After buying Series 1 volumes 1 and 2, it only seemed right to buy the third volume. Of course after giving the first two 5 stars, I had exceptionally high expectations for this one as well. Not only did this have to round off the first series but of course still have the sparkle that the first two had. I have to admit I was hoping a lot for this DVD so it really had to do well for it to get 5 stars again. And it did, in fact I think I could say these were the strongest and best episodes in the series.

What Is It?

The BBC decided to re-make a high budget of the famous Sherwood outlaw, Robin Hood. This was first shown on the BBC, and later released as DVD's, however they can now be bought as a full box set, and no longer per every 5 episodes. This DVD is made up of the LAST four episodes of the series, so after this you will left on a cliff hanger and then made to buy the next series!
In total, there are three volumes in this series, all of which I own. The BBC takes a completely different take on the outlaw from tradition, and is seen to give him a new light and make him much more exciting and thrilling. This is PG rated and is suitable for children. The only warning there is really against the sword scenes which are not that violent however can be a bit scary for younger children. This DVD is maybe one to watch out for as it does have death scenes in it (not at all graphic, just upsetting) which may not be suitable for younger children.
Since 2006, a new series of Robin Hood was shown on the BBC and most recently series 3 was on our screens. The BBC confirmed that it would be the last series they made however it did finish on a thrilling finale. I watched the first episode of series one and since then have been COMPLETELY addicted to the series. So it was fantastic to see that the BBC has released the series in DVD form in 2007. I knew I had to be the first to get them and eventually ended up buying all of Series one on DVD. However I can guarentee you when you buy them you will want to move on straight to the second series as it becomes very addictive viewing.

The Famous Story Of Robin Hood

A lot of people think of the generalisation of the story, men in tights robbing hte rich and giving to the poor. And the hero gets the girl. However as the series on the BBC shows there is a lot more to this. Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood) arrives home from the Crusades in the Holy Land to find his people starving, cruelly treated and heavily taxed under the oppressive rule of the new Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin finds out that the only way to reason with the sheriff. However this means him being forced to give up his lands and title, which he proudly does for his people.
Robin and his servant and best friend Much, gather up a faithful gang of outlaws to beat the sheriff. They get Little John, Will Scarlett and Allan Dale to defeat the sheriff and regain peace to the land. But even with Robins cunning and talent with a bow and arrow, can he really defeat the Sheriff and his Black Knight Sir Guy of Gisborne. While of course juggling falling in love with Maid Marion, to whom she is the daughter of the previous Sheriff of Nottingham, who is now gravely ill and being held as a prisoner. The story has a lot of twists and turns as you can tell the writers have been having good fun in playing with the characters. Especially in the last 4 episodes on this you can really see the story develop.

Stars

Jonas Armstrong - Who stunningly plays the witty Robin Hood in the series. The fairly unknown actor who has been in such TV programmes as 'Teachers' and 'Ghost Sqaud'. However don't let that put you off, this really is his big break and expect you will see the young actor very soon in other projects, after Robin Hood. He is an excellent actor, playing Hood passionately yet cheekily at times. I really enjoyed watching him portray Hood, as he was able to show another side that I had not yet seen yet. Can't wait to see him in the next series playing Robin Hood, he is actually now one of my favourite actors.
Keith Allen - I love Keith Allen, who plays the ruthless Sheriff of Nottingham brilliantly. One of my favourite characters in the series as Allan plays him so cruelly yet really shows off a sly side. Allen is probibly best known for his acting credits and music and of course being the dad of Lily Allen. One of the finest actors in the series and definately stands out as a horrible yet dark humoured man.
Richard Armitage - I can't think of anyone who hasn't heard of Richard Armitage! He plays the Black Knight Sir Guy Gibson, the Sheriff of Nottinghams faithful sidekick. I first saw him on the Vicar of Dibley as he was the one who ended up marrying our favourite vicar! He is best known for his Shakespearian acting, and in many of popular TV shows such as 'Miss Marple' 'Spooks' and 'Ultimate Force'.
Lucy Griffiths - Plays the fantastic, fiesty and simply beautiful Maid Marion. She really shines in Robin Hood, playing the very intelligent yet exceptionally fiesty Marion. However she gives a twist on the traditional character as she makes her really cunning and sexy. Griffiths like Armstrong is a fairly unknown actress however has been in TV before, 'Sugar Rush' and 'Sea of Souls'. I think like Armstrong, this will be one of her breakthrough roles and I'm sure we will be seeing her in a lot more in the future.
Sam Troughton - Plays the loveable and loyal Much. He is originally Robin Hood's man servant when he lived on the estate however has become his best friend and was freed. He is a very popular character and is seen as the babbling more cowardly man, compared to Robin. However he is actually exceptionally caring and loyal to Robin and the outlaws. I really enjoy Troughton playing him, you may recognise him from 'Vera Drake' and 'Alien Vs Predator'. His dad actually starred in the first ever BBC make of Robin Hood in the 1950's so you could say it was the circle of television making!

Episode List

Peace? Off!
This episode brings more religion into the Robin Hood story. A crazy man is very busy burning down churches and houses and intoxifying water supplies. Robin and his men however unexpectantly rescue him, and identify him as one of King Richards old soldiers. He is suffering from ‘Crusaider Sickness’ which is a mental disorder which causes him to go crazy. Now the audience really understands why Robin was being nice to him.
While all this is happening, the sheriff is hosting a Middle Eastern Prince called Malic (You may recognise who plays him from Eastenders). He is impatientiently waiting for Prince John (Robins enemy) to arrive to Nottingham, much to the huge delight of the Sheriff who is enjoying having all these celebrities about. In the forest meanwhile Will finds a overturned, very muddy old cart in which the gang find a very odd looking mask. The superstitious bunch think it has black magic in it, however Robin thinks not. Believing that magic doesn't exsist. So they take it back to the camp and don't think that much more about it.
However with a bit of a twist to add to their superstition, as they are busy looking after s mad man in the camp. He seems very polite and helpful as they are cooking away however as soon as he see's the mask, he attacks Djaq with a knife! Was it the mask that posessed him to do that? Much helps and stops him from hurting her.
Marion tells Robin (In a very cute scene) that it is a Prince from the East who is staying at the castle. So Robin decides by himself to ambush Prince Salic and his men. They end up coming back to claim the cart however Robin is a step a head and waiting patiently for them. He kidnaps him and interogates about why he is in England and about the mask. It turns out that Djaq knows who he is and demands he is not harmed. Prince Malic explains that about the mask, it is bascially to do with acupunture and that he is healing a mind. It did explain anyway how the mask looked.
Meanwhile Marion overhears Gisbourne and sheriff discussing how the have Prince Malic hostage. They want a ransom, and a hefty one at that. Marion tells Robin this straight away and they get to work. While this is happening 4 very beautiful armed women enter the forest. They are highly decorated in blue silks and gold. WIth a man guard watching over them. The outlaws desperately want to steal the ransom money they have but these women are highly skilled warriors and there is pretty much no chance they could get it alone. So the plan goes ahead and we find out that they are going to give the money to the sheriff to get the Prince back.
However as usual the sheriff is ambushed, but in a bizarre twist Robin ends up saving the Sheriff from them! But will they be able to escape these incredible women warriors? A really good episode which really does show off the power of women. They were vexing and beautiful and Marion added the edge by showing off Robins only weakness, love.''' 5/5.'''

Dead Man Walking
Guy of Gisbourne is on patrol and collecting taxes for the king. However this is more brutal than ever as many of the villagers are simply unable to pay it, due to already being so heavily taxed. Little John and Robin are watching on, unable to do anything after being heavily outnumbered. However Little John sees his wife and child being attacked by the guards. This is too much for Little John and he goes and tries to help as Robin tries desperately to hold him back. He ends up knocking out Robin and fighting against the guards. However he is caught after a furious fight. However by possible luck he ends up loosing his two identity tags which show he is an outlaw.
Meanwhile at the castle, Marion is back from a ride and discovers Little John at the castle. Much causes a distraction with the guards allowing Robin and Allan to dress up like guards and take Will as a 'prisoner' to get into the castle and rescue Little John (and his son) from the castle, and from almost certain torture. In a sad scene we see Little John trying to talk to his son who has forgotten him. But they begin to start to form a relationship which turns really sweet.
In a little romantic twist we see Robin distracted by Marion as Gisbourne tries to seduce her, while Robin is disguised as a guard, watching on. She reveals the taxes are actually for London and that the Sheriff has set up a trap to catch him. What will Robin do? I means it's Robin Hood he has a plan. But will it work?
Still dressed up as guards and undetected, they leave it until night to try and rescue Little John. In the dungeons meanwhile Alice (Little John's wife) is thrown in jail and he is recognised. She thought he was dead and causes her terrible pain. Robin and Allan however cunningly swap money bags for grain bags and get away with it. Now they have the next task of saving the prisoners. The sheriff is beginning his 'Festival of Pain' which is the use of devices of torture. They are about to burn Little John's son and wife and the bowsmith. Will they get away in time? Or be saved?
A more emotional episode then we are used to but still action packed and good fun. Shows another side of the usually brutish Little John. The only flaw in this episode was it was just a little to quick paced compared to other episodes, it was going just to fast. But I still really enjoyed it and would give it 4.9/5

Return of the King
Oooo I have to start by saying this is pretty much my favourite episode in the whole series! The Sheriff and Gisbourne are busy discussing and it revealed the King is returning from the Holy Land. Gisbourne also is going to ask for Marion's hand in marriage. But will he do it?
Meanwhile in forrest, Will tells them that the King is returning. Now remember Robin Hood is fighting for the King and in theory, once he see's the persucution of the people of Nottingham, he will be arrested. Also it is revealed the Marion may be getting married, but as Robin loves her, he will try and save her.
Gisbourne finds Marion to ask her (and in a light-hearted, quickly turning tense scene almost knocks out Gisbourne!) to marry him!!! She quickly figures out the king is returning but the viewer doesn't yet know if it is a yes or a no. (What do you think?) Robin is going to try and stop the wedding and visits Marion. She shows she was forced to do it but they end up arguing over the marriage. It ends with Robin being forced to leave and emotionally you see Marion choosing between her duty to her country and her true love. However she wants one last go at being the Night Watchmen before she is forced to become a wife to Gisbourne. So she get gets ready.
Robin is going to force information from Gisbournes physician to get information about what Guy has been up to. Of course he is at first reluctant however with some gentle (violent) persuasion he begins to talk. He tells them that Gisbourne had not been ill but infact had gone to the Holy Land to fight. They just made it look like he was ill.
Back at the palace, the Nightwatchmen is at work and Robin finds Marion has gone missing. He is forced to assume that she has broken his wishes and returned as the night watchmen. She is trapped in a room but thankfully Robin comes to her rescue. Gisbourne does not know that the nightwatchmen is Marion and mocks Hood about her. Of course she kicks him in, causing great pain. But she uses her hair dagger and Gisbourne knows EXACTLY who it is.
She escapes with Robin but ends up falling to the ground in pain. He runs with her in his arms and takes her to the camp. She had been stabbed by Gisbourne and Djaq starts to treat her. After a lot of pain Marion is patched up. It was close though, too close. As the night goes on Marion won't wake up easily and Djaq starts to work away but says her chances of survival are slim.
I don't want to say anymore but it is so highly emotional it is brilliant. This is truly one my favourite episodes and I love the high intensity and drama. But will Marion survive? Will Robin Show his true feelings? Will he say 'I Love You?' You will just have to watch to find out.. You will kind of guess the ending if you read the next part of the review. 5+++++++++++++/5

A Clue. No
The last episode of Series one and I had high hopes. After a brilliant previous episode, this leads almost straight on from the last episode and is actually part of a 2 Parter.
It starts off with a recap from the previous episode to give you a quick reminder. It then starts you off straight away from where it left off. The sheriffs army is advancing on the cave where Marion and the outlaws are. Much and Little John are attempting to single handedly go against an entire fleet of archers and horsemen. Robin starts the battle with a fatal arrow to the sheriffs closest guard. A battle ensues and they run into the battle. With their highly skilled swordsmen ship, they quickly start to defeat the sheriffs men. After a retreat from the sheriff's men they go back into the cave and mourn the death of Lady Marion.
But Allan comes out with "I'm not being funny but she is breathing?" So they all rush to check. And yes she lives! She had been poisoned with a draft that kills her and then brings her back to life from the physician. So as a viewer you really are thrilled. They rush Marion back to her home before anyone really notices she's gone. Robin is told Marion is to be married on Saturday but as soon as he hears of this, Gisbourne arrives wishing to meet Marion. He doesn't believe she is there after being shunned away by Marion's father. He sees her and believes him and leaves.
Robin is now being quite mean to everyone, in response to his anger at Marion getting Marion. In particular he says some really horrible stuff to Much. The rest of the outlaws meanwhile go to a secret meeting to protect the king from assasignation from the Sheriff.
The wedding day arrives and Marion has told Robin to grow up and leave her to her duty. Gisbourne is shown asking about the wife of someone helping at his wedding, about understanding and trust. Marion arrives at the church looking beautiful but obviously sad. You can see something is going to happen...
Meanwhile at the castle the King has arrived and the loyalist have gathered. However the Sheriffs plan is working and he begins killing the loyalists by tricking them into thinking they are actually giving evidence against him for treason.
So can Robin save the girl? Stop being grumpy? Save the King loyalists from death AND escape with out a scratch? You will just have to wait and see!
A fantastic finale which was really interesting and slightly funny. Romance and fighting are the two main themes and as you see Marion has survived dying and now getting married which are all in the space of two days! It was a fantastic series finale and loved the very last scene. Loved it and it was well thought out and put toghether.'''5/5'''

The Soundtrack

You know what really annoys me when reading reviews? When the soundtrack is never mentioned in a review about a TV series! This is such a vital factor that matters so much, especially in Robin Hood.
I actually loved the soundtrack so much, I downloaded it on iTunes for a very reasonable £7.99. The whole soundtrack features beautiful English folk and traditional music, mainly to set the era correctly. What I loved was how the music brilliantly added to the scene. For example when we first see Robin and Marion alone toghether they use slightly cheeky but delicate music. However it is when the scenes get dramatic where the music is at its true best. The fights scenes have very powerful, strong music which I love. It really makes you enjoy the series even more. It is all composed by Andy Price, who won a BAFTA for his work in composing music for TV. You can tell he is good, no brilliant. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and would give that alone 5 stars, and would recommend checking it out on iTunes or in any music shops. 5/5

Special Features

The special features are a very disappointing. Like the rest of the volumes it has a character profile which is the Sheriff. It is actually quite interesting but that is the ONLY feature. Hardcore fans like myself are desperate to see lots of different extras like interviews etc. But they haven't put it in at all. The profile includes some facts I didn't know and was actually quite interesting. But it desperately needs more special features which is sadly why I am only giving it - 2/5

Price/Where To Get It

As usual, I bought mine online using Amazon.co.uk which it only cost me £14. I was disappointed a bit on the price it is a lot. However I was prepared to pay this as the quality is excellent. However I got this a while ago and now you can get it from various sites and shops for around £4, which works out at around £1 per episode. Now you can buy the full box set which may work out more economical. However I bought the three volumes, and really enjoyed watching them all. HMV, Play.com and BBC Online is just some of the many places you can buy this. It is widely avaliable like many BBC DVD's are. As long as you don't pay more than £15 for it, you will be getting a good bargain. Price - 4/5

Overall

You may have guessed but I love ROBIN HOOD!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first watching this on BBC1 more than 3 years ago. However I have become a complete addict and really enjoyed buying and watching this volume of the series. This is the last episodes in the series and not only are they thrilling, witty and fantastic to watch but round up the series nicely. It actually doesn't seem to look like they would make another series as there is no cliff hanger which is in some ways quite a good thing. However there is a series 2 but will be reviewing that soon. All I can say about this volume 3 is that is has my favourite episode in it and I reckon that these are some of the best in series one.

*Some of the paragraphs have been taken from my previous Robin Hood reviews as it talking about the same thing. Thanks!

COMPLETELY RECOMMEND COMPLETE SERIES 1 OF ROBIN HOOD!

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