I make no claims about being rational or balanced here.  I love this episode. It broke me, but I love it. Except, of course, for the parts that I hate. And I hate the parts I hate as much as I love the parts I love. Therefore, expect flailing and ranting in equal measure.

Word Count: 7,876 (so be warned)

Wow. It has occurred to me that I'm pretty much writing a full length, in depth analysis essay every week...  And I was so happy to be teaching school instead of attending it.  At least I get to choose my own subjects, now. 


Guy, Meg, and Unexpected Redemption.

It is difficult for me to know where to begin in talking about this.  Because really, it shouldn't have worked.  With this show's track record, an episode with the basic premise of "Guy gets stuck in a cell next to a teenage girl who teaches him Valuable Life Lessons" should have me foaming at the mouth in rage. But it doesn't.  What follows is my attempt to explain why.

First of all, Holliday Grainger did a fantastic job making Meg sympathetic and interesting.  This episode would not have worked without Meg being exactly as she was: impertinent, naive, and young on the one hand; quick-thinking, kind, and selfless on the other.  Though she was quite young, she had such obvious potential for more, and I am sorry we didn't get to see more of her.  From the look of her clothes, and her father's, she is at least a little wealthy, which goes a long way toward explaining her somewhat spoiled, entitled attitude in her first couple of scenes with Guy.  Coming from a well-off family also might explain why she is so comfortable speaking in her own defense to Isabella.  (Though I like to think she's buttering Isabella up just a little with the "women should be in charge" bit.  Clever, Meg.)

Meg also shows herself to have a strong sense of loyalty early on.  She didn't have to follow Thornton and Isabella into the castle. She did that on her own, and I like to think she did it as a way of repaying Isabella for freeing her. No one was paying much attention to Meg in all of the confusion, and she could have slipped away with no one the wiser.  Instead, she very vocally tries to help Isabella in front of Thornton, who has already showed himself to be a throughly terrifying man. And then, clever girl that she is, she offers Thornton the one things that she's betting he'll want more than revenge on his wife:  riches.  (How Meg knew about the treasure and how it remained untouched by grave robbers, I have no idea. This is one of those "the show needed it to be that way" things, and I'm content to let it be.)  

One of the things that I think makes this episode work so well is that both Guy and Meg have undergone some pretty fundamental changes by the end, and each learns from the other.  If Guy had been the only one to change, the story would have felt contrived and hollow. 

When Meg is first brought to the dungeon, she's all spitfire and indignation, with a touch of entitlement.  She is very young, very scared, and very bitter, and it shows.  She complains childishly about men, throws around "Isabella is a friend of mine" as if this makes her important, and seems to take great joy in telling Guy he's small.  I think she does all of this to cover up her fear, but it also serves the purpose of letting Guy see himself and his history from an outsider's point of view - something he hasn't been confronted with for a long time, and a purpose that Meg continues to serve throughout the episode.  Guy's initial responses consist of typical Gisborne snarling until Meg brings up the fact that he is going to be executed.  He almost looks surprised here.  I thought that he'd always known that Isabella was going to execute him eventually, but perhaps he wasn't aware that his sister had set a date.   Still, not one to let his vulnerability show for long, he maliciously reminds her, "You might not be far behind."  This visibly rattles her, and though she has enough fire left to tell him to go to hell, she doesn't seem to want to talk any more.  The two of them, having exchanged opening salvos, retreat to their separate corners.  

The second time we see them, nothing has changed.  He's still grumpy, and she's still a wee bit annoying.  (And I say that with nothing but affection for her...) Meg has probably never been treated so roughly before, and she's complaining about it loudly, much to Guy's dismay.  He's never been a very patient with weakness, his or other people's, and at this point, she's just a pathetic girl whining about her shackles who needs to shut it. It's her reaction to his annoyance that sets her apart.  Guy lashes out at her, and she's not put off.   She keeps trying to talk to him.  That right there makes her different from almost everyone else Guy has ever known.  He's gone through life thinking that he can protect himself from uncomfortable conversations with a few forceful words, and it's almost always worked.  So, for me, the moment when things start to change between them is when Meg says, "You're here, I'm here… what else are we going to do?"  There's a little catch in her voice when she says this that I love so much.  She's still frightened, but trying very hard to be cheeky and pragmatic.  And what does she choose to talk about with the touchy, emotionally unbalanced black-clad man in the next cell?  Something light and inconsequential and safe?   Of course not.  She pushes him about the sister who threw him in the dungeon in the first place.  The girl has some nerve, and I love her for it.  Guy defends his decision to marry Isabella off, actually articulating his classic Gisborne spin on it, which, by the way, the fandom has had pegged for a long time.  It's basically, "She should have made the best of it."  But that's old news.  What's new is that Guy's conviction seems to waver for just a moment when Meg comes right back at him with, "You sold her to a monster!" Even though he's quick to fall back on, "You know nothing about it," it sounds more like a lame excuse than a deeply held belief.  (I tend to agree with the fandom consensus that Isabella has never told Guy just how much and in what way Thornton hurt her. It was probably too shameful, too humiliating for her to put it into words.)  The very end of this scene is so telling. Guy, even having dismissed Meg so roughly, does the first nice thing he's done all day.  He may not have water to share with her, but he does have knowledge, and that, he gives her.  I really like the idea of him knowing this little trick.  Something he picked up in the desert? Or perhaps an old soldier's trick? (That it also serves to shut her up is not lost on me.  Guy is clever, too.) Also, Meg sulkily doing as he advised her is too cute for words.   They've reached an uneasy truce.

By the time we get to the third scene in the dungeon, I believe that Meg is genuinely fascinated by him.  Though I am mesmerized as ever by Richard's fantastic acting in this scene, I also can't get over how great Holliday is at riding the line between curiosity and pity. She really wants to understand what makes him work the way he does because, let's face it, most people in Guy's position would not be reacting like he is to his impending death. A lot of what Meg says seems, on the surface, incredibly impertinent and tactless, but I think Guy doesn't need tact or carefully chosen words.  In fact, he needs someone who will ask him, point blank, if he feels sorry for all of the terrible things he's done, point out that no one is sorry to see him go, and remind him of how very empty his life must be.  For the first time, there's someone calling him on all of the things he's done who he can't send away or ignore.  He's got no power over her, and he can't get away from the questions she's asking.  It's physically impossible.  He can do his classic "I can't help what people think of me" thing, but she's not buying it, and from the tone of his voice, he's not really buying it either any more.  And finally, we have world weary Guy, who knows about things like how to knock the maggots off your bread when you're really hungry and maggoty bread is all you have, doing something nice for her.  This is BIG. She just told him he was a terrible person, and he's FEEDING HER. When he doesn't have to.  Incidentally, I love that Guy's humanity first starts to manifest again by fulfilling a really simple human need.   It's not gold that he shares with her, or fine clothes, or anything else of value.  It's a piece of bread.  And it's gorgeously symbolic in its simplicity.  (The English major in me might be drooling just a little over all of this.) The significance of this action is apparently not lost on Meg, and she echoes Luke Skywalker and tells Guy there must be some good in him… And then… he gently pokes fun at her with the "I thought you hated men."  (That exchange is so cute I can't think about it with devolving into fangirly flailing.) A few hours ago, she was vowing eternal hatred of men, and now all she can manage is an utterly unconvincing "I do...  I do." Meg's changing too.   

I can say this for Meg: when she makes up her mind about a person, she jumps in with both feet.  When Isabella comes to release her, Meg is already speaking up on Guy's behalf, perhaps because she believes that Isabella's lenience will extend to Guy as well.  Also, the Guy that Meg has gotten to know is quite a different person than the Guy Isabella thinks she knows.  Unfortunately, I don't think that Isabella is ever going to get to know the "nice" version of her brother.  Meg got to see him precisely because she was a stranger, and Guy didn't have years of baggage and games to get in the way of being honest with her.  Incidentally, this scene tells us a lot more about Isabella than it does Meg.  I can understand Isabella being upset that Meg is apparently warming to Guy... she's in the middle of dealing with Thornton, which is, in a way, Guy's fault in the first place.  No wonder she doesn't want impressionable girls around him.  Look what he did to her.

Meg continues to show that she really is a nice, loyal girl when she tries to bring Guy food in the dungeon.  My notes on this scene are sadly lacking, mostly because every time I watch it I nearly have heart failure because it's just so good.  The surprise on Guy's face when she comes in with the plate of food is heartbreak number one.  He'd probably assumed that Meg was off with Isabella, being spoon-fed hatred for men in general and him specifically.  I've thought a lot about why he refuses what she brings him, and I think I've come to the conclusion that he knows it's dangerous for her to be even this kind to him, and he doesn't want her to get into trouble.  And then... one of the best exchanges in this history of this show forever and ever. "You've done more than enough already,"  Guy tells her, and Meg really doesn't get how much of an effect she's having on him. So (Oh, happy day...) he gets to spell it out for her.  He gets to tell her about Marian.  Guy is grateful to her for making him think about Marian, for helping him to remember that she did see good in him. And, I think he's grateful for the chance to tell all of this to another person.  Meg is, in some ways, like a confessor here.  The way his voice breaks when he says "I destroyed her.  I destroyed everything…" Wow. Just... wow.  This is the admission and guilt and shouldering of responsibility we've all been waiting for.

On the heels of that scene, it's understandable that Guy is genuinely confused when Meg shows up with the keys. He really has no idea what's going on, and his confusion is almost sweet. That she would risk so much for him is unthinkable.  Because no one else ever has.  And now this girl, to whom he's just told her his darkest secret - that he destroyed the only person who saw goodness in him - is standing at the door to his cell with keys in hand.  People just don't work like that in Guy's experience.  You let them see you weak, you let them know your secrets, and they will use them and hold them over you and make you feel like the lowest creature imaginable, but they certainly won't help you.  But Meg does.  And in that moment, that makes her the center of his universe. From now on, Guy does everything in his power to protect this girl who helped him when she didn't have to.  He fully intends to fight off the guards and let her escape, and barring that, he's immediately trying to defend her to Isabella, promising that Meg didn't know what she was doing.  There's also a brilliant Meg moment here that I didn't catch the first time around because of all of the other noise. When Isabella says, "I'm on my own," in the midst of her "I can't trust anyone but me" speech, Meg shoots back with, "You put yourself there, Isabella!" WHOA.  What does Meg HAVE? The "Standing up to Gisbornes" gene?  Whatever it is, I love it. She looks like the enormity of what she's just gotten herself into dawns on her as Isabella leaves, but I don't see any regret on her face.  She could have pled for her own life.  Meg is clever enough that she could have spun a story about Guy beguiling her, and Isabella would have believed it.  But she doesn't.

The scene with the "execution" made me so amazingly happy and so terribly upset that it is... hard for me to be coherent about it. I love Guy here.  I love his eyes-forward, resigned-to-death expression juxtaposed with Meg's very understandable and well-played fear.  I love the calm, gentle way he tells her, "When it comes, it will be very quick."*  This is his repayment for what she's done for him.  A calm voice and some much-needed reassurance in the last moments of her life.  I love that he lowers himself before Isabella at the chopping block.  That, I have a feeling, was a Big Deal.  I think that Guy was ready to go out silent and defiant, holding onto some of his self-respect.  He wasn't intending to give Isabella the satisfaction of seeing him falter.  It took a lot for him to beg.  But he did it.  For Meg. And Guy is still yelling about Meg's innocence even as he's forced down. (Side note: The "Who is this and what has he done with Gisborne?" look on Robin's face as he watches all of this is priceless.)  And for the first time, Robin agrees with Guy.  (I wonder if he was planning on just saving Meg, or if the thought of rescuing Guy passed through his mind as well.  Also, way to stop the execution and then fail to protect the innocent girl they were planning to execute, Robin. What was the plane? Leave her in life in Guy's weaponless hands?)  Complaining about Robin aside, there are so many really sweet things packed into the next few seconds... the way Guy takes Meg's hands to help her off the platform, the little giddy, relieved smile on Meg's face... She is so full of life there.  And then, because the show can't handle having an awesome female character for too long, and because they wouldn't know how to deal with the fallout of Meg sticking around and Guy having to deal with her when they're not about to die, she gets stabbed.  (So, female characters this series are useful as brainless love interests, overly sexualized villains, and Teachers of Important Lessons.  Once they have served one of these purposes, if their further existence would complicate things too much, they get offed.  I... really hate this show sometimes.)  And what's more, she gets stabbed protecting him.  For the second time, she puts her life in danger for his sake, and dies for it. *sigh* Sorry, Meg.  You really were awesome.  Too awesome, it seems.

The last scene in the forest is one of the more beautifully filmed things I've seen on Robin Hood.  The dark greens of the trees and the surface of the water, the way the light casts everything with a little bit of gold... Others have compared some of those shots to a Pre-Raphaelite painting, and I'm inclined to agree. It's that pretty. And then... there's the way Guy treats her in this scene that really shows how much he's changed.  He handles her so gently... just look at the unsure, hesitant way he kisses her, the way his hand trembles a little when he passes his hand over her eyes to close them… I'm getting choked up just thinking about it. I feel so terrible for Guy in this scene.  I see the Marian parallel, and I love it, but  I think he's mourning for both of them in equal measure.  For Marian, who he didn't get to cry for, and for Meg, yet another girl that died because she was close to him. And he couldn't stop it.  It's a terrible lesson, really, and one that I wish he hadn't had to learn so soon.  Sometimes, even when he does the right thing, people still die.  And it's that's a hard thing to know.  We're left with the image of Guy actually crying, wracked with grief over a girl who he didn't even know the morning of the day before.   

There are logistical problems with Meg's death, by the way. If they could get all the way out into the forest with her walking and not bleeding out… she should NOT be dead.  And what possible reason did he have for running to the forest? Why not... you know... a doctor?  Guy might be recognizable, but Meg's not.  He could have banged on the door and run away.  Or used a hood.  Those are surprisingly affective in this universe. Of course, all of this is a moot point since Meg had to die anyway for reasons that have nothing to do with logic or coherent storytelling. 

*(I have a narrative kink for romances that blossom when both parties are about to be executed.  When I was in high school, my English teacher gave us an assignment to write a "missing scene" from A Tale of Two Cities.  My friend wrote what amounted to an amazing Sydney Carton/little-seamstress-who-has-no-name-in-canon fanfic that gave her a name and a back story and has made that pairing my ToTC OTP forever.  Lucie? Lucie who?)


Isabella and the Epic Feminist Fail of DOOM. (Yes, there will be capslock here. I apologize. I tried to remain calm. It didn't work.)

Usually, I refrain from writing about the feminist fail of this show because writing feminist critique of Robin Hood is like shooting DEAD fish in a barrel.  That's right... the fish aren't even moving.  And you know what? The barrel is FULL TO THE BRIM WITH DEAD FISH. No water.  However, this episode was asking for it. (Beware the capslock rage in this section. I tried to control it and failed miserably.)

I always wondered if we were going to get to meet Thornton.  And now that we have, my heart aches for Isabella more than ever.  He is far worse than anything I could have imagined. I was expecting a caricature - a much older jealous man, perhaps, or a loutish warrior type, built like a linebacker... but no. Thornton is smart and commanding and terrifying.  Honestly.  I have to applaud the actor that they got to play him.  He managed to scare me more than the Sheriff, Prince John, and every other villain on this show put together. I also have a great deal of respect for Lara Pulver in this episode. Her reactions to Thornton and her eventual metamorphosis into a truly ruthless villain were both really impressive.

I am ready to believe that Isabella meant to be a good Sheriff. She meant what she said to Robin in her bedroom. She intends to be the best Sheriff that Nottingham has ever seen, and if her freeing Meg was any indication, she very well might have been if Thornton hadn't showed up and spooked her.  Yes, freeing Meg was a bit of a publicity stunt, but I really do believe that Isabella intended good things for the people of Nottingham, and she had the confidence and the poise to make things different. However, the second Thornton shows up, all of that confidence and self assurance are gone, and she's staring at him like a frightened deer. Just listen to the panic and desperation in her first "get off of me." Thornton is terrifying for several reasons.  First of all, he has the ability to take from her the very choice position into which she has very skillfully maneuvered herself.  Second, he is very clearly a sadistic rapist.  Honestly, I am a little surprised that this "kid's show" got away with alluding to it as blatantly as they did.  Lines like Thornton's "It's time I taught you some respect" with the single tear rolling down Isabella's face, or his "Small dark room" speech were quite powerful, but really hard for me to watch.  After some thought, I've realized that Thornton's obsession with having complete respect and immediate obedience in both action and spirit explains a lot about Isabella.  It explains how she's able to flatter with such ease, slipping like a chameleon between Robin and Guy and Prince John. Also, sadly, it explains why even one perceived slight or threat, one instance of disloyalty on Meg's part, or on Robin's, will set her off.  After living so long with Thornton, sadly, that's the way her mind is wired now.  Even the smallest insult is reason for swift, definitive punishment.  I don't think, though, that she is completely cowed by him.  In the brief moment when she sees Robin hiding in the trees at the burial mound, her confidence seems to return.  The Isabella who says, "You never know when your luck is going to turn" with irony dripping from her voice is no frightened woman.  And why is she suddenly different?  Because she knows someone is there to help her, that she's not alone.  Whatever she may think about Robin, she trusts that he will not let Thornton hurt her.

However, she has no such assurances in her last scene with her husband. At the beginning of the episode, she had him at the point of her knife, and she was paralyzed by fear. By the end, he has pushed her beyond fear, and she can finally use her ability to turn herself into a sweet, submissive woman as a deadly weapon against him.  We've seen Isabella do the "I'm just a silly woman, and I'll put myself in your hands" thing before, but this is the ultimate expression of it.  For a moment, I was worried that Thornton was going to stay around for a few episodes with Isabella cowering timidly at his side until Robin took care of him once and for all.  With that in mind, I am SO GLAD she killed him herself.  As a character, she needed to do it instead of having Robin or some other man kill him for her. And Robin calling her on it? I HATE HIM SO MUCH FOR IT. Her "first murder" MY ASS.

This brings me to the part that makes me angry.  The audience has seen the way that Thornton treats Isabella.  We know how much he terrorized her, and we know this is why she has problems trusting Robin, or anyone, for that matter.  The way Robin handles her is exactly the wrong way. He puts himself in the position of being just another man giving her orders.  He sneaks into her bedroom (a place where Isabella already has ample reason to feel vulnerable and unprotected) and pretty much threatens her.  Telling her "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead" and if she won't agree to be his friend, "You'll find out what it means to be my enemy" are not the way to get Isabella to trust him and work with him.  Also, when Isabella tells him she wants to be a good Sheriff, wants to do the right thing, what does Robin do?  Support her?  Tell her, "That's great.  I can definitely support you in that.  I'm so glad you care about the people of Nottingham"?  No.  he tells her, "No.  It will never work."  Way to be encouraging of the slightly psychotic woman trying to do the right thing.  And why won't it work?  Because Prince John appointed her.  Wait a second.  Prince John is Richard's regent.  He must have legitimately appointed dozens of people to important positions during his time in power.  Are all of them going to fall from grace when Richard returns as well?  It seems to me that Robin is threatening to speak against her specifically, which is a really horrid thing to do. I'm actually really glad she cut the rope. Robin deserved it, and it was a smart thing to do.  When she's not scared out of her wits, Isabella is a very intelligent woman.

I think that one of Robin's problems is that he's not taking Isabella seriously.  He laughs a little bit as he gets up off of the stones and walks away after she cuts the rope, and he seems quite glib, as if he thinks it's some type of game that they're playing.  I have to give Robin some credit.  In the next scene where the outlaws are in the courtyard watching Meg's trial, Robin seems genuinely interested in how Isabella is going to act as Sheriff.  He even defends her to Kate and talks about the possibility of having a Sheriff on their side like it's a real possibility in his mind.  This... placates me somewhat, but not completely.  It simply shows that Robin's awful treatment of Isabella comes from ignorance and immaturity, not from purposefully trying to be cruel to her.  However, he is consistently making idiotic choices when it comes to her, which is surprising considering Robin seems quick enough to pick up on the fact that there will be no reasoning with Thornton.  You'd think that some of that would translate into the way he chooses to deal with Isabella, but it doesn't.

When he saves her from Thornton, she expresses real gratitude.  I don't think there was anything feigned about the way she hugs him.  Robin had an opportunity there.  An opportunity to comfort someone who was obviously in need of it.  No strings attached.  But, like Guy, Robin's help has conditions and stipulations.  He'll help her and work with her, but only if she helps him in his fight against Prince John.  In that moment, what was Isabella supposed to do?  Reject one of the only people who might be able to help her get rid of her sadistic husband who was at that very moment crashing through the trees calling for her in that angry, creepy way of his?  No.  So, of course, she agrees.  And perhaps she means it.

So, what changed between Isabella agreeing to help him and Isabella ambushing him in the Knight's Glade the next day?  I would argue that it's her scene with Little John that tips the balance. Isabella might be a little mad to think that she still has a chance with Robin after everything that has happened between them, but I think that she still has feelings for Robin.  So, Little John's blunt, gruff, "It's just business.  Robin only has eyes for Kate" pronouncements sting a little.  At first, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around why on earth John would say these things to her.  However, after extensive conversations with gaelic_bohemian, I think I understand.  It still makes me so blindingly angry I can barely see straight.  John likes Kate as a person.  He really cares for her, and he thinks that she is the "right" choice, the obvious choice, for Robin.  Isabella is the "wrong" choice, and he's trying to scare her for Robin's sake. (And for Kate's as well.) He succeeds, in the process destroying any hopes Isabella may still have, and even worse, making it seem like Robin is using her, which is exactly the opposite of what Isabella needs at the moment.  (And don't even get me started on how wrong it is that we have an interesting female character making big choices because she can't have Robin's affection.  But... this was RH. What was I expecting?)

This brings me to the scene where Isabella sets up the ambush.  She's really quite clever here, and were it not for Much's wonderful and timely rescue, the gang would have been in serious trouble. This scene bothers me on so many levels.  When Robin says, "I offered you friendship," she says, "No, you threatened me." AND SHE'S RIGHT.  I... don't think there's any disputing that point.  Robin's been threatening her all episode, albeit with far less cruel intent than her husband has.  THEN, THE A&S^DYA(ISYDA*S&D^AS*&^ writers have Kate and Robin have their "Looks like you were right" conversation IN FRONT OF ISABELLA. HOW can he be thinking Kate was right?  Isabella calls him on his bullshit, and his response is, "Guess you were right, Kate..." THE LOGIC MAKES NO SENSE.  IT KILLS ME AND I AM COMING TO HATE THIS PART AS MUCH AS I LOVE GUY/MEG. AND THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING FOR SRS GUYS. [/capslock rage] And then, to top it all off, Kate tries to stop Robin from helping Isabella when Thornton is really obviously about to kill her, and Robin has the gall to get angry at Isabella for killing the bastard herself when he wasn't there to do anything about it.

And, from the way the show is structured, it seems that we're supposed to think all of this is all right.  I don't understand how we are supposed to cheer for Robin's treatment of her (and Kate's endless harping about how Isabella isn't to be trusted) when we have ample evidence that Isabella, despite her questionable choices, deserves our sympathy, not our condemnation. She is simply, like Guy, very easy to sway back to her old ways, especially when she feels threatened. 

Ok. Here's my problem in a nutshell. Robin tries (in really really failtastic ways) to give an abused woman the benefit of the doubt and see the good in her, Kate thinks she's bad news and says so, and by the end, said abused woman has killed her rapist husband and Robin has declared himself her enemy. Kate, who has been completely unsympathetic to Isabella throughout, gets to see Robin renounce the "other woman" cruelly and say "I told you so." FEMINIST FAIL.  Also MADE OF FAIL is Kate's "We finally get to see what kind of a woman she really is" line.  WHAT KIND OF WOMAN IS THAT, KATE?  A woman so damaged by years of abuse and being told that she was weak and stupid because she was a woman that she reacts almost instinctively out of fear and shame?  A woman whose only models of powerful men have also been assholes? (I'm including Robin, here.)  A woman who, like Guy, could have been a good person if given just a little bit of understanding? That brings me to REDEMPTION FAIL.  Haven't we seen that all any Gisborne needs is a little bit of trust and some kindness and they'll follow you anywhere? How can an episode all about GUY'S redemption be so calloused to Isabella? (I agree with bookishy's "Scrap of Humanity" theory. The writers have decided that the Gisborne siblings have ONE scrap, and Guy was using it in this episode.)

And finally, Isabella's dress in the last scene is MADE OF SEX.  (Ok... so that's maybe a little feminist fail on my part, but she's stunning in it.) And I LIKE her threatening Robin. For a moment, I actually felt some glee in the dark parts of my soul as I contemplated the idea that she might kill him in the end. (I have gotten angrier and angrier on her behalf as I've re-watched and thought about this episode.)

The Much/Kate/Robin Triangle

This episode is filled with instances of Much getting pushed to the side in favor of Kate.  For instance, WHY is Kate the one who stays with Robin in the courtyard? Much obviously wants to be the one who stays, but she sends him away, and he does it because he seems unable to NOT do what she says. The look on his face is the look of a man who's heartbroken because the two people he cares for most in the world are choosing each other over him. (and not just romantically… I think it hurts him that it happens in everyday situations, too.)  Gosh darn it, Kate, let Much spend some time with his best friend once in a while! Treat Much Right!

So.. here's my interpretation of the Robin/Kate courtyard kiss: Kate doesn't want Robin working with Isabella because she's jealous.  She may not trust Isabella, but it's not some sort of keen sense of Isabella's questionable morality that has her worried.  It's because Isabella is another woman who Robin seems to want to work with. My reasoning? Robin asks her why she's so angry, her answer is to reach out and KISS HIM.  For all intents and purposes, she's saying "I'm angry because I want to kiss you, and you're paying attention to Isabella instead of me."  She's not angry because he can't see Isabella for "what she is."  She's angry because Robin might choose another woman over HER. I'm... oddly proud of Robin in this scene.  He doesn't encourage Kate.  In fact, he seems not really to know what to do, which is odd for Robin. 

My ever-so-slight respect for Robin continues when he tries to take Much's feelings into consideration.  He mentions Much to Kate in a "I don't want to hurt him" way that could be read in so many interesting ways.  (I could hear the Robin/Much camp rejoicing from my living room.)  Also, I think Robin looks just a tiny bit disappointed in Kate that she would be so cavalier about Much's feelings.  Unfortunately, Kate doesn't take the hint.  Robin leaves them together watching Thornton (I can't decide if Robin's trying to play matchmaker here), and Kate does very possibly the most insensitive thing I can think of.  The scene is... awkwardly written.  It sounds like a high school drama, not Robin Hood, with all the "I think he likes me."  However, Sam's face when she says it... is so sad I almost feel bad for mocking what's going on here.

I don't quite understand what we're supposed to take from Much forgetting his part in the heist while watching Robin and Kate fight off the guards.  Is this his moment of realization that they are "meant to be?" Is this him deciding that he'll speak to Robin?  I fear that that is exactly what we're supposed to take from it, and I don't like it one bit.  One, it was cheesy voiceover, and two, if "they look really neat fighting together," is reason for epic romance, then Tuck/Allan should be canon yesterday.

Much continues to break my heart in the scene where he leaves.  I really think this is his "I'm getting out of the way so they can be together" gesture, but I don't think it's just that.  I think it's an equal part "I don't need to be around for this, I can make my own way."  I quite like how this scene was shot, with the camera panning over each of the sleeping outlaws, giving us some great references for how the camp is set up, then with Much hefting his pretty shield and his sword and turning his back on the camp as the early morning light streams through the trees... Nice. Also, I agree with others who have said that Much's silence here is brilliant. No last speeches, no goodbyes spoken to those who can't hear him. He just leaves. And when he does come back, he doesn't want to be made a big deal of.  When Kate guesses what he was doing, he gives her a look that says, "Please don't tell…" and she doesn’t, which may just be the first smart thing she's done in regards to this whole mess. Robin is characteristically confused, and before anything can get resolved, Tuck is there announcing that "the plan" needs to be discussed. I hate how important conversations on this show are constantly interrupted by dumb plot.

So, what has changed by the end of the episode?  Much may have come back and saved his friends, but there's been no closure there.  Also, what has changed between Robin and Kate since she kissed him in the courtyard?   They're still living an incredibly dangerous life, which is the excuse that Robin gave her before. So, what new things has Robin seen in Kate other than her ability to "predict" Isabella's sudden but inevitable betrayal? He lists several adjectives to describe her, and the one that I can remember because it made no sense to me at the time is "compassionate."  Where in this episode does Kate demonstrate this? She's inconsiderate to Much, downright nasty about Isabella, and self-righteous to Robin.  I... don't know how that translates to compassion in any way, shape, or form. 

I... don't know what to do here.  It's like the writers don't even realize how what they're doing is coming across.  They write Kate as mean and petty and immature, and then they throw her into tender scenes with Robin like we're supposed to be happy about them getting together.  My mind boggles.  What's sad is, I was actually starting to like Kate before this week.  I really thought she'd grown.  But no. The instant she actively sets her sights on Robin, she's insufferable.



General Complaining and "Next Week on Robin Hood"

It annoys me that every character has been given, if not entire episodes, then at the very least entire scenes where they got to shine this season. Tuck was fantastic in his first episode and in the one with the Bible in English, and John got his gladiator episode. Much's affection for Kate has put him in the spotlight, though not in a terribly flattering way until this episode. Guy, the Sheriff, PJ, Isabella, and Kate all have ample screen time. Robin has his usual amount of dashing around and being heroic.  Who does that leave out? Allan. I challenge you to find a single episode where Allan is doing anything other than fighting, helping people sneak into the castle, or pulling a con.  He hasn't developed. He hasn't changed. You may point out the scene with Kate when they get captured, but as funny as it was, I would argue that scene was for Kate's development, not for his.

Also, Allan seems to be quite the "men are better, women are stupid" guy in this, doesn't he?  First, we have his "As if" moment in the courtyard at the beginning, then he's saying they'd be better off with a donkey… This isn't my Allan.  It's not the Allan who respected Djaq and Marian and thought they were competent people as well as women.  I HATE this show for using one of my favorite characters to bash women and make Robin look good in comparison, especially when Robin is really no better.  

All I ask for is ONE good Allan episode this time around. We got at least 10 of them last season. What happened?  Did the writers decide Allan had gotten his fair share of attention last season?  I suppose I should reserve judgment until the series is over, but I'm not holding my breath.

The one brilliant Allan moment of the episode:  "He was the queen of Sheba last week." ILU ALLAN.

And some more minor nitpicks...

Didn't they use the "scare people off by making them think it's a ghost/curse" ploy last week? I mean… I understand, Viking treasure and all… it's really cool and Tuck and explain about Valhalla and Allan can ask about it being near Norwich, but seriously folks.  Get a new plot device.

CGI axe is CGI. And from where Robin is standing… (On Guy's side of the stage, if I can tell?) why did it get knocked to Guy's side of center when Robin hit it with the second arrow?  Even if I'm shaky on the logistics, There is some physics fail here.  I can feel it.

SINCE WHEN does Sherwood have Mirkwood-sized spiders that build Mirkwood-sized spider webs? Because Isabella needs to fall through one of them. That's why. *facepalm*

Next week:

WEE!ROBIN!!!11!! And not-so-wee!Guy!  I'm holding my breath for wee!Much, Will, or Marian… or wee!Allan and his con artist family passing through the area, or wee!Djaq on a vacation from the Holy Land with her family...  (Ok, so some of those are a bit far fetched.  Stranger things have happened.)

I think I'm poised to like the casting of the parents.  However, I'm curious.  Did we see Robin's mum? Or get mention of her? "Mysterious man in hood" says he knows the truth about how Robin's parents (note the plural) died, but wee!Robin only yells about his FATHER being in the burning house.  I'm pretty certain the lovely dark-haired woman was Guy's mother, so where was Lady Huntingdon?

I'm not sure I'm ok with the Locksley/Gisborne love triangle version 1.0. that they seem to be setting up here.  It could go very ridiculous places very quickly. If Guy and Robin are related, (half-brothers?) I... won't quit watching, but I'll be very upset if it's not handled exactly right.  You hear me, Show?  You managed to turn a terrible premise into a fantastic character arc... let's see you do it two weeks straight.

Question for discussion: Who's the figure in the hooded cloak? Guy's father?  Not dead all these years? The undead Sheriff, wanting to make trouble? (Finding out... whatever the big secret is will surely mess with both of them, which would be just fine by Vasey.)  Someone new?