Sheriff Got Your Tongue?

Robin Hood, episode 2

The closing scene of Will You Tolerate This? shows Robin, Much and Allan surrounded by Little John's gang in the forest. At the beginning of this episode, they've been tied up while Little John and co take their weapons, horses and other belongings. Will has followed Robin into the forest and frees the trio once the gang have left; Robin decides to enact his own revenge, tying up and treating the gang like the animals they've behaved as when they catch up with them.



Meanwhile in Locksley, the Sheriff is determined to find Robin after he saved four men from death
à la hanging in the previous episode. None of the villagers are willing to talk, despite the £20 reward being dangled before them, so the Sheriff decides he will cut out a tongue an hour until he gets the information he wants. Back in the forest, the tables have turned again as more of Little John's men come to the rescue, and he drags Robin and co back to Locksley to claim the money. Little John is thrown when he sees Alice, his wife, dragged up to the sacrificial slab. Robin persuades Little John to hand him a bow; Robin saves Alice and martyrs himself.

Little John lets Much go off to save Robin and learns from Will that he has a son; his wife believes him to be dead. After a talk with his son (who doesn't know it is his father and sings Robin's praises) Little John is persuaded and they all head after Much. Much, meanwhile, (it feels so weird to use the word 'much' as a name) has gone to confront Marian and her father. Marian hadn't known why Robin had given himself up and is suitably horrified. She goes to visit him in the dungeons to 1) lecture him about the stupidity of his ways; 2) release some pent-up anger about his trip to the Holy Land and; 3) save him. Then there's lots of action-y stuff with a happy ever after.

I mentioned how much I love Marian, right? This episode only makes me love her more. There are a few instances where Lucy Griffiths' lines were delivered a little woodenly (IMO), but the sexual tension between her and Robin is almost tangible. I've just IMDb'd her, and she was only twenty when she first started Robin Hood, which is astonishing. Plus, she's from Brighton which is awesome. Her little speech chastising Robin for running away to war in search for glory had me squealing as she reveals a little of her true feelings towards Robin. I love how Marian's convinced she can prevent the inevitable; their nearly-kiss had me grinning like crazy. Marian and Robin's relationship (or lack of, at the moment) is probably the number one reason I love this show.