HelLO Sir Guy of Gisbourne
So, last night was a Robin Hood sandwich on X-Factor bread. Or something. I will proceed to try really hard to remember that there was stuff other than Richard Armitage onscreen.
The X-Factor The fact that I missed most of Simon's auditionees for Mr Riding Through The Glen meant that I had no feel for them. There were a few obvious strikeouts - well, if Sharon wants to risk the Gap Toothed One, it's up to her. The guys were easy to sift through, and the Sottish woman was so winning (though I really liked Ms 62 and glowingly confident. Sharon's song choices were all obvious - the women who sang Dusty last week were given Dusty and Sandy Shaw songs. (I should shut up though, because NOTHING was as irritating as the 'inspirational' drivel played when everyone was finding out their fates. Whitney overload!!!
Louis came off really badly, unsympathetic and cynical, for most of his time on air. You could tell that he was pitting the two brothers, the vocal harmonies and the 'girl' groups in his mind for specific slots. (I felt more sympathy for him in having too tell the boyband they were disqualified, but I didn't think the Liverpudlian boyband were good enough, and the three other losers must be bitter. Still, said boyband do have the ace of that Beautiful Freak. You know, of you will, the one who looks like Cillian Murphy and the camera can't keep its eyes off him.
Simon finally did the decent thing and cut off the little boy who shouldn't be there (he was stuttering in his interviews. And the girlgroup that Louis had were equally obviously too young.) Instead he put Eddie Munster* through, but not Little Miss Dynamite jr. who'd been so good in previous rounds. There was a lot of padding (as ever), Kate got to deliver some warm earth chuckles, and so long as the show doesn't clash too much with Mr With His Merry Men, I'm looking forward to seeing the MOR song selections and tack unleashed.
* Key Quote: I really respect you Simon. Chortle
Robin Hood: 1.01 If you tolerate this, then your children will be next. Will you tolerate this?
Context first, I think it was seeing the new James Bond trailer that got me thinking about iconic heroes or today's folk heroes whose face changes and we don't care, we want to hear their story over and over again. Bond will be the next heavily advertised example, but there's Zorro, Batman and Supes. And Robin Hood. Apart from reading about him (and reading about him appearing in pantomime at all girls' boarding schools where the tall girl inevitable plays him), there's the films (full disclaimer: I watched Robin Hood Prince of Thieves at an impressionable age), Sean Connery, the Disney Fox, Errol Flynn, vaguely remembered Robinof Sherwood. Oh, and the subversive kids TV version where Maid Marian was the force to be reckoned with, Robin was a fop. And so forth. What i'm trying to say is that, like Arthur, there's a lot of baggage swirling around.
Now, I went into this hoping for flaming weapons, essentially. Here's what I got...
A scimtar! Cool! There was also an axe, some neat sword flinging, a lot too tricksy photography to try to make the fights seem a little more spectacular than they were. I'd read in the press - respionding to the glut of advertising - that it was too lad's mag. That wasn't so bad. there was a bit of stupids - why did no-one RUN!? - especially from Robin's side-kcik - Much, who the Sherriff dubbed Mulch and I dubbed Hagrid. (I shouldn't have said that, I knew that.) More seriously, I don't think having the comedy sidekick be the one to have Crusade angst necessarily worked. Robin the peacemaker worked (for the two seconds it needed to, before he got into a scrap to fight the injusticity of Englande) but WHY DID THEY HAVE TO MAKE HIM A FAN OF THE MARKET ECONOMY? Fortunately, he proved himself to be an inept politician and went off to be an outlaw. Phew. Also stupid, how come Marian was a t the council of earls and bigwigs. As if. (As if Robin would wear a medieval waistcoat too). And the Pope = Bush, shoulder to shoulder reference was boggling rather than resonating. Yes, Robin Hood is the vehicle for making commentary on the War on Terror. Um, no, BBC, stop being so silly.
However, Robin's enterance was wicked cool, because he had a hood and it was appropriate rather than camply jaunty, and there is obviously the extraordinary archery skills. Otherwise, I have to say that I found Jonas Armstrong a little underwhelming, frankly. I mean, his accent was nice, but he's no Erroll Flynn. I liked Allan Of Dale (who looked a bit Kenneth Branaghesque, but occasionally looked a little like Much, which may get confusing.) I thought Will Scarlet as hot for five seconds and then it turned out he wasn't. His father was a wuss, though. And Robin had a butler! (I love butlers, so this is a welcome development.)
Marian seemed less stupid than many people, though I think there was a bit of a muddle with the political highflier, lady disdain, secretly kickass fighter and feisty lass. (And she will never be as cool as Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.) The actress looked like Drew Barrymore crossed with Dervla Kirwan, and like DB, has a weird bodyshape. But she was a bit more competent (you get the feeling that she'd run when she needed to unlike half the male characters.) However, she wore at least one dress (when we first saw her) that was a direct lift from RHPOT. Speaking of, there were a few more visual riffs to that film than I'd expected, and the music cues? Michael Nyman's estate should have a word. I wonder how deliberate the production's copies off RHPOT was, given that it is the last most influential version of the tale. Keith Allen was quite good as the Sherriff, obviously having a blast, which is the way to deal with these sorts of characters.
Okay, I've talked about everything else I wanted to say. Can I let myself go?
Richard Armitage as Guy... drool. Absolutely mesmerising. And hot. I mean really, I probably didn't pay that much attention to Keith Allen's droll speeches because I was staring so hard, with my mouth open. All in black (and hotter than Hugh Jackman as the similarly garbed Van Helsing. Yes. I KNOW) and brooding and nevermind that Guy is, as always, a little more incompetent than any man would want to be compared to Robin - and the Sherriff's lackey he was so very, utterly sexy. (What was wrong with Marian for not grinning like a loon for getting to walk with him. Yes, he's an unjust bully, never going to come to treat his cotton-mill workerspeasants as humans, but he's sizzling. Sizzling.
In conclusion, I had issues with the ep - it tiptoed closer into Xena and Hercules territory than I was epecting, but Richard Armitage is the hotness.
PS The law is an ass? Oy. And, for all the swooshy sound effects, ditto on the place names for every location. Who precisely was going to mistake Nottingham for Sherwood Forest, or the place where Marian asked Robin to be with anywhere else?
ETA: Sorry, tags fixed now.
The X-Factor The fact that I missed most of Simon's auditionees for Mr Riding Through The Glen meant that I had no feel for them. There were a few obvious strikeouts - well, if Sharon wants to risk the Gap Toothed One, it's up to her. The guys were easy to sift through, and the Sottish woman was so winning (though I really liked Ms 62 and glowingly confident. Sharon's song choices were all obvious - the women who sang Dusty last week were given Dusty and Sandy Shaw songs. (I should shut up though, because NOTHING was as irritating as the 'inspirational' drivel played when everyone was finding out their fates. Whitney overload!!!
Louis came off really badly, unsympathetic and cynical, for most of his time on air. You could tell that he was pitting the two brothers, the vocal harmonies and the 'girl' groups in his mind for specific slots. (I felt more sympathy for him in having too tell the boyband they were disqualified, but I didn't think the Liverpudlian boyband were good enough, and the three other losers must be bitter. Still, said boyband do have the ace of that Beautiful Freak. You know, of you will, the one who looks like Cillian Murphy and the camera can't keep its eyes off him.
Simon finally did the decent thing and cut off the little boy who shouldn't be there (he was stuttering in his interviews. And the girlgroup that Louis had were equally obviously too young.) Instead he put Eddie Munster* through, but not Little Miss Dynamite jr. who'd been so good in previous rounds. There was a lot of padding (as ever), Kate got to deliver some warm earth chuckles, and so long as the show doesn't clash too much with Mr With His Merry Men, I'm looking forward to seeing the MOR song selections and tack unleashed.
* Key Quote: I really respect you Simon. Chortle
Robin Hood: 1.01 If you tolerate this, then your children will be next. Will you tolerate this?
Context first, I think it was seeing the new James Bond trailer that got me thinking about iconic heroes or today's folk heroes whose face changes and we don't care, we want to hear their story over and over again. Bond will be the next heavily advertised example, but there's Zorro, Batman and Supes. And Robin Hood. Apart from reading about him (and reading about him appearing in pantomime at all girls' boarding schools where the tall girl inevitable plays him), there's the films (full disclaimer: I watched Robin Hood Prince of Thieves at an impressionable age), Sean Connery, the Disney Fox, Errol Flynn, vaguely remembered Robinof Sherwood. Oh, and the subversive kids TV version where Maid Marian was the force to be reckoned with, Robin was a fop. And so forth. What i'm trying to say is that, like Arthur, there's a lot of baggage swirling around.
Now, I went into this hoping for flaming weapons, essentially. Here's what I got...
A scimtar! Cool! There was also an axe, some neat sword flinging, a lot too tricksy photography to try to make the fights seem a little more spectacular than they were. I'd read in the press - respionding to the glut of advertising - that it was too lad's mag. That wasn't so bad. there was a bit of stupids - why did no-one RUN!? - especially from Robin's side-kcik - Much, who the Sherriff dubbed Mulch and I dubbed Hagrid. (I shouldn't have said that, I knew that.) More seriously, I don't think having the comedy sidekick be the one to have Crusade angst necessarily worked. Robin the peacemaker worked (for the two seconds it needed to, before he got into a scrap to fight the injusticity of Englande) but WHY DID THEY HAVE TO MAKE HIM A FAN OF THE MARKET ECONOMY? Fortunately, he proved himself to be an inept politician and went off to be an outlaw. Phew. Also stupid, how come Marian was a t the council of earls and bigwigs. As if. (As if Robin would wear a medieval waistcoat too). And the Pope = Bush, shoulder to shoulder reference was boggling rather than resonating. Yes, Robin Hood is the vehicle for making commentary on the War on Terror. Um, no, BBC, stop being so silly.
However, Robin's enterance was wicked cool, because he had a hood and it was appropriate rather than camply jaunty, and there is obviously the extraordinary archery skills. Otherwise, I have to say that I found Jonas Armstrong a little underwhelming, frankly. I mean, his accent was nice, but he's no Erroll Flynn. I liked Allan Of Dale (who looked a bit Kenneth Branaghesque, but occasionally looked a little like Much, which may get confusing.) I thought Will Scarlet as hot for five seconds and then it turned out he wasn't. His father was a wuss, though. And Robin had a butler! (I love butlers, so this is a welcome development.)
Marian seemed less stupid than many people, though I think there was a bit of a muddle with the political highflier, lady disdain, secretly kickass fighter and feisty lass. (And she will never be as cool as Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.) The actress looked like Drew Barrymore crossed with Dervla Kirwan, and like DB, has a weird bodyshape. But she was a bit more competent (you get the feeling that she'd run when she needed to unlike half the male characters.) However, she wore at least one dress (when we first saw her) that was a direct lift from RHPOT. Speaking of, there were a few more visual riffs to that film than I'd expected, and the music cues? Michael Nyman's estate should have a word. I wonder how deliberate the production's copies off RHPOT was, given that it is the last most influential version of the tale. Keith Allen was quite good as the Sherriff, obviously having a blast, which is the way to deal with these sorts of characters.
Okay, I've talked about everything else I wanted to say. Can I let myself go?
Richard Armitage as Guy... drool. Absolutely mesmerising. And hot. I mean really, I probably didn't pay that much attention to Keith Allen's droll speeches because I was staring so hard, with my mouth open. All in black (and hotter than Hugh Jackman as the similarly garbed Van Helsing. Yes. I KNOW) and brooding and nevermind that Guy is, as always, a little more incompetent than any man would want to be compared to Robin - and the Sherriff's lackey he was so very, utterly sexy. (What was wrong with Marian for not grinning like a loon for getting to walk with him. Yes, he's an unjust bully, never going to come to treat his cotton-mill workerspeasants as humans, but he's sizzling. Sizzling.
In conclusion, I had issues with the ep - it tiptoed closer into Xena and Hercules territory than I was epecting, but Richard Armitage is the hotness.
PS The law is an ass? Oy. And, for all the swooshy sound effects, ditto on the place names for every location. Who precisely was going to mistake Nottingham for Sherwood Forest, or the place where Marian asked Robin to be with anywhere else?
ETA: Sorry, tags fixed now.