Mark Gatiss is one of those writers whose name immediately sparks the type of "either you love it or you hate it" reaction. He's been particularly known for having a more "adventurous" sense of storytelling and it has worked on some occasions and on others... well, you probably get it by now. "Robot of Sherwood" is no different. I've been noticing a lot of love it or hate it reactions to the episode from the IMDb boards since catching its Space channel airing here in Canada, and I'll be honest: I wasn't totally surprised. And even more unsurprisingly, I fell in the "love it" camp. I say this because I've been a huge fan of Mark Gatiss since starting Doctor Who, and have caught as much if his work as I can (I even met him this year while vacationing in London and got an awesome picture with him). I knew what to expect, and was not disappointed. The preview last week promised us a whimsical adventure with The Doctor and Clara in Nottingham 1190, and that's exactly what we got. In a totally unexpected turn of events, this is also our third episode in a season that deals with robots (hence the title). A little repetitive? Maybe, but here the robots are well executed and utilized.
The episode opens with The Doctor and Clara in the TARDIS, where The Doctor asks Clara where in all of space and time she wants to go and what she wants to see. Her answer? Robin Hood. Of course, The Doctor is doubtful of his existence, but a step outside his TARDIS into 1190 Nottingham later, he's proved wrong, ending in The Doctor bringing a spoon to a sword fight... and winning. During an arrow spitting contest, The Doctor discovers one of the officials is a robot... in fact, there's tons of robots, which leads to Nottinghamshire under attack by robots from outer space. Nothing too deep, of course, and yet the episode is better for it, be cause it doesn't try to be anything more than what it says on the tin. Gatiss gives us a full-on 45 minute action-packed episode, and it doesn't disappoint. But even for a more action-packed episode, there's still tons of suspense and intrigue, and moments of the expected Doctor Wit- such as when he escapes from being tied up with much ease, and his trick of tipping over Robin Hood into a pond during a sword fight, which Robin himself ends up learning too. The robots admittedly look pretty typical, with lasers bursting from their face, but they nonetheless are terrifying and watching them cause terror in the kingdom is relentlessly fun to watch. Oh and Clara isn't so annoying this time, being more back to her Soufflé girl self. And the finale, including the arrow with the homing device, is a true blast and one of the more action-packed finales in recent Doctor Who history.
Of course there are a few flaws in "Robots", but they're far and in between- the middle of the episode is a little sluggish, the humour in the episode does get a little too silly at times, but they don't detract from the overall fun. After all, this is escapist Doctor Who- an episode that revolves around the sheer fun and camp it promises. Capaldi is in fine form as The Doctor and breaks away from the usual dark feel that his Doctor has given off, opting for a more upbeat portrayal, and yet he manages to pull it off. Which leads to another reason as to why I loved this episode- you can tell everyone involved had a fun time making it. And it rubs off onto the viewers too: watching the cast enjoy what they're involved in makes for a more fun experience. From the pulse-pounding action to the moments of hilarity, "Robot of Sherwood" a fun romp that reminds us of why Doctor Who is so fun to watch in the first place.
Oh, and no Danny Pink, too. There's another reason to love the episode.
The episode opens with The Doctor and Clara in the TARDIS, where The Doctor asks Clara where in all of space and time she wants to go and what she wants to see. Her answer? Robin Hood. Of course, The Doctor is doubtful of his existence, but a step outside his TARDIS into 1190 Nottingham later, he's proved wrong, ending in The Doctor bringing a spoon to a sword fight... and winning. During an arrow spitting contest, The Doctor discovers one of the officials is a robot... in fact, there's tons of robots, which leads to Nottinghamshire under attack by robots from outer space. Nothing too deep, of course, and yet the episode is better for it, be cause it doesn't try to be anything more than what it says on the tin. Gatiss gives us a full-on 45 minute action-packed episode, and it doesn't disappoint. But even for a more action-packed episode, there's still tons of suspense and intrigue, and moments of the expected Doctor Wit- such as when he escapes from being tied up with much ease, and his trick of tipping over Robin Hood into a pond during a sword fight, which Robin himself ends up learning too. The robots admittedly look pretty typical, with lasers bursting from their face, but they nonetheless are terrifying and watching them cause terror in the kingdom is relentlessly fun to watch. Oh and Clara isn't so annoying this time, being more back to her Soufflé girl self. And the finale, including the arrow with the homing device, is a true blast and one of the more action-packed finales in recent Doctor Who history.
Of course there are a few flaws in "Robots", but they're far and in between- the middle of the episode is a little sluggish, the humour in the episode does get a little too silly at times, but they don't detract from the overall fun. After all, this is escapist Doctor Who- an episode that revolves around the sheer fun and camp it promises. Capaldi is in fine form as The Doctor and breaks away from the usual dark feel that his Doctor has given off, opting for a more upbeat portrayal, and yet he manages to pull it off. Which leads to another reason as to why I loved this episode- you can tell everyone involved had a fun time making it. And it rubs off onto the viewers too: watching the cast enjoy what they're involved in makes for a more fun experience. From the pulse-pounding action to the moments of hilarity, "Robot of Sherwood" a fun romp that reminds us of why Doctor Who is so fun to watch in the first place.
Oh, and no Danny Pink, too. There's another reason to love the episode.