THIS IS MORE LIKE IT. Who would have thought "The Robin Hood One" would be any good at all?! I daren't look at what the fans thought of this.* I thought it was brilliant. Gatiss is playing to his strengths as a comedy writer. The result is an unashamedly camp and very silly romp, frankly the only way this story could have been done.
Cheekily sneaking the word Gallumafrey in there. Ben Miller channelling Ainley circa '83, and gets the balance of menace and camp absolutely right. Robin Hood quoting anarchists. The Doctor fighting sword vs spoon.
I think, above all, this episode knew what it wanted to be. The problem with wannabie "dark" and "challenging" Who is that it goes out for families on a Saturday night. To explore the politics of intervention, or pacifism, or whichever moral quandry, with any depth or power requires either more than 45 mins or exceptional writing ability. Gatiss just drew from one rich source (Robin Hood), and one writing tradition (panto comedy), then added some aliens - and it worked like a dream.
Last week, I pointed out it was stupid for medical professionals to use shrinking capsules to fix problems. Clearly, that's less stupid than "if we fire the golden arrow at the outside of the spaceship, it will enable the ship to fly". But this episode wasn't trying to be a serious meditation on the nature of idk wtf. It was The Robin Hood One. Did anyone want more from it than this?
9/10, and honestly I'm itching to give it a 10; I just can't face giving Best Episode Ever adulation to the Robin Hood One.
Classic references corner: I really do think Kings Demons is a touchstone here. Apart from the Sherrif and the Master's look being identical, we had robots and a LUTE SCENE. How many lute scenes are there in Who, eh? Just two. King's Demons it is.There was also one delirious moment of happiness:
ETERNALS someone give me Eternals, it would have made so much gosh-darned sense. Who else would have built a faux-medieval playground filled with thigh-slapping Merrie Men?
Doctor (casting aside the golden arrow) "I want something else"
Sherrif "Name it"
Doctor "Enlightenment"
*There a post on Outpost Gallifrey entitled "The lack of any socio-cultural depth".
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