*WARNING SPOILERS*
There is no denying it, 'Robot of Sherwood' is a complete romp. And nor did the the BBC/Doctor Who/Mark Gatiss deny it either, we knew that the third episode in the eighth series of Doctor Who would be a comedy episode, a silly, clichéd filled episode with a typical boo-hiss bad guy and a hero to cheer on. This is where the theme of the episode comes to a head, it was all about 'heroes', the ultimate hero was met between two of the biggest heroes in British culture - Robin Hood and Doctor Who. So how would these gallant heroes get along with each other? Well, not so good as it seems, sparring in a sword (or spoon) fight in the first minutes of meeting. But all the banter between the two characters made for hilarious viewing, especially highlighted in the great scenes in the dungeon which ended up with The Doctor and Robin Hood hilariously arguing on the best way to escape. Such witty lines such between Clara and The Doctor also like "I have a plan." "Can you explain your plan without using the words 'sonic screwdriver'?" can only have been written by writing talent Mark Gatiss. He is no stranger to writing for Doctor Who, yet in the past his episodes have been a bit hit and miss, while he can produce fabulous episodes such as 'The Crimson Horror', he can also produce poorer ones like 'Victory of the Daleks', but Gatiss can be proud of 'Robot of Sherwood'.
Yes, it has to be said the plot was frivolous and silly and it would have been nice to have more mentions of a Series 8 plot to keep us hooked, this therefore left 'Robot of Sherwood' feeling like a stand-alone episode, rather aloof from the rest of the series with only one fleeting, throwaway mention of something to come, 'The Promised Land'. But, perhaps this episode didn't need high rate drama and confusing plot lines to make it work. What worked in 'Robot of Sherwood' was the great cast that Doctor Who had managed to secure for this episode, special mention has to be made to Tom Riley's Robin Hood who was just excellent. It was a typically clichéd performance of Robin Hood, green tights, merry men and all, but with a charming wink, witty one liners and a more sensitive side, especially when his Maid Marion made a emotional return at the end of the episode. Other special mentions have to be made to the other principal cast members in this episode, including Ben Miller's Sheriff of Nottingham, whose evil, very typical pantomime baddie role would have made a perfect Master once upon a time, also his very cringy lunging at Clara, certainly grossed us out! And as ever faithful, Peter Capaldi's Doctor continues to impress and shows that he can have the comedic abilities that so gloriously Matt Smith's Doctor was given. Making every line seem completely natural and his exasperation at the continuous laughing at the Merry Men made for very funny viewing -"guards, he's laughing again!". Also, not forgetting the wonderful Clara as played by Jenna Coleman, not only did she look stunning in her Made Marion-esque period costume but it was very funny when she was seen as the 'ringleader' who was making trouble, as she said "you can take the girl out of Blackpool!" Just to add more excitement to the cast (sort of) did anyone spot a blink and you'd miss it picture of Patrick Troughton (aka the Second Doctor) but not as The Doctor, but when he played Robin Hood, a very nice touch by Gatiss there.
While this episode was a bit silly, the end scenes and interaction between The Doctor and Robin Hood were very poetic and almost beautiful and seemed to have a fairytale element to it. This can be seen in an earlier scene between Clara and The Doctor, to which The Doctor asks "When did you start believing in impossible heroes?" to which Clara replies, "don't you know?". Robin Hood has always been Clara's favourite story as a little girl and now she has her very own real life hero to believe in, The Doctor. Even after all the jealously and the sparring between The Doctor and Robin Hood, they both claim that neither are heroes, but as Robin Hood replies "but if we both keep pretending to be, perhaps others will be heroes in our name.". So, even if these dark times of recent news, so much so that a scene in which the Sheriff of Nottingham was to be beheaded in a battle with Robin Hood was cut out of the final edit (quite right BBC) in respect to the two journalists killed in a similar way. 'Robot of Sherwood' is the perfect pick-me-up to cheer up a dark day, and along with a few laughs also presents a beautiful message.
"History is a burden, stories can make us fly."
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