In Which Sophie Takes Back Anything Bad She Might Ever Have Said About Robin Hood

[sophieisgod]

Autumn 2006. The BBC is atempting to fill the magic Doctor Who timeslot. Their answer: Robin Hood. They hype the hell out of it, constant previews, cast pimped out to every breakfast show in the land, the full works. Sophie watches the first episode. Sophie is strangely unimpressed. Sophie finds the show to be cheesy and cheap-looking and oddly paced. The dialogue is insane, and not in a good way. Sophie sort of watches the rest of the series, but not really and definitely not religiously. Mainly just to mock. Humph.

Autumn 2007. Sophie, not especially excited about the new series of Robin Hood, decides to give it a go because it look ridiculous. It takes a few episodes, but Sophie falls in love because the show *is* ridiculous and compelling and there are pretty boys. Sophie buys the S1 DVD boxset and starts bingewatching. Sophie is a little bit obsessed.


Will Scarlett
My favourite character generally fluctuates between Will and Allan, but following 2x04, Will has edged into the lead. Part of it is because he's very pretty. Another part of it is his shocking underuse. Part of it is his passionate nature and desire for justice. Part of it is the axe. Mostly it's because Harry Lloyd is one of the best actors on the show and when he looks sad/angry/angsty/hungry I want to give him hugs and then have my way with him.









NECKPORN!


Allan A Dale
I'm not being funny, but I heart Allan. He is so very pointy and delicious, and he's morally dubious and his costumes are very flattering. I am rather a fan of his S2 TRAITOR!arc because it has the potential for lots of angst and vaguely kinky Guy/Allan scenes and hopefully more of Joe Armstrong with his top off because that is always pleasant. I'm also a HUGE fan of the LEAFY LOVE TRIANGLE that is Will/Djaq/Allan. Sherwood Forest OT3, yo.







With bonus!Will!


The couple that shoots together, stays together:


Hand on shoulder! Noice.


Allan is not impressed.


Looking *right* at her chest there, Will. Smooth.


Will/Allan FTW! Ahem.


Guy/Marian
Robin/Marian are adorable, but Guy/Marian is warped and twisted and I love it. Guy is a complete loser :D He just wants to be loved, but he can't find the words to say it so he kills peasants instead! And he *knows* there's something shifty about Marian but more often than not he lets it slide so she'll still talk to him (and then possbly marry him and sleep with him). Plus, she properly gasped when she saw him with his top off. This is because Guy is played by Richard Armitage. Ohh, Guy. You are a hot fool.

Angsty topless Richard Armitage!




Oh my.




The Crack Factor
This show brings the crack and then some (and also the slash, which makes me happy). Casino?! In the 12th century?! Marian in a long, orange, hooded cardigan from Dorothy Perkins?! Shooting pies into a village on arrows?! The least realistic baby EVER?! The hidden camp?! Robin zipwiring using his bow?! LOVE IT. LOVE IT HARD IN THE FACE. Especially this. WTF, show?!



The Occasional Really Rather Emotional Moment
I'm now about halfway through my rewatch of S1, and although it is cracky genius, there are some moments that make me gulp and possibly well up a wee bit. The first of these was Much crying in the bath. Ohh, Much. *hugs Much* And Roy! Poor, dead Roy. And the angsty angsty Guy/Marian proposal scenario. And Robin 'poisoning himself' got me all worked up until we saw it was a fakeout. I take my crack with a sprinkling of angst, and I like it that way. Of course, the crack is why I'm here in the first place :D

So come on! Tell me what fic I should be reading, what videos are essential to my wellbeing and whether or not there are any crazy fandom theories I should know about.

Forgive me, show. Forgive me.

All screencaps from the spectabulous three_nails.

Comments

[vivere.livejournal.com]

ARGHHH, MAKE THE OTHER BOYS GO AWAY! I ONLY CARE ABOUT HARRY! :'(

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

HARRY HAS THE BEST NECK. And the least screentime. WTF, SHOW?!

[thestorymaker.livejournal.com]

The first of these was Much crying in the bath. Ohh, Much

Still perhaps my favourite Much scene! They need more scenes like that for him..it was just...heart-rending

loved this entry BTW...made me smile...I agree with ..yup all of it!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

I know! Poor, lovely Much. And I agree that he needs more angst! But we must be careful... If there's too much angst there will be no room for the CRACK!

[snowystingray.livejournal.com]

Haha, it seems we have embraced this show for much the same reasons -- equal parts crackish glee and overwhelming pretties. AND OMG GUY/MARIAN HAS COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER MY LIFE. GUHHH. I think the screencaps you provided are a pretty good indication of why ;)

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

It is indeed hard to resist when there is SO MUCH crack and SO MUCH pretty :)

HELL YES GUY/MARIAN. I think Guy and Robin should have a manliness competition for her hand and then when Guy wins he will never wear a shirt again!

[gothic-veils.livejournal.com]

You missed the bit about them randomly quoting The Two Ronnies in the first ep of series 2 and the super good prothetics the sheffifs sister had, it's sooooo ridiculous, but I agree wih everything you just said, especially the part about Will, who is pretty I find him distracting from everything else on screen for realz!

Also semi naked!Guy was gratuatous but I'm not complaining.

I'd like to add the wonder of Dexter Fletcher (which looks spelt wrong) so the Germany bloke, sorry but that man pwns!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Hee, yes. I think my brain just short-circuited at that one. "Are they... trying to suggest that The Two Ronnies... stole that routine?"

Will is a pretty, pretty man. And yes! to Dexter Fletcher and his being German even though Germany didn't exist and his cracktastic accent. He has magnificent hair :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Hmm, topless Richard Armitage is really calling me. I am glad to see a posite post about this show!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Its cracky goodness has bewitched me! :D

*flings soggy!Guy at you* Catch! (http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r48/sophiethestudent/Imaginary%20Boyfriends/RH/guy3.jpg)

[shy-nerthuserce.livejournal.com]

Can I be brutally frank? I watch S1Ep1 and...loathed it. Hated it with a vengeance. I watched further eps in the hope that it would improve (and also because I now loved Joe Armstrong and his RL dad, Much, and Gisburne), but ended up getting so het up by the cheese/cracky/wtfness/anachronisms that it wasn't healthy.

So I watched S2Ep1 as much for Joe as anything, and - WTF had happened to the show?! It was camp, funny, sexy, slashy, entertaining, a total rompfest...all the things I didn't think it was last year. So, er, yes, I'm hooked now, too. I don't think I've changed, I think it's the series that's changed - it's def better now.

But the Dan Scarlet Memorial Light Show from last week? Oh. So. Wrong. *VBG*

[wikidwitch.livejournal.com]

Mostly it's because Harry Lloyd is one of the best actors on the show and when he looks sad/angry/angsty/hungry I want to give him hugs and then have my way with him.

ZOMG! YES!

I am very much in awe of the fact that you managed to be so articulate when discussing Will, particularly since there are so many PRETTY PICTURES and I spent most of that episode in a squeeful stupor, occasionally stopping to go MWAH!!!

Anyway, hello!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Hello! *waves* Your icon is made of serious win :)

Aha, I was most cunning and resisted the tempation to drool by writing the stuff and *then* dribbling all over the pictures. Good thing too, probably. I keep getting distracted by his neck.

I have to say, the Will banner on your profile is delicious!

[ginnystar.livejournal.com]

YES. CRACKY BUT COMPELLING, that so should be the tagline for the show. It's so hard to explain to people why I love the show so much even though I freely admit it's ridiculous and pays no attention to accuracy at all. You've summed it up with one delightful post with PICTURES OF JUSTICE.

OT3OT3OT3OT3. LOVE.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Yes! I feel like I should make a banner of that sayingout of a sheet and hang it from my window. I watch it with one of my housemates, because we find it's helpful to hae two people present. That way, if someone freaks out about inaccuracy or cardigans or the fact that Allan hasn't been tied to a tree for a while, there's always someone there to whisper soothing things like "Shhh. Look, a swordfight!"

I love the OT3 so much it's beginning to frighten me. I want to see Will doing hurt faces about traitor!Allan, dammit!

[curlybeach.livejournal.com]

God bless Livejournal. Where would I be without it? Squee-less, that's where. Methinks I have ANOTHER show that I need to hunt down, which has somehow passed me by. I'll catch up eventually, I'm sure.
OMG HARRY LLOYD IS SO HOT HERE OMG.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

DO IT. It makes the most (and simultaneously least) sense of anything you will ever do in your life, ever.

HARRY LLOYD OH MY DAYS. Except not on Who, because that was vaguely terrifying. He's so limber. And NECKPORN! is second only to FOREARMS! in terms of 'things which are hot'.

[agguss.livejournal.com]

FIRST, I love this post. Yes I do. It was a very great way to start my day *smile*

He just wants to be loved, but he can't find the words to say it so he kills peasants instead!
OMG, lol. AND I LOVE SOME ARMITAGE MAN. Really, shirtless? omg.

And this entry is so suitable for TODAY. It's almost unbelievable: yesterday night, I wasn't feeling like going to bed so I watched the first episode of this series. I didn't like it, at all. I didn't even finished it :P But now I feel like watching it, mainly because of Guy and Guy/Marian but in general too, because it seems it gets better? I don't know. I blame you and your pretty pictures xD

And lol at me reading all the spoilers of the last paragraph *facepalm* :P

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

:D ♥

Shirtless!Armitage is beyond belief. I mean, I was excited enough when he took off his cravat in N&S, so this was... Wow.

I didn't like the first ep either, but believe me, it gets sooo much better. And even if the plot's a bit dodgy sometimes, you can fall in love with Will and Allan lurking around in the background being awesome. The 2nd series has been immense so far. Stick with it! Guy/Marian FTW! The Armitage wins at unrequited love.

Ahhh, I'm so retarded! I should have put a warning in! Sorry my love :(

[snugduff.livejournal.com]

Agh, you are so forgiven! Anyone who posts pictures of Harry Lloyd or Joe Armstrong is immediately forgiven for anything bad they've ever done. Ever.

Glad you like the show now!

[gregoria44.livejournal.com]

Because everyone needs more Will in their lives.

And did I write your post while I was asleep or something? That's how much I agree with you - especially about the weird speech patterns in S1. What was that about?

I'd been so excited about the new show, since I loved the 80s version so much, and then the 2006 effort turned out to be all kinds of wrong.

Then I noticed how insanely beautiful Harry Lloyd is, and didn't really care about the dialogue any more. Then I had to stop watching due to child care commitments and a video recorder that would not work properly.

Now we have a DVD recorder which is LOVE, and I can get my Harry fix without tears and frustration. And that S1 boxset is calling to me...

And I have to stop myself from going on and on and on about my RH and HL fixations, because people already look at me oddly without any extra nuttiness.

Ah, welcome to the dark side!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

I will second that creepy brain thing, because I actually watched that vid yesterday morning! Gotta love some angsty Will. :)

[tardisdoll.livejournal.com]

YAY! Welcome to the madness! To be honest I wasn't that impressed when I first watched RH but now I'm so in love with it. Yes it's quite cheesy and just throws historical accuracy out the window, but it's fabulous. And yes, very pretty. I think Will has become my favourite character too. It was Allan during S1, but the whole traitor thing is putting me off him a bit. Still loving the OT3 though. Djaq's being totally awesome this series so far. You should check out these informative and quite amusing introductory picspams:

http://blossyn.livejournal.com/5598.html
http://gonewithoutjam.livejournal.com/112477.html

and this "trailer" thing for S1:

http://community.livejournal.com/robinhoodbbc/174603.html

=D

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

*flails* YAY! I loves the madness! And thanks or those links, they were awesome. I don't really mind Allan's traitor thing. I mean, it's angsty and he's stupid, but it doesn't make me love him less. He is a silly boy.

[three-nails.livejournal.com]

HI I LOVE YOU!

Robin/Marian are adorable, but Guy/Marian is warped and twisted and I love it. Guy is a complete loser :D He just wants to be loved, but he can't find the words to say it so he kills peasants instead! And he *knows* there's something shifty about Marian but more often than not he lets it slide so she'll still talk to him (and then possbly marry him and sleep with him).
YES. OMG EXACTLY. And I freakin love it.

Whenever people refer to Allan/Joe as "pointy" it brightens my day =D. HE IS, TOO, but still oh so hott!

And YES Harry is def one of our best actors (Richard being our best, imo). I was just re-watching his Doctor Who last night, oh I love him.

Honestly I was surprised when you started talking about how you finally love the show. I think I've been under this impression that everyone in the world on my flist is as madly in love with Doctor Who and Robin Hood as I am, and my crazy has been crashing down around me lately. I must convert! So yaaaaaaaay for finally properly being in the fandom =D.

Oh, and I don't read fic as regularly as I should. But as for vids I guess just check out my Youtube Favorites.

[three-nails.livejournal.com]

PS: I love how this post contains no actual talk of Robin, that just amuses me =D. But yay for love for the other characters! I love all my outlaws =D *huggles them*.

[randombastary.livejournal.com]

I have to say that I'm a rather newcomer to the show, but I completely love it. I live in the US, and I don't get BBC America (cuz you have to pay for a super expensive package through cable, with all of the bells and whistles, to get it. Woe!!), but I randomly decided to check it out when S1 came out on DVD over here. Thing is that I loved it from pretty much the first episode, because it was so cheesy, and over the top, and completely it's own thing (apart from the actual legends) ... but then, I was also amused by "Hercules" and "Xena" (and the same could be said for them). I guess, I'm just a huge dork. heh.

And for me, it's all about "More Much, plz!!" He's, hand's down, my favorite. Oh, how I love him. Much crying in the bath ... makes you want to hug him, lots. But I also loved how, when Robin was being cranky, and wanted to kill Guy, and so what did he do? He ran, and got Marian. It was like, "If you don't stop, I'm going to tell!!" I don't know, it made me giggle.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Hehe, Hercules and Xena. I don't think RH is *quite* there yet in terms of the crazy, but give it a few seasons... :D

Much just warms the cockles of my heart. Show him some love, show!

[artemislives.livejournal.com]

AAAAAAAAAAAH YOU WIN YOU WIN YOU WIN YOU WIN YOU WIN!!!!!!!!! *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

ROBIN HOOD ZOMFG. WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL I LOVE WILL AND HIS LOVELY NECK AND HIS LOVELY EYES AND HIS LOVELY EVERYTHING AND THE LIPBITING AND THE NOSE AND I WANT HIMMMMMMMMM

AND ALAS, ROBIN'S CHARMS TOTALLY WORK ON ME, STFU HATERZZZZZZZZ I WANT TO DO THE FILTHY MCNASTIES TO ROBIN.....AND WILL.......PREFERABLY AT THE SAME TIME PLZ

BLOODY HELL, I'M ONLY ON EPISODE 10 OF FIRST SEASON:/ I NEED TO FUEL MY ADDICTION FURTHERRRRR MORE ROBIN HOOD PLZ

I LOVE THIS POST

I LOVE YOU

KTHNXBYE

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE A PERVY ROBIN-FANCIER!!!!! HE HAS A LOVELY TWINKLE BUT HE DOES NOT HAVE WILL'S NECK!!!

[psychie.livejournal.com]

LOL!!!

I just gave away my S1 DVDs to my library! You should have told meee and they could have been yours.

Guy is fit fit fit.

Will Scarlett was always my favourite character. Even in Robin Hood Men in Tights and the awful one where Christian Slater was Will...Prince of Thieves, oh Alan Rickman is in it too. I believe.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

You gave them away?! Crazy lady. Oh, Guy. Oh, Will. And an emphatic woop woop! for Christian Slater. *throws rocks at Kevin Costner*

[little-giddy.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the crack fic lol angst anguish fun :D

It's anachronistic, it's pretty, it's fuuuun.

Hehe, I went through the exact same process. It wasn't until ep 3 of s2 that I fell totally in love with *cough Harry Lloyd cough* the show.

New episode, BBC1, one hour :D

[little-giddy.livejournal.com]

Damnnn... forgive my repeat comment.

Can you tell who my OT3 is?! Anyway: a) I adore Will also, and b) Who's fic? em... allan_djaq_will the comm. has some fun stuff. rebeldivaluv and spoons1899 over on fanfiction.net have some great stuff. You could also check out my meagre offerings, but there is no pressure nor guilt :D

[mo-shmoe.livejournal.com]

Ummm... *adds to memories*

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

*grins*

Eep! Will and Allan in your icon! With the foregrounded tree hinting deliciously at the possibility of probable tree!porn! Ohhh, boys.

[webeh.livejournal.com]

I've developed a mad crush on Will this season. I was a fan of him last season, but this season there's just this something extra. Because:

1. The costume and make-up team did something very right this season. The hair, the face, the whole look in general. He looks older and more weathered this year, which adds a major hottie vibe to him.

2. I saw him in Doctor Who and he totally rocked there. (The performance gave me major Cillian Murphy vibes, which is definitely a good thing.) I had no idea how underused his talent is on Robin Hood.

3. Will is the nice, reliable guy in the group. Robin's a bit too much of an exhibitionist for my tastes and Allan seems more like the friend-type.

4. Will's really useful in that he build's really complicated, but awesome things. He built their entire lair, which gives him major brownie points. In today's world, I think he'd totally be an architect or inventor.

[webeh.livejournal.com]

Another character I really like is Djaq. Marian's good and all, but I find her to be a bit of a bore. Djaq, on the other hand, is cool. She's super smart, was a bit androgynous, has two guys pining for her, and she can hoist a sword. Also, I associate her with Will, so that adds a bit to my liking her too. :)

[teenagelogic.livejournal.com]

so very pointy and delicious

Couldn't have put it better myself.

What a fabulous picspam!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[kenorland.livejournal.com]

OH GOOD YOU ARE ONBOARD. Because the fic, thus far, seems to lack, er, humor.

There is a community for Allan/Will/Djaq at allan_djaq_will.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Hehe, I hadn't even thought about fic yet. But, now you mention it... *brain overloads*

[bishwop.livejournal.com]

SOPHIE I LOVE YOU FOR DOING THIS POST. And your experience is the same as mine, except I kind of always loved it deep down inside in a dark, hidden place. And then the Guy-proposal ep happened and I got all emotional about it with all of the angst (ANGST♥LOVE). And then the Marian=stabbed ep happened and...the angst! THE ANGST!!

DID YOU SEE TONIGHT'S EP?? THE AWESOME, IT WAS BLINDING.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

The ANGST is so good on this show (when they actually do it) and it just keeps getting more awesome! I LOVE YOU SHOW.

SO MUCH RIGHTEOUS STUFF IN THAT EP. I am off to post some excited thoughts whilst rewatching my tape :)

[templa-otmena.livejournal.com]

I second the repenting sentiments of this post, my dear. None of my points from last year still stand. Lovely, lovely picspam xXx

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

We were fools, but now we have seen the light!

[clouded-logic.livejournal.com]

That first picture of Harry Lloyd is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. And Richard Armitage yay! But you DIDN'T USED TO LIKE ROBIN HOOD? What super powers did you have to prevent the unbelievable prettiness from eating your brain? XD

*still needs RH icon*

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

LIIIIIIIII!!!!!

Where have you been all my life?! Hmmmm?

I know, I know. I am disgusting. But I love it an unreasonable amount now! It's basically the reason I just bought extra icon space...