|
|
| Robin Hood (Jonas Armstrong) Jonas Armstrong as Robin Hood
Robin of Locksley, generally known as Robin Hood, is portrayed by Jonas Armstrong in the 2006 TV series. This version of Robin is much younger than many of the previous actors to have played the character. Armstrong described his portrayal of Robin Hood as "A believable superhero... Like all leaders, he's an egoist and he's often quite arrogant. He's not an out-and-out hero...He has an undercurrent of darkness." At the outset of the series, Robin has just returned to England after five years fighting in the Third Crusade as part of the King's Guard, during which he was honoured by King Richard and almost mortally wounded. He is Earl of Huntingdon, and Lord of Locksley Manor and its estate. In the early episodes, it becomes clear that his memories of the Crusades have affected him strongly, making him unwilling to take a human life. This is given as the main reason why he does not kill the Sheriff or Gisborne early on, even though it is clear that doing so would save many lives. It is also shown that he had been engaged to marry Marian, an arrangement that seems to have been dissolved by his departure. He still has strong feelings for her when he returns and is pleased that she is still unmarried. She initially shuns him upon his return and rejects his attempts to charm her. They become closer over the course of the first series, Robin frequently visiting her at home under cover of darkness. He is devastated when she becomes engaged to Guy of Gisborne in order to keep herself and her father safe, and even contemplates leaving Nottingham on the day of her wedding to Guy. A darker side of Robin's character is revealed when he realises that it was a masked Gisborne that he prevented from killing King Richard whilst in the Holy Land. This sends Robin into a rage and he attempts to kill Gisborne in his anger, compromising his own teachings and beliefs about killing only when necessary. Though prevented from killing Gisborne by Much and John, Robin still strives to prove Gisborne's guilt for the rest of the series. When Guy stabs Marian, unaware that it is her disguised as the Nightwatchman, she appears to die, despite Robin and Djaq's efforts to save her. Robin, utterly devastated, breaks down over her body and admits that he loves her. She survives, her 'death' attributed to the shutting down of her body following the stab wound, and hemlock, applied by the treacherous physician Pitts. She decides to go ahead with the wedding to Guy, and Robin, furious and heart-broken, abandons his men. Robin is very hot-headed, firing up at almost all the characters at one point or another. He viciously rebuffs Much's attempts to comfort him and packs up to leave Nottingham. He stops in his tracks when he hears Much interrupting Marian's wedding and reaches the ceremony in time to see Marian leave Guy at the altar. He gives her a ride to the castle after Gisborne reveals his true colours. Just when the audience is led to think that nothing will happen between them (Marian gets off the horse and they go in different directions in a hope to save her father) he calls her back and they kiss. Robin gets his fighting spirit back, saving Marian's father Edward from being killed by the Sheriff and redeeming himself to Much by preventing the Sheriff from slitting his throat. In Season 2, Robin and Marian's relationship has developed; and after Marian's father dies, she joins Robin in the forest. Robin remains somewhat jealous of her relationship with Guy, convinced that she has some feelings for him. However, Marian remains faithful to Robin, and does get misty-eyed when he tells her that he loves her. In episode 9, Lardner's Ring, Robin plucks up the courage to propose to Marian again, which she accepts, but later finds herself back in the castle with Guy. In the final episode of series 2, he marries Marian as she lies dying. When she dies, he carries his deceased wife to her grave. In series 3, the season begins three month after Marian's death, as Robin and the remaining outlaws reach England. Robin, now bent on aveanging his wife's death, sends away his friends and head to Locksley to kill Gisborne. A fight takes place between the two which leads to Robin being thrown over a cliff. He is rescued by Brother Tuck, who tries to make Robin find his way again. A tired and broken Robin refuses his help, claiming that he has nothing more to give. But when Robin learns that the gang has been captured and are to be executed, he and Tuck sets out to rescue them. During the rescue, Robin manages to have Guy pinned to a wall. Robin eventually decieds to not kill Guy, seeing that he is suffering for what he did and that killing him would give Guy peace. At the end of the episode, Robin is shown burying Marian's wedding ring under a tree, whispering that he would never stop loving her. In Episode 4, the gang is joined by a girl from Locksley called Kate, who is forced to become an outlaw and join Robin's gang when he rescues her from the Sheriff's new tax collector, Rufus. In episode 5 he meets the mysterious Isabella and seems to be attracted to her, but later learns that she is Gisborne's younger sister. He becomes closer to Isabella in episode 6, sharing a passionate kiss. He convinces her to help him steal Prince John's money, however her loyalty to Robin is questioned by the rest of the gang. In Episode 7, he and Isabella becomes closer after Gisborne finds out about their relationship. A fight begins which leads to Gisborne being tied to a tree. Isabella questions Robin about Marian after he mentioned her to Gisborne, which Robin only replay is that he wishes to forget. Seeing his pain, Isabella changes the subject as they both head to Nottingham to bring back the water to the people. When Gisborne captures Robin and Isabella and set them up for drowning, Isabella shares with him a dream she had where they were simple farmers with four children, asking Robin if it is silly. Robin claims that it is perfect, yet it is obvious that he has Marian in mind. After they manage to escape, Robin discoveres that Kate has been captured. He begins an attempt to get her out of her cell, but is stopped by Isabella, who claims that they don't have the time. She suggests that they escape, and make the dream she shared with him reality. Robin tells her then that as much as he hates it sometimes, he is Robin Hood, and that that life is only a dream for him. He tried to have it before, but it caused to much pain. An upset Isabella replays that she is not *her*, referring to Marian and she wouldn't do that to him, but Robin has made up hs mind. Gisborne and Prince John interrupt, and an angry and hurt Isabella turns her back on Robin and fights him beside Prince John, and earns his favour again. Robin and Kate manage to escape and open the channels for water. As Robin and his gang moves back to the forest he cast a longing look at a little family. In episode 9 Robin and Kate's feelings for each other grow a lot deeper when they kiss at the start of the episode and the end of the episode to show they have a connection. | |||||||||||||||
