A Good Day to Die/We Are Robin Hood
OMGOMGOMG...
1) They killed Marian. No, they actually really killed Marian. Dead. I know it's slightly weird to start a review at the end, but it's what you're all thinking, isn't it? How on earth can the Robin Hood legend go on with no Marian? I'll miss her - Lucy Griffiths is a brilliant actress (maybe she wanted to pull out of the series, and that's why they did it?), who invested the old character with new life, and lots of spirit, and above all a sort of reality that not many actresses can conjure up well.
2) And it's especially weird they killed her off given that there's definitely going to be a third series - as confirmed as the credits rolled.
3) I have to admit that, although I'll miss Marian a lot, I'm not too sad that she died, rather than one of the men of the show. It'll leave the show unbalanced in terms of gender (like it wasn't already?), but at least it wasn't Guy (I think I'd be right in saying he's probably the one that the makers consider the hottest talent though, so that it would have been really dumb to kill him off?), or indeed Allan (*squeeeeeee* this was what I feared the most - so I was practically singing at the end, never mind crying for Marian). On balance, I think I would rather the Sheriff had been the one to die, but hey, I guess he's a good baddie. And also, see OTP remarks below.
4) And am I the only one who's thinking that Marian's death is leaving a nice big gap in Robin's life that Much can delight himself in filling? Er, that wasn't actually meant to be a euphemism.
5) Right then, the episodes. I suppose I'll swing wildly between taking it chronologically and going character-by-character, as always. First up, the beginning - how sweet was Much with his secret party planning, and everyone else joining in? Awwww!
6) Paul Usher was brilliant as mercenary guy, but why couldn't he just have kept his genuine Scouse accent? It's not like we haven't had Scousers in the show before, and he made a right hash of Lancashire. But he's a good actor and it was nice to see him in it.
7) They brought black powder back! I was hoping they wouldn't just leave that plot strand hanging, but I'm glad they didn't let it take over the episode - by having Djaq just having made a small amount, it made the point and linked up with the first series, but it didn't turn it into a plot device to solve any problems.
8) I thought the game of truth or dare (well, I can't spell the Arabic name for it!) was a wonderful way of making the first of the two episodes all about characterisation. OTOH, it did make me glad that they'd put the two episodes together - because otherwise there could have been too much talking.
9) Speaking of the episodes, does anyone know exactly where the second one would have begun? My bet is on the shot where Sheriff/Guy/Marian arrive in the Holy Land (followed by the one where Robin and co arrive) - but the only problem is that that would mean episode 12 was never meant to end on a cliffhanger (because Robin and co's escape had already happened). Perhaps the break comes slightly earlier? But everything, from the setting to the colouring, changed from the point of arriving in the Holy Land, which made me think that was the point where the changeover came. Or were the two episodes never meant to be separated anyway?
10) Back to truth or dare. Djaq first, and wasn't it sweet? I loved the look on Will's face when she declared her love for him. Lovely.
11) But isn't it a shame that Will's turn consisted entirely of saying that he loved Djaq, and then they didn't give him a chance to say anything else? Surely he had something to say about his Dad's death, and missing his brother, and hating the Sheriff, and secretly being in love with Allan?
12) The one that first broke my heart was John, who was very convincing as a man who had lost everything he loved and just wanted to die. I loved his explanation for why he always says 'Today is a good day to die'. And it was so sweet when he started shouting that he wanted to die now, and Will held him until he stopped.
13) But when it was Much's turn, my heart shattered into a thousand little pieces. This was the culmination of his grief about the way Robin was treating him - and indeed the whole end point of the Treat Much Right campaign (treatmuchright). He needed to say it, and get it out in the open, and make Robin understand how hurt he was that he was pushing him away all the time. Oh, poor poor Much.
14) It amused me a little that when Robin gave his response (after a refusal to speak that made me want to scream 'Treat Much Right!'), he admitted it was all because of how he had reacted to the war, and not being strong enough to cope with it - that was why he was no longer close to Much, because he could not bear to remember what they had been through together. The weird thing is that yesterday I wrote a fic in which this issue was addressed in a similar sort of way - but now I feel cheated, as if I came up with the idea first and *they* stole it from *me* ;) Seriously though, I realised yesterday that Robin's behaviour must be something to do with the war, and that's what they had been working towards since early on in the first series. So I was pleased to see that I had been right about it :)
15) Well, while Team Hood were busy playing truth or dare, at least Team Leather were getting equal amounts of characterisation. I loved the intrigues going on between everyone, and especially Allan's determination to stick with Guy (he knows which side his bread's buttered - well of course he does, it's *Allan*). I so so wish he had remained loyal to Guy, and got his lordship, and continued to wear black...
16) Meanwhile, Marian sort of let everything Guy had been hiding slip by attacking the Sheriff openly. It felt slightly wrong that she acted so rashly (OK, after looking for Robin) - and her explanation about how Nottingham wouldn't be destroyed after all because Richard would be king didn't hold water, and she must have known it. So, more than most other strands of the two episodes, I think this one felt like a plot device. But a happy plot device, seeing as the result was a foursome road trip to Portsmouth.
17) It was wonderful how the Sheriff reacted when he found out about Guy and Allan's deception about Marian - yet again, they were thrown together like two naughty schoolboys being told off by the headmaster. Actually, make that being whipped, because...
18) Allan is just the whipping boy. Oh yes, oh yes he is...
19) We'll return to fangirlish dreams in a moment, but is it me, or was it a bit weird that the Sheriff decided to take Marian along? Yes, that's Marian, the dangerous girl who knows how to fight and has so clearly expressed that she would do anything to stop them killing the king. And they didn't even introduce an explanation along the lines that it would have been too dangerous to leave her behind in case she escaped and freed Robin and co.
20) P.S. I wonder if the beginning of the next series is going to involve everyone getting back and finding that Nottingham has been burned to the ground because the Sheriff missed several Thursday appointments with Jasper while away in the Holy Land? I suppose we're meant to assume he told him he would be away - but who is running Nottingham in their absence?
21) Back to the Portsmouth Road Inn, then. I almost squeed when they got a single room for three, but that was nothing compared to my reaction to ensuing occurrences. First up, there was Guy and Allan fulfilling several ships at once - first, Guy was worried about whether Marian was still in love with Robin, and Allan didn't want to hurt him by admitting it outright; then the Sheriff walked in on them, looked all jealous, and accused Guy and Allan of kissing in the moonlight.
22) In between fangirlish shipper dreams, we got to see Allan turning suddenly noble - it's a pity we didn't see his motivations a bit more, but the implication seems to be that he had an epiphany while lying in bed (not a euphemism). I'm sure he could have managed to free Marian if he'd tried a bit harder, but where would have been the fun in that?
23) Back to fangirlish shipper dreams. Literally. Because OMG wasn't that the most wonderful insight into Guy's inner thoughts? First he dreams that Marian is giving him a massage. Then he dreams that *Allan* is giving him a massage - and this is treated in exactly the same way as the Marian part of the dream, so it seems quite unambiguous to me! And then he wakes up, and the Sheriff is actually giving him a massage. And to top it all, the Sheriff reveals that Allan doesn't love him any more (yes, in those words!) and has escaped, but that he's glad because it is better when it's just the two of them. Now, tell me honestly people - did I dream that? Because it was like watching one of my own pieces of slash (and yes, they'd actually filmed it with the real actors playing the parts!!!)...
24) And then Allan goes and saves the gang, and I'm wishing that he was back in bed with Guy. Oh, but he did give mercenary guy such a cheeky smile, didn't he? And it was nice to see the gang embrace him in a tentative we-still-don't-trust-you kind of way. I'm assuming that the first episode ends about here.
25) Oh, did I nearly forget to say that Will and Djaq kissed? But we all already knew that, didn't we? ;)
26) Onto the Holy Land. The beginning of this episode didn't leave me with many comments - but this is possibly because I still had blurred vision after witnessing *that dream*. The scene was nicely set though, and I liked the cinematography of the Holy Land in general.
27) I liked the way Much would not leave Allan alone and kept teasing him about being a traitor. That was *so sweet*. And symbolic of the fact that they *had* all accepted him back into the gang - apparently unreservedly.
28) I liked Bassam, and his place with the birds, and Djaq's delight at being there again, and her sharing her feelings with Will. Very sweet.
29) I think I liked the king too. But wasn't it weird that they chose someone who didn't at all look like the guy who was supposed to be impersonating him at the end of the first series? I thought they got the character right though - essentially, very moral and upstanding with all his values in the right places, and yet when called on he keeps failing to take the right actions and defend the right people.
30) OK, someone tell me what that Latin motto was that Much quoted at least three times (six, seeing as I watched it twice). Because I couldn't make it out and it's driving me mad.
31) So, nasty Sheriff plotting ends up with everyone being tied to posts in the desert. Personally, I'm glad they did it that way, because it meant a bunch of hot men looking hot and sweaty and showing off their muscles. But isn't burying up to the neck more traditional? Plus, I had this feeling that it wouldn't have been too hard for John at least to pull on his posts so that they fell over (or at least could be reduced to such an angle that he was able to remove him ties and then set everyone else free). But not complaining, because it looked awesome.
32) Meanwhile, the evil Sheriff and Guy are holed up in a house together, with Marian tied up downstairs. It was lovely to see this dynamic - first Marian genuinely tempting Guy to kill the Sheriff, and promising him her hand. The look on her face rather suggested that she didn't really want to marry him, which disappointed me.
33) But OMG, Guy didn't do it! I was so afraid for him when he was sneaking up behind the Sheriff, who was ready to protect himself with a knife. But of course Guy wouldn't kill his master - how silly of me to think that any other pairings Guy might be involved in would mean more to him than his wonderful sado-masochistic relationship with the Sheriff. What he did was right on so many levels, and it made me completely forget that I'd been hoping he would do as Marian wished and end up marrying her.
34) The Sheriff's plan to tie Marian up with Robin never really did sound like a good idea to me. Wouldn't it have been more cruel to keep them apart? Why did he want to give them both a chance to escape together? Did he really think they wouldn't end up getting rescued? Especially given that they were tied up at least twenty minutes before the programme was due to end ;)
35) Aw, Carter! Now he was a good character. Shame he didn't get more screentime, but it was lovely that he came along and freed everyone. And with his brother's catchphrase! I'm assuming that Carter brought all their weapons to them (and some horses) too - otherwise, I can't see how what followed would have worked.
36) Nearing the end now. I like how in the RobinHoodiverse it's really easy to throw a sword at someone standing on the roof of a building and hit them so that they fall backwards. Neat trick.
37) And yay, then we get Much saving Robin - now that's how it should be!
38) I think Marian learned her lesson. For anyone who didn't get it, the idea is not to tell a proud, angry man *holding a sword* that you would rather die than marry him *and* that you are engaged to someone else. It was so sad, and yet somehow so right for the character, when Guy flipped and drove his sword into her. And a wonderful metaphor for what he's been wanting to do for her all along indeed!
39) Marian's death scene was lovely - largely because she acted it so very well. I really will miss her - did I mention that? And the way Djaq let her know that she was going to die. And the way Marian got to choose the moment when she died. And how she regretted not having enough time with Robin (and, if I may say so, I suspect dying a virgin was hardly what she wanted).
40) Finally, onto the star of the show. I've always had misgivings about Robin, because I don't think Jonas Armstrong's acting is as strong as it needs to be. At times it's wonderful, and he comes across as very charismatic. But just occasionally, there comes an important moment where it falls flat. While Marian was dying, his acting felt very much outshone by her superior performance. Afterwards, however, I have to admit that he looked suitably miserable and bitter for someone who's lost his loved one. I'm guessing this will set the tone for the next series - but he promised Marian he would fight, so he'll have to do it.
41) Oh, oops. I meant to stop at a nice round 40, but I have one more thing to say. Pleeeeeeeeeeease, please, BBC - don't let Will and Djaq stay in the Holy Land forever. Besides, they have lots of reasons to come back to England - there's little Lukie in Scarborough, and there's their accessibility to the king in the Holy Land (who's going to want to convey a message back to Robin at some point, right?), and there's Allan (who needs both of them, right?), and they want to keep fighting for the cause, don't they? Aww, please bring them back - I can't live without Will!