Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville

The middle installment of this all-too-short second series of Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery saw the twenty-first century incarnation of the world's foremost consulting detective tackle a reimagining of arguably his most famous case -- The Hound of the Baskervilles. Originally published in serial form from 1901-1902, Doyle's original tale is a dark and twisty story of family secrets and murder, the latter inspired by a local legend of a fearsome, other-worldly hound roaming the moors. I must admit I was quite curious as to how Sherlock would adapt this fantastical tale to its 21st-century setting and audience. Anchored by a strong script from the pen of the show's Mycroft, a.k.a. Mark Gatiss, I was not disappointed -- as only this series can, Gattiss' script manages to retain the essence of the original story while at the same time transforming it into a unique and fresh spin for this series' purposes.

To begin our analysis of this episode, here's the summary from the PBS website:

Boredom has set in at 221 Baker Street, with Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Last Enemy, War Horse, The Hobbit) jonesing for a meaty case and — in its absence — a cigarette. Only the arrival of Henry Knight (Russell Tovey, Little Dorrit), terrorized and desperately clinging to sanity, piques the consulting detective's interest. A gigantic hound — part tourist attraction, part conspiracy theory, part demonic moor stalker — is legend around Baskerville, a top-secret military compound where, it's rumored, chemical and biological weapons experiments are conducted on genetically engineered animals. And Henry Knight has just seen the hound's footprints in the very location where it killed his father decades before. Sherlock gleefully sets off to track the demonic hound with John (Martin Freeman, The Office UK, The Hobbit) at his side and Mycroft's access-granting government ID on hand to enter the high-security corridors of Baskerville. But he may have opened doors to a realm where deduction and reason have no place. Written by Sherlock series co-creator Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who), The Hounds of Baskerville offers thrills, chills, laughs, and an unsettling, unprecedented facet of our hero's clinically controlled mind. (One episode; 90 minutes, TV-PG)

The episode opens with images of a terrified young boy crashing through the woods, desperately trying to escape the something (or someone?) viciously attacking his father on the moors. Now a young man, Henry Knight has returned to the scene of his worst nightmare twenty years later at the urging of this therapist, hoping to put his demons to rest -- only to discover he's standing on ground covered with giant, hound-like footprints. Henry is played by Russell Tovey, who I first fell in love with as the lovelorn John Chivery in the 2008 miniseries adaptation of Little Dorrit. Look at his ears, isn't he adorable? *wink* Also, how deliciously ironic is it that Tovey makes his Sherlock debut in an episode centered on a legendary, fearsome hound, when he played a werewolf in Being Human? At any rate, Tovey's character Henry retains the same first name and status as sole male heir of his family, only with significantly more baggage than his counterpart in Doyle's novel. I thought it was an extremely nice touch to change Henry's last name from Baskerville to Knight, a nod to the original character's status as a peer.

At 221B Baker St., Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) is in desperate need of a challenging case or, barring the appearance of the former, a nicotine fix. I ADORED Sherlock's entry, blood-covered and brandishing a harpoon (a nod to the short story "The Adventure of Black Peter"), completely clueless as to how crazy he must've appeared to everyone he encountered. :) This sequence between Sherlock and John (Martin Freeman) puts the focus squarely on the heart of the series -- the wonderfully odd and unexpected friendship that has developed between Sherlock and John. Freeman is just brilliant here, so matter-of-fact because by this point he knows better than to be surprised by anything Sherlock does. And it reminds viewers of Sherlock's penchant for falling back into drug usage (in this case, cigarettes) when no suitable case presents itself with which he can exercise his incredible intellect. Sherlock's manic desire for cigarettes, even going so far as to suggest something "seven percent stronger" when offered tea (a nod to the canonical Holmes' cocaine habit, mentioned in The Sign of Four), is vintage Holmes -- manic, energetic, self-absorbed by the desire for something, anything, "worthy" of his time. The banter between John and Sherlock in this scene is a prime example of just how perfectly suited each actor is to his respective role -- and to a lesser extent I must include Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), as her never-failing cheeriness in the face of Sherlock's "eccentricities" is a mark of just how much these three oddly-matched individuals have become a family of sorts.

Thankfully for John's patience (ha!), Henry arrives at Baker St. seeking Sherlock's help for explaining what happened to his father all those years earlier, and what, exactly, haunts the moors and his dreams to this day. Tovey is just brilliant as Henry -- edgy, haunted, his every word and action is weighted with survivor's guilt and torment. Sherlock's initial interview with Henry is in every respect a vintage "client scene," one of those moments that occur so frequently in the canon where Sherlock makes a series of amazing and spot-on deductions simply by looking at someone. We've been given this to some extent in previous episodes of the series via the text-message style pop-ups that appear on-screen when Sherlock first meets someone -- however, this time Gatiss gives viewers the joy of watching a maniacally intense Sherlock wow one of the lesser mortals he so frequently has the burden of dealing with, as he lays out, piece-by-piece, Henry's journey to Baker St. (Also, how funny was it watching Sherlock insist that Henry smoke, just so he could get all up in his personal space and inhale second-hand?)

Much to Henry's chagrin, Sherlock is at first uninterested in the case until he is struck by Henry's repeated use of the old-fashioned word "hound" to describe the monstrous beast he saw on the moors. No longer the ancestral home of the novel, Baskerville is now a top-secret military testing facility. Henry's father had been one of the "conspiracy theorists" sure the base was involved in animal testing and the like, developing super-beasts which would of course explain his childhood memories surrounding his father's death. Sufficiently hooked, Sherlock at first promises to only send John to Dartmoor -- a nod to the original novel wherein Sherlock is mostly absent for the first half, Watson sending reports to him, unaware that his friend is observing all, hidden away in an isolated house on the moors. Thankfully for Sherlock, Gatiss and Moffat opted to make Sherlock and John more equal partners in this investigation, giving the ultimate rationalist a chance to confront the seemingly impossible.

I loved the scenes of Sherlock and John driving across the moors -- the bleak beauty of the scenery is the perfect moody, atmospheric setting for a tale of an impossible monster. When they arrive at the nearby village inn (a vegan establishment, significance forth-coming), they discover the the legend of the hound has created something of a cottage industry with tours to areas where there have been alleged sightings. One of the innkeepers is a cheery Little John -- I mean some guy named Gary played by Gordon Kennedy, a.k.a. Little John, which just got me to thinking why oh why did Robin Hood have to end the way it did? *sigh* Despite the claims of a local tour guide, Sherlock remains unconvinced that the local legend is real, and after John swipes a suspicious receipt for a large meat delivery from the vegan pub, the two proceed to the Baskerville testing facility.

In one of the episode's most brilliant comic touches, Sherlock impersonates his brother Mycroft (Mark Gatiss), using a stolen ID card to gain access for John and himself to the top-secret facility -- buying them an estimated twenty minutes, give or take, before the ruse is discovered. I love how John voices a token objection before going along with the plan (of course), even going so far as to "pull rank" when questioned by the officer who greets them, freaking out over the unheard of "surprise inspection." It's a nice reminder of John's military days, a past that seems to have been more frequently mentioned in the stories than it's been given play in this set of films. During their highly illegal tour they meet Dr. Frankland (Clive Mantle), who is WAY too nice for his own good, and Dr. Stapleton (Amelia Bullmore), a highly secretive woman who seems to relish her animal experiements. Now, I was probably biased here, but Bullmore's appearance immediately set me on alert -- not only does her character share the name of the novel's villain, but Bullmore had the distinction of appearing in one of my favorite Inspector Lewis episodes from last season -- the deliciously twisty Wild Justice. Incidentally, I loved how Stapleton's work reminded Sherlock of a query he received through his website -- where a child wrote wanting to know how her pet rabbit disappeared from its locked cage. It's a nice touch that reminds one there's rarely a throwaway reference in these scripts, so tightly do Moffat and Gatiss strive to present their incarnation of Sherlock and his powers.

As predicted, the facility quickly realizes they've experienced a major security breach -- and Mycroft's reaction in London is appropriately, hilariously, droll. The commander of Baskerville, Major Barrymore (Simon Paisley Day), is enraged until Dr. Frankland unexpectedly steps in and vouches for Sherlock and John's story -- allegedly because he's a fan and as a friend of Henry's father, is eager to help the son. Barrymore is a throwback to the novel, as that was the name of the butler -- and as such it is a nice touch to see Baskerville's modern "gatekeeper" share the name of its literary counterpart.

Meanwhile, following an intense session with his therapist Louise Mortimer (Sasha Behar), Henry has remembered two words -- "Liberty" and "In," though he has no idea how they are connected to his father's death. Dr. Mortimer is a nice connection between the novel and this adaptation, as in the novel Mortimer is the family practitioner responsible for bringing the Baskerville family to Holmes's attention, and a sort of self-appointed guardian to the family heir. (Side note: how hilarious is John's reaction to Henry's apparent wealth -- and why can't I live in that house?!) That evening the the three of them make their way to Dewar's Hollow, the site of Knight Sr. death. John gets separated from Sherlock and Henry, and while on his own he notices a series of flashing lights, apparently Morse code, but the letters being transmitted make no sense. (I LOVE how Sherlock has "inspired" John to observe and consider everything as a potential clue!) This "code" is later revealed to be shaking car lights from couples hooking up at a popular romantic spot -- it is a hilarious and cheeky twist on the situation John discovers regarding Barrymore's brother-in-law in the novel, where signal lights are used to get the escaped prisoner supplies. When he hears an unearthly howl he immediately runs toward Sherlock and Henry, just missing the fact that they've seen it, the monster of Henry's dreams, and a sight that has left the unflappable Sherlock shaken to the core.

This is a fascinating deviation from the canon, in that Moffat and Gatiss have chosen to place Sherlock right in the midst of arguably supernatural occurances, forcing him to confront the seemingly impossible with his oh-so-rational mind. This leads to an extraordinarily painful (but brilliantly played) scene between John and Sherlock at the pub. Sherlock is so rattled, so uncharacteristically upset, he rages at John's every attempt to calm him and dismiss what he saw (though he cannot, because being Sherlock he must explain it). It was a well-constructed moment in which to play one of Sherlock's most famous quotes -- "Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true" (a variation of which appears in several stories, including The Sign of Four). Watson's rejoinder to this bit of philosophizing to is to call Sherlock "Spock," which is just brilliant since Cumberbatch has a role in the upcoming Star Trek film. But I digress. In response to John's concern Sherlock then lets rip the killer line that he has no friends -- and wounded (enraged?) John leaves Sherlock to stew.

This is such a pivotal scene in the development of the Sherlock/John friendship over the course of this series. Does John put up with Sherlock in order to avoid dealing with his own issues? Perhaps, to some degree. But I keep coming back to the moment at the end of "A Study in Pink," when Mycroft muses that knowing John could be the "making" of his younger brother. And this is why I think Freeman's portrayal of John is so achingly brilliant. He's every bit the steadfast friend Watson is in the canon, willing -- happy, even (most of the time, ha!) -- to stay in the shadows while Sherlock hogs the spotlight with his brilliant deductions and his quick wit. But he feels deeply about this friendship in a way that Doyle, I think, only touched on in the stories. No matter how Sherlock may (most of the time, unintentionally) wound him, John seems to know he doesn't mean it, or rather can't help it -- and to realize that while he may never say it, Sherlock needs him as much as he needs Sherlock. These two wounded, messed-up people really are the making of each other -- and the way they complement each other, the depth of that friendship is the heart and soul of the show -- at least for me. :)

The following morning Sherlock is on a roll thanks to the revelation that "hound" is not necessarily a thing but perhaps an acronym. I loved watching him try to apologize to John for his rudeness the night before, because just saying "sorry" would be way too easy (he even makes COFFEE!). His admission that he doesn't have friends, he just has one -- oh, that was brilliant and Cumberbatch's delivery just broke my heart into a thousand pieces. This was of course followed by unbridled hilarity when Sherlock shoots himself in the foot going on about John being a "conductor of light," not a genius but inspiring genius in those like himself. *wink* Oh, Sherlock. The breach temporarily repaired they discover the arrival of Lestrade (Rupert Graves), sent down by Mycroft to keep an eye on Sherlock, but really just ridiculously happy to be there. I love Rupert. :) And the whole thing about Sherlock not knowing Lestrade's first name was Greg? HILARIOUS. The three of them really have this sort of deliciously dysfunctional "three musketeers" vibe going on. John takes advantage of Lestrade's presence to clear up the matter of the vegan pub's meat order. In another nod to the novel, the pub owners had been keeping a dog which they loosed on the moors to feed the legend, similar to how Stapleton in the novel used his own monster of a dog to feed the legend and frighten Sir Henry's predecessor to death. The pub owners claim to have put the dog to sleep for its out-of-control behavior, but Sherlock doesn't buy their explanation, because he definitely saw something, something that can be explained loose on the moors.

After convincing Mycroft he needs access to Baskerville's facility, Sherlock and John return, and John strikes out on his own to investigate labs for signs of animal testing while Sherlock (allegedly) meets with Major Barrymore. John finds himself locked in an abandoned lab, where he hears a growling and gradually becomes increasingly terrified (loved how valiantly John fought the fear impulse, one has to credit his military discipline), to the point that he locks himself in an empty cage until Sherlock arrives to free him. He tells Sherlock he's seen the hound, but Sherlock attempts to calm him by assuring him that they've all been drugged with something that mainifest their fears, i.e. what they've been conditioned to see/expect. It's a nice role-reversal from earlier. And oh, while my rational side "knew" Sherlock "had" to use John as a test subject, given their recent fight, oh how I hated it -- but at least Sherlock gives us the sense during the reveal at the end of the episode that he realized most people would take being made secret test subjects emotionally.

Sherlock then bans all from his presence so he can "go to his mind palace," a mental-mapping memory technique that allows him to sift through everything he knows regarding Henry's key words "Liberty" and "In." Cumberbatch was just brilliant in this sequence. It not only showcases his masterful grasp of the character, but it is a wonderful visual showcase for the series' colorful and visual filming techniques used to bring Sherlock's thought processes to life. This scene results in Sherlock realizing that Henry's key words refer not to things, but to a place -- Liberty, Indiana. He then utilizes Dr. Stapleton's computer access to research the location -- failing that, they go to a higher clearance level -- Barrymore's -- after Sherlock deduces the Major's password. Liberty, IN was the location of the H.O.U.N.D. project, a CIA chemical weapons experiment with a goal of developing an aerosol that would defeat the enemy by disorienting the fear stimulus center of one's brain, triggering violent, over-powering hallucinations. The project was shuttered after the test subjects were driven mad -- but clearly one of the founding scientific minds behind the technology hasn't given up on it -- as identified by Stapleton, the over-eager Dr. Frankland, with his penchant for Americanisms like "cell" instead of "mobile" is the culprit. (Interesting that a female Stapleton is once again key to solving the crime!)

The hound-through-hallucinogenic-gas is just a brilliant method, I think, of updating the original storyline. It retains so much of the story beats and flavor of the original while at the same time becoming something wholly unique to this series' incarnation and vision of Sherlock & Watson. The Holmes of the canon encountered the effects of hallucinogenic gas in the story "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot," which became to my mind one of the creepiest and most memorable episodes of the classic Jeremy Brett television series.

The episode reaches its climax when Dr. Mortimer calls John, frantic over nearly being shot by an out-of-control Henry. He, Sherlock, and Lestrade arrive at the hollow just in time to prevent a hysterical Henry from committing suicide. Now -- I love this conclusion, I adore how it plays out -- but given the limitations of the ninety-minute format, it feels just a tick too convenient, too rushed to be quite perfect. But all told that's a small qualm when one considers the overall quality of the episode. :) Sherlock manages to talk Henry out of suicide, explaining that Dr. Frankland was responsible for his father's death and strove to discredit Henry by driving him slowly insane with the hallucinogenic gas (dosing him up via the pressure-release pads in the hollow every time he visited). Just as Henry seems to calm down, a fearsome hound appears -- a wonderful moment for fans of the original novel. With the gas dosing everyone in the area, the dog looks every bit the monster Doyle created. The dog's appearance is followed by Frankland in a gas mask -- and I loved the touch of Sherlock ripping off the mask, only to reveal the face of Moriarty, not Frankland -- a telling moment for what keeps the great detective up at night, no?

Once Lestrade shoots the dog, it is revealed as completely ordinary -- and Henry is given the mental reprieve to process Frankland's betrayal. It's a painful but rewarding payoff for Henry, as his faith in his father is rewarded -- brilliantly and heart-rendingly played by Tovey. I thought it was an extremely nice touch to have Frankland run off onto the moors, stumbling into the Baskerville minefield -- and meeting his end in much the same way his novel counterpart did (though slightly more *ahem* explosively).

So all's well that end's well outside of Baskerville -- and while I treasure those little moments between Sherlock and John, I really feel the episode could've used a post-reveal scene with Henry, something to assure us that he's getting healthy and moving forward with his life, you know? Instead we cut to a prison, where Mycroft is overseeing the release of Moriarty (Andrew Scott) for a cell where he's covered the walls with graffiti of one word -- Sherlock. It's an ominous promise leading into the final Reichenbach-themed episode of this series.

"The Hounds of Baskerville" is really a brilliant episode, putting a unique update on the classic story, allowing us to see the ultimate rationalist confront and overcome fear -- which for Sherlock I think perhaps stems from a complete loss of control, the fear that logic would fail him. This is hands-down the eeriest, most atmospheric episode of the series to date (the moors never fail in that regard) -- in fact, if it was filmed in black and white I'd think it was  prime example of classic film noir thanks to its brilliant use of light and shadow to foster suspense. It's a fitting bridge looking towards Sherlock's next confrontation with Moriarty, the man this episode reveals to be Sherlock's greatest fear -- perhaps because Moriarity is his complete antithesis, chaos to Sherlock's order.

Robin Hood 3.13: Something Worth Fighting For, part two

Spoilers...

I honestly meant to get a post up on the Robin Hood finale Thursday or Friday, but I thought I was getting sick, and what with one thing or another it never happened. Where the first half of "Something Worth Fighting For" reminded me of many of the reasons I've been frustrated by the direction the show took in season 3, part two reminded me of everything I've ever loved about Robin Hood. It made me positively nostalgic, and I have to admit, I cried a bit at the end.

I neglected to mention in my previous post that we saw the return of the Sheriff - the real Sheriff, the supposed-to-be-dead Sheriff that all fans of the show know and love (played by Keith Allen). It's tempting to complain about the fact that Sheriff Vaisey disappeared for six episodes, with no logical explanation for why he faked his death or how he's managed to raise an army, with no one around Nottingham getting wind of the fact that he was alive. Speaking of the army thing - how did no one notice Vaisey & crew hauling freaking trebuchets across the countryside? Seriously, I would think it would be kind of hard to sneak up on someone with that kind of weaponry in tow. Anyway, seeing Allen back on-screen was a good reminder of the fact that no matter how interesting (or not, depending on your point of view) Isabella's (Lara Pulver) presence shook up Guy and Robin, she pales in comparison to the real Sheriff as the show's central baddie.

Guy (Richard Armitage) and Robin (Jonas Armstrong) made this episode, and as far as endings go, and as wrenching as it was to witness, I have to admit that the two one-time enemies ended very well, all things considered. Let's talk about Guy first, shall we? :) My hope for Guy's character, from season 1, was that he'd discover his inner good guy and turn heroic (and when Armstrong announced he was leaving the show, I wanted Richard Armitage to take over the lead!). But considering my dearly hoped-for dream scenario was not meant to be, I've got to give Armitage credit for once again taking Guy's scenes to a whole new level of emotional insight. It would've been so easy for Guy to abandon the beseiged outlaws, but instead he recognizes the fight as his moment to work towards redeeming the direction his life had taken thus far. He even has a moment of twisted brotherly consideration for Isabella, providing her with poison so she can kill herself before those she's wronged would try to harm her (that doesn't work out so well). The final confrontation, resulting in Guy's brilliantly played death scene, was fantastic because it was so focused on the principle players, especially Guy, Robin, and the Sheriff, since they are three of the main reasons the show worked as well as it did. If Guy had to die during this show's run, I'm glad he died as he did - fighting whole-heartedly for Robin & the people. And his last words, about losing the love of his life, but dying a free man - very classy Guy, and well played as always, Richard. :)

This final hour was also a fantastic send-off for Robin. The show has really come full circle, from the first episode in the courtyard where Robin stood alone against the Sheriff, to this finale where he's once again fighting the Sheriff, only this time he's surrounded by the people he's sacrificed so much to protect. It's LONG past due, but Robin & crew finally, finally get to see some action out of the villagers. Thankfully, even before he was poisoned, Robin really backed off his interaction with Kate (Joanne Froggatt). Words cannot describe how glad I am that Armstrong's last episode as Robin wasn't too polluted by Kate's presence. Robin's final conversation with Guy provided a bit of a reset for his romantic life, a reminder that there was only one woman for Robin. Speaking of Marian (Lucy Griffiths), part of me can't believe that the showrunners went for the whole "vision-of-beloved-dead-character" returns angle, but after the whole Kate debacle I was just relieved to see Marian again. She's completely forgiven for all of her too stupid to live moments during season 2. Armstrong and Griffiths at least had actual chemistry and affection for each other in their scenes, and their last moment together is even more poignant considering the show was ultimately not renewed.


Little John (Gordon Kennedy) and Much (Sam Troughton) both get some nice scenes in this episode. Little John gets to show off his strength in the tunnels, which is more than Kennedy's gotten to do for much of this season. And Much finally shows that he can operate outside Robin's shadow. He acts like a warrior instead of a mouse for once, and we finally get to see that there's a reason he survived the Crusades - he can actually fight effectively. That type of scene was LONG overdue. I have a sneaking suspicion that Kate would've turned into a love interest for Archer (Clive Standen) in season 4, but the final look she exchanges with Much makes me hope that the showrunners would've developed the Much/Kate angle. I think I could've stood that. :)

As far as Archer goes, I really am rather sorry that we didn't get to see more of Clive Standen. He fits the swashbuckling nature of the role probably better than Armstrong and yes, even Armitage, could. Archer would have proven a charismatic and capable leader, methinks. With the deaths of much of the original cast, and a nod to the actual historical timeline (Richard has been captured by Leopold of Austria, leaving the outlaws on their own a bit longer), the show was perfectly prepped for a fresh beginning. As much a I hate to say it, the show could've had a decent future beyond the departures of Robin, Guy, the Sheriff, and Isabella. But at least it's not a completely depressing ending for the show - Robin's battle against the Sheriff and fantastic reconciliation with Guy were just one chapter in the outlaws' story. And this chapter, all things considered, gave the characters I've grown to love over the last three years an ending I'm pleased with. Long live the outlaws!

Robin Hood 3.11: The Enemy of My Enemy

Spoilers...

"The Enemy of My Enemy" is the beginning of the end for Robin Hood - only two episodes left after this, SOB!! There was a lot to like about this episode, starting and ending with the fact that Guy (Richard Armitage) is front and center. If the showrunners would have learned that lesson a long time ago, maybe the show would've survived cancellation...just sayin'. *sigh* Anyway, the show opens with Guy and Robin, together again, haha. I loved all of the scenes that show them working through the kinks in their new "partnership." You of course start out with a knock down, drag out fight, which leads to lots of sarcasm and hilarious quips flying back and forth. My favorite moment of the first phase (LOL) in their partnership is when Guy exclaims that he can never ask Robin's (Jonas Armstrong) forgiveness for killing Marian because he can never forgive himself. I confess, I swooned. ;-) That moment was superb & very much longed for.

We get to see a little more of the gang in this episode, sadly though most of those moments are either annoying or forgettable. Of course Kate (Joanne Froggatt) is so head over heels in love with Robin that she'll put up with Guy. But Little John (Gordon Kennedy) throws some sort of childish hissy fit when Robin brings Guy back to the gang's hideout, claiming he now trusts him. Seriously, what is it with Little John and acting like a stupid fool? VERY annoying. However, this did lead to a nice moment for Allan (Joe Armstrong), FINALLY, who's been criminally under-used this season. Allan had such a great story arc last season it's been extremely disappointing to see how they didn't do anything with his character this year, especially since the show's ended. However, it was nice to see him go after Little John and help him escape Sheriff Isabella's (Lara Pulver). Instead of the overused battle cry of "We are Robin Hood" this episode brought out the family side of the gang - a bit sappy but nice to see nonetheless.

So Robin and Guy's brother, Archer (Clive Standen) is a bit of a rake and a ladies' man, who apparently all of a sudden has knowledge of "powerful weapons from the East." That was a little lame, but whatever. The point here is that Archer is Errol Flynn reincarnated, and I'm now in luv with Clive Standen. The way he talks, the inflection of his voice, the gleam in his eye - it's Errol Flynn all over again, and in my little world that's a very good thing. :) If you've never seen The Sea Hawk or Captain Blood, check them out immediately - I could see Standen easily playing those roles. It's interesting to see, just in this introduction, how the Archer character is a sort of mash-up of Robin and Guy. He definitely has a LONG way to go in the self-sacrificing/altruism department, but I have no doubt that if the show had continued he would have come around, in the best Errol Flynn hero tradition. (Incidentally, I just realized that Standen appeared in 3 episodes of season 4 of Doctor Who.)

Guy and Robin have decided that Archer's mysterious weapons knowledge is necessary for them to defeat Isabella (who BARELY has a handle on this whole sheriffing thing), so they head to York to spring their errant brother from prison. I LOVED the little "planning" session they had in the pub, that was hilarious. They sort of trust each other, but they still have to fight over who's half-baked plan is the better option for freeing Archer. Boys, boys, boys. ;-) When Guy is the one who gets hauled off to jail to play the "inside man," the look on his face was priceless. As always Richard Armitage played Guy's scenes beautifully. He's got a long way to go but he's finally, FINALLY, acting more like the hero all of us Guy fans have been wanting to see since the beginning of the show.

Since Archer grew up dirt poor, he's developed this "must have money" fixation, which leads to a poorly thought out attempt to betray Guy and Robin even though they're the ones who just rescued him. Silly boy. He's foolishness only leads to all three brothers waiting to be hung, but of course by this time the gang has arrived in York setting up a big final showdown. I absolutely LOVED the "money shot" moment - when Robin and Archer set up arrows at the same time to break Guy's rope and free him, and the arrows hit the exact same mark. The look on Robin's face was priceless, absolutely hilarious to see. Archer, of course, is going to more than live up to his name. It also really warmed my heart to see Guy stepping up to rescue Little John from certain death and destruction. Beneath that black exterior beats a heart of gold. I always knew this but I suppose it's to be expected that Little John would be a little slow on the uptake. *sigh*

Part one of the two-part series finale airs tonight.

Robin Hood 3.9: A Dangerous Deal

Spoilers...

I'll start off by saying this episode is the crowning jewel of this otherwise horribly uneven and spotty season of Robin Hood. If the episode focused entirely on Guy (Richard Armitage) it would've been absolutely perfect, because his storyline here was a freaking dream come true. But, before I talk about the really good stuff, let's get everything else out of the way first. :)

Sometime between this episode and the last, Isabella's (Lara Pulver) been officially appointed Sheriff of Nottingham. Go figure. We are allowed to see some of just how conflicted a woman she is - her marriage has scarred her, but it's not left her entirely without some good impulses. She's got a female empowerment agenda thing brewing, but she barely gets started implementing that by freeing village girl Meg (Holly Grainger) from an unwanted marriage before the much talked of but never seen husband Thornton (Nicholas Gleaves) shows up. Gleaves looked terribly familiar, but in glancing at his IMDB page I didn't recognize any credits. (Oh, and more on Meg later.)

Thornton is a terrible piece of work to say the least, and when you see the fear in Isabella's eyes at his appearance you can't help but have compassion for her situation. She is obviously a victim, but she hasn't lost her ability to use her past circumstances to manipulate Robin. This of course plays right into Robin's biggest weakness - the need to be the hero/savior. *sigh* Robin needs to get a grip.

The whole Robin (Jonas Armstrong) - Kate (Joanne Froggatt) - Much (Sam Troughton) thing gets a lot of screentime and is so wrong, on so very many levels, and so pathetically executed...well really is there more to say besides that (I realize that's rhetorical because OF COURSE I'm going to say more...haha!!)? I felt like the scenes involving that threesome were so junior high it wasn't even funny. And every scene involving poor Much's crushed hopes and dreams as regards Kate were downright painful. Why didn't Kate just cut out Much's heart and stomp it into the ground??? And so all of a sudden Kate is the best thing to ever enter Robin's life - even Little John (Gordon Kennedy) talks her up. Yeesh what is wrong with all of these people?! Robin has gotten unforgivably stupid about women, but this has been going on so long, with no promise of correction, that I sort of feel numb to it all by this point. Marian is rolling over in her grave, Robin. Yeesh!!

So by the end of this episode, Isabella's dispatched her evil husband - personally I think they could've milked that storyline a little longer, but oh well. She's got a nice evil queen vibe going on - she is CRAZY, but really her brand of crazy just ultimately made me nostalgic for Keith Allen's take on the Sheriff. *sigh*

And now for talk about the best Guy scenes EVER! *swoon* Guy is in prison awaiting execution, and let me tell you, NO ONE can rock the whole dark, brooding, facing death yet unbelievably appealing thing like Richard Armitage. Excuse me while a swoon some more for a second (AGAIN!). :) He's thrown into the company of Meg, a self-proclaimed man hater who Isabella automatically connected with - but sadly Izzy's plans for her new BFF are going to fall through BIG TIME. Because no one in their right mind can resist the allure of the dark knight that is Guy. :) (Except of course the crazy sibling...)

Meg and Guy's scenes are fantastic. Because they're both in jail they're on equal footing, and Meg isn't afraid of speaking her mind and calling Guy out on everything from his attitude to his past actions. This is the kind of self-reflective time and turning point moment that I have wanted to see from Guy ever since he snapped and killed Marian in the finale of season two. He's just not supposed to be that guy who can do something like that without suffering consequences and repercussions. As he tells Meg, (referring to Marian) she believed in the better side of him, believed he could be a good man, and he let her down. When he says death means nothing because he's already in hell, you know that's true, because until he met Meg, he'd destroyed the only other person that believed in him at all. When Meg defies Isabella to try and free Guy, for the first time in ages, if not ever, his first thought is to save her instead of himself. There's no ulterior motive, no desire to play the system. He's reached a point of selflessness and heroism that I always knew was there, and I was just dying to SEE it. So thank you, Richard Armitage, in the midst of the mess that is season three, for giving me this performance.


Since we already know that Robin Hood's been cancelled, it's a bit pointless I guess to wish for what might have been. But I can't help but wish that the showrunners had wanted to develop the Meg/Guy relationship a bit further. Granted, her death scene was gut-wrenching, and having Guy actually break down and cry was a fanastic moment to witness. I'm going to pretend to read Richard Armitage's mind here, but who cares? ;-) (Isn't that what an obsessed RA fan would do? It feels right...haha!!) I felt like Armitage wanted to convey that Guy was crying for more than just Meg's death - it was for all of his character's lost opportunities. So tragic, yet so loverly to see. :) I thought Grainger and Armitage had great chemistry together, and I loved how Meg was not a character who was going to give Guy and inch. She was quite a spitfire, and their relationship would've been a lot of fun to watch develop (much more rewarding than the Robin/Kate debacle). I look forward to seeing Grainger in more shows (she's appeared in an episode of Merlin, to name one recent credit).

This was a beautiful, fantastic Guy-centric episode and it's definitely a highlight of the season - one ep that will be getting rewatched a lot in the future once the DVDs release. ;-)

Check out this link for some great Guy wallpapers!

Robin Hood 3.5: Let the Games Commence

Here there be spoilers...

After an interminable two-episode absence, all of Richard Armitage-fandom rejoiced when Guy returned to Nottingham (at last!!). More on my favorite baddie's return in a second. :) This episode of Robin Hood opens with a mysterious noblewoman being chased through the woods. Just when all hope seems lost (eekk!), Robin (Jonas Armstrong) magically appears and of course rescues her. The woman, Isabella (Lara Pulver), *claims* to be the maidservant of the squire's wife and her decoy, ordered to help her escape her wicked husband. Robin, of course, buys this story hook, line, and sinker, because he's that kind of guy & because electric sparks immediately fly between him & the spunky Isabella (who's eerily reminscent of Marian in this scene, in both looks and attitude).

Robin, Isabella, and the gang run into Guy & his men returning to Nottingham. This is quite a different Guy than the one we last saw in episode 2, Cause and Effect. Then he was cowed & fearing for his life, "betrayed" (I think one can use that word, because he's apparently dumb enough to "trust" Sheriff) by the Sheriff (Keith Allen) and sent to Prince John to account for Nottingham's unpaid taxes. This time Guy's returned flush with pride and purpose, with a mandate from Prince John to kill Robin Hood (like that's gonna work in episode 5 of the season *rolls eyes*) a secret weapon (unbelievably silly), and men to command. Guy's starting to think that he doesn't need the Sheriff for success or validation, and personally I love the edge Richard Armitage gives his portrayal of Guy here.

Besides the Isabella/Guy's secret "weapon" storyline, this episode also serves as a much-needed showcase for Little John's (Gordon Kennedy) character. While Guy & his men are herding Robin & crew towards their arena-inspired end (really...a freaking LION?!), Little John falls in with a traveling troupe of performers who stage, of all things, gladiator-like fighting tournaments. Let's just be honest here, this is a ridiculous conceit, right up there with season 2's foray into Las Vegas-style gambling. Generally when this show is cheesy, I don't mind - it's part of the fun, after all. ;-) This fighting troupe was interesting for me because it's headed by a woman named Bertha (gotta love that name!) played by Denise Black, who I last saw play a similar role in The Scarlet Pimpernel Meets Madamoiselle Guillotine (if you've never seen the Richard E. Grant Scarlet Pimpernel films, do yourself a favor and track down copies of them asap!). Bertha's goal is to of course betray Little John for cash (though this idea occurs to her only after her amorous advances towards the Sheriff are turned down flat - hilarious!). Little John immediately hits it off with one of the kid's in Bertha's entourage, and their interaction is a nice reminder of the fact that John's a father, who's outlaw life has cost him a relationship and life with his wife & son. Plus, as cheesy as the fixed arena fights may be, the fact that they rely on brute strength plays nicely into Little John's purpose as "muscle" on the show.


Of course, the most interesting aspect of this episode is, for me anyway, the introduction of Isabella - who turns out to be Guy's sister!! Apparently Guy's selfish, thoughtless impulses go way farther back than season 1 - years earlier Guy sold his sister in marriage to an abusive squire in order to help further his own social position. The way things stand now, Isabella's been away from her brother for years, so she doesn't really know him anymore. And the fact that she's an abused woman would, one could think, make her a sympathetic, pro-outlaw character. However, Isabella is first and foremost a Gisborne. So where will the show take her character? Personally, I love the fact that the show chose to delve into Gisborne's past a bit. I find it interesting that Isabella is so out of touch with her brother, and so desperate for escape, that she's seeking sanctuary from her betrayer. Only a chance meeting with the charismatic Robin appears to have made her think twice about blindly jumping from the frying pan of her marriage into the fire with her brother & his plans. There's a lot of potential with her character, so we must wait and see how fast & to what degree the writers squander Isabella's potential.

Post-Marian, I vastly prefer the introduction of Isabella to the show rather than the unforgivably annoying, grating, pull-my-hair-out-I-can't-stand-her-that-much character of Kate (Joanne Froggatt). Kate was introduced so obviously, so badly, as a "poor man's Marian." This characterization sin is only compounded by the fact that the writers only seemed to transfer Marian's annoying characteristics to the new blonde stand-in - whininess, ingratitude, and to top it off bad hair. ;-) Isabella has TONS of potential IMO because she's got a tension-frought history with my favorite Guy, she appears capable of intelligence and spunk, and she's got some genuine chemistry with Robin (that last scene shows off some serious sparks!). Of course, a lot could change over the course of the season - but for now, Isabella is my favorite introduction to the cast.

*Great Sheriff quote: "For once I'm pleased to see you, Hood! It means Gisborne has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory again!!" - that pretty much sums up the relationship between the Sheriff & Guy, doesn't it? LOL!

*It just dawned on me that Isabella married Squire Thornton - could this be a nod to Richard Armitage's breakout role as John Thornton in North and South? Methinks it must be...

Robin Hood 3.4: Sins of the Father

Spoilers...

I am WAY behind in my Robin Hood blogging, I know, I know. But let the record show that I am determined to get caught up THIS WEEK. Just in case you need a refresher, the last time we visited Nottingham, Robin & the gang are accused of being heretics, and the Sheriff (Keith Allen) has sent Guy (Richard Armitage) off to pay homage to Prince John. The Sheriff is apparently becoming a bit stressed about his struggles to collect the cash he needs to keep Prince John happy - so he calls in a new tax collector - Ruthless Rufus. Yes, that is the best name the scriptwriters could come up with. *rolls eyes*

So Rufus arrives in Nottingham with his son Edmund, and starts throwing his muscle around. This of course antagonizes my least favorite addition to the cast EVER, Kate (Joanne Froggatt), who's taken to Rufus's home in order to spare her annoying mother. There Rufus forces her dance for his entertainment. Lame. Will Kate survive the attentions of the dastardly Rufus? Unfortunately for the show, yes, Robin (Jonas Armstrong) & crew stage a rescue. *sigh* Since Kate is now a known associate of outlaws, she has to take to the woods. In typical Kate-and-her-relatives-are-complete-ingrates, she and her mother aren't grateful that Kate's been saved from Rufus - instead she and her mother find a way to blame Robin for the fact she has to leave the town. ARGH!! To add insult to injury, Much (Sam Troughton) and Allan (Joe Armstrong) both apparently want Kate to like them - Much falls all over himself to try and appear in a favorable light. (Aside: Why are men so stupid?!?!)

In spite of Ruthless Rufus's alliterative moniker, he's a fellow with a somewhat interesting history. Unfortunately for the Sheriff, Rufus has a history in Nottingham - he saw the Sheriff take his father's shop from him years before. Since the Sheriff has no conscience, he of course isn't going to remember wrecking Rufus's boyhood - and since suffering hasn't made Rufus a more compassionate person, he's willing to trample anyone in the way of his quest for revenge. This extends to his son, Edmund, who's somehow grown up with some scruples and obviously doesn't approve of his father's tactics. I've got to say, it's a nice change watching the Sheriff get played - well, he's usually played, but by a good guy - it's a switch when a baddie is the one pulling the wool over Sheriff Vasey's eyes.

As you can tell by the above picture, Kate & Allan get themselves taken prisoner by Rufus, while Edmund gets himself taken as a hostage by Robin & the gang. Kate and Allan have a nice, nauseating moment bonding over their shared misfortune. If Allan was imprisoned with any one else I don't think I'd care...he's my favorite member of the gang, and I love and adore his smart-aleck sense of humor. I just hate to see it wasted on Kate. *sigh again* However, this prisoner exchange does have an upside. Little John (Gordon Kennedy) actually gets a bit of screentime since, as a longtime resident of Nottingham, he's the first to recognize Rufus (only he just can't place him at first). Poor Little John's been pretty criminally underused so far this season, hasn't he? Tuck (David Harewood) also gets the chance to practice being Dr. Phil when he tries to convince Edmund to quit making excuses for his father's criminal behavior.

There are parts of the "big reveal" at the end of this episode that I actually really liked. When the gang descends on Rufus's hideout to rescue Kate & Allan, the Sheriff also appears - in hot pursuit of the money he discovered Rufus has stolen. When the Sheriff goes all "fatherly" in his talk with Edmund about the fact that Rufus "has issues" I just rolled. This is a major case of the pot calling the kettle black, no? ;-) The icing on the cake is when Robin makes one of his impossible shots and the arrow magically hits the mark, preventing a crazed Rufus from killing his son. Gotta love Robin's bow work, I'm just sayin'...

By the end of the episode, Kate is an official member of the gang and she's magically let go of all of her anger issues (thanks to Allan's therapy session I guess). Thankfully there's a shakeup coming to the show with the next episode. I made a mistake in my post on episode 3 - for some reason I was under the impression that Guy was returning this week...don't know what I was thinking but of course, that's not the case. It's really TRAGIC, this being the last season of the show & all, that Guy's AWOL from TWO WHOLE EPISODES. Oh well, c'est la vie. :)

Robin Hood 3.1: Total Eclipse

Spoilers!!

Oh Robin Hood, how I love you. :) The third (and sadly, final) season of Robin Hood finally, at long last, began on BBC America this weekend. And it starts off with a bang. Since it's been about a year and a half since season 2 aired over here, how about a quick recap?

When we last left our intrepid band of outlaws/freedom fighters, they had traveled to the Holy Land (apparating Harry Potter-style, apparently, since the journey took no time at all) to save King Richard from yet another attempt on his life spearheaded by the Sheriff (Keith Allen). The world of Robin Hood fandom was set ablaze by the controversial ending to season 2, which saw my favorite baddie in the whole wide world (a.k.a. Sir Guy of Gisborne, a.k.a. RICHARD ARMITAGE!!) go off in self-destruct mode and kill Marian (Lucy Griffiths), after finally (FINALLY!!) realizing that she's been playing him for a fool for two years.

Personally, Marian's death was remarkably anticlimatic. She'd gradually become infected over the course of season 2 with one of the worst cases of TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) syndrome that I've ever seen. And the whole will she choose Robin or will she choose Guy thing had been taken WAY too far. Where Guy was concerned, she was far too blinded by his appeal and feelings for her - she thought she could control him, and failed MISERABLY. Her father never taught her that if you play with fire, you get burned (or stuck in the gut with a sword by an emotionally eviscerated, incredibly good-looking man). The best part of Marian's death was how it allowed Robin (Jonas Armstrong) to emote...that man has beautiful, beautiful eyes. Just sayin'. :) You can read my post on the season 2 finale here.

Fast forward to tonight's episode...strangely enough it takes MUCH longer to journey back to England from the Holy Land than the other way around. Weird, no? And apparently the second the boat docks one must run all the way back to Nottingham in order to avenge the death of one's beloved. (Question: Why did it seem like Guy & the Sheriff had been back in England so much longer than the boys in green? Also, all the running was a little crazy...it reminded me of all the running that occurs in The Two Towers.) Can I just tell you that I LOVED angry, angst-ridden Robin? That was played well, I liked seeing Robin cope - or not, as the case may be - with his grief and anger, and I think, guilt over not being able to save Marian. Over the course of the previous two seasons he's poured so much of himself into the anti-Sheriff crusade, that it's actually a wonder he hasn't reached the breaking point before. But of course, after perhaps realizing that your king is a MORON (seriously, go back and watch the end of season 2 if it's been a while, Richard was written very poorly IMO) and it's cost you the woman you love and are perhaps FINALLY ready to commit to, it's natural that one would have to lash out a bit. This is really the first time that being an outlaw has really cost Robin something near & dear to him - a wake-up call that was probably long overdue.

The man that brings Robin back from the brink is a new addition to the team - Tuck, played by David Harewood. In keeping with the way this show likes to shake up tradition, this incarnation of Tuck definitely isn't a roly-poly, jolly type - this Tuck may still be a priest, but he's a fighter and crusader. Out of all members of the gang, Tuck is being set up as Robin's best equal - how can I say this - mental acuity. I love Little John (Gordon Kennedy), Much (Sam Troughton), and most of all, I love and adore Allan (Joe Armstrong), but excepting perhaps Allan's occasional flashes of brilliance, they are definitely more followers than leaders and planners. I think it's interesting that Tuck, newly returned to England from foreign parts himself, has such a passionate drive to see the Sheriff and Prince John ousted from power - the urgency of his mission seems just a tad contrived for a new arrival, but whatever. Perfect logic has never been this show's strongest suit. ;-)

I absolutely loved this episode's focus on the Robin/Guy conflict. It's hard to find Richard Armitage's equal for playing the tortured soul, and he uses that skill to full effect in this episode. He may have incredibly nasty, greasy hair, but somehow I can look past that and see the tortured soul, know what I mean? *sigh* Not that I in any way condone how he dealt with his relationship problems at the end of season 2, but Marian just didn't get him, did she? Stupid girl. ;-) Guy had some great moments in this episode, from the encounter with Tuck, where he talks of the demons that haunt his dreams, to the moment where he begs Robin to kill him, only to be spared, to perhaps the best moment - where he tells the Sheriff that he FINALLY realizes that he doesn't like him. OMG, is the light dawning?! LOL

So, by the end of this episode, Robin realizes that he can't not do what it is he does, he can't suddenly deny Robin Hood. For as much as he created the legend the people love, it's an intrinsic part of who he is - and since the people love him enough to risk a massive forest fire with their candle-filled tribute (that cracked me up!) when they think he's dead, well Marian wouldn't want him to let them down, would she? :) Two things I absolutely loved in the ending segment of this episode: 1) the insane giant arrow the Sheriff tries to kill three people with. When will the man realize that elaborate death traps never, ever work? *rolls eyes* LOL! And 2) Robin's grand entrance and heroic speech. I am a total and complete sucker for those moments, they do me in every single time.

Till next week...WE ARE ROBIN HOOD!! (Haha, sorry, couldn't resist!) ;-)