Ok, so I when I first saw this episode I didn't even know it was written by Mark Gatiss. And even now it's still a little hard to believe..cause it's actually good! (Sorry Mark But your Doctor Who track record ain't all that great). The Doctor takes Clara to 1190 to prove to her Robin Hood never existed, so of course they immediately run into him. Adventure ensues (and so do robots, cause Doctor Who).
It's a very simple premise but it works. Mostly cause it's just so fun. The Doctor and Robin Hood - - it's great! Well, not great great, but still quite good and definitely entertaining. It's a fun romp through Nottingham with a sci fi twist. It probably works so well simply because Mr. Gatiss doesn't try to go grander than the premise fits. He just wrote a fun story, which I'm not gonna lie, is a refreshing change of pace after the somewhat darker past two episodes.
Of course it also helps it had built-in unforgettable characters (Gatiss' main weakness). Robin Hood himself seems pretty one-dimensional at first but we see the layers successfully peeled back by the end of the episode. And the rivalry between the Doctor and Robin is genuinely funny to watch. And this really drives the story - - the Doctor trying to prove Robin Hood to be a fake cause essentially, the Doctor himself is Robin Hood (as Clara reminds him), the good man who bucks the system and revels in causing chaos but at the same time understands the plight of the oppressed. And by the end, they understand each other and themselves just a little bit better. 8/10
It's a very simple premise but it works. Mostly cause it's just so fun. The Doctor and Robin Hood - - it's great! Well, not great great, but still quite good and definitely entertaining. It's a fun romp through Nottingham with a sci fi twist. It probably works so well simply because Mr. Gatiss doesn't try to go grander than the premise fits. He just wrote a fun story, which I'm not gonna lie, is a refreshing change of pace after the somewhat darker past two episodes.
Of course it also helps it had built-in unforgettable characters (Gatiss' main weakness). Robin Hood himself seems pretty one-dimensional at first but we see the layers successfully peeled back by the end of the episode. And the rivalry between the Doctor and Robin is genuinely funny to watch. And this really drives the story - - the Doctor trying to prove Robin Hood to be a fake cause essentially, the Doctor himself is Robin Hood (as Clara reminds him), the good man who bucks the system and revels in causing chaos but at the same time understands the plight of the oppressed. And by the end, they understand each other and themselves just a little bit better. 8/10