Robin Hood (season 1)

In the MGM+ series Robin Hood, set amid the Norman invasion of medieval England, a young Saxon forester’s son, Rob, teams up with Marian, the daughter of a Norman lord, to fight for justice and liberty. Rob builds a group of outlaw rebels in Sherwood Forest, while Marian works within the Norman elite, and the pair coordinates efforts against corrupt rulers to bring stability back to the realm.

Robin Hood Mini-Review (S1: E1-2)

Tales of Robin Hood can be traced back to the start of the 15th Century. In the nearly three-quarters of a millennium since then, the hero’s tale has been told, retold, and reimagined countless times across every conceivable medium—some to the good, and some were directed by the now creatively empty Ridley Scott.

                   

There’s a lot to like about MGM’s Robin Hood. There are no actors or actresses who stand out as inferior or less invested than the rest, and all deliver quality dialogue from a pair of writers whose writing portfolio doesn’t necessarily warrant a high level of confidence.

Not surprisingly to anyone familiar with his 131 roles over 41 years, Sean Bean is magnificent as the Sheriff of Nottingham. His graceful performance keeps the audience deliciously on edge, watching for the telltale markings to see whether he’s the same venomous snake from six centuries of stories—or a new beast altogether.

The direction is tight, with superior pacing that pleasantly ebbs and flows to maximum effect, eliciting cheers and jeers when and where they are needed.

Overall, Robin Hood isn’t something that we’d characterize as “must-see,” and certainly, we wouldn’t suggest investing in yet another streaming service to watch only it, especially a second-tier one that will likely soon be absorbed into Amazon Prime before too long, but there are far more poorly made series out there.

WOKE REPORT

Anti-Christ

• In the earliest tales of Robin Hood, as well as in virtually every subsequent dramatic live-action iteration of the character, he has been portrayed as a practicing Catholic, hence the addition of Friar Tuck as early as 1417 AD. Of course, there have been exceptions. Over 40 years ago, the BBC’s Robin of Sherwood reimagined Robin Hood as a fantasy series that traded Rob’s Catholicism for Saxon paganism. This new series may not delve as deeply into the fantasy genre as that magic-sword-wielding 80s iteration, but it has tied ideological boulders to its legs and drowned itself in woke.
  • Where Robin Hood was once a patriot who stole the taxes that the corrupt elite pilfered from the peasantry while the rightful king was away, and then returned them to those from whom they were stolen, this Robin Hood is the victim of evil Christian colonizers. They’ve come, uninvited, to convert or wipe out the good, kind, and peaceful nature-worshipping indigenous Saxon people. If it weren’t such an obvious metaphor, you could probably enjoy it.
    • Just to be clear, in the real world, Pope Gregory the Great began sending missionaries to England 500 years before the setting of this show.
    • They also fiddled with the timeline. In-show, it’s only been a few years since the Normans began their colonization. However, in real time, four or even five generations would have grown up by now, knowing nothing but Norman rule.
  • At an almost comical pace, Christianity is made into a mustache-twirling evil.
    • The show’s main Catholic priest is a villain from the moment of his introduction, as he wipes grimaces and wipes his hands clean after having to touch a Saxon.
    • They profane baptism when the priest barely restrains himself from drowning a Saxon who converts to Christianity.
    • It goes on.

Robin Boo-Hooed

• Robin is far from a stoic. He’s impetuous and emotional, and makes bad decisions because of it. He spends a fair amount of time brooding and crying over the wrongs done to him.

Burnin’ Bras

• Marian, who I suspect won’t remain a maid long into the series, isn’t a full-on Mary Sue. They even make a conscious effort to make it known that she doesn’t sleep around, and imply that she is still a virgin/maid. However, at the end of the second episode, she comes up with the idea of fighting the Sheriff and convinces Rob to join her once she saves him from his own self-doubt and despair.
• The Sheriff’s daughter, Priscilla, an original character for the program, is sexually liberated (i.e. a whore). She is portrayed as cunning and fierce, and she regularly dominates and shames men—verbally and sexually.
  • The priest comments that there is “no finer thing than an educated daughter, ” but this isn’t good enough for Priscilla, who replies with, “a free-minded one.”
• In general, the women are portrayed speaking with a more modern flair.
  • The Sheriff calls his daughter his heir.
• Not every man is evil, but only men are evil.