Tuesday, May 12, 2009

First Review - Robin Hood Season 3

So according to the Wikipedia article, Series 3 of the BBC "Robin Hood Series" has a replacement for Maid Marion called "Lara Pulver, as Guy of Gisborne's sister Isabella."

Really? Really? BBC, you think that's a good idea?

Taking a thousand year old myth, or even a THOUSANDS year old story and shaking it up a bit can be creatively brilliant. If you'd killed Maid Marion off, it would have been tragic, but creatively bold. Bringing in...ANOTHER CHARACTER in a formula that is as old as the story itself....not so much. In fact, it is quite frankly television at its worst (OK, not quite true, most reality television is worse but still.)

I learned to be wary of this kind of crap after the end of the second season of Ballykissangel, in which one of the characters we most liked dies, and changes the entire dynamic...oh who am I kidding, they do the same stupid thing. We lost interest, but at least I could UNDERSTAND it. Television shows have been doing this kind of thing for a long time, and while it is a classic sign that they have Jumped the Shark, its not always the case. Sometimes a death can do a lot to improve a show. Sometimes it is only a temporary distraction. It depends on the show.

Robin Hood is not a show where you want to kill of Maid Marion. Not unless you're incorporating magic or its a comedy. I have absolutely no interest in seeing Series 3, and I am gleefully removing it from my Netflix queue.

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