TV Review: Robin Hood - Season Two

The legend of Robin Hood is one of those things that gets recycled over, and over, and over again in our culture.  The notion of taking from the rich and giving to the poor is one that most of us enjoy. It also doesn't hurt that he is often portrayed as a handsome rapscallion, who woos the heart of the lovely Maid Marian and has wonderful battles along the way. 

In short, the legends have something for everyone.  The newest Robin Hood series, entitled simply Robin Hood, premieres its second season on BBC America this Saturday and too, has a little bit of something for everyone. 

Featuring Jonas Armstrong as the titular Robin, and Lucy Griffiths as Marian, season two picks up shortly after the end of season one.  Guy of Gisbourne (Richard Armitage) is still smarting from Marian jilting him at the altar, and the Sherriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen) has come up with a few more dastardly plans to kill Robin and takeover England. 

With the characters firmly established from season one, the first two episodes of the new season do little to reintroduce the main characters, opting instead to jump right back into the action.  That action has certainly been ratcheted up a few notches for the new season.

In fact, where most things in the first season, save Robin's marksmanship with a bow, seemed vaguely plausible, the second season opts to go far over the top.  The first two episodes show Robin's escapes to be more daring and, frankly, way more complicated than reason and logic would dictate.  The Sherriff's plans, traps, and general cruelty have also be made that much more dastardly.  He has, the audience learns early on in season two, always been planning on using the huge taxes he levied in season one, to help fund a secret society which plans on killing King Richard should Richard ever return from the Crusades. 

The first two episodes of the second season show a tendency towards an excess that was not present during the first season.  It is as though the creative team was specifically told that everything had to be bigger, better, louder, and more dangerous for the second season.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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