However, despite pushing the bounds of credibility, the show remains as fun as it was during season one.  The themes are still universal, and the added action, provided one can suspend their disbelief upon seeing a huge fiery pit going down multiple stories in the middle of a castle, only adds to it all.

Despite the show doing little in the way of recapping the first season, viewers unfamiliar with the current incarnation have little to fear about being left behind, as most everyone is familiar with the legend and can easily identify Robin as good and the Sherriff as bad.  Plus, the creators of the series have made it quite easy to identify the bad guys as they tend to wear, almost exclusively, the color black. 

The dynamic between the Sherriff and Robin, one of the strongest elements of the first season, is equally good here.  Allen is wonderfully good as the Sherriff, positively oozing evil from all his pores, and steals the vast majority of scenes he is in. 

The Robin-Marian story continues apace as well, with the two clearly in love and yet unable to reconcile their various outlaw ways.  Armstrong and Griffiths' discussions about the best way to help the country, the people, and each other not only make their interest in one another palpable, but bring up salient points about power, right versus wrong, and gender relations.

It is entirely possible that as the season continues, the show's tendency towards excess will go to far and alienate viewers, such a possibility is definitely hinted at in the first two episodes.  However, if the producers manage the right mix of over-the-top action with quieter moments between Robin and Marian and Robin and his men (and woman), all of whom return in top form for this season, the season could be far better than the first one.

Robin Hood's second season premieres on BBC America Saturday, April 26 at 9pm, and fans of the legend or swashbuckling and derring-do would do well to tune in.