Friday, September 28, 2012

Robin Hood

I've got a thing for all things medieval. Which is obvious considering the MS I'm querying. I've always been a fan of the Robin Hood story- I've seen the Errol Flynn version, the Kevin Costner version, the Russell Crowe version, the cartoon version, and even the Men in Tights version (have I missed any?) So naturally, when I heard there was a TV show about Robin Hood, I decided to check it out.


I don't know much about this show. My local library has three seasons but I don't know if that's it, or if the show is still on TV, or what*. What I do know is after four episodes, I've fallen for it and I'm anxious for next episodes.

First though, a couple of pet peeves about the show:

1) It's a bit cheesy. Sometimes the dialogue, sometimes the action scenes- they induce mild eye-rolling at times.

2) Robin Hood is too scrawny. Maybe it's just me and the fact that I like my hero's with some meat and muscle on their bones. This Robin Hood needs to buff up just a tad.

3) Why won't Robin Hood kill the Sheriff already? Okay, it's a TV show, and so they've gotta keep the bad guy around, obviously. But every episode I can't help but think, if you'd just kill the guy, all your problems would be over.

Here's what I LOVE about the show:

1) Robin Hood. Yes, he's scrawny. But he's also charming and funny and rakish and roguish. I love how they didn't make him the brooding hero. We get the sense that he's got tough things from his past in the crusades, and he's serious about helping people, but that doesn't stop him from being the Robin Hood who cracks a smile, winks, or gives Marion a pick-up line. I LOVE that.

2) The Sheriff. He's not the evil-just-to-be-evil bad guy. He's the quirky bad guy who does weird things. He's an almost cheerful bad guy. But none of that takes away from the fact that he's a BAD guy.

3) Richard Armitage. Need I say more? He plays Guy of Gisbourne and, mullet aside, there's something about this guy that draws your eyes. When he's on screen he demands your attention. So far they've barely scratched the surface of him as a character but I hope they delve a lot deeper. Plus his voice is super-sexy. (Yep, I said it.)

4) Robin Hood's bestie- Mudge. Is that his name? I can't ever be sure. Anyway, this guy is so endearingly pathetic, sometimes funny, always loyal. He's another character I hope they give a little more backstory to as the episodes roll along.

5) The setting, costumes, weapons, etc. Everything medieval. They nailed it as well as putting their own spin on things too. This stuff alone makes me want to watch. And it's good for the brainstorming I'm doing for my R&R.

Are those enough reasons to check out this show? What about this?


*I just read on Wikipedia that they axed it after the 3rd season. Dang.

4 comments:

  1. Sadly there are only three seasons of this show. I've seen all three and really enjoyed them...I won't put anything spoilery on here. I also love Guy! And he's also in North and South, one of my favorite movies out there.

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  2. I don't really get your thing for Armitage. Maybe I'd feel differently if I watched spooks or whatever. It looks like he plays a dwarf in the new hobbit movies.

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  3. Thanks for the recommendation! I'm always looking for a new show to watch, and I do like to see various versions of Robin Hood.

    Have you read Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen? I've heard tons of raves about that, but it's still in the unread folder of my Kindle. Looks good, though.

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  4. I was just going to say ahh it's over now. Used to be on BBC1 over here and I think Merlin pretty much replaced it (which is also fun). Glad you are enjoying it!

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