Who and Hood

[daibhidc]

Doctor Who was cool. Lee Evans as Malcom was excellent, the alien locusts were impressive, and Ten was brilliant as always. Two things I didn't like

1) Foreshadowing with a big, big hammer. Yes, we know he's going at the end of the year, we don't need random psychics to keep reminding us.

2) Christine. Sorry, I've never really "got" the whole "glamourous bored thief" thing. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't think stealing magically becomes more acceptable because you're posh and only doing it for the heck of it. I have far more sympathy with people who are stealing because they need to, something Lady Christine would probably view as dreadfully common. So my enjoyment of the entire episode was marred by a deep dislike, not just of the companion-character, but of everything she stood for. I say, lock her up. Maybe give her a reduced sentence for saving the world, but that can be decided at the trial.

Robin Hood I've got more time for. Robin doesn't steal because he's bored, he steals from the rich (ie people like Christine) to give to the poor. That's a philosophy I can get behind, even if it appears in a programme that's historically preposterous. I'd be interested to know what sloopjonb made of today's episode, which made an unusual attempt to actually grapple with historic stuff beyond what's in the original legends. How wrong was it?

Comments

[sloopjonb.livejournal.com]

I was actually more interested in the story of the bus, as told on Confidential, which is a whole other kind of geekery. (There were actually three, plus an EFE model, and none of them came from anywhere near London, although they did go to the bother of getting proper London Transport moquette for the seats. Not sure Boris is going to be too impressed with the notion that 30 year old Bristol VRs are still running down Oxford Street, either).

Haven't actually seen the Robin Hood, but judging by the trailers it was all excommunication and heresy and witch-hunting. About a century too early for the heresy and two for the witch-hunting. Maybe I'll catch up on iPlayer and see if they got anything vaguely right (which would be a first).

[daibhid-c.livejournal.com]

Another bit about the bus: the original script didn't say anything about it being damaged. That happened when someone dropped a crate on it while it was being shipped to Dubai.

The Robin Hood story was that an elderly and respected abbot was being blackmailed by the Sherriff to say that the outlaws had stolen from the church and were, yes, devil-worshiping heretics. It turned out the blackmail material was that the abbot had spent twenty years writing the Bible in English, which the Pope (and Little John) believed was blasphemous.

(Mind you, it didn't claim Robin worshipped a 13th century ghost who was probably invented by Shakespeare anyway.)

[sloopjonb.livejournal.com]

Two centuries too early, then. Devil-worship wasn't a big deal in the 12thC. It was of course John Wycliffe who first translated the Bible into English (or at least caused it to be translated), in the 1380s, although he wasn't
actually condemned as a heretic until after his death.

Which 13thC ghost is to which you refer?

[daibhid-c.livejournal.com]

Herne the Hunter (actually 14th century, now I check) as seen in Robin of Sherwood.

[sloopjonb.livejournal.com]

Oh, him. Yeah, Robin of Windsor. That was cobblers of a very high order.

[sloopjonb.livejournal.com]

Another viewpoint about the bus:

http://omnibuses.blogspot.com/

It was a bit Harry Potter, now they come to mention it.

"Under cliffs cut out of pearl, you would still find a noticeboard, 'Thou shalt not steal'"

[john_amend_all]

Completely agree wrt Christina; I was hoping she'd end up arrested. I wonder, had the classic series reached the point of introducing Kate, whether and how they'd have addressed the same moral issue.

Perhaps I should rewatch Horror of Fang Rock, and remember the dark days of the Classic Series when greedy aristocratic thieves got just the same treatment as honest lighthouse-keepers.

[scarfman]

Perhaps Christine should have stayed in the TARDIS and met Robin Hood.

The fanfiction story idea yours free of charge.