'Robot of Sherwood' premiered tonight. It's the 3rd episode for Capaldi and if you ask me, It's still not gaining speed. I may be part of the minority but the last two episodes have been ho-hum.
I don't mean they're not Doctor Who canon or are far from any other Doctor Who story, but they just seem to be missing the mark. While for the past 7 years I've been accustom to a Doctor who "smiles" I have yet to see Capaldi do it. Every time he's on camera he just seems (for lack of a better word) angry. I'm waiting for the comedy to return but each episode seems to have its bit players carry this torch. This episode happens to pass the torch to Robin Hood. Here's a bit of a synopsis before I get into 4 things I didn't like
-The Doctor asks Clara where she wants to go or who she wants to meet. Clara exclaims she's always wanted to meet "Robin Hood". The Doctor tells her hes fake and made up but they head to the 1100's anyway. Upon exiting the TARDIS the Doctor meets an archer than shoots an arrow at the TARDIS. A little odd that the TARDIS lands right where Robin Hood is but Ill refrain from condemning it right now. Robin Hood challenges the Doctor to a duel. Robin draws a sword, while the Doctor draws................a spoon. After this odd duel Robin hood brings the Doctor and Clara to meet his "Merry Men". The group consists of his usual gang, who all appear to be extras cast last minute. I think between all of them they had 4 lines. One of the only three highlights of the episode was the Doctor being dumbfounded at the lot of them, trying to figure out who they were, seeing as Robin hood is just a fictional story.
Next we see Robin entered into an archery contest for a 'golden arrow' at the Sheriff of Nottingham's castle. The Sheriff and Robin hood battle it out with Robin hood splitting the Sheriffs bullseyed arrow (pretty damn cliche) Out of Nowhere the Doctor takes aim and splits it again and demands his prize... not the arrow but answers. From here we just have a ridiculous back and forth of arrow splitting until the Doctor "blows up a hay stack arrow target with his sonic screwdriver"... you heard that right.. he BLOWS up hay with his screwdriver. This whole game opens the way for the Sheriff's soldiers being exposed as robots and Robin, Clara and the Doctor being captured. The Doctor sonic screwdriver is also confiscated by the Sheriff...remember this. The Doctor and Robin try to one up each other while trying to escape, while Clara is taken to the Sheriff and tricks him into giving up his plans.
The Doctor and Robin then suddenly find a room in the castle that has a lot of answers. The castle is hiding a ship, the Sheriff is using the Robots to rule, hes using gold to rebuild the ship, plans to conquer London and the Doctor demands that 'Robin" is a Robot created to give hope to the masses.The sheriff breaks into the room and tries to kill Robin, but he escapes with Clara, only to come back later. The Doctor then learns he was wrong, Robin Hood isn't a robot and was ALWAYS real but over time became a legend that nobody believed was real.
Robin duels with the Sheriff over a vat of molten gold and manages to trip him as he falls to his death. They all run out of the castle as the Doctor knows the ships engines are not stable and will explode taking out half the country with it if it takes off. As the ship is taking off the Doctor decides the 'golden arrow' from earlier may boost t he ships bower if it 'just hits the ship". the arrow hits the outside of the ship and manages to allow it to escape the atmosphere and explode in space. The groups part ways. The TARDIS de-materializes and in its place suddenly appears 'Maid Marion".....and NEVER at any point does the Doctor get his screwdriver back.... um what?
Premise
I think this story line was simply dull. It was the typical Robin Hood cliche. It felt as if the writer, Mark Gatiss, and 'new' director, Paul Murphy simply used Robin hood to take care of most of the writing. The only highlight of the entire premise was the egos of the Doctor and Robin hood clashing the entire episode. Ive seen A LOT of Doctor Who episodes and this was just way below the standards set forth the since the 9th Doctor. It could have been better if writing wasn't so awful..... so dreadfully awful. Any why Robin Hood? It would have been much better if we learned Robin WAS a robot and not 'real'. I understand its interesting to theorize 'what if Robin Hood was real?' and I think that fits in well with Doctor Who (lets face it, Doctor Who isn't real) but it just felt forced. The entire episode the Doctor was struggling with Robin Hoods existence, so you knew exactly where the episode was going. I wish they weren't so obvious
The Doctor fights with a spoon
I'm all for a clever and well trained Doctor. He's been around for 2000 years, but he engages in a SWORDS battle with an EXPERT swordsman with....a spoon. Was it an attempt at humor? It would have been funny if he "thought" about using a spoon but Clara talked him out of it. Instead he fences..... with a damn SPOON AND WINS. I don't think any trained expert with a spoon could do any damage against an untrained toddler with a sword, never mind an expert swordsman. This was just utterly corny and followed through till conclusion which I did not like one bit. Leave this nonsense on the cutting room floor shall we?
the Golden Arrow
One of THE STUPIDEST plot lines ever written into a Doctor Who episode. At the end of the episode, the Robots ship, which runs on gold, is damaged and will explode killing everyone if it takes off. The Doctor realizes a 'little bit more gold" may give it a boost to get out of the earth atmosphere.... they shoot the golden arrow at the ship, which gives it a power boost and saves everyone below.....wait, WHAT? So if I shoot the outside of Space Shuttle with a 'liquid hydrogen' arrow, it will give it a speed boost?? Why was this written in to begin with? I put my hands over my face and just shook my head.
Did you forget something?
"ppppppsssssttttt... hey writers.......................... the Doctor has no Sonic Screwdriver now"
Earlier in the episode the Sheriff takes the Doctors sonic away after he 'blows up a hay stack" (I'll just assume the doctor was blowing up the homing device he used rather than actually blowing up hay). we never saw it again. THE DOCTOR NEVER GOT IT BACK. the man who took it fell into molten gold, the ship it may have been placed in blew up[, but it doesn't matter because the Doctor simply left. Was this the plan? will this lead way for a new Sonic for the Doctor, or did the writers simply "screw up". I'm drawn to assume the latter. Just goes to show you how bad writing has gotten this season in the past two episodes. A simple oversight which means A LOT if you're actually paying attention. I'll be damned if I have to "dumb down" to watch Doctor Who going forward
On the bright side, there were a few highlights... one being the back and forth banter between Robin and the Doctor, as well as the preview for next week. More Doctor Who horror!