Robot of Sherwood

I think some of you take this show a little too seriously. Was this episode any more ridiculous than half of the Sylvester McCoy episodes? I mean really...a giant killer candy man?

I think Peter Capaldi is doing a great job with the scripts he's being dealt. To be honest, I stopped watching this show as the Doctor got younger and younger. On top of that, Matt Smith's A.D.D., touchy-feely- kissy shtick was starting to make me nauseous. The Doctor isn't supposed to dish out hugs and kisses. It's just unnatural.

Anyway, regarding "Robots", I was secretly hoping the Sheriff (Ben Miller) would be taken over by the Master, especially since he looked exactly like Anthony Ainley. With Peter Capaldi's voice and mannerisms mimicking Tom Baker's, I think all this show needs now is new K-9 and it can be as addictive as it was in the late 70's.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Fighting aliens. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with the Doctor, Clara and friends. Dungeons they escape, behave like children would, Robin Hood! Robin Hood! Robin Hood!

He fought the wicked robots and the wicked sheriff too, who was keen on taking Clara for his queen. They were a merry bunch but they wound up you know Who? He thought they were robotic Lincoln green.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Fighting aliens. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with the Doctor, Clara and friends. Dungeons they escape, behave like children would, Robin Hood! Robin Hood! Robin Hood!

The Doctor offers Clara a trip to wherever she chooses. She wants to meet Robin Hood. When the Doctor points out Robin Hood never existed, she insists, so the Doctor sets the TARDIS and they go to meet.... Robin Hood. Writer Mark Gatiss mocks his own history of writing episodes with historical characters with this effort.

After a couple of heavier shows in which the Doctor is introduced and various aspects of his character are shown, this episode is intended as a relative romp. It's a backwards-looking episode with many of the aspects of the old show, with its serial structure. Given that the greater screen time of the old serials -- generally about 90 minutes -- was almost twice as long as the new episodes, various compressions have to take place. That is probably why the straightforward title was chosen here, rather like last season's "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"; as Theo Robertson points out in his review of this episode, this still requires some further compression that robs the story of some dramatic tension.

Nonetheless, there is considerable subtext in this story about the meaning of heroism, the power of stories to inspire us and the whole being more than the sum of its parts. the metafictional impulse is close to the surface in this story. Indeed, the deeds and dialogue show it. Still, sometimes the point needs to be made overtly.

To start with, I won't go into the heavy duty review like the others have. Simply put it is a bit of camp fun with a beautiful message at the end and that does not have to be a bad thing. The other seasons of Doctor Who have all had the heavy and light episodes. It is merely a case of greater extremes. As for peoples issues with the Robin Hood factor, it was lovely to see this apparent dolt/legend/hero/outlaw/normal man just trying to live his life and find his love and how he parallels the Doctor. The final dialogue between the Doctor and Robin, I think, sums up not only the episode but all of Doctor Who, and much more beside.

Episode three's have been fairly hit or miss in terms of Doctor Who's history since it returned in 2005. Episodes such as Gridlock or School Reunion played out as smart character studies, but maintained the entertainment level you'd expect from something so early on in the series, whereas other episode three's like Victory of the Daleks and The Curse of the Black Spot remain all-time low points for the show. This is, in some ways, understandable. We've been introduced to the series in the first two episodes, and it's too early to throw anything too dramatic in just yet, so where does this leave us? Robot of Sherwood is a real mixed bag of an episode. It's good fun, and by no means a bad piece of television, but it lacks that conviction that made the first two episodes of series 8 such a treat. It's enjoyable enough in the moment, but fairly likely to wind up as the most forgettable episode of the series.

In terms of character, everything introduced in Deep Breath and Into the Dalek is maintained here. Despite Robot of Sherwood being played out, for the most part, as a comedy, Capaldi's doctor retains his more serious attitude in the pivotal moments of the episode, but also gets a chance to show his versatility as an actor in terms of comedy. Coleman is great too, and is truly developing as an actress whilst Clara develops as a character. She might not have the emotional weight in this episode that she made use of in the first two, but she suits the more light-hearted tone well. Guest star Tom Riley is also solid as Robin Hood himself, if just a little over the top in moments that don't really need to be, but the three leads here have great on-screen chemistry that makes this episode consistently enjoyable, even in its weaker moments.

Where Robot of Sherwood faults, however, is in terms of story. Whilst this episode was played out as a comedy, it lacks a plot to move the characters from scene to scene. It takes about twenty minutes before we really learn anything, and even then it's more superficial than anything else. I get that writer Gatiss aimed for a more light- hearted outing, but not enough really happens throughout the 45 minute run time to leave us satisfied by the conclusion. This wouldn't be all bad, though, if the episode was also used to develop and analyse the character of the Doctor, but rather than develop the Doctor any further, Gatiss just relies on everything show-runner Moffat has already done for him. Robot of Sherwood wasn't a bad episode, but by far the weakest of the series thus far. It's good fun in the moment, and is certainly better than some of Gatiss' other episodes, but it is, unfortunately, set to be forgotten by the time the title sequence rolls for next week's episode.