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Show:		6.0
Picture:		6.0
Sound:		7.0
Extras:		5.0
Score:		6.0

Director(s):	Matthew Evans • Graeme Harper
Writer(s):	Dominic Minghella, Foz Allan
Starring:	Jonas Armstrong • Lara Pulver • Keith Allen • Toby Stephens • David Harewood
Genre:	Adventure
Website:	http://www.bbc.co.uk/robinhood/
Release Date:	January 12, 2010

List Price:	DVD - $38.99
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Had the serialized version of Robin Hood not gotten its start pre-modern-recession, you’d have to wonder if it was spurred from a desire to strike back at all the fat cats who seemed to be making out like bandits as the everyman’s finances went down in flames. Well, it did start before the recession, so the pleasure that comes from watching forest-dwelling bandits stick it to a spoiled, tyrannical king is just a happy coincidence. For all the series’ entertaining elements, there remain a few glaring issues you have to willingly overlook. Robin Hood has a tendency to commit glaring anachronisms, allow for obvious slips in logic, and accept plotholes as inevitable occurrences (they’re not). It offers a fair amount of entertainment, but the current standard for narrative adventure shows is higher than the show seems capable or willing to meet.

Perhaps the greatest asset of this re-imagination of England’s most celebrated outlaw is its willingness to alter some of the story’s basic fundamentals. Audiences were shocked when Marian was struck down. Anyone who’s ever watched, read or heard recitations of Robin Hood lore knows Marian (Lucy Griffiths) is supposed to be that spirited equal whom legitimizes Robin’s crusade against nobility. In this Robin Hood, she can no longer do that, and so the third season starts with Robin (Jonas Armstrong) distraught and tempted to leave the mantle of the persona behind. His proposed departure from Nottingham’s most wanted list requires someone to slap some sense into the hero.

Enter Friar Tuck (David Harewood).

This might be one of the most interesting parts of the series, but not necessarily because the show’s writers are trailblazers, but because Tuck might be the most varied character from each version. Sometimes he’s the Merry Men’s religious counsel, sometimes he’s a bitter old coot who’d just as soon betray Robin’s cause as help them, and other times he’s a drunk whose slovenly lifestyle provides inspiration in all the wrong ways. He’s truly the most inconsistent character from one retelling to the next, so it should be no surprise that BBC’s version takes a new turn all its own. Friar Tuck, who seems to be a mixture of the Moor character and the traditional Friar character, arrives just in time to bring Robin back to heroism. With the word of Robin’s death having reached the Sheriff (Keith Allen), the Friar reveals to the Sheriff where the Merry Men will be holding the legend’s funeral. Similarly, Friar instructs the Merry Men to be at just the right place in order to be captured and sentenced to death, thus paving the way for Robin’s necessary return.

Equally momentous in the third season is the introduction of what many would consider the story’s traditional villain: Prince John (Toby Stephens). Also, a female sheriff is introduced who sort of edges out the earlier sheriff in badassery, often accomplishing what he couldn’t. I can appreciate the turns the series has taken from the traditional story, but different doesn’t always mean better. The Friar Tuck character promises to be a worthwhile addition, even if Isabella (Lara Pulver) feels forced. I understand the addition of all the female characters. The old tales of Robin Hood were oddly male-centric. The only female in the series was semi-betrothed to Robin and the other guys seemed to just accept that she was the only female for miles. To translate that to a weekly series would almost surely ostracize the general female audience. So they’ve added female roles left and right – even if they don’t really make sense.

In the end, it’s still a really fun and often funny series. Unfortunately you have to just turn off your brain and accept really odd mistakes that were easily avoidable.

DVD Bonus Features

The featurettes cover the science behind the trebuchet, a look at the costumes on the set (which aren’t that remarkable, but fairly decent), and a discussion on the BBC’s interpretation of the bandit’s legacy. Fans go nuts, everyone else just sighs.