Of Swords and Parasols

As the season wore on, I almost started to like Robin. Then he told Marian to stay home and work on her embroidery.

In a lot of ways, a Robin Hood adaptation is kind of wasted on a person if they don’t like Robin or Robin/Marian, but ah well.

( spoilers )

Robin, Earl of Huntington, returns home after 5 years in the crusades to find the evil Sheriff of Nottingham overtaxing his people. Robin becomes the leader of a band of outlaws and tries to woo his childhood love, Marian with his new outlaw status. Or something.

You know the drill.

I’ll state this up front: I don’t like Robin. I think he’s a smug gloryhound and don’t like the way he talks down to Marian. He’s also supposed to be smart, but it comes across as utterly ridiculous when they do that. There’s also his whole “no killing ever” policy. Now, sometimes I like it when characters take that stance. It can be very interesting and provide for good character studies but here it’s ridiculous. I could understand it at first, but by the time the sheriff was cutting off tongues, he should have realized that that stance wouldn’t work. It’s supposed to make him seem noble and heroic, but makes him seem like an idiot.

Let me put this in superhero terms. Between Robin’s acrobatics and the flashes of light to let us know how awesome an archer he is, they’re pretty much writing Robin as a superhero anyway. Robin is Captain America. The Sheriff is his archenemy, Red Skull. Guisbourne is Red Skull’s henchman, Crossbones. When Captain America catches Crossbones robbing a bank and shooting everyone inside, he takes him down and turns him over to the police. It isn’t a permanent solution, but it’s a justice system he has faith in, and he knows there will be legal consequences for Crossbones. In Robin Hood’s case, however, Captain America is giving Crossbones back to Red Skull, knowing perfectly well that there will be no punishment and that Red Skull will send Crossbones to rob another bank the next day. It would be different if Robin didn’t have the opportunity to take care of them permanently, but he does. Constantly. And it’s regularly brought up that he doesn’t to make sure we realize how he’s so noble, and emotionally scarred from the crusades, because doesn’t it make him so much more interesting that way?

I think the actor could be charming and likable, but the script makes Robin act superior, and be way too eager for attention for his likability to really come through for me.

However, I like Robin’s men. Much is an idiot, but supposed to be one. I like the quiet Will (though I keep forgetting that he actually can talk) and how Alan is pretty much a conman, and John as the gruff father figure. I absolutely adore the sheriff as a villain. He’s an absurd scenery-chewer and the actor knows it. I am firmly convinced that the only reason Robin has lasted five minutes again him is because if that happens, the show will end. I love Richard Armitage and think the black leather is quite fetching, but Guisbourne isn’t doing a lot for me. I think some spoilers I know for season 2 are a part of that, though.

( comments on Marian include spoilers )

The show is enjoyable in a campy way, though you really have to ignore most of the costumes and attitudes. Really, I kind of wish it’d stop trying to be serious, and just be fun. I don’t think it’ll ever be a favorite, but I find it entertaining.