Stories and legends are important to every culture that has ever existed. They teach children basic values such as right from wrong. They inspire people to be better than they are, and do greater thing with their lives. Some stories live on, important to many cultures, especially if the culture is an offshoot of another culture. One specific example has lasted from medieval times until today, and has been played by Sir Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, Kevin Costner, and even a cartoon fox. The legend that I am talking about is Robin Hood, and the BBC have just released the final collection, Robin Hood: Season Three on DVD.
Robin Hood: Season three follows the lead character after his return from fighting in the crusades, and the death of Marian. At the start of the season it seems as if these events have disillusioned Robin so much that he no longer can accept the burden of being an ideological savior to an entire nation, and it seems as if revenge on Guy Gisborne for the death of Marian is all he has left in this world. Eventually Prince John finally makes his visit to Nottingham, and the Sherriff and Guy of Gisborne are betrayed by Isabella, Guy of Gisborne’s sister to replace the Sherriff and take power over Nottingham. And near the end of the season there is a revelation of great importance to Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne.
Episode Highlights:
- “Lost in Translation” – The Sherriff of Nottingham wants to stop Robin Hood and his gang at all costs, so he enlists the help of the local Abbott by holding on to the Abbott’s secret, forcing him to pronounce Robin and his gang as heretics.
- “Do You Love Me?” – Prince John finally appears in the series making his long awaited visit. In his lust for the throne of England he sends The Sherriff and Gisborne on a mission that will be the end of one of them.
- “The King Is Dead, Long Live the King…” – Lord Sheridan, the Royal Keeper of the Keys and Robin’s mentor, makes an announcement that King Richard has died in the Holy land. Prince John pushes for a hasty coronation in Nottingham, can Robin stop it?
- “Something Worth Fighting For, Parts 1 & 2” – The Series Finale – Isabella, Gisborne’s sister, locks up Robin’s men in an attempt to send them to Prince John. They must escape and avoid turning against each other all while an old enemy lurks in the shadows awaiting revenge. All of this leads up to the epic battle concluding the series.
The DVD set for Robin Hood: Season Three lacks the amount of features that usually go into a BBC release. All of the features are contained on the final disc of the set and there are no commentaries or deleted scenes for any episodes.
Special Features:
- A Legend Reborn – A behind the scenes featurette looking at the production of the series.
- A New Look – A featurette about the costuming.
- Trebuchet: Creating Chaos – A feature about the Trebuchets in the Sherriff of Nottingham’s camp.
- Character Profiles – Shows off the new characters of the third season.
- Video Diaries – Two videos created by two of the actors about their experience while filming the series.
This is a great release of a recent series. Robin Hood: Season Three is an incredible show that is fun to watch. There are some slight changes to the story of Robin Hood, but they are minor cosmetic changes that at the very least are minor changes to characters names and at most serve to further the plot along to the series’ incredible conclusion. It is an action packed retelling of the Robin Hood legend that has existed in English speaking cultures since the Dark Ages. I really enjoyed the series and the special features whole heartedly. I would recommend this to anyone. It’s a fun and exciting in a way a lot of modern television isn’t.
ComicsOnline Gives Robin Hood: Season Three 4.5 rescues in the nick of time out of 5.
