Robin Hood 3x12 Review: Something Worth Fighting For, Part 1

[corrielle]

For as long as I've been watching it, Robin Hood has been all about trust, camaraderie, and teamwork.  When I think of other penultimate episodes of this show, they have all been about the team coming together, whether they're stuck in a cave with the Sheriff surrounding them and Marian bleeding nearly to death or heading out to the Holy Land to save the king, with Allan newly welcomed back into the group.  The point is, they were all together. This episode felt different to me.  For a long time now, there have been divisions, little cracks in their solidarity waiting to be exploited. John almost left over Guy's introduction into the gang, Much almost left, too (and the reason for it was never dealt with...), Kate is trying her hardest to trust Robin and accept Guy, but it's not working very well, Guy is around being useful but making everyone tense, and though they didn't show this to us at all, it's pretty obvious that though they may have forgiven Allan, none of them ever forgot his betrayal.  My point is, Isabella may have been the catalyst that separated them from each other, but the only reason she was successful is that there were already existing problems that she brought out into the open.  (I'm reminded of the Buffy episode "The Yoko Factor," in which Spike does to the Scooby gang pretty much the exact same thing Isabella does to the outlaws, but with a lot more subtlety.) At the end of the episode, when all of them are standing at the castle gates, they are together again, ready to shut the door against whatever storm is coming, but they've paid a price for forgetting that they are strongest when they trust each other, and they are less than they were before.

The Death of Allan a Dale, the Most Wonderful Rogue Sherwood has Ever Known

I was not ready to lose Allan.  I even knew that it might happen.  caedhe and I have "odds of dying" for each character written on the the whiteboard in our dining room, and I'd pegged Allan at 80%.  Still, I wasn't ready.  I didn't think that it would happen in this episode, and I didn't think that it would happen like that. I know that Allan has been horribly underused this series, but it seemed to me that he was... happy.  He was content to be back in the gang, cracking jokes, making fun of Much, doing accents and wearing disguises and getting people into the castle.  And why?  Because of what he told John last week.  These people were his family in a way that his real relatives never were. Especially Robin, Much, and Little John.  I think he considered Kate and Tuck family to some extent as well (and who knows how he thought about Guy... we'll certainly never know now...), but the three of them who have been with him from the beginning... they were special.  They were the ones who had taken him back after his betrayal. They were the ones who knew what he'd done, had seen him at his worst, and let him fight by their side anyway. And that is why the scene where Allan is accused of working with Isabella is so heartbreaking.  Other people have said it, but I'll say it too.  Joe Armstrong really outdid himself here. He's so sure that at least one of them will believe in him, and the moment he realizes that no one is going to, you can see him break a little. One moment, his face is an open book, and he's pleading with his friends to trust him, and then, the "Who cares? Not me!" wall goes back up.

I can almost understand the gang's reactions.  Things are going badly.  It looks like Prince John has the army to force Richard into a civil war, the villages they've fought so hard to protect are conscripted and emptied of food, and the plan to take the castle is a gamble at best.  The old Allan... the Allan of series one, or even the middle of last season, might have taken the opportunity to skip out on them.  (Incidentally, I don't think that anyone thought Allan had been working with Isabella for a long time... I think they assume he recently made a deal with her for his own safety.)  I even understand that Robin doesn't want to take the risk of bringing Allan along or leaving him free. But... the way they treat him makes me so upset that I can't really write coherently about it.  Especially the way John reacts, not even giving Allan time to speak before throttling him.  John was one of the angriest at Allan back in series two, and he's the angriest now.   It doesn't matter how close he and Allan have gotten... John's still ready to believe that Allan would run out on them, given the chance. This applies to Much, too, who is quick to bring up that Allan has betrayed them before.  All of this was a revelation for Allan.  He didn't realize how easy it would be to get them to turn on him, and I think it shocks him to the core.  (This is my excuse for his not defending himself better.  Why didn't he point out that, had Isabella pardoned him, he would be long gone by now?  Because he was too busy trying to wrap his brain around the fact that none of his friends trust him at all.)  As for Robin... I think I like his reaction best of all. I understand why he didn't trust Allan, and Robin does keep John from hurting him.  Also, when he says "we'll sort this out when we come back," he implies that there is something that needs to be sorted out.  I don't think Robin had made a decision yet, and that buys him an awful lot of credit in my book.  He knows that Allan might be innocent, but won't take the chance that he might not be. I'll hand it to Jonas here, too.  He makes leaving Allan look like a hard thing for him to do.  He's not angry or preachy or blustery about Allan's potential betrayal... he just looks tired and worn. 

I will be angry for the rest of time that we didn't get more Guy and Allan interaction.  It was great that we got to see Allan reaching out to Guy for support (though he was the last one Allan turned to, I believe...) but Guy is smart enough not to get involved.  Besides, I think Guy knows that nothing he can say is going to change anyone's mind.  In fact, speaking up for Allan might make things worse, not better.  That being said, I'm not sure what to make of that little smirk on Guy's face after he shrugs.  A very mean part of me thinks that it's Guy having a moment of amusement at the fact that Robin's much-vaunted band of brothers isn't as cheery and close as they're supposed to be. Or maybe Guy's just smiling at the irony of Allan asking him to speak to his trustworthiness. 

When Allan frees himself and leaves the camp, it's the third time over the course of the show that he has left the gang, and he does it thinking that he's not wanted any more.  And this time, he's done nothing wrong.  He's angry, and understandably so.  He risks his life for the cause, just like they do, and what does he get for his trouble?  Left behind at the camp, defenseless and a prisoner.  I love that he still has a knife up his sleeve, and I love that he walks away grumbling about giving Robin "the best years of my life."  That is so... quintessentially Allan.  Even when he's really hurt, he's theatrical and dramatic about it.  (For what audience? The universe in general, I suppose...) However, Allan's attitude shifts remarkably quickly when he spots Vasey.  I could have hid.  He didn't have to turn around.  He could have kept walking right out of Sherwood, away from Nottingham, and he could have left Robin to deal with Vasey on his own.  But he doesn't.  The first words out of his mouth are, "I've got to get to Robin."   And he turns around and goes back to warn a bunch of people who have just proved that they have no use for him. Because he loves them.  No matter how he may grumble and complain, he loves them, and this isn't just garden-variety danger that he knows they're in.  Storming the castle?  That's fine with him.  They can do that on their own.  It's everyday danger.  Vasey returning, though? That is scary. It's the kind of danger they won't see coming.  The kind that might get them all killed very quickly. And as angry as he may be at them, he doesn't want them dead.

People have remarked on the fact that Allan smiling as he runs and the arrows fly by him. That is very Allan, too.  He thinks he's clever, thinks he can outrun the guards, thinks he's going to foil Vasey's plan, and he's grinning at the thought of it.  Also, I think he's smiling because he knows that he's got a piece of information will prove his loyalty to the rest of the gang.  And that's really what he wants: for them to trust him again.  And he keeps running even when he's hit... such courage and determination there... I'm getting all choked up just writing about it, but I am so proud of him.  It hurts beyond all belief, but it was a good death, given what the writers had to work with.  Yes, he got shot in the back.  Yes, he died alone, but he died trying to get back to his friends to warn them.  He died trying to do the right thing.  I think the worst part for me is that Allan died thinking his friends didn't trust him, and knowing that they were in danger and he hadn't gotten to them in time. That kills me.  Also, I realize that the gang has figured out that Allan was innocent, but I almost have this perverse hope that Vasey will taunt Robin with the fact that Allan was coming back to warn them. Because I don't think any of them realize that right now.  And they need to. 

The scene where the gang discovers Allan's body has some really fantastic acting on everyone's part.  Much is the one who finds him... and he looks like he's crying just a little.  They all look pretty devastated, actually.  (And I have to disagree with people who think Kate doesn't care... she just looks numb.  She's having a terrible day already, and I don't blame her for not emoting.)  I think my favorite, though, is Little John sitting down in shock.  I wonder if he feels the worst, having been the one most ready to accuse Allan.  The way they all gather around him and Tuck closes those gorgeous blue eyes of his for the last time... it was good.  It hurt like hell, but it was good.  I may be blazingly angry at the gang for not believing in him, but I have to sympathize with them.  I know how they feel.  I just lost Allan, too.  And then... John picks up his body and carries it inside.  Because that's what we do for our fallen comrades.  We make sure they're treated with care.  (Though it sure looks like Vasey roughed Allan up before he died... caedhe pointed out that Allan's face is more bloody than it is in the last scene where he's alive, and he got shot in the back, not anywhere near the head.  I don't want to think about what might have happened to him between that moment and... yeah.  Not thinking about that.)   I know I mentioned it before, but that last shot of all of them standing in the gate before it closes really gets me. Allan made it back to them in the end... just not the way he thought he was going to.  Wow.  I hadn't thought of that before now... I think I'm going to go cry some more now. 

Another discussion I've seen going on revolves around whether or not Allan's death was "meaningful" enough.  People have pointed out that his death isn't a big, flashy one because Allan isn't "the hero type," and that the fact that he fails to get back to Robin makes it more dramatic.  And they're right.  It does.  But this show does flashy deaths for its major characters most of the time.  It's not the kind of show that kills people off in useless ways because Life's Like That.  I get the tragedy, and I can even respect what the show runners were trying to do, but did they have to do it to him?  Also, gaelic_bohemian pointed out to me that from a writing perspective, killing Allan ups the ante.  No one is safe now, and killing him in the first part of the finale makes the audience fear for every single character every time someone so much as sneezes in the second part.  It's the same thing that happened in Serenity, if you'll bear with me for another Joss Whedon reference.  He killed Book, and we knew to be worried.  He killed Wash, and I felt real, gut-wrenching fear for each and every member of that crew every time they took a hit for the rest of the movie.  But the writers of Robin Hood aren't Joss Whedon.  Joss makes it work while still respecting the integrity of the characters.  As well as Allan's actual death was handled, I feel like it was a little too obvious that Allan's death was serving a functional purpose - making us wonder what's coming and proving that the show runners aren't afraid to kill people. And it seems... disrespectful to a character I really loved to kill him off for such a utilitarian reason.  *sobs* I'll miss you, Allan a Dale.

Some Thoughts on Robin

Looking back at some of the things that I have written about Robin, I realized that I have not been terribly kind to him this series. This episode, though, I had a lot of respect for him.  He's still himself... still giving inspirational speeches about how the castle belongs to the people, but he also had a seriousness and a gravity that suited him really well. He also did some things that showed him to be a good leader and a good friend, which is what Robin is when he's at his best.  First of all, the plan to take the castle is quite a gamble.   But Robin is desperate... and he knows he wouldn't have to hold the castle permanently.  If things had been different, he just might have been able to pull it off if Richard was indeed coming back within the month.  Gamble or no, the gang seems to be willing to follow his lead (except for Kate, but her reasons have nothing to do with Robin's leadership abilities and everything to do with the fact that it's Guy providing the way in). And that is what makes Robin special.  He can announce to his gang, "Hey guys... We're going to take over Nottingham castle!  Just the six of us!" And they believe it. Or at least they're willing to try.

Robin's treatment of Guy in this episode is really interesting.  With everything going to pieces, Richard about to return, and the gang's dynamic dangerously out of balance, Robin continues to trust Guy without question, which at first seemed really odd and out of character.  However, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.  Robin knows that Guy isn't going to betray them to Isabella.  He's been around Guy long enough to figure out that Guy's desire for revenge on his sister is greater than any reward Isabella might offer him.  Also, Robin knows Guy needs him and the rest of the gang to get what he wants. Still, when Robin said, "Gisborne is one of us now... our fate is his," I nearly fell out of my chair.  I don't think I'll ever stop being surprised at lines like that.  I think that though this was directed at Kate, he was saying it to Guy as well, just as a reminder that not only are their purposes intertwined, but their lives kind of depend on each other at this point. 

I really don't know what to think about Robin/Kate.  At times, it almost seemed sweet.  However, the moment that intrigues me most is when he can't tell her that he needs her more than her family does.  From a certain point of view, he is the reason that she has left the people she loves so that she can be in danger all the time, and I think he's feeling a bit guilty about it.  He isn't willing to say, "Yes. Stay with me.  I need you so much more than your family ever could,"  because that kind of selfishness is reminiscent of conversations he had with Marian. He was constantly asking her to come to the forest with him, even when Edward was still alive.  He's older now, and wiser, and I don't think that Robin is ever going to be able to be that selfish when it comes to a relationship again.  From where I sit, it's a mark of maturity that he couldn't say what Kate wanted to hear.  He even seems a bit relieved when he thinks Kate has gone to her family.  There's sadness there, yes, he's certainly not rejoicing, but he knows that he  and his plans are not always the most important things in the universe, and he thinks Kate has every right to look after the ones she loves, even if it means leaving him.

The last place where I think Robin really shines is the scene where he's trapped with Much and Guy.  Robin isn't the one accusing Guy, which I suppose isn't surprising, but still... the fact that there's no anger there at all, no accusation, floors me a little. And then, Robin is honestly concerned about getting all three of them out. (We pause this serious discussion for a brief quibble.  If the point was for one of them to grab the grating and let the other two hang onto him, Robin had the right idea at first. GUY should have been the one standing on their backs.  He's taller, making it easier for him to get up there and more likely to reach the top. I understand why it needed to be Robin for story purposes, though.  I also think that it's fascinating that Guy doesn't argue when Much says, "No... it has to be you, Robin...") Anyway... though the falling "limestone" did look an awful lot like kitty litter, as other reviewers have pointed out, I actually thought that the scene where Robin is holding onto Much's hand and yelling for him and Guy to hang on to each other was terribly sad and strangely moving.  It was hurting Robin that he was the one surviving longest while the other two sank, (Much especially...) but even though he knew the situation was dire, he was still trying to help them make it through, trying to give them some slender hope to hold onto.  Because having hope in the face of insurmountable odds is what Robin does. 

Guy of Gisborne: The Man with a Plan 

We saw less of Guy than I would have liked this episode, but I will admit that I have been rather spoiled lately, and what we did get to see was quite good. Guy seems to be integrating into the group without being ridiculous about it. He's no one's bosom friend yet, but he takes that message from Isabella's rider like he's been an outlaw for ages. Also, he seems to be quietly keeping up his role as The One Who Thinks Things Through.  When Much and John show up worried, out of breath, and carrying news of the conscriptions, Guy is the first one asking, "How many?" He's not appalled at the human cost of what is going on because, as he says later, he really doesn't care much for "the people."  Though this is classic Heartless Gisborne Thinking, Guy's lack of caring makes him a valuable asset.  Because Guy thinks this way, he can be more immediately clear-headed about what needs to be done.   He can usually strategize and see the big picture without emotion and righteous outrage getting in the way.  I think that in a way, this partially explains why Robin trusts Guy so much.  Guy has been very up front about his motivations.  He doesn't pretend to be noble or high-minded.  He wants revenge against an enemy of Robin's, and he's willing to join up with the outlaws to further that ultimate end.  If Guy had suddenly started caring deeply and passionately about the concerns of the peasants, he would have been much more suspicious and much less useful.

The scene where Tuck, Guy, and Robin are the ones who find the locket is really interesting.  First of all, I'm having tons of fun seeing Guy interact with combinations of characters he's never been on screen with before.  The Tuck, Guy, and Robin trio oozes confidence and strong personality.  Guy's face when he Tuck hands him the piece of the locket is hard to read.  Could it be that he's a bit sad to see one more memory from his childhood turning up broken?   Then, Robin and Tuck both turn to him with accusation in their eyes, and Guy gets this momentarily hurt/frightened look on his face that quickly dissolves into, "Really? Are you guys really going to accuse me after I've just told you what it is?" Guy actually defends himself quite well here.  His logic is pretty good.  Why would he speak up about the locket belonging to Isabella if he was the one in league with her?   I know this is my bias shining through, but I can't help but laugh every time Robin reminds Guy that Isabella is his sister, and Guy comes back with, "Yeah... a sister who has betrayed me many times and tried to kill me," all the while looking at Robin as if he were an idiot child for even suggesting that line of argument.  

It seems to me that Robin believes Guy about the locket not being his, because it's after that scene that Guy suggests using the tunnel, and Robin is all for it.  I really like that Guy got to bring that piece of information to the group.  It's something that is uniquely his that no one else, not even Allan, could have known. I also like how he explains what he knew.  He doesn't nice it up, he doesn't try to make himself sound better.  Guy tells it like it was, murdered workers and all, and makes no apologies. (I could go on a mini-rant here about how the Bootstrap Bill lookalike in the bar knew about the tunnel, but I won't.  I'll just go with the "he needed to know to further the plot" explanation and have done with it.)  And when Robin chooses someone to come with him and Much to actually go through the tunnel, who does he choose?  Guy.  He is the most logical choice... he knows the tunnel, knows the castle, and is probably the most effective person to have around if their purpose is to get to Isabella.  (Also, kind of clever on Robin's part, actually... if the tunnel had been a trap Guy had set, he might have tried to get out of it.  Am I giving Robin too much credit? Maybe...  But I'm in a charitable mood today.)

This brings me to possibly one of the funniest things that happened all episode.  The hugging scene.  This was... so wonderfully in character.  Robin and the rest of the gang are shaking hands and hugging and clapping each other on the back (except for Allan, who is tied up, and Kate, who has run off, but no one seems to care about them at the moment...), and Guy is standing there watching them, looking disgusted and impatient and the tiniest bit awkward.  I really wanted someone to shake his hand, at least, to recognize that he was risking his life as well, but really, the way they did it makes sense.  None of them would really care too much if they never saw Guy again, and he probably has no desire to see them again... so all he can do is stand there and wait for them to get it over with.  I really want an icon of this scene with Guy eye-rolling in the background.  It needs to have Spike's, "This is the crack team that foils my every plan?  I am deeply shamed" quote on it.  I will be deeply grateful to anyone who does this for me.

In the tunnel, poor Guy has to deal with still more idiotic accusations, this time from Much, who thinks that Guy led them into a trap and then put himself in the middle of it as well. But he's quick to see that the three of them are going to have to work together to stay alive, and he doesn't even grumble about letting Robin stand on his shoulders.  The most we get from him here is a slightly annoyed, "THIS is how I'm going to go?  Really?" look.  Poor Guy... stuck dying in a shower of limestone with his former-worst-enemy and his former-worst-enemy's boyfriend Best Friend Ever. I'm being flippant about it, but that would have been kind of terrible.  It's one of the lonelier ways for him to go that I can think of.  It would almost be worse for him to die in the presence of people who don't care about him  than for him to die physically alone.  Because Robin and Much's devotion to each other would have underscored how Guy... still has no one. 

We don't get to see much more of Guy, but I think it's worth mentioning that there is something odd about the way he looms over Isabella once the gang catches her.  He is... almost protective.  I can't quite put my finger on why I think this, but a lot of it has to do with the way he drags her back inside the castle at the end.  Yes, he's keeping an eye on her, yes, it's probably because he wants to kill her himself, but I swear that the vestiges of protectiveness are there, and I don't know what to make of it. 

And finally,  I love that Guy is the first one to notice the approaching army. There's a calm, quiet focus that comes over him when he draws his sword and says, "Close the gates."  It sends shivers down my spine.  He knows what's coming, and he knows that no one else is going to give the needed orders because they're all too focused on Allan. So in that moment, he's the one who HAS TO. I have always had a thing for Guy taking charge in the midst of hopeless situations.  Watching "Walkabout" 9,376 times will do that to a person.

Isabella's Continued Descent Into Madness

I have to give Isabella credit.  Her plan to drive a wedge between Robin and the rest of his gang was clever and insidious.  She used what she knew about them to do something that Vasey hasn't managed since series one: get a member of the gang killed. (I'm not counting Marian here...)  Also, as usual, Lara Pulver is rocking her costumes.  That black number with the red underskirt and all the buckles was... horridly anachronistic, and I didn't care because she looked so good in it and managed to own the screen anyway.

Behind all of the bluster and the black and red wardrobe, though, Isabella is desperate.  She knows she is in danger of disappointing John, and she knows what that will mean for her.  Her letter offering support to John seems to be in earnest, and she is trying to get herself onto the winning side before the war ever breaks out.  Also, she knows that Robin and Guy are out there, putting their heads together and plotting her demise.  No wonder she's a bit paranoid. Even paranoid, though, she manages to function quite well for most of the episode.  She's still making plans, carrying out her plots against Robin, shooting at peaceful demonstrators from the castle walls... Doing all the things a good Sheriff of Nottingham does, in other words.  I don't think she's quite mad, yet, but she is on her way there. She is a terribly broken woman who got her hands on power for a while only to find out she was in the middle of something larger than herself. (That really doesn't sit will with me, actually... I wanted to wipe that smirk off of Blamire's face when he taunted her with the "You really have no idea what's going on" line.  Way to make a cool, powerful female villain completely ineffectual in the space of 2.5 seconds, Show. *sigh* I always knew it was coming. She needed to be humbled so that Vasey's return could seem more sinister.  I still don't like it.) 

I think it makes sense that she never really believes that Archer is her brother.  He offers her no proof other than facts about her family that anyone could have known, so for all she knows, he is just a con-man out to try and use her for her position and her power.  The only reason she gives him the time of day is that he convinces her that he can be useful, and as soon as she's done with him, she's ready for him to go away.  Honestly, I can't really blame her, and the way she threatens him in that last scene is classic.  Lots of people have suggested that the way she idolizes her mother is a little off, but I... can't see it that way.  She was pretty young when her mother died, Guy obviously never told her what he knew about the affair, and so why shouldn't she hold her mother's memory as sacred and be really peeved that this upstart, scruffy kid is showing up claiming to be her bastard half-brother? </Gisborne apologetics>

I have done a lot of thinking about whether or not Isabella is still in love with Robin.  And... I don't think she is.  She never says anything about it to anyone other than Rebecca, and I think that speech about being Robin's "one true Isabella" was entirely for Kate's mother's benefit. 

I know I've mentioned it before, but I felt for her in those last scenes.  She looks so utterly lost and broken after she loses her position.  It would have been easier to hate her if she'd been all bluster and yelling, but she's just... quietly devastated, and the part of me that has always loved her a little just wants to tell her that it's going to be ok. (The part of me that is still angry about Meg, however, is going for the knife collection.)

In Which I Reluctantly Fangirl Over Archer

I don't want to like Archer.  In fact, a lot of the time, I don't like him.  But I came out of this episode glad that he (and his very impressive arms...) had finally come down on the right side. Like Isabella, he's manipulative and out for himself, able to land on his feet no matter what happens.  However, he's not willing to do horrible things on a massive scale, or to stand by while they happen.  He's perfectly fine with trapping the tunnel because he's going to get paid for that job, and that will get him out of England.  It's nothing personal against Robin or Guy, even... he just happens to have some information that will set him up comfortably for a long time if he can figure out how to use it right.  And if it means selling Guy and Robin out to Isabella, so be it.  

The turning point for Archer is when he saves Kate.  He's been watching the situation for a while now, has a feel for what's going on, and he has to decide whether or not he's going to get involved.  I see his saving Kate as a moment of, "I could do the right thing, or I could do the profitable thing and keep walking…" and he does the right thing.  I like to think that in that moment he also realized WHY Robin fights. Because THIS is what Robin and the gang are up against. People who will shoot people in cold blood for no reason other than that they are defiant.  I think that some latent nobility of heart was awakened in that moment.  It's the only way I can explain Archer's sudden insistence to Kate that "We have to save Robin" .  Having realized he was on the wrong side, he immediately starts to make up for it.  While it's a sudden turnaround, I can respect it.   The throwing star, however... *sigh*  Ridiculous, but not the worst thing this show has ever done.

One last flail-y note:

VASEY IS BACK!   And he's as flippant and wonderful as ever, even though I'm rooting for him to die a terrible, horrible death for what he did to Allan. How like Vasey to have someone working for him in Nottingham all along, getting Isabella to trust him.... and did anyone else notice that the bird on the pommel of the sword he has looks a lot like the bird on the old Black Knights' rings? Could be coincidence, but I like to think that Vasey has been running around, reaching out to the brotherhood... getting them to come back around to his way of seeing things. 

Next week... is going to break my soul.  I just know it.  I bawled over Allan this week, and next week is going to be even worse.

I've spent lots of time since this episode aired engaging in spoiler-free speculations with caedhe and gaelic_bohemian about who's going to die, who's going to kill them, how the gang is going to look when the dust settles, who the villain of next season is going to be... I might post about some of our more outlandish possibilities if I've got time.