#BEST FOLLOWERS IN SHERWOOD DUNGEON SERIES#

Yeah, the “hey that looks like Ainley” reaction I had was let down as pretty much nothing of substance happened with the Sheriff. So all of the theories that the Doctor had about Robin Hood being fictional (and he *should know,* right?) are apparently wrong and despite the mountain of evidence Robin Hood really is a cackling loon with perfect teeth. None of this makes any sense and we are given some drivel about how ‘we are all stories’ at the end and Robin Hood says that he and the Doctor are similar. The ‘extra gold’ somehow sends the rocket into orbit… where it explodes, taking the robot army with it. The Doctor, Clara and Robin put aside their differences and literally work together to fire a golden arrow at the craft which could explode rather than fly. But the rocket ship is broken and requires new circuits which he is somehow making using an old foundry and any gold stolen from the populace. Using alien technology, the Sheriff has dreams of taking over the world by firing the alien rocket hidden inside the castle at the seat of England’s royalty. Taken in by the Sheriff, Clara tries to use her feminine wiles to get some info, but she is very bad at it and the Sheriff is a comedy villain so… never mind. This prompts Clara to ask the very question I had in mind about the episode in general, ‘The Doctor and Robin Hood in a dungeon and this is the best you can do?’ Ugh.

Imprisoned in the dungeon, the Doctor devolves into a prattling ninny with Robin as they get into a pissing contest. The Doctor interferes with the challenge using extraordinary archery skills resulting in a squabble with Robin, broken up by an army of robot knights who shoot crucifix lasers from their heads (why? no idea). The story progresses with a challenge in the castle to find the greatest archer (still following the myth of Robin Hood). He goes on to prove, use scientific methods, that these men cannot be the real characters of legend. As the Doctor attempts to explain how the TARDIS could arrive in a fantasy, he even references another Pertwee story, Carnival of Monsters.Īfter dueling with Robin Hood using a spoon and a leather gauntlet (I really do not want to know why the Doctor has a single leather gauntlet on him), the Doctor is introduced to Robin Hood’s Merry Band and is still suspicious. Given that Gatiss is a fan of the Pertwee era, I suspect this was intentional. This story is somewhat influenced by the classic 1973 adventure, the Time Warrior which has a similar but a much more interesting plot.

I am a massive fan of his, but have to admit that his track record for Doctor Who scripts is spotty.

#BEST FOLLOWERS IN SHERWOOD DUNGEON SERIES#

The third story of the eighth series of Doctor Who is a light-hearted comedy from Mark Gatiss, the same fellow who gave us The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot’s Lantern, Victory of the Daleks, Night Terrors, Cold War and The Crimson Horror.

There is some relief in these revelations as Robin Hood is just a story… or is he? Investigating the mystery of this myth made real, the Doctor soon discovers that the evil Sheriff of Nottingham has an army of robot knights and that his castle is a crashed space craft. When they arrive in a sylvan glen, the Time Lord comes face to face with the myth made flesh, the real Robin Hood, and he hates him. The result is a trip to see Robin Hood, whom the Doctor insists is fictional.

The Doctor grants companion Clara Oswald a wish. “The Doctor and Robin Hood in a dungeon and this is the best you can do?”

Best followers in sherwood dungeon