S3: Episode 1, Total Eclipse

The show opens as a boat glides into the beach on the shores of England. The familiar sub-titles shoot across the bottom of the screen, as a tall black monk steps out of the boat and rejoices to be back on English soil. After this brief introduction to a new character, we switch over to the four characters which have been much in our thoughts these long months of waiting.

However, even before the opening sequence rolls, you can tell that this is not the same staunch, grief weary group of comrades which walked out into the sunset at the end of series 2. No, Robin is out for vengeance, and he wants nothing to do with the men who remind him that there is more to life than just revenge.

Despite the best efforts of his faithful men, Much, Allan, and Little John, Robin insists on confronting Gisbourne, and maintains that 'Robin Hood' died in the Holy Land with Marian. (Wow! He gets it! Maybe he should inform the writers of what they seem to have forgotten. You can't have Robin Hood without Marian!) His all consuming purpose in life is killing the man who murdered his wife, and besides his grief nothing else seems to matter much. He has formally announced his resignation from hero status.

Enter Brother Tuck (no, not Friar). He gives Robin a proverbial kick in the proverbial pants, along with a few literal punches to the face, eventually getting our beloved outlaw back on track. However, not with out some suspenseful situations that complicate things to no end. Of course.

The Good:

Robin Hood has returned after far to long an absence from our TV screens. That, in and of itself, is good. The show, for one episode at least, was faithful to the memory of Marian, and Jonas Armstrong did an amazing job being the crazy grief stricken widower that Robin is. Having just recently watched the finale of season 2 again, I found his touching displays of grief to be soothing to the ache that I felt in my own heart, and his vicious rage against Gisbourne to be exactly what I had been wanting. The scene at the end, where he buried Marian's ring (a ring which has never before appeared in the show, I might mention.) at the tree where he had proposed was sweet, however, somewhat premature.

The addition of David Harewood as Brother Tuck looks to be a good one, as I was impressed with his acting, and intrigued by his character. As far as the other outlaws go, it was good to see Allan being his usual cheeky self, and it's been far too long since I'd seen that. Much was as sweet as ever, and I felt my heart to be breaking for him when he believed that Robin was dead. Little John, was... just Little John.

The Sheriff was up to his usual antics, and Keith Allen was up to the challenge. However, Guy takes the cake as far as first episode baddies go, for the ending scene in which he takes out a bit of his frustration on the Sheriff. Richard Armitage was excellent in portraying the tormented Sir Guy, who has finally fallen beyond the reaches of redemption. Or so it seems.

The Bad:

Though the scene where Robin buries Marian's ring was very sweet, and made me tear up, I'm afraid it was too early for a step like that. It has only been three months, for crying out loud! I'm am afraid that as they buried the ring, they are also hoping to bury the entire Marian storyline, and free Robin up for someone else. I certainly hope this is not the case. Robin getting over Marian (if at all) should be a slow and gradual process.

The gang is in serious danger of being ignored and/or lumped into one giant force for Robin to wield, without any distinct personalities of their own. Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but I just hope that the writers continue to develop the existing characters while they are bringing in new ones as well. And no, that does not necessarily mean giving love interests to all of them.

The Ugly:

Hmm... Mostly everything about Sir Guy except for his acting. He is looking seriously disturbed.

Torture scenes. Ugh. I don't like it when they have on screen torture scenes... especially when they are torturing poor Much!

In Summary:

Overall, it is a pretty promising start coming from some very unpromising promotional material. All of the press about the series lately had gotten me quite nervous, but getting back to watching the show has really helped. The Sheriff's witty remarks. Allan being a smart-alec. Much being adorable. Everything is there, except Marian. *sniff*

Much of how this series goes (for me) will be dependant on the new character for next week, Kate. I'm not optimistic, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. However, I'll address my concerns about her later this week, when I haven't already rambled on enough.

Here's to hoping for another great season of Robin Hood!