Something Worth Fighting For, Part I - Robin Hood 3x12
No spoilers for 3x13, if you have them, here please :)
My whole review is here, and the Much-related bits (bear with it, the first two aren't specifically Much!) below the cut, as always...
1) Noooooooooo! Oh, Allan, I wasn't ready to lose you. It wouldn't be fair to say that I have any single favourite character in RH but Allan has been right up there at the top of my list (with Guy and Much, of course). I loved him, really really loved him. I cried so much. Still occasionally bursting into tears actually. I could cope with Marian leaving, but Allan? No no no no no no.
2) When Allan first got hit by all those arrows, I thought, 'Oh God, how can the member of Robin's gang who gets killed tonight be Allan?!' (That was all the spoiler I had before I saw it, so it was a complete shock.) Then I wasn't sure whether there might be a tiny chance that he'd survive, since other people were in life-threatening situations at the same time, and it was at least five minutes before the end... Then they went and delivered his body to the castle. It was spine-chillingly emotional as they rolled him out, and his beautiful blue eyes were staring up blankly (good acting, JoeA).
3) The reactions of the gang were interesting. Robin looked upset in a traumatised but not terribly active sort of way. Much's face was a mask of dismay - I don't know anyone who can portray so much emotion in a single look. John was so shocked he had to sit down - Allan was his family, after all. Tuck was... well, I think he saw it as a blow to the cause, or something. Kate didn't seem bothered. Interestingly, we didn't really get any reaction from Guy - they didn't dwell on him, and then they left it to him to come over all military and man the battlements. I would really love to have seen how he really felt about Allan, but never mind... I'll just have to write about it :)
8) I'm confused by Guy's motives. He keeps saying he's only with him to get at Isabella, and yet Robin keeps insisting on trusting him implicitly, and he keeps looking all hurt if it looks like the others don't like him. I especially liked the exchange in the woods after they left Allan tied up, which went something like this (this is a homage to inkblot_fiend's excellent and very very funny script review of 3x11 - I hope you like it if you're reading!)...
ROBIN: John and Tuck, you go stop the convoy. Make up your own plan. We may never see each other again, by the way.
TUCK: I suggest manly embraces to celebrate this.
MUCH: (to Tuck) Erm, hug?
TUCK: No, just a handshake for you.
ROBIN AND JOHN: *hugs*
EVERYONE BUT GUY: *swap partners*
GUY: Come on, someone has to want to hug me!
9) Speaking of Tuck apparently not wanting to hug Much, can I just say: Oi Tuck, treat Much right!
10) At least this week we got to see Robin loving Much again. He didn't say it, and he happily stepped on top of him to save himself after suggesting Guy be the one who got saved (TMR, Robin!!!), but at least when he was up there he tried to hold on to his hand and had the decency to be upset when his hand slipped away. Awww!
11) While we're talking Much, you know the bit at the end where Robin was trying to give a rousing speech, and Much rushed on scene and shouted to him? His face was a perfect picture of puzzled dismay, as if he had an inkling that Allan's body was wrapped up in the cloth that had been dumped at the gate, but couldn't bear to think about it, and needed Robin to come and see it and be strong for him. Or something like that. He says so much in a look, as I was saying before.
20) When John ran in and 'confronted' Allan, I thought he might actually choke him to death. Poor Allan! He seemed to be squeezing his poor throat a little bit too realistically there!
21) Allan then got the chance to question each of his gang-mates to see if they trusted him at all, and the answer was a very sad and resounding 'no' all round. Guy smirked in a way that was incredibly appealling but really quite cruel - but then I suppose he was teasing Allan slightly for their shared history, and also minding his own back by not appearing to side with a traitor. Perhaps the most heart-breaking one of all was Much's refusal to trust him, even though they had been growing closer this series. It was even Much's idea to tie Allan up in case he told Isabella about the tunnel. Oh Much. I have a feeling he's going to beat himself up over this.
My whole review is here, and the Much-related bits (bear with it, the first two aren't specifically Much!) below the cut, as always...
1) Noooooooooo! Oh, Allan, I wasn't ready to lose you. It wouldn't be fair to say that I have any single favourite character in RH but Allan has been right up there at the top of my list (with Guy and Much, of course). I loved him, really really loved him. I cried so much. Still occasionally bursting into tears actually. I could cope with Marian leaving, but Allan? No no no no no no.
2) When Allan first got hit by all those arrows, I thought, 'Oh God, how can the member of Robin's gang who gets killed tonight be Allan?!' (That was all the spoiler I had before I saw it, so it was a complete shock.) Then I wasn't sure whether there might be a tiny chance that he'd survive, since other people were in life-threatening situations at the same time, and it was at least five minutes before the end... Then they went and delivered his body to the castle. It was spine-chillingly emotional as they rolled him out, and his beautiful blue eyes were staring up blankly (good acting, JoeA).
3) The reactions of the gang were interesting. Robin looked upset in a traumatised but not terribly active sort of way. Much's face was a mask of dismay - I don't know anyone who can portray so much emotion in a single look. John was so shocked he had to sit down - Allan was his family, after all. Tuck was... well, I think he saw it as a blow to the cause, or something. Kate didn't seem bothered. Interestingly, we didn't really get any reaction from Guy - they didn't dwell on him, and then they left it to him to come over all military and man the battlements. I would really love to have seen how he really felt about Allan, but never mind... I'll just have to write about it :)
8) I'm confused by Guy's motives. He keeps saying he's only with him to get at Isabella, and yet Robin keeps insisting on trusting him implicitly, and he keeps looking all hurt if it looks like the others don't like him. I especially liked the exchange in the woods after they left Allan tied up, which went something like this (this is a homage to inkblot_fiend's excellent and very very funny script review of 3x11 - I hope you like it if you're reading!)...
ROBIN: John and Tuck, you go stop the convoy. Make up your own plan. We may never see each other again, by the way.
TUCK: I suggest manly embraces to celebrate this.
MUCH: (to Tuck) Erm, hug?
TUCK: No, just a handshake for you.
ROBIN AND JOHN: *hugs*
EVERYONE BUT GUY: *swap partners*
GUY: Come on, someone has to want to hug me!
9) Speaking of Tuck apparently not wanting to hug Much, can I just say: Oi Tuck, treat Much right!
10) At least this week we got to see Robin loving Much again. He didn't say it, and he happily stepped on top of him to save himself after suggesting Guy be the one who got saved (TMR, Robin!!!), but at least when he was up there he tried to hold on to his hand and had the decency to be upset when his hand slipped away. Awww!
11) While we're talking Much, you know the bit at the end where Robin was trying to give a rousing speech, and Much rushed on scene and shouted to him? His face was a perfect picture of puzzled dismay, as if he had an inkling that Allan's body was wrapped up in the cloth that had been dumped at the gate, but couldn't bear to think about it, and needed Robin to come and see it and be strong for him. Or something like that. He says so much in a look, as I was saying before.
20) When John ran in and 'confronted' Allan, I thought he might actually choke him to death. Poor Allan! He seemed to be squeezing his poor throat a little bit too realistically there!
21) Allan then got the chance to question each of his gang-mates to see if they trusted him at all, and the answer was a very sad and resounding 'no' all round. Guy smirked in a way that was incredibly appealling but really quite cruel - but then I suppose he was teasing Allan slightly for their shared history, and also minding his own back by not appearing to side with a traitor. Perhaps the most heart-breaking one of all was Much's refusal to trust him, even though they had been growing closer this series. It was even Much's idea to tie Allan up in case he told Isabella about the tunnel. Oh Much. I have a feeling he's going to beat himself up over this.