In Review: Robin Hood (S1 – EP10) One Enemy Falls, Another Rises

Synopsis: In One Enemy Falls, Another Rises, Guy of Gisborne sets out to kill Robin Hood while the Sheriff plots to use him as bait, hoping to lure the King back to England. As Robin prepares a decisive strike, Marian risks everything by infiltrating her father’s home to gather vital intelligence. Across Nottingham, the outlaws are sent on dangerous missions where every move counts. If even one of them fails, the consequences will be fatal for them all.

The Story

Starting from where last week’s episode left off, Rob and Marian return to his village only to find it destroyed by Sir Guy of Gisborne and his men. Meanwhile, Sir Guy and the Sheriff finalise their plans to crush Robin Hood once and for all, intending to drive his gang back into their cave and slaughter them there.

However, Rob learns of the scheme and devises a series of countermeasures designed to divide and conquer. The plan sees Robin and his men hiding in Sherwood, allowing Gisborne’s army to march past them and attack the now-deserted caves. With the enemy distracted, the outlaws split into three groups.

Rob leads the main force on a daring assault on Nottingham Castle. Tuck heads a smaller unit tasked with destroying a vital bridge, while Little John and his group prepare to ambush Gisborne’s troops as they return through the forest. What follows is a coordinated counterattack, with Gisborne’s forces caught between Little John’s ambush and Robin’s men, who have taken the castle and now rain arrows down from its watchtowers and rooftops.

As the dust settles, Rob and Marian make the devastating decision to end the life of the Earl of Huntingdon, finally removing the obstacle that has kept them apart. Elsewhere, a defeated Sheriff reaches out to King Henry, hoping to draw him back to England.

With both sides having suffered losses, Rob orders his gang to disperse and hide in plain sight. Some head to France, others to London, all waiting for the moment they will be called upon to regroup once more.

The Acting

Davor Tomic proves highly memorable as Sir Guy of Gisborne, whose overconfidence ultimately becomes his undoing, but who remains consistently fun to watch. The scenes between Gisborne and the Sheriff of Nottingham, played with relish by Sean Bean, form the backbone of the episode and beautifully set the stage for the season’s most impressive swordplay.

Jack Patten cuts an imposing figure as Rob, and it’s in this episode that he truly solidifies the legend of Robin Hood. The scenes in which he calmly talks Little John (Marcus Fraser) and Friar Tuck (Angus Castle-Doughty) through his plan are particularly compelling, drawing the viewer in and making you genuinely invested in the outcome.

Sean Bean is also excellent as the Sheriff, who by the episode’s end cuts a thoroughly defeated figure. His final moments, screaming Robin Hood’s name at the edge of Sherwood as Rob walks away to face other battles, are especially striking. The venom and spite Bean brings to the scene feel entirely on brand, underlining how the Sheriff’s obsession with defeating Robin Hood will continue to consume him as the series moves forward.

Lauren McQueen is given plenty to do in the finale as Lady Marian, who risks her life by returning home and cosying up to her father, the Earl of Huntingdon, in order to uncover the Sheriff and Gisborne’s plans. It’s a mission that once again sees Marian become her father’s punching bag when her betrayal is discovered. If Rob represents the sharp end of resistance in the struggle between the poor and the entrenched power of the Sheriff and the other lords, Marian is very much its soft power, operating through her relationships with her family, Rob, and the Queen of England.

Overall

This finale truly delivers on action and danger, but it also captures a powerful sense of Robin Hood as the myth he has become over the years. I particularly enjoyed how the writers chose to end the season with Rob and his gang dispersing, stepping away from the constant peril of life as outlaws. The idea of hiding in plain sight is an inspired way to close the chapter.

It also leaves the door neatly ajar for a second season should MGM decide to continue the story. Robin rides off with Lady Marian, while the rest of the gang head to London and France respectively, beginning new lives away from Sherwood until such time as they are called upon again.