Gamersledge Doctor Who Mid-Week Review: Robot of Sherwood

Welcome Doctor Who fans to Season 8 Episode 3: Robot of Sherwood! This is our look at the last week’s Doctor Who episode with our thoughts and analysis. As is tradition, the review is broken into two parts, the spoiler free description and the spoiler section where we give predictions and more in depth analysis.

In The TARDIS, Where to go?

This episode starts out with The Doctor and Clara already together in the TARDIS, and once again The Doctor offers up the “anywhere in space and time” that Clara wants to go. Here is where one of the things I think was done brilliantly this episode, the characterization and writing for Clara. She is obviously more comfortable with The Doctor now, and being buffered by her continued teaching experience now takes charge of the show. So where does she want to go, to see Robin Hood. Why? Well one because this is one of the goofy episodes and two because Clara is a happy dreamer. The Doctor puts up the mandatory Tom Bakeresqe resistance, but in the end does as asked/told. The TARDIS lands promptly in the “ish” timeframe given and the Doctor walks out to declare the utter lack of a Robin Hood, only to bump into none other than Sir Robert of Loxely a.k.a. Robin Hood.

You Shot My TARDIS?! How does a wooden arrow pierce the nearly indestructible hull of a TARDIS anyway?

Now the next scene is something that really killed the episode for me, so I won’t go in depth on it, but the level of ridiculousness and silliness wore past even my very thick buffer for Doctor Who. Fortunately this came early enough in the episode, to be recoverable, but while my kids howled in laughter I was rolling my eyes. The only rational explanation I can give is the situation was so ridiculous that the event was only mildly ridiculous in comparison. The entire time Clara, dressed in a stereotypical maiden gown, squees though the whole event.

Are you done gushing yet?

So now we are off and running. The Doctor is determined to prove that the band of Merry Men is a trick of some kinda, Clara to live out a childhood dream and Robin to play out the generic events of almost every Robin Hood story ever. This is not a “realistic” take on the jovial band of thieves, it is nearly the Disney lineup. So of course we have the Evil Sheriff, who it turns out has been raiding the countryside, but only for gold and slaves. All other objects of value seem to be ignored. So it’s off to the archery competition where we see some of the WORST archery form ever, and find out the Evil Sherrif has….well lets just say the word Robot IS in the title. Now the game is afoot. What does the Sheriff need gold and slaves for? What are the motivations of his minion/partners? How can The Doctor prove that Robin Hood is simply a myth and that h te man beside him is an imposter? For that you will need to watch the episode!

Two Heroes of legend!

*********SPOILERS AHOY!!! The next section is hidden for your protection. once you open the spoiler section, you risk contamination to knowledge you may not be ready for. only proceed if you have seen the episode or REALLY don’t care if it is spoiler*****

Spoilers Sweetie!!

[spoiler]

Robot Knights complete with killer energy crosses…

Again with robots and the Promised Land….what is going on here. No Missy this time, but the effect is still there. It makes me think of Utopia and the Master, but it can’t be that simple can it? Who else could be pulling something off of this magnitude? River in her machine? Did she digi-regenerate back into a baddie? A new villain? Perhaps a comic book villain, which I have no knowledge of?

Ok…so a spoon. That was like one of the bad bits from a Collin Baker or McCoy episode. Yes there was the tie-in into the end, but it wasn’t worth it. Fricking spoon.

Dumbest thing ever….

Robin accepts everything very easily which bothered me a bit. I mean, pretty much everyone in the Whoverse does, there just isn’t time in a 40 minute show to not. And usually there is a lot of running involved straight out the gate.

Other major issue for me, shooting a golden arrow at the ship makes it go from low 80% power to superboost? I mean it didn’t even appear to hit anywhere important or anything. Granted, that is a hell of a shot regardless but still. Also, my lord would it have killed them to get someone on set who actually know how to hold and draw a bow?

The ENTIRE cast of Arrow facepalms…

As you can see there was just a lot that pulled me out of the show. The kids on the other hand had a blast. Ultimately the all liked episode 2 better, but they appreciated the silliness of this episode much more than I. On the other hand there was some BRILLIANT framing and shots in this episode. Visually it was a real treat. Till Next Week!