ORBzine - TV Review - August 2005
[Season 1 !Season 2 !Season 3 ]
Robin of Sherwood
[Season 1, Episode 1]
Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (1)
Shown
Reviewed 4th June 2005 [Saturday]
Robin of Loxley (Michael Praed) is chosen by Herne the Hunter, mad hermit and/or Pagan god of Sherwood Forest, to do good deeds and so forth.
The first deed involves saving a damsel in distress (Marion) from the wicked Guy of Gisborne, sidekick of the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The sorceror of the title is the Baron de Beleme (Anthony Valentine), who looks like Frank Langella in an arabic headdress.
[Season 1, Episode 2]
Robin Hood and the Sorcerer (2)
Shown
Reviewed 4th June 2005 [Saturday]
The Sheriff offers Herne's silver arrow as prize in an archery contest. Robin attends, though it is a trap. The Sorceror wants the arrow too - his champion, Nasir the Saracen, competes for it.
The Sorceror wants Marian for human sacrifice. Friar Tuck tries to protect her.
[Season 1, Episode 3]
The Witch of Elsdon
Shown
Reviewed 11th June 2005 [Saturday]
[Season 1, Episode 4]
Seven Poor Knights from Acre
Shown
Reviewed 18th June 2005 [Saturday]
The Merry Men are at archery practise. The only on better than Marion is Robin himself! Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ) has other talents, though. He can spot a man on foot hiding in a bush, while seven fully-armoured Templars on horseback go unnoticed!
The Templars capture Much, the Miller's son, and threaten to execute him unless Robin retrieves a holy relic for them. It is nice to see a variety of antagonists - the leader is French, his bodyguard German. And Gisborne and the Sheriff pop up briefly as well, of course.
Dialogue triumphs: someone tells Friar Tuck Fighting monks? I thought you were the only one!
[Season 1, Episode 5]
Alan A Dale
Shown
Reviewed 25th June 2005 [Saturday]
The Sheriff is a reluctant bridegroom. Tuck says he Hates women, and he has two bathtub scenes with Guy Gisborne! Nickolas Grace steals the show - not OTT camp, but like Tim Curry.
Gisborne and Robin have a mud-fight. Hmm. What were the writers thinking?
The Sheriff must marry to get the dowry - Alan-A-Dale (visiting for one episode) just wants the girl. This leads up to a very nice ending.
[Season 1, Episode 6]
The King's Fool (aka Richard the Lionhearted)
Shown
Reviewed 2nd July 2005 [Saturday]
The Chevalier De Guise (John Rhys Davies - Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings ) is the outlaws' guest this week. In an unforgettable appearance he bests the lot of them!
The outlaws are pardoned by order of Richard the Lionheart. As a result the band begins to split up. Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ) refuses to leave Sherwood. Little John is very cynical about the King's motives - He'll only be in England a few months, until he's drained the country of money. He calls Robin the King's Fool.
Herne appears to Will Scarlet, and gives him a message for Robin. Is the King duplicitous?
The ending is a bit apocalyptic - after all, it was the Season finale and there was no guaranee the show would be continued next year. Luckily for the Merry Men, Gisborne is an incompetent moron. Also, thanks to a Henge circle of Standing Stones, Herne can turn back time!
2nd Series 1985
- De Leon (John Nettles - Bergerac)
- Mother Superior of Wayland convent ( Rula Lenska )
- Breton mercenary (Oliver Tobias - The Stud)
[Season 2, Episode 1]
The Prophecy
Shown
Reviewed 9th July 2005 [Saturday]
Prince John comes to Sherwood. His sidekick, De Leon (John Nettles - Bergerac) is a bit of a Ponce. They imprison Marian's dad (George Baker).
[Season 2, Episode 2]
The Children of Israel
Shown
Reviewed 16th July 2005 [Saturday]
The Sheriff owes money to the Jews, so he plots to start a riot against them. Gisborne falls for the Jewish babe (a frigid man-hater, who fancies Nazir).
Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ) falls out with Robin. They are not part of the main plotline until the final Act!
The Jews' holy book has magic powers. This is a clumsy plot device, shoehorned in to make a point. How it fits into the Pagan magic system is never explained.
[Season 2, Episode 3]
Lord of the Trees
Shown
Reviewed 23rd July 2005 [Saturday]
The Sheriff's out of town, in London for business. Gisborne is in charge, which makes Abbot Hugo the voice of sanity and reason! Guy hires Breton mercenaries (led by Oliver Tobias - The Stud) to stop the local villagers (led by Jeremy Bulloch - Empire Strikes Back ) from poaching deer and worshipping Herne. Abbot Hugo does not mind a bit of paganism, while Nazir and Friar Tuck go along with it!
Herne manisfests himself physically to the outlaws and villagers (Gisborne tries to kill him)! Robin and Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ) debate about executing Gisborne. This is the third time you spared him Will comments.
[Season 2, Episode 4]
The Enchantment
Shown
Reviewed 30th July 2005 [Saturday]
Robin is enchanted by a witch ( Gemma Craven ), one of the floozies of the sorcerous Baron de Beleme (Anthony Valentine), killed in the pilot episode.
The witch makes Robin steal the silver arrow. Can the Merry Men stop him in time?
The Sheriff sends Gisborne to retrieve the Baron's gems, the ransoms of Saracen nobles he captured while on Crusade.
[Season 2, Episode 5]
The Swords of Wayland (1)
Shown
Reviewed 6th August 2005 [Saturday]
An old man wanders into the middle of Sherwood. He used to work for Marion's dad - now he lives in a peaceful village attacked by Demons. The villagers want the Merry men to help, like in The Seven Samurai .
The so-called demons are devil-worshipping outlaws. They serve the Mother Superior of the local convent - Rula Lenska !
Rula calls in the local Sheriff. He is as greedy as the Nottingham one, but nowhere near as smart. However, by luck he manages to catch one of the Sherwood band ...
[Season 2, Episode 6]
The Swords of Wayland (2)
Shown
Reviewed 13th August 2005 [Saturday]
Robin must sort out his difficulties with the local Normans.
The Merry Men are captured by the villains. They are put in an iron cage, to be lowered into a fiery pit - like in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom .
[Season 2, Episode 7]
The Greatest Enemy
Shown
Reviewed 20th August 2005 [Saturday]
King John demands that Robin be hunted down and executed. Is this the end of Michael Praed's incarnation of Robin of Loxley? Will he find employment elsewhere, in Hollywood?
The Sheriff pulls out all the stops. He surrounds the forest, then sets a trap in the village. One by one, the Merry men are rounded up. Finally, Robin stands alone ...
Nazir busies himself with two passing Arabs. It seems he used to be a Hashishim, and they have a debt to collect ...
3rd Series 1986
- Jason Connery as Robin of Huntingdon [Season 3]
- Marian's father (George Baker)
- the Butcher of Lincoln (Lewis Collins - The Professionals )
- The King's henchman, De Carnac (Matt Frewer - Max Headroom, Psi Factor, Taken )
- Gulnar (Richard O'Brien - Rocky Horror Picture Show, Flash Gordon )
[Season 3, Episode 1]
Herne's Son (1)
Shown
Reviewed 27th August 2005 [Saturday]
Robert of Huntingdon (Jason Connery - Smallville ) falls foul of a robber-baron. More robber than baron, actually. Marion is captured by this Welsh-looking bandit fellow, So Bert (the newly-chosen son of Herne, apparently) must reunite the scattered Merry Men. Unfortunately they are all retired, and do not trust the newcomer.
Marian's father (George Baker) goes to the Sheriff for help. However, the Sheriff is a typically doublecrossing rat. Luckily, Nazir is around (what a coincidence, eh?) to help him out.
[Season 3, Episode 2]
Herne's Son (2)
Shown
Reviewed 3rd September 2005 [Saturday]
Bert gets the gang together - all except Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ). Convincing him means getting involved in a barroom brawl, while Gisbourne vainly tries to get the City Watch organised to arrest them.
This scene is the give-away as to why the show was so great. The script and characters are good, but the presence of the likes of Ray Winstone ... He is a serious dramatic actor, he is as convincing a medieval gangster as he is a modern-day one. But despite this, he never steals the show. The rest of the cast hold their own!
Finally, the team get together and execute their plan. We get a wonderful, action-packed climax worthy of the series.
This story must have influenced the far-inferior Hollywood film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves . The good guys have Nasir (and a spat between Robin and Will Scarlet). The Sheriff and the Abbot are greedy land-grabbing swine. And there are villainous Kelts (painted like Mel Gibson in Braveheart ) and witchcraft (here by Richard O'Brien - Flash Gordon, Rocky Horror Picture Show ).
There is also a hint of genuine magick here. When O'Brien predicts Owain's future, he casts a shadow across Owain's face that resembles a portcullis! Which, come to think about, may have influenced Joss Whedon in a certain Buffy ep.
[Season 3, Episode 3]
The Power of Albion
Shown
Reviewed 10th September 2005 [Saturday]
The Albion of the title is Robin Hood's magic sword, still in the custody of Marion. It falls into the hands of the wicked Sheriff. While it provides a good twist at the end, it is not really the core of the plot.
It is business as usual for the Merry Men. They have taken to Robert as their new leader, and start murdering any foresters who catch thieving poachers. Marion has been pardoned by the King, because her father (George Baker) paid the appropriate fine. The condition for her continued freedom is that she does not rejoin the outlaws in Sherwood.
The King has sent a professional torturer to help the Sheriff. The Merry Men men ambush the wagon in an attempt to assassinate their unarmed victim. Robert is wounded by the guard, and Marion is summoned to help. Unfortunately she and Much are followed by Oliver, one of the Sheriff's men. By incredible bad luck, Oliver accidentally falls and breaks his neck. When his body is discovered, Edmund (Jeremy Bulloch - Empire Strikes Back, Spy Who Loved Me ) and all the men of Wickham are arrested on suspicion of helping the Outlaws. He fine could be as much as twenty gold marks. Robert must resume his role as the son of the Earl of Huntingdon, so he can run with the wolfsheads and hunt with the hounds.
All in all, a good plot. Also, a good opportunity to give further characterisation for the Sheriff and Gisbourne. They treat Robert, their peer, with the respect he deserves. Admittedly Marion's father gets it much worse, but it is still nice to see their good sides.
[Season 3, Episode 4]
The Inheritance
Shown
Reviewed 17th September 2005 [Saturday]
A beautiful woman (dressed as a man) arrives in Sherwood. After tussling with a couple of Oirish outlaws, she finds the Merry Men and begs Robin to help her defend Caerleon Castle. Apparently it has housed the most precious treasure in England, for 700 years ...
Thanks to Robert's father and Herne the Hunter, she secretly convinces Robin to help her. And the others secretly follow. On Foot. All the way from Sherwood to Caerleon!
Meanwhile, a greedy nobleman has enlisted a group of chainmail-clad brigands (disenchanted war veterans from Vietnam - err, the Crusades!) led by Derrick O'Connor [ Stark ) and David Rappaport ( Time Bandits ) ... Luckily they are on horses, so they take longer to arrive than people on foot!
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 5]
The Sheriff of Nottingham
9th July 2006 - Sunday
De Rainault is publicly outsmarted by the Merry Men once more, so the King's envoy has him replaced. After all, it has been two years and he still has not caught Robin Hood.
The new Sheriff is the Butcher of Lincoln (Lewis Collins - The Professionals ). He has a Saracen bodyguard, who is Nazir's evil brother! They take hostages from Wickham, to be executed unless Robin and the others are handed over.
Lewis takes a fancy to Guy of Gisbourne. De Rainault calls him a catamite (after Season 1, Episode 5 Alan A Dale that is a bit bloody rich!!!), so Lewis has him exiled into Sherwood at night!
The new Robin is not as merciful as the original, and is willing to let his fellow Norman get knifed by Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ). Poor De Rainault has no choice but to reveal his secret tunnel into the castle. Apparently the builders were sealed up inside the walls - but who would have bricked them in?
Nickolas Grace once guest-starred as a hired killer in The Professionals, in a superior episode told from the antagonists' perspective.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 6]
The Cross of St. Ciricus
Shown
Reviewed December 2023
The Merry Men slaughter a unit of Norman cavalry, to steal a load of tax money from the Sheriff's custody. This makes a mockery of Robin's later insistence of I don't want to kill anyone, which he only says when it comes to killing Guy of Gisburne.
The Merry Men take their loot to Croxton Abbey, so it can be redistributed back to the poor. They certainly do not have any Xian faith, because they conduct a pagan rite for Herne the Hunter. On the way to they abbey they encounter diverse strangers. Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ) and Much steal food from a camp, but discover that the campers are lepers. As a result, Will spends most of the episode terrified that he has contracted leprosy. A gang of bandits is hanging out in the river, ambushing pilgrims who look like they are going to make rich donations.
One of the victims is a Norman noblewoman. She turns out to be the mother of Guy of Gisburne. Friar Tuck learns her secret under the seal of the confessional - she had another husband, the Earl of Huntingdon, and he is guy's true father.
Croxton Abbey is the resting place of The Cross of St. Ciricus, the relic of a Saxon martyr. Guy has been sent to steal the cross, so the Abbot will lose the pilgrims his abbey depends on.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 7]
Crom Cruach
Shown
Reviewed 1st October 2005
Much the Miller's son is injured by a forester's trap. The Merry Men must carry him to safety. They are lost in Sherwood, too far from Wickham ... the nearest village is called Crom Cruach!
Friar Tuck does not trust the name of this strange village, so he heads off back to civilisation with Marion. They get to the priory, and do some research - like in Buffy.
In the village, Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone - Point Break (2015) ) meets his dead wife and decides to settle down with her. Much is healed, and becomes the smart-arse assistant of the local blacksmith.
As is revealed in the teaser before the start credits, this is all an eeevil plot by Gulnar (Richard O'Brien - Rocky Horror Picture Show, Flash Gordon ). He was humiliated by the Merry men in the 2-part season opener, so he uses his magical powers as a Crom Druid to ensnare them!
All in all, quite a good episode. Reminiscent of The Wicker Man . Spooky, well-shot, yet the ending seems too ... Christian. The reliance on Tuck's religion (rather than summoning Herne the Hunter) seems out of place in a Pagan TV show. This is the only real let-down in an excellent story by Anthony Horowitz.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 8]
The Betrayal
Shown
Reviewed 8th October 2005
A bunch of murderous cutthroats are in Sherwood, robbing and killing people. Have Robin and the Merry men turned eeevil?
King John turns up, looking for taxes. He is not such a bad chap - he gives money to the poor - and food, too. What a nice guy!
There is a cunning plan at work, though. The King's henchman, De Carnac (Matt Frewer - Max Headroom, Psi Factor, Taken ) has a mid-atlantic accent and is almost threatening. It is nice to see the Merry Men get taken on by opponents who should equal their skills!
Of course, Marion must be rescued as well. A pity, the old damsel-in-distress cliche seems out of place here.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 9]
Adam Bell
Shown
Reviewed 15th October 2005
A bunch of murderous cutthroats are in Sherwood, robbing and killing people. Just like last week. This time, it is an infamous local outlaw named Adam Bell, returned from wanderings in the north of England.
Adam Bell kidnaps the Sheriff's nephew. Yes, apparently the wee lad and his mother were lodging in Nottingham castle for the last few years. He has grown cruel under the Sheriff's influence. And since the Sheriff has Much the Miller's son in his jail, he offers Robin a trade of hostages.
Robin must outsmart an older, more experienced version of himself. Bell does not have Herne on his side, but magic isn't mentioned in this episode for some reason. The other questions raised are:
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 10]
The Pretender
Shown
Reviewed 22nd October 2005
King John's new French wife is unpopular, so he sends her on a pilgrimage to Nottingham.
The Sheriff is in his sickbed, so Gisbourne is in charge. Gisbourne's old boss, the Duke of Gloucester, is in town. Strange coincidence, since Gloucester's daughter is King John's ex-wife.
A young man named Arthur is in Sherwood. On the run from Gloucester's guards, he is rescued by Robin. But who is he really working for?
There are a couple of ironic twists in the story. The ending is a bit of a shocker.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 11]
Rutterkin
Shown
Reviewed 29nd October 2005
Last week the Sheriff was on his sickbed, this week he is on pilgrimage to the shrine of Beckett in Canterbury. Maybe due to sickness, but the fact that King John is in town probably had something to do with it as well.
Robin's uncle (Ian Oglivy) is trying to win King John's favour. To do this he frames an old hermit-woman of witchcraft, and his own brother - Robin's father - of hiring her to curse the King.
Witchcraft? Herne the Hunter is not mentioned, but we all know that magick exists in this show. The villain should take better care than to start a witch-hunt in Sherwood!
As in previous eps, we get talk of making a charter to curb the King's power. This is dangerously close to undermining the show's chronology.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 12]
The Time of the Wolf (1)
Shown
Reviewed 5th November 2005
Gulnar (Richard O'Brien - Rocky Horror Picture Show, Flash Gordon ) is back from the dead, with a gang of murderous savages. No mention of Crom Cruach - now the evil deity they worship is the Norse wolf-god, Fenris.
The Sheriff and Gisburne collect grain as tax from the peasants. Robin leads the peasants to steal it back. The King's henchman - de Carnac's replacement - wants blood, and the Sheriff blames Gisburne!
O'Brien's savages kidnap the peasant women and kids, steal the grain and burn it, and do whatever they can to lure Robin into their trap.
Gisburne, meanwhile, is on the run. And when he seeks sanctuary in an abbey, he gets more involved in Robin's battle than he wanted to.
Robin of Sherwood [Season 3, Episode 13]
The Time of the Wolf (2)
Shown
Reviewed 12th November 2005
Gulnar creates a golem, in Robert's image, and sends it off to kill Herne. Robin and the others have three challenges - escape, defeat the Fenris-worshippers and kill the Golem. It is not called a Golem, of course - but a sacred (Fenris-language, not Hebrew) scroll is placed in its mouth.
The Sheriff is captured, and given the same choice as Gisbourne. His choice is surprising, but his show of backbone is in character.
The final battle is in Herne's ring of standing stones. Presumably the ones from the end of Season One, which begs more questions.
The ending has a finality to it. Not a cliffhanger, more a tie-up of all plot ends. The Sheriff and Gisborne story is presumably concluded, and the Robert/Marion romance is also settled.