Treat Much Right Series Four Competition Footnotes
Which will be meaningless to anyone not reading/taking part in the TMR S4 challenge.
Before we start - I have a lot of footnotes. I'm a rambler, you know that. They're split up into eight categories for me to get round the max. of ten (and yes, I did check I could do this!), and then done chronologically. But because of the way they're arranged I'd suggest reading the synopsis post here then coming back to read the footnotes, unless you're not bothered about the possibility of being spoilered.
So, here we go:
- Name Meanings (all of which I have to thank behindthename.com for)
a) Ridere - meaning ‘mounted warrior’ or ‘messenger’
b) Yap - ‘clever or cunning’
c) Gallagher - from Gaelic O Gallchobhair, translates as ‘foreign help’
d) Higgins - from Gaelic Uiggin, from uigin, meaning ‘knowledge’. Closest thing I could find to a spy or informant.
e) Jakeman - ‘servant of Jack’ (Jack being diminutive of John. Y’see?)
f) Dexter - ‘dyer/one who dyes’ in old English, Latin meaning ‘right-handed, skilled’. (Unable to find another name with a suitable meaning, I chose one that would tie him to a trade and give him the role of a simple, honest working man.)
g) Chaput - from a diminutive of Chape (‘cloak, hood’), of those who made and sold, or often wore, them.
- Historical woosits
a) Detention of a crusader is contrary to public law b) Richard accused of arranging the murder of Conrad of Montferrat c) Richard being recognised near Vienna because of his signet ring d) Richard being held to ransom (after Leopold was ex-communicated by the Popemeister he handed him over to Henry VI (holy roman emperor) who imprisoned him in Trifels Castle (also getting ex-comm’d) for the ransom of 150,000 marks (2-3 times the income of the English crown) to raise an army against southern Italy) e) At the King’s peril (if it had been lost along the way, Richard would’ve been held responsible) - knowledge of all these things I owe to the Wikipedia article on Richard, namely the ‘captivity and return’ bit. So blame that if I’m wrong.
- Geography
a) Locksley and Clun closest to Nottingham b) tunnel from the dungeon to the east wall c) splitting up and running in different directions - thank you rochvelleth and railise for your mad mapmaking skillz!
- Inconsistencies/Implausibilities
a) Nightwatchman finding the foodstore and the camp - how, you ask? Hey, the writers can leave stuff like this unanswered, so can I. At a push I’d say that she found the foodstore by chance (we saw one in 2x11, once you see it you’re gonna know it’s there) and was shown to the camp by someone who’d been taken there by the gang before (possibly Matilda or her daughter)
b) Previously unmentioned, the Hall had been rebuilt from the peasants’ efforts while there were workmen in the area to build Nottingham.
c) Where’s the carpenter in 11? He’s um.. on holiday. And he doesn’t notice that his rooms been used - burnt down, in fact - when he comes back, because… he’s blind. That’s it. Still, he does beautiful work, it’s very impressive, you should see it.
d) Halfway through 12 - thus far in the series, I’ve tried to stick fairly closely to what I know of the history etc, especially with regards to Richard’s capture and ransom, but also in terms of locations and names (i.e. chose ones that were all originally English and many that had roots in old English). From here on in my attitude becomes slightly, what one my call, ‘bollocks to it.’
e) The ‘outlaws dungeon’ - you want to know why the gang weren’t put in there when they were captured in ? Because they weren’t to know about it then, if they had it could a) have given the game away with regards to Yap and b) given them time to think of a way to sabotage/escape from it. It was the first thing to be built, and the main dungeon goes right over it - a large slab in the floor (worked from above) has to slide out of the way to even give access to it’s outer chamber. If you don’t like that story tough, I’m sticking to it.
f) “Oh I’m so sick of hearing that” - Of course, I don’t think Prince John’s heard that from the gang at all. But it came to me straight away, and I couldn’t help but include it!
- It would happen in the series…
a) Kate finding the money - yes yes I know, but it wouldn’t be Robin Hood if the annoying characters didn’t get to do something useful that just makes them more annoying, would it?
b) The general repetitive nature of events of episode5 - shameful, I know, but my friend Hannah reminded me with this(see bottom) that such things are bound to happen, so I say to you, doubters, blame Rich Burlew, he influences me with his genius ways *runs*
c) John - I’m sorry, ok! Tradition dictates I had to kill someone and it couldn’t be Kate, she’s nowhere near popular enough! Forgive me!
- It wouldn’t happen in the series but…
a) The Lion - if the writers won’t wrap up these loose ends then so help me I will!
b) Economics and tax-y whatsits - yeah, I don’t have a good grasp of such things, but I think that’s the basic idea. At least I mentioned it.
c) PJ using his allies’ wealth for his own means - just like he did by trying to take some of Ward’s stuff last episode. Yeah, y’see, y’see that? Continuity that is. Remember it? No, me either…
- References & Ripoffs
a) Nobody said it was easy - Coldplay - The Scientist
b) Red Shirt - That’s right Trekkies, a red shirt ;)
c) Who Are You? - by The Who
d) Oo-de-lally - as frequently cried in the Disney version
e) Stealing gold from a hole under the cart - yep, Disney version again
f) Strangers in the um, day - from ‘Strangers in the Night’ (Sinatra)
g) Same sides of a different coin - from an ‘A Bit of Fry and Laurie’ sketch
h) Return of the Sixth - Star Wars, c’mon.
i) Bell stolen from Kirklees Abbey -from an episode of a show called ‘when things were rotten’, which is about Robin Hood, that I stumbled upon when on a googling adventure in search of something for PJ to pinch.
j) They’re all dead, everybody’s dead - lovingly ripped off from the ‘Everybody’s dead, Dave’ scene of the first Red Dwarf. Youtube if you don’t know it.
k) Time of your life - a gorgeous Green Day song, also titled - wait for it - ‘Good Riddance’
l) Prince Charming - come on, you know that! Adam Ant, baby!
m) Whizzy-jolly time - if anyone guesses where this comes from you shall have a gold Much-star (no googling! I’ll know…). If not, I’ll tell y’all in the comments or something.
n) Money (That’s What We Want) - by the Beatles!
o) “Great. Where are we going?” - Why that’s Pippin, from LOTR!
p) Should Have Known Better - also Beatles!
- Other comments/foiled by word count!
a) Last paragraph of episode one - it’s not right. I know it, and I’m sure you know it too. It has the general idea but it’s missed something important, or it’s written the wrong way, or something. Either way, I am aware it needs work.
b) Why Much is seeing Allan not Robin - in my head the dialogue is “Why do I keep seeing you? Why not-” “Robin? […]”
c) Eleanor saddened by Robin’s death - Robin’s and not Allan’s as Allan was still on Team Leather in 2x11 so she wouldn’t have met him
d) Prince John’s poor imprisoned brother - “Poor imp-? Oh yes, Richard, of course, ha.”
e) Much, Will and Eve avoiding Gallagher- I didn’t have the wordcount to discuss this properly but I thought them hiding and ducking out of the way could provide some good humour.
f) Passing on what had been stolen from nobles - because peasants carrying heaps of gold are always suspicious. Also, it has to be those three because let’s face it, there are unlikely to be that many huge men, Saracen women and huge black monks hanging around Nottingham, especially altogether. Unless it’s some medieval ‘Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman’ joke.
g) Yap wants [something] built - yes, something. I don’t know, ok! I’m sorry! I wanted Will to be useful and build something and I thought this plot would work but I just couldn’t figure out what he’d build that would a)need to be supported by John and b) seem reasonable and useful enough that the gang would agree to. Suggestions are gratefully accepted.
h) Will and John sent from Bunker’s cousin - as they’re pretending anyway, just had a thought; would love to see Will putting on a rather plummy accent!
i) The gang as fairies - I actually rather love this idea. Just because it’s so very very silly.
j) Will finding the tool he wants - this was originally ‘Will managed to locate his missing tool’ but upon reading it back I thought (after I’d finished laughing) “Um no, best not” and changed it.
k) Three-way - one ‘oo-er!’ and I’ll shoot to kill.