3x09 A Dangerous Deal
Prepare yourselves, I'm afraid I've wittered on quite a bit (as usual - but there was a lot to say!)... Oh yeah, and my apologies if there are any misplaced E's - my keyboard is what can only be described as a Massive Gheyist.
Well well! Certainly plenty of Much to discuss from this episode, but I’m gonna start off with the people I have less for. So - John actually got some real screen time this episode! Yes, first of all he had the pretty lame job of escorting Isabella back to Nottingham, but at least he got to tell her what’s what, that Robin was only collaborating with her for the good of the people, and that if he was interested in anyone it was Kate. Nice to see a little nod of how John and the others would know him that much better.
Onto Robin, and the women really are fighting over him this time aren’t they? At least he finally had a care for Much’s feelings and said no to Kate because of him. Or, he did, before apparently deciding ‘sod it’. Is he high or something? Who knows. But to skip back from there a moment, how like him not to stop and listen to Much when he was trying to talk to him (see below for a little more on that).
We did have a reference to times gone by with ‘I only kill when there’s no other way’; either Robin believes his options are very much narrower than they used to be, or that’s just a flat-out lie now.
Back to Kate - she really doesn’t care about Much at all does she? Fancy saying that to him about Robin when he’d already told her, very plainly (as if it wasn’t obvious) how he felt! Women! And that Robin she’s got her lips on belongs to Much :P She even told Much to go back to camp and she’d stay with Robin! I suppose she at least noticed that yes, maybe the reason he wasn’t around was that he was LEAVING! But still.
Briefly onto my dear Allan, who sadly wasn’t in it a lot this week did have some great moments (when he wasn’t scoffing over a woman in power *rolls eyes*), obviously in his idea that Valhalla might be somewhere near Norwich - up on hearing, my family and I burst into laughter, bless him - “he was the Queen of Sheba last week”, and the West Country (oh arr!) accent; so help me, I do love to see him deceive people for some reason, even if it’s only silly stuff like that.
On to the Gisbourne siblings. When Robin was trying to persuade Isabella to co-operate with him, I couldn’t help think that if she’d have accepted, she’d be in a similar sort of position Allan was in series two, only the other way around; being in the castle feeding information to those in the forest.
Seeing her so terrified around Thornton was interesting too, as usually she likes to appear so strong and in control, and with him she was just powerless. That’s what happens when you’re with someone like that I guess, whether you were sold to him by your brother or otherwise.
I think Meg was spot on when she observed that Isabella does things out of hate, which also makes her quite the opposite of Robin, who does what he does out of love (rather like Kate now I come to think of it, who’s in the situation she’s in because of joining the outlaws and trying to save her brother). She does also seem to be very similar to Vaisey, when she was talking about setting Nottingham free she seemed very insincere, she talked about people being punished if they challenge her authority, and she was even sat in a way very reminiscent of him! I was really hoping he’d burst in on her at the end, but alas. He’d better be back soon! *sulks*
What an episode this was for Guy! Poor chap, he really doesn’t have any luck with the fairer sex does he? First he offs Marian (accidently otherwise), then is imprisoned and sentenced to death by his sister, and now he finds a girl who might actually love, or at the very least like, him back but she dies in his arms by a romantically moonlit lake! Dear me. It was nice to see him showing some real humanity and compassion again, and also to have him talking about Marian; I’m not sure how I feel about the way they’re dealing with her in this series, on the one hand it’s natural, and good in it’s way, for them to be moving on from what happened, but on the other she’s traditionally a big part of the Robin Hood story and it feels like a kind of betrayal of that to have Robin (and Guy, to an extent) now involved with other women. But even as I think that I know that if they did handle it with them moping around missing her for the whole series it’d be very annoying and I’d be crying ‘get over it!’ at my screen! Just seems a bit soon, I guess.
And now my friends, finally we come to Much! He was unusually quiet this episode, which - among other things - I think goes to show how truly upset he was by what was happening since, as has often been pointed out, it’s generally only the small things he complains about.
Poor darling, eh? I still can’t believe Kate said to him about talking to Robin like that, his poor little face! I’m worried about his relationship with Robin too: as usual, Robin doesn’t stop to listen to him (I’m still wondering what Much actually would’ve said to him - would he have said what Kate asked him to, or would he have been honest and told Robin what he was really feeling?), and then Much actually leaves the camp and the gang! Alright, he didn’t make it that far, but still. I’m positive he wouldn’t have left Robin before, no matter what, and I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t that he’s growing up so much as they really aren’t all that close any more L I had Jonathan Creek on tonight and Maddy said something which I thought was very appropriate: “That’s the death of any relationship isn’t it, when people stop listening to each other.”
And the trouble is, nothing was really resolved for him was it, in fact judging by Robin and Kate it’s now going to be even worse. Will he try and leave again? What if he doesn’t come back this time? (It’ll be like a scene from Denile, only real! :P) He seemed to have that little revelation in the slow-motion bit when watching Robin and Kate fight that they really were becoming a ‘thing’.. wouldn’t be at all surprised if what else was going through is head was the Holy Land, and how it used to be him fighting side-by-side with Robin (seriously, the plot bunnies I’m getting for this episode.. can hardly type for them hopping all about the place.)
I think Sam played him a bit differently in this one, I don’t know if it was just me but usually you really can see what he’s thinking written all over his face, but this time around I found him a bit harder to read.
Putting aside his reason for leaving (quick note on which, I suppose at least the gang (seemingly eventually) noticed he was gone, but it’s not really like they cared that much is it), it was nice to see him striking out on his own with some initiative, and even better that it didn’t all go wrong for him for once! He actually got to save them! It’s nice to see Much actually appearing properly useful in the show, they do seem to downplay his role and talent a lot and there’s no good reason for it as far as I can see.
What was it I said (or, he said) in that drabble of mine? Maybe one day someone will say thank you? Not in this bloody episode they won’t *grrr*
Ooh, I almost forgot them, the other random thoughts: Why don’t the guards of Nottingham just look out for people in hoods - no-one else but the gang really seems to wear them! And people really do seem to like using the threat of Prince John to stay safe, don’t they? First the Sherriff had his deal that if anything happened to him, Nottingham would be razed to the ground, and now Thornton has a deal set up too! When they were fighting guards in the forest, Allan got one to the ground with a slash to his belly by his sword, but I’m sure the guard was wearing chain mail - it might still mean that actually being jabbed by something would cause pain or even damage, but surely it would protect against a move like that? Or am I simply overestimating it’s properties? Next week’s episode looks interesting, I really really really hope we get to see a young Much!
And innuendo of the week (which I’m hoping will become a regular fixture) has to be awarded to Guy in the dungeons, where he is described as being ‘dirty, miserable and small’ and is apparently aware of how useful a little suck on stones can be *nudgenudgewinkwinksay-no-more!*
time for me to go and sleep... I have technically been working on this since the episode finished!
Well well! Certainly plenty of Much to discuss from this episode, but I’m gonna start off with the people I have less for. So - John actually got some real screen time this episode! Yes, first of all he had the pretty lame job of escorting Isabella back to Nottingham, but at least he got to tell her what’s what, that Robin was only collaborating with her for the good of the people, and that if he was interested in anyone it was Kate. Nice to see a little nod of how John and the others would know him that much better.
Onto Robin, and the women really are fighting over him this time aren’t they? At least he finally had a care for Much’s feelings and said no to Kate because of him. Or, he did, before apparently deciding ‘sod it’. Is he high or something? Who knows. But to skip back from there a moment, how like him not to stop and listen to Much when he was trying to talk to him (see below for a little more on that).
We did have a reference to times gone by with ‘I only kill when there’s no other way’; either Robin believes his options are very much narrower than they used to be, or that’s just a flat-out lie now.
Back to Kate - she really doesn’t care about Much at all does she? Fancy saying that to him about Robin when he’d already told her, very plainly (as if it wasn’t obvious) how he felt! Women! And that Robin she’s got her lips on belongs to Much :P She even told Much to go back to camp and she’d stay with Robin! I suppose she at least noticed that yes, maybe the reason he wasn’t around was that he was LEAVING! But still.
Briefly onto my dear Allan, who sadly wasn’t in it a lot this week did have some great moments (when he wasn’t scoffing over a woman in power *rolls eyes*), obviously in his idea that Valhalla might be somewhere near Norwich - up on hearing, my family and I burst into laughter, bless him - “he was the Queen of Sheba last week”, and the West Country (oh arr!) accent; so help me, I do love to see him deceive people for some reason, even if it’s only silly stuff like that.
On to the Gisbourne siblings. When Robin was trying to persuade Isabella to co-operate with him, I couldn’t help think that if she’d have accepted, she’d be in a similar sort of position Allan was in series two, only the other way around; being in the castle feeding information to those in the forest.
Seeing her so terrified around Thornton was interesting too, as usually she likes to appear so strong and in control, and with him she was just powerless. That’s what happens when you’re with someone like that I guess, whether you were sold to him by your brother or otherwise.
I think Meg was spot on when she observed that Isabella does things out of hate, which also makes her quite the opposite of Robin, who does what he does out of love (rather like Kate now I come to think of it, who’s in the situation she’s in because of joining the outlaws and trying to save her brother). She does also seem to be very similar to Vaisey, when she was talking about setting Nottingham free she seemed very insincere, she talked about people being punished if they challenge her authority, and she was even sat in a way very reminiscent of him! I was really hoping he’d burst in on her at the end, but alas. He’d better be back soon! *sulks*
What an episode this was for Guy! Poor chap, he really doesn’t have any luck with the fairer sex does he? First he offs Marian (accidently otherwise), then is imprisoned and sentenced to death by his sister, and now he finds a girl who might actually love, or at the very least like, him back but she dies in his arms by a romantically moonlit lake! Dear me. It was nice to see him showing some real humanity and compassion again, and also to have him talking about Marian; I’m not sure how I feel about the way they’re dealing with her in this series, on the one hand it’s natural, and good in it’s way, for them to be moving on from what happened, but on the other she’s traditionally a big part of the Robin Hood story and it feels like a kind of betrayal of that to have Robin (and Guy, to an extent) now involved with other women. But even as I think that I know that if they did handle it with them moping around missing her for the whole series it’d be very annoying and I’d be crying ‘get over it!’ at my screen! Just seems a bit soon, I guess.
And now my friends, finally we come to Much! He was unusually quiet this episode, which - among other things - I think goes to show how truly upset he was by what was happening since, as has often been pointed out, it’s generally only the small things he complains about.
Poor darling, eh? I still can’t believe Kate said to him about talking to Robin like that, his poor little face! I’m worried about his relationship with Robin too: as usual, Robin doesn’t stop to listen to him (I’m still wondering what Much actually would’ve said to him - would he have said what Kate asked him to, or would he have been honest and told Robin what he was really feeling?), and then Much actually leaves the camp and the gang! Alright, he didn’t make it that far, but still. I’m positive he wouldn’t have left Robin before, no matter what, and I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t that he’s growing up so much as they really aren’t all that close any more L I had Jonathan Creek on tonight and Maddy said something which I thought was very appropriate: “That’s the death of any relationship isn’t it, when people stop listening to each other.”
And the trouble is, nothing was really resolved for him was it, in fact judging by Robin and Kate it’s now going to be even worse. Will he try and leave again? What if he doesn’t come back this time? (It’ll be like a scene from Denile, only real! :P) He seemed to have that little revelation in the slow-motion bit when watching Robin and Kate fight that they really were becoming a ‘thing’.. wouldn’t be at all surprised if what else was going through is head was the Holy Land, and how it used to be him fighting side-by-side with Robin (seriously, the plot bunnies I’m getting for this episode.. can hardly type for them hopping all about the place.)
I think Sam played him a bit differently in this one, I don’t know if it was just me but usually you really can see what he’s thinking written all over his face, but this time around I found him a bit harder to read.
Putting aside his reason for leaving (quick note on which, I suppose at least the gang (seemingly eventually) noticed he was gone, but it’s not really like they cared that much is it), it was nice to see him striking out on his own with some initiative, and even better that it didn’t all go wrong for him for once! He actually got to save them! It’s nice to see Much actually appearing properly useful in the show, they do seem to downplay his role and talent a lot and there’s no good reason for it as far as I can see.
What was it I said (or, he said) in that drabble of mine? Maybe one day someone will say thank you? Not in this bloody episode they won’t *grrr*
Ooh, I almost forgot them, the other random thoughts: Why don’t the guards of Nottingham just look out for people in hoods - no-one else but the gang really seems to wear them! And people really do seem to like using the threat of Prince John to stay safe, don’t they? First the Sherriff had his deal that if anything happened to him, Nottingham would be razed to the ground, and now Thornton has a deal set up too! When they were fighting guards in the forest, Allan got one to the ground with a slash to his belly by his sword, but I’m sure the guard was wearing chain mail - it might still mean that actually being jabbed by something would cause pain or even damage, but surely it would protect against a move like that? Or am I simply overestimating it’s properties? Next week’s episode looks interesting, I really really really hope we get to see a young Much!
And innuendo of the week (which I’m hoping will become a regular fixture) has to be awarded to Guy in the dungeons, where he is described as being ‘dirty, miserable and small’ and is apparently aware of how useful a little suck on stones can be *nudgenudgewinkwinksay-no-more!*
time for me to go and sleep... I have technically been working on this since the episode finished!