(S01E13) You know that little voice in your head which sometimes tells you not to do things, or sometimes warns you of impending danger? Sure you do.
Some people envisage it as two little smaller versions of themselves, like a little devil and an angel, battling for your conscience and advising you for or against certain situations.
Well, I genuinely wish I'd listened to mine when it warned me off Robin Hood several months ago.
The first season of the BBC's revival of a classic tale came to an end with the remaining part of a fairly engaging two-part storyline, but failed miserably to inject any kind of life into what has been a lackluster series, devoid of originality and bereft of ongoing plot.
When we last left the show, things were looking grim. Robin was cornered, Marian was dead and the King was returning to Nottingham.
Except, not one bit of that was true. Robin escaped from the trap set by the Sheriff and Gisburne, Marian miraculously recovered and the King wasn't really the King; he was a decoy set up by the Sheriff to draw out his enemies and kill them, one of whom was Marian's father.
And so, off we went on another chase/escape story which centered around Robin's reluctance to accept Marian's impending marriage to Gisburne as the clock ticked on her father's life.
If you want me to recount the outcome, I will -- but it was unpleasant. I didn't honestly expect Marian to die or even for her to marry the nasty Gisburne, but a diversion from the ordinary, mundane and predictable repetitive plot would have been a welcome change.
Alas, no, as Robin's manservant Much might say.
And so, this series ploughs headlong into a second run, with no cliffhanger (other than Robin and his band of Merrie Men ridiculously jumping for joy at the end in a freeze-frame which wouldn't have looked out of place on Fame or Lizzie McGuire) and no direction for Season Two, other than more of the same.
If I had known better, I would have switched it off at the title card: "A Clue: No." That says it all really.
If you're lucky, dear reader, I won't bother reviewing this series when it returns next year.
If you're really, really lucky, the tapes will really be stolen next time around, and none of us will have to suffer this maddeningly dull show ever again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-04-2007 @ 7:57AM
mike m said...
well once again i'll jump in the fray first to disagree....I liked the finale, and can't wait till next series. It was light hearted fun. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously, like Torchwood perhaps may have been. It's watched by children, I'd assume, given its timeslot.
Anyway, onto the matter at hand, the finale was great. I really didn't think there was a way out of it. I assumed they'd have the father die, and Robin stop the wedding, because after all, who really cares about the father? When Marion socks Guy, it's classic! And there was "something" of a cliffhanger...what will Guy do now? Where will Marion go?
"Robin and his band of Merrie Men ridiculously jumping for joy at the end in a freeze-frame" - awe come on Marty, have a heart! It was _cute_. At any rate, it was a good series and a good finale. I, at least, look forward to the next one.
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1-04-2007 @ 3:23PM
udim said...
This series had no direction, at least for around the first 6 episodes I managed to watch. The banter between the characters was good, but the rest was utterly forgettable.
Plus, it wasn't even filmed in England!
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1-05-2007 @ 8:36AM
loxleylives said...
Agree with the initial comments. A few episodes had improved in the middle of the series but the last one sunk back into craptitude. Marion wasn't dead--it was hemlock putting her in a coma!what hemlock? Where?When? What a big red herring!
Then ONE DAY after having this stomach wound/internal bleeding,she slugs Gisburne out cold and jumps on a running horse--what is she,medieval wonderwoman?
The jump at the end was pure power rangers--cringeworthy.
Some have tried to defend this show by saying it's for kids. well, that's not how it was initially marketed by the BBC.Besides, why should sloppy writing and blatant anachronisms and so forth be acceptable just because it's 'kids tv'. I think of the wonderful 70's and 80's 'kids' shows which may not have had the budget and may look a bit creaky now, but weren't condescending, weren't PC, but were true classics with plots,decent writing and HEART!
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