Robin Hood: Bound by Love, Divided by Lies

The last episode was obviously very outlaw-heavy, and now we turn to court politics. Marian once more comes to the fore, and we learn about what Queen Eleanor is actually attempting to achieve with her various manipulations – and unsurprisingly, it doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense.

After Robin’s dramatic rescue of the Miller brothers, the Sheriff is out in force to try and find him. In the local tavern he’s making out King Henry to be a warmongering bogyman, all the better to scare the Saxons into giving up Robin Hood before the king’s forces arrive to do it for them. This idea will be important later, but we also see Robin’s uncle among those gathered, who will have a small part to play in this episode. (But I like the way the writers are keeping tabs on these minor characters).

The story in its entirety revolves around Queen Eleanor arriving in Nottingham and putting her plans for the Midlands into play. She meets up with her spy to discuss the events of the last episode (I still don’t have a name for this guy; he appears to be credited as “the Marshal”) and conveys her interest in a one-on-one meeting with Robin Hood. She may do some questionable things throughout this episode, but I like that she’s savvy enough to realize how appealing the idea of Robin Hood would be to the general populace. 

Cut to Marian, who is in the process of organizing this desired meeting for her. She gallops home (by herself? – I’m pretty sure a lady of the court would have an escort) and I was initially under the impression she was going to visit her brother’s grave (or at least confirm that he was actually dead, since the circumstances of her being informed were very vague) but nope – she’s there to meet Robin instead.

As we find out later, she used Will to pass on a message to his father, who then got it to Robin, a line of communication that probably would have been better off being depicted on-screen, but it doesn’t matter, as the reunion between Robin and Marian is rather lovely. Between the soundtrack and the lighting, they really are going for some sort of mystical connection between the two.

The main purpose of this meeting is for Marian to tell Robin – er, Robert – to find the outlaw Robin Hood in the forest and ask him to meet with Queen Eleanor at an appointed place and time. Marian has come up with a plan that by doing this favour for the Queen, she’ll be able to wrangle a pardon for Robert.

Girl, really? That they’re trying to draw out this whole “who is Robin Hood?” secret identity thing is beyond silly. At least everyone is all caught up by the end credits.

Over in Nottingham Castle, Eleanor is on the way, Priscilla is on the mend, and father/daughter seem to be back on good terms. We also get a first name for the Sheriff: Philip! The Queen arrives and the mingling begins: Leicester and Warrick whisper to each other on a balcony, and they’re joined by yet another woman who I originally assumed was a wife to one of them, but who’s apparently a Baroness in her own right.

The downside to this influx of female characters is that there’s also plenty of bitchery in the air. This Baroness also walks around with a sly smirk while making underhanded comments, and when Marian returns to the castle she’s confronted by Celine demanding to know where she’s been, only to get whisked away by Priscilla, who also fires a few shots in Celine’s direction. *deep heavy sigh* Scriptwriters honestly seem to believe that this is the only way women can ever interact with each other.

Even Marian and Priscilla’s interaction is essentially: “Still a slut?” “Yup. Gotten laid yet?” “Nope. Working on it, though.” Then the Marshal turns up and it’s clear Priscilla has wasted no time getting her claws into him.

Everyone sits down for their meal and Eleanor starts making barbed comments at everyone, which seems a little counterproductive to me, but in shows like this it’s treated as Queening 101. The question of Robin Hood’s true identity comes up, and it eventually turns into a big fight, with Huntington insulting the Sheriff and storming out of the room.

In private, Marian brings Eleanor her news, telling her that a meeting with Robin Hood is being prepared by another outlaw – and that in return, she wants Robert to get a pardon for services rendered. Despite the crushing levels of naivety at work here (it wouldn’t surprise me if Eleanor was already suspecting that Robin and Robert are the same person) it’s a good scene for Marian, and the first bit of political finagling we’ve seen her do.

The various lords and earls and our new baroness character gather around a table where Eleanor presents the reason for her visit: she wants them to sign an agreement stipulating that they’ll do everything in their power to hunt down this dangerous Robin Hood and remain loyal to the crown. It all seems a bit pointless, since these are things that could reasonably be expected of these people anyway.

Perhaps sensing this, and realizing that there must be something else at play, the Sheriff refuses to sign, citing his allegiance to King Henry as a good enough demonstration of loyalty. In a private conversation with Priscilla, he voices his fears that any involvement of King Henry in the events currently unfolding in Nottingham will lead to all-out war.

***

Robin uses a bit of parkour to visit Marian at the inn where she’s staying at (if she’s a servant to the Queen, shouldn’t she be with her at the castle?) Because we went a whole episode without a sex scene, here’s one between Robin and Marian, and because they’re main characters, theirs is rather more tasteful than what we’ve seen previously with Priscilla and Will.

But the fact that Robin doesn’t tell Marian about his role in her brother’s death is such a contrivance. It also makes me irrationally angry that the script ensures that Marian initiates the sex in order to alleviate any responsibility from him, but c’mon, dude. DUDE. You are having sex with this woman while concealing a secret that you KNOW would change her feelings about whether or not she would want to go ahead with this encounter, and it’s an unpleasant component to add to a centuries-old love story that’s always been portrayed as loving and honest.

In any case, Marian extracts a promise from Robert that he’ll make sure “Robin” attends the meeting with Queen Eleanor, after which he’ll secure his pardon and the two of them will be one step closer to freedom.

So to the meeting place he goes, where we finally discover the true extent of Queen Eleanor’s plans: she wants to form an alliance with Robin, encouraging him to attack Norman convoys and settlements, with the intended goal being to lure King Henry from France to England, where she’ll be better able to assassinate him and place her son Richard on the throne.

You don’t need me to tell you that this is completely insane. I don’t even know where to start poking the holes in this one. That she would essentially start a war in order to get her husband into a situation where she might get him killed, just to expedite something that’s eventually going to happen anyway…

Still, this does explain the emphasis the Sheriff has put throughout the episode on how bloodthirsty and violent Henry is – the writers needed to establish his potential arrival as a threat.

Robin ponders the idea, and asks for something in return: Marian. Eleanor puts two-and-two together almost immediately regarding his true identity, and it would appear that the two of them have struck a deal. He’ll cause trouble enough to bring the King to England’s shores, and Eleanor will protect Marian till such a time that she can be freed from her service and brought to Robin.

But of course, now it’s Marian’s time to learn the truth. As she’s walking happily through the Nottingham streets, still post-coital, her father stops her and breaks the news in the cruellest way possible: Robert was there when her brother was killed, and has clearly neglected to tell her anything about it. The episode closes on her face as she begins to cry.

If only we had been given some insight into this sibling bond before one of them was killed. Without it, we only have the sense of betrayal Marian feels as the emotional cornerstone of this plot development.

***

At this point, I should backtrack and discuss the few scenes that portray what the outlaws are up to. Our main band (Little John, Tuck, the Miller brothers, Milange and presumably Spragat, though I didn’t notice him) have retreated back to the cave that Robin visited a few episodes ago, and are setting up camp.

They also seem to have been joined by quite a few other Saxons, as there’s certainly more people than just those six men (and one woman in disguise). But firewood is being gathered, weapons are being forged… they’re clearly settling in for a long-term stay.

Little John tells Tuck that he’s the first Norman to ever come to this place, Robin has a conversation with Milange in which they both speak French and ascertain that the latter once worked for Priscilla (I’m sure this will be important later), and Ralph again tries her luck with Robin, presenting him with a new arm-guard. He’s not unreceptive to the kiss on the cheek she gives him, and no one is so obtuse that they can’t recognize what’s being said when someone tells them: “I’d do anything for you.” So, if things don’t work out with Marian, he’s got a Plan B!

I didn’t go too much into it during the summary, but a major theme that emerges in this episode is the choice before Robin: to lead these men, or to escape with Marian. As such, we’ve got a scene in which Little John flatly tells him that he’s the only one with enough leadership qualities to keep these outlaws together, while on sharing her plan for freedom with him, Marian tells Robin: “if you love me, do this.”

Both present him with an ultimatum, and Robin ends up choosing Marian – not realizing that she’ll soon have reason enough not to choose him.

It’s a bit frustrating, as not only do we know that Robin is going to end up back with the outlaws (this story does not involve Robin ditching the good fight and shacking up with Marian in France) but we’ve already dealt with this “reluctant leader” schtick. The Miller brothers were about to be hanged, and he stepped up to save them. That’s the conclusion of that particular arc, but now the show has presented him with yet another escape route that he’s apparently all-too-willing to take.

“Love versus duty,” is a popular theme for a reason, and it’s interesting that this particular Robin Hood has so far acted for very personal reasons (vengeance, desire, loyalty) as opposed to altruistic “bigger picture” ones, but the fact he didn’t divulge his involvement in Marian’s brother’s death when he had the chance just makes him dishonest and selfish.

Come on, that’s not a hero. I certainly had my issues with Jonas Armstrong’s Robin Hood, but they did something very right when they depicted him giving up everything he owned for the sake of four innocent lives, and as far as I can recall, he never deliberately deceived his Marian about anything.

Miscellaneous Observations:

This show still has plenty of clumsy lines and details that constantly threaten to throw me out of the scene. This episode includes gems such as the Sheriff telling Priscilla: “you’re a vision,” while she’s facing fully away from him, all the food laid out on the banquet tables well before anyone sits down to eat it, Robin insisting that “tragedies don’t have to end the way they’re written,” (er, yes they do – otherwise they wouldn’t be tragedies) and Queen Eleanor calling him the “Prince of Thieves.” I think we needed a bit more build-up to that moniker – he’s only ever stolen one shipment of tax money!

"You're a vision. An indistinguishable vision."

Eleanor voices another misconception about Robin Hood: that he’s been so successful in his endeavours that he must be getting help from someone at court. Now, we know that’s not true, and there’s every chance Eleanor was just saying this to pressure the nobles into signing her agreement, but it’s still a reasonable conclusion to draw, albeit a wrong one.

I liked that the assorted nobles debated Eleanor’s trustworthiness based on her prior attempt to overthrow her husband, which brings a sense of weight and history to the proceedings.

Tuck has only a single scene, and it still solidifies him as the most interesting character in the cast, vowing to honour the trust he’s been shown by being in these Saxon caves. Meanwhile, Robin demonstrates an astounding lack of curiosity by not asking follow-up questions to Milange’s assertion that he threatened the Sheriff. Does he not think details as to why might be pertinent to their current situation?

That Robin and Marian have now consummated their relationship happened rather suddenly (one little conversation with Priscilla, and Marian gets really horny?) but I mostly just feel sorry for Ralph, who has no idea any of this Marian-related drama is even happening.

Speaking of, Priscilla is getting a bit tiresome. She’s moved on to Queen Eleanor’s spy/marshal, and seems to have no qualms about seducing him in her father’s house. Girl, you nearly got sent to a nunnery over this. And there’s a reason sex before marriage was such a massive no-no in those days: there was no contraception to speak of! That Priscilla and Marian have no concerns whatsoever about getting pregnant makes no sense.

I forgot to mention that the Sheriff is also closing in on Robin Hood’s true identity, as his men bring him an arrow identical to the one that injured Priscilla, belonging to none other than Uncle Gamewell.

In terms of plot, the most important development of this episode was that the larger political landscape and its implications have now been laid out on the table. The Sheriff and Queen Eleanor are at odds because they both back different kings, and whilst Eleanor wants her husband in England so that she might better devise his death, the Sheriff wants him in France in order to spare the people the violence he would bring in his wake.

That’s a reasonably interesting twist, with the “bad guy” remaining loyal to his cousin and attempting to avoid war, while the “good queen” considers innocent lives to be collateral damage in her attempt to secure her son’s rule. It’s all rather murky, and Eleanor’s grand plan makes no sense whatsoever, but it’s tenuously hanging together.

We’re over the halfway mark and there are a heck of a lot of balls in the air, with the writers still introducing new characters. On the one hand it’s quite nice to have such an expansive cast, especially when it comes to the female characters, but on the other it’s clear that many are getting short shrift. Slow down and let us get to know some of them!