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| Clara meets her childhood hero: Robin Hood! |
1 episode.Approx. 48 minutes. Written by: Mark Gatiss. Directed by: Paul Murphy. Produced by: Nikki Wilson.
THE PLOT
When the Doctor offers Clara the choice of their next destination, she nervously reveals that she's always wanted to meet Robin Hood. The Doctor scoffs that there never was such a person, that she's asking to meet a fictional character. When she insists, he materializes in 12th Century Sherwood Forest, determined to show her that there are "no damsels in distress, no pretty castles, no such thing as Robin Hood."
Only for a flying arrow to promptly embed itself in the TARDIS paneling, shot by the dashing outlaw himself (Tom Riley). Robin takes the Doctor and Clara to his camp, where he and his Merry Men are preparing for an archery competition sponsored by the tyrannical Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Miller). The contest is a trap, but one Robin is determined to spring. The sheriff has been taking villagers from their homes, forcing them to perform hard labor in his castle as he strips every ounce of gold from the countryside. The time for a confrontation has come.
The Doctor crashes the contest, showing off his own skills as an archer - All in an effort to get arrested. As he's observed before, being captured is the fastest way to learn the villains' plans. It works, perhaps a bit too well: Not only is the Doctor taken prisoner, but so are Robin and Clara. They manage to escape their cell, only to learn that the castle is actually an alien spaceship and the gold so desperately being mined is being used to repair the engines. But the Doctor knows it's not enough gold. If the ship attempts to take off, it will explode - taking half the country with it!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: There's one nonverbal character tick that's carried over from the previous episode. In Into the Dalek, after Gretchen made the decision to sacrifice herself to save the others, the Doctor became uncomfortable and turned away before she died. In this episode, when he's examining Robin's men, he casually tells one man that his blood has traces of disease. "If you were real, you'd be dead in six months." When the confused man replies that he is real, the Doctor gets an uncomfortable look on his face and walks quickly away. He also doesn't quite know how to react when a peasant girl kisses him on the cheek as thanks for saving her life. He's clearly affected by her simple gratitude, but also surprised and confused.
Clara: Is hesitant to even ask to visit Robin Hood, half-embarrassed to be exposed as a "fangirl." She is delighted to meet the real thing, and is amused at the Doctor's desperation to prove him a fake. She initially finds the Doctor's competition with Robin flattering - Until they're all captured, and the bickering between the two heroes becomes counterproductive. She pushes them to focus on the problem, rather than on competing - To the point that the guard posted outside their cell identifies her as the leader instead of the two bickering men.
Robin Hood: The Doctor's right - Robin's constant laughing is extremely irritating. For all of that, guest star Tom Riley manages to make a decent Robin Hood in the swashbuckling Errol Flynn mold. His Robin is clearly meant to be a reflection of the Doctor, and the scene in which the two men both claim to not be heroes is very good. Robin's reply to the Doctor that if they pretend to be, then that will perhaps be enough, clearly gives the Time Lord something to consider before moving onto his next adventure.
THOUGHTS
OK, that was fun. Not as outright terrific as writer Mark Gatiss' last episode, The Crimson Horror - but still considerably better than any of Gatiss' other episodes for the series.. A writer whose stories I've tended to dread has managed to entertain me twice in a row, and with episodes featuring radically different stories, styles, and tones. I might have to start revising my opinion of him as a Doctor Who writer.
I mentioned that this episode's Robin Hood was very much modeled on the classic Hollywood swashbucklers, and that fits the episode as a whole. This is not an attempt to recreate a historical period. It's instead recreating a myth, with very clean and well-groomed people living in a very clean forest. Robin Hood and his Merry Men are pure good; the sheriff is an old-fashioned, hissing villain; the peasants are downtrodden victims who just need someone to push them to stand up for themselves. Remove the sci-fi elements, and this would fit seamlessly into the 1930's or '40's adventure mold.
This is not a bad thing, and I found quite a lot of enjoyment watching the Doctor and Clara interact with this idealized archetypal version of the story. It's not realistic, and - as Robin's final line to the Doctor winks at - it's not trying to be. This is a good, old-fashioned comedy/adventure romp. As such, a lot of the comedy is funny, the archery contests and sword fights are well-done (even if nothing in the episode ever quite outdoes the sword/spoon fight between Robin and the Doctor at the start), and there's a general sense that fun is being had by all.
I went in with low expectations, and came out with a smile on my face. This episode is fine escapist fun - And taken on that level, I would judge it a success.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Story: Into the Dalek
Next Story: Listen
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