to just be a normal guy again(but not in a way that he begrudges his current life) which is a feeling that I've only ever gotten from Richard Todd's Robin.
But you know, while he may not be as pretty, Will Scarlet is still my favorite. I think he summed it up best when the rest were going to Nottingham after the pardon...everyone he trusts and everyone he'd die for was standing right in front of him. He doesn't care about Richard or, really, even the safety of the realm...helping people is all well and good, but the only reason he's hanging around here instead of off causing soldiers trouble somewhere(well, frankly, he would have picked the wrong fight and gotten killed by now, but that's not the point) is because he wants his friends to stay alive, and together. As much as I love my stalwart heroes, I often go for the angsting guy(and few characters have more justified angst than this one) busy keeping said hero alive, and this is no exception.
I also find myself fond of Guisborne. Guisborne is always a bit of a bumbling fool(usually more than a bit) but usually, there'sthe feeling that he's stupid AND inherently nasty...this Guisborne comes across as someone who MIGHT have ben nice and decent at one point, but has become very much a product of his world, and his master(Nottingham) In the Alan A Dale ep(and how much did I love Will's mocking Alan? I'm fond of Alan, just, you know...Will usually gets rewritten as an Alan knockoff) there's the feeling that, even though he can't and won't say or do anything, what's being done to the girl is wrong and he feels sorry for her(which is interesting, giving the earlier ep where he had a woman and her husband declared witches and devil worshippers because she refused him, but then, he's a man of his times and one's a noblewoman and the other a peasant.)
And on a completely unrelated note, I gotforgottenpolishhooked on the Dresden Files books. This is significant because I almost literally had to bully her into watching the first episode with me a few months ago(a support system was required, just in case)
Given that everyone has new clothes and slightly more stylish hair in "Prophecy"(and I swear, Robin's hair has about 5 more feathery layers and are those highlights I see?) and that the "King" ep had a bit of a "just in case this is the end" feel to it, I assume I've started season 2. Incidentally, I swear that that's the first time I've seen Johnathan Rhys-Davies without a full beard. I mean, even in Gargoyles, which was animated, Macbeth had a full beard both in the past AND the present(not counting kid-Macbeth) If it wasn't forthebeard, I wouldn't have recognized him.
crumpeteer helped me realize yesterday why it is that, while I usually like Robin himself well enough(with the exception of Costner), it's usually just in the contect of he's a good hero, but this Robin I adore(not as much as Will, but...) Largely, I think, because Robin is always self-assured and confident and has no doubts in his plans, abilities or leadership skills. While Praed's Robin also has these qualities, they aren't in himself, but in his friends and his knowledge that it doesn't matter who's doing it, it just needs to be done. He's the one doing it now, but he fully believes that all his death would affect is who's doing it...on his death, someone else will take on the job, and he expects his friends to help that person, no matter who it is. Unlike the other Robins, there's no feeling that he gets off on being an outlaw and leading his band in the forest...it's just what he does. He also lacks the cockiness that only Errol Flynn and Cary Elwes could really pull off...while he has his cocky moments, he has them because it's how he needs to be and there's a certain sheepishness to it. Like when he tells King Richard he has to pay for his meal...he means it and part of him is enjoying it, but he's almost bashful about it with his little grin-like he's only doing it because it's what his friend expects. And when we see him and Marian walking in the village after Richard pardons them(not that it lasts) you can see that it's what he REALLY wants...to just be a normal guy again(but not in a way that he begrudges his current life) which is a feeling that I've only ever gotten from Richard Todd's Robin.But you know, while he may not be as pretty, Will Scarlet is still my favorite. I think he summed it up best when the rest were going to Nottingham after the pardon...everyone he trusts and everyone he'd die for was standing right in front of him. He doesn't care about Richard or, really, even the safety of the realm...helping people is all well and good, but the only reason he's hanging around here instead of off causing soldiers trouble somewhere(well, frankly, he would have picked the wrong fight and gotten killed by now, but that's not the point) is because he wants his friends to stay alive, and together. As much as I love my stalwart heroes, I often go for the angsting guy(and few characters have more justified angst than this one) busy keeping said hero alive, and this is no exception.
I also find myself fond of Guisborne. Guisborne is always a bit of a bumbling fool(usually more than a bit) but usually, there'sthe feeling that he's stupid AND inherently nasty...this Guisborne comes across as someone who MIGHT have ben nice and decent at one point, but has become very much a product of his world, and his master(Nottingham) In the Alan A Dale ep(and how much did I love Will's mocking Alan? I'm fond of Alan, just, you know...Will usually gets rewritten as an Alan knockoff) there's the feeling that, even though he can't and won't say or do anything, what's being done to the girl is wrong and he feels sorry for her(which is interesting, giving the earlier ep where he had a woman and her husband declared witches and devil worshippers because she refused him, but then, he's a man of his times and one's a noblewoman and the other a peasant.)
And on a completely unrelated note, I got
forgottenpolishhooked on the Dresden Files books. This is significant because I almost literally had to bully her into watching the first episode with me a few months ago(a support system was required, just in case)![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2007-04-03 11:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 01:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 12:24 am (UTC)And I sort of like Gisbourne too. Gisbournes are generally the bumbling lackey without two cents in their heads to rub together (except for the BBC version who is just wickedly, wickedly hot), but you don't get that feeling from this one. As he keeps stating, he's a soldier, not someone skilled in fighting guerilla warfare and making big decisions. You feel for him sometimes as he becomes the Sheriff's whipping boy and stooge. He doesn't seem so much evil as normal. Sure, there are flashes of ruthlessness, but you have to think that it's something his surroundings have cultured in him or he wouldn't have seemed sympathetic to Alan's woman.
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Date: 2007-04-04 12:33 am (UTC)With this Gisbourne, there's the feeling that he's only bad because he's a bad guy's underling. If he'd ended up with a fair and honorable guy, he'd be following in his footsteps, and likely a much stronger guy.
I have heard good things about the BBC Gisbourne...wish the set was going to be cheaper...how's their Will, BTW?
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Date: 2007-04-04 12:41 am (UTC)And Gisbourne is, well, this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/kira_may/radiotimes171006.jpg).
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Date: 2007-04-04 12:45 am (UTC)*shamelessly oggles Gisbourne*
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Date: 2007-04-04 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 12:45 am (UTC)this may be the first time I end up liking the RH bad guy best...
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Date: 2007-04-04 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 01:56 am (UTC)The only other Robin to get that reaction from me is Richard Todd's Robin, and a lot of that is that he grew up effectively Marian's babysitter, so there's a strong sense of fondness and companionship there, and he's just so serious at times(comes from his obviously having been pretty much her babysitter since she first learned how to sneak off) that you want to hug him and then pull a harmless prank.