Robin Hood 1x05 "Turk Flu"

It's Djaq's first episode!!! Yay! I've been looking forward to this! Djaq is my absolute favorite character in the show. I don't think this needs much of a lengthy introduction and I'm really eager to get started and see Djaq, so let's just get right into it!

Thoughts While Watching:

• The episode opens with some kind of catastrophe at the Treeton Mine, people are dead, and Guy shows up to terrorize the villagers. This annoying kid Rowan is talking to his father and tells him to stand up to the sheriff. Every time a character on this show tells their father to stand up to the sheriff, the father dies. Every. Time. It happens to Rowan's dad, it happens to Will's dad, and it happens to Marian's dad. 
• Rowan's dad tells Guy that the miners are going on strike, Guy informs the sheriff of this who then taunts him that he shouldn't be giving them choices, and Guy kills him. That's "good man" Guy of Gisborne for you.
• The sheriff fires everyone, claiming he doesn't need them because he has new workers on the way. Guy (on his own accord, not the sheriff's) says that Rowan's family will have to pay for his grave themselves, they cannot work or be fed until he sees fit, and anyone who gives them assistance will hang. Guy is a douche. He's a douche. He's a complete and total asshole.
• Robin and Much are so cute. Their friendship is often toxic, but it has its absolutely adorable moments and this is one of them.
• The legendary archery competition is this episode!
• Robin really likes shooting food at people. Two episodes in a row of him being extra and doing this.
• THIS SCENE. I hate it. I mentioned this in the review for episode three. Guy is talking to the Nightwatchman and says, "Where is your leader? Where is Robin Hood?" WHY would Guy think that Robin is the Nightwatchman's leader when the Nightwatchman has been active in Nottingham for years before Robin returned from the Crusades? This really irks me. There is NO REASON for him to assume this. Sexism on the writer's part, perhaps? Or is Guy just an idiot that's way too obsessed with Robin?
• I've always been impressed with Marian being able to remain completely silent when he cuts her. Then she punches him and he groans in pain. Good job, Marian!
• Oh, it's the cart that has Djaq in it!
• "Pretty. Not very appetizing." I love you, Much.
• Is that Djaq groaning to get their attention? I think it is. It sounds like her. I'm pretty sure she makes noise so they'll know they're in there, assuming that worst case scenario nothing happens and she remains a slave, but it could lead to a chance for her to escape.
• IT'S DJAQ!
• And now the gang knows that the sheriff is buying slaves and having them imported from the Holy Land for his mine.
• Guy is hilariously awkward in this scene. I love it.
• No, Guy. She's not ashamed of her hair. She just doesn't like you. Take a hint.
• Shut up, Edward!
• In this scene Guy says he confronted either a lackey of Robin's or a disguised villager. So wait, does he know that was the Nightwatchman? I forget. I thought he said so later on. Maybe I've been mad about that scene for no reason lol
• Oh, Edward. Shut up, please. Marian deserves a medal for putting up with his crusty, coward ass.
• "We don't do throat slitting. It's too messy." I love that line.
• This slave trader's laugh is too much for me.
• THE ROBIN/WILL KISS! The slash writes itself.
• I love that smile John gives the slave trader right before he knocks him out. And that proud smile he gives the gang right after. So adorable!
• The sheriff makes his first women are lepers comment. Does he know about Guy's father?
• Who describes someone as "jolly?" Cringe worthy.
• "I could go to war too. I could go to war against poverty." I like that line.
• I love how Djaq was just waiting for Much to get that close enough for her to grab it.
• Now they know Djaq speaks English. I wish the show would have addressed how she learned it in the first place. I know Bassam knows English too, so likely from him, but why did he learn it? I think this is one of those things that sort of goes against history a bit. Even as the sultan's messenger, the only English people he would have likely been writing or receiving messages from would be higher ups, like King Richard, who historically spoke French. But of course in the show he speaks English. So maybe that's why? Did he know all the various languages that the crusaders spoke? Does she know all of them? We know that she knows Arabic, Latin, and English, so is it likely that she knows others too? These are the things I think about...and then write fanfiction which addresses them.
• God, this scene between Rowan and his mother is SO AWKWARD. Why doesn't she speak? Is she one of the ones who lost her tongue?
• Geez, Much. Djaq is 100% right. Opening the cage is simple, effective, and far more clever than your plan. If they know she speaks English, they should have told her their plan with the mine right off the bat instead of leaving her to wonder what they were going to do with them.
• "Why would I pretend to be Christian? You kill my people in the name of Christianity!" YES. You tell him, Djaq! I love how intense she gets.
• I highly doubt the sheriff would give a damn about any of these slaves converting to Christianity. He'd care about as much as he did with the novel novice novices turning to the church in episode one. Not one bit. If he can publicly get away with it, he will. Much should know better by now.
• "And we can go home and eat." Priorities, Much! Get some!
• I love how Djaq immediately turns it around on him. Yeah, Much. If it's so easy, you do it. Her face when he says he doesn't believe! She's just looking at him like she has no idea what to make of this strange man.
• Allan! Oh, my God. I love this scene. Allan pulling his little jump scare on Much, who is obviously paranoid about being struck down, and Djaq's amused little smile. Djaq and Allan are already teaming up to jokingly torment Much before they've even properly been introduced.
• I like that the sheriff has the guards marching around for entertainment lol
• I love how Djaq is ready to jump at any possible opportunity to escape. She's certainly resourceful. 
• HAHAHA! "Punishment from God! It's all my fault! Oh, I'm sorry, Lord! I do believe! I do!" OMG Much....lmao so hard at that. And Allan just groaning in the background, "Much, will you shut up?" I love them both so much.
• Robin, how dare you yell at her! If you didn't want her to keep trying to escape, you should have explained your plan. You already knew she understands English, so there's no excuse. 
• At least he's explaining now and gives them a choice of whether or not they want to participate in the plan. BUT he makes it clear that he's only willing to help them get back to the port IF they're willing to go along with the plan, which let's face it, is a risk to their lives. Like I get that if they don't go along with the plan then they won't get the sheriff's money from buying them to afford safe passage, but he could still find another way to help them beyond just "help me or wander off into the forest alone when you have no clue where you are and visibly stick out." I don't know...he kinda annoys me here. I know that he was trying to find a way to help them and the miners and hurt the sheriff and Guy all at the same time, so he was trying to do the most good for the most people possible, but he was absolutely using them and putting them at risk too.
• I love Djaq. She's quick to take any opportunity possible and threatens him, but her trust for him is clearly growing.
• Okay, so I LOVE this scene, but I have questions. WHY does she turn around immediately when she hears someone approaching instead of putting a shirt on first? She doesn't even cover her breasts immediately. She spins around and gives him a full view of her naked breasts for a few seconds before she even thinks to cover them. How did she ever manage to hide the fact that she's a woman this long?
• Actually, you know what, that's a real question. How did she do it? I've been writing a fic where I'm actually trying to address that but I kinda wish we had a canon answer. Let's think about this for a minute, shall we? We're never given a detailed explanation of how she got to England, but at least part of the journey had to be by ship. Whether trapped in a ship or trapped in a cart or both, she was definitely trapped and surrounded by men in tight quarters for a very long time. The trip from the Holy Land to England would have taken over a month. How did she go to the bathroom and hide the fact that she's a woman? What about getting her period? How did she hide that? I WANT ANSWERS. Did the other slaves figure out that she was a woman? And none of them had a problem with that? None of them tried to do anything to her? The slavers never figured it out? I hate to bring this up, but realistically, somebody would have likely figured it out and she would have very likely been raped at some point in this journey by someone. Unless the other slaves knew, didn't care that she was a woman, and sort of worked together to keep it hidden from the slavers to protect her. That's probably the most probable scenario that we're going to get here. I mean, none of them seem to question why she went off alone to wash, so maybe they did know. 
• Anyways, omg Will's face! The stuttering! The branch to the face! I love it! This scene is so hysterical. Will is so awkward.
• Djaq is absolutely fuming at the sheriff. The hatred and disgust is just coming off of her in waves. I don't know what she thinks spitting would accomplish though unless she was trying extra hard to act the way she thinks a man would in that scenario.
• Allan's usually not a good liar, but he pulls off this act really well. Except for the obviously fake cough.
• If you're going to order everyone to remove their sleeves, shouldn't somebody be going around to check their arms? Otherwise, what's the point?
• That was some quick thinking with the blood will poison the air excuse. Good job, Allan! 
• "You'll be fine as long as you don't swallow it. I said don't swallow it! You'll be fine." lmao You said not to swallow it too late.
• I'm with Little John here. Go? Why? You know he's going to continue slave trading. Kill the fucker. Screw your archery competition and your short-lived policy against killing.
• I like how she's not awkward about going to help Will even though he knows her secret. And the primitive insult lol
• Omg Rowan...shut up, already. You annoying little whiner.
• Djaq really is the smartest person on this show. But WHY doesn't she say anything when she hears Rowan plotting murder?   
• This apple peel scene reminds me of a scene on Charmed (if you've seen it, I'm talking about the Phoebe/Cole scene in the season three Halloween episode). But most letters can't be formed with an apple peel. Like my husband's name starts with an E. How the hell is an apple peel ever going to do that?
• There Marian goes impressing me with her high pain tolerance again. And her quick thinking to do that.
• OMG I love this scene when the sheriff is trying to figure out what the slaver is saying. It reminds me of Lassie. And then his face when he finally gets it! HAHAHA
• Witchcraft, Allan? Really?
• Omg and now Much is making a deal with God lol
• It's pretty cute how Djaq calls John "big man" when she's trying to wake him up.
• Has anyone else noticed how her accent seems to get less severe over time? It's not as strong in season two. Of course, she also sounds more feminine in season two too.
• "Where were your guards, on a refreshment break?!" hahaha, I love it! The sheriff has some of the best lines.
• I like this fight scene with Robin knocking the guards around and fighting them off. And taunting the sheriff.
• One of my favorite lines: "Never forget the outlaws!" Iconic.
• I don't like the way Djaq says that line about Rowan going to kill Guy's woman. Does she even care?
• I love Guy's face when he realizes he's been bested yet again by Robin. He looks so tired of his life.
• Rowan is such a scumbag. So annoying and whiny. I find it really difficult to sympathize with him.
• Marian is really brave in this scene, but why doesn't she tell him that she's not Guy's lover?
• So, how many times are you guys gonna get outsmarted by Robin in one episode? I love Guy's look of absolute exasperation here again.
• Poor Allan. He sounds like he's really having a rough time with this plant. Does anyone know what it was?
• Love Much's logic here and how smug he is about it.
• And here comes Djaq again! Trolling Much hard once again.
• Okay, so, the first time I ever saw this scene with Djaq asking to join for good, I was PISSED. Especially her line about "Maybe I should have let your big friend here die, huh? Then there would have been a vacancy." The pain of losing Roy was way too fresh for me to deal with that line. I remember yelling at my tv screen that there already was a "vacancy" because someone already did die and how dare they replace Roy so soon. You can't just replace Roy. Obviously, I got over it because Djaq is my absolute favorite, but that line still bothers me. Not her fault of course, she didn't know there was a vacancy in the gang because someone already did die. So the line still upsets me but I'm not upset with her over it and I'm not upset at the show itself either for not waiting to put in a new gang member because honestly, the more episodes with Djaq, the better. Too bad she never got a chance to meet Roy though.
• And now we have Will revealing the big secret that Djaq's a woman. Robin doesn't seem shocked at all (unlike John who looks like his whole world has just been turned upside down) and immediately has that smirk on his face, so I do actually kind of believe his line that he guessed as much or at least that the thought had occurred to him before the big reveal. Which again brings me to HOW did she manage to hide it for so long? If people she just met could guess within a day of meeting her, the men she likely spent months with would have probably figured it out.
• So, do they ever learn how Will figured out she was a woman? I wonder what they thought of that. I bet Allan would be pretty jealous that Will got to see her half naked on day one.
• Robin is very obviously checking her out here. She looks a little scared actually.
• Omg...this part:
• Robin: Anyone have a problem with a woman joining the gang?
• Will: *vigorously shakes head no because he's developed an instant crush*
• Much: *shakes head no, but has a little eyebrow raise going on*
• John: *obviously wants to say something, but doesn't*
• Allan: *loudly gags* LMAO
• I wonder what John was going to say because it seems like he was going to object.
• How did she know Much was going to ask if she could cook? I wonder if she actually is bad at cooking or if she just didn't want to be given the task of cooking because she's a woman.
• Aww, she looks so cute and awkward! And Will looks so pleased. 
• Lmao at Much trying to figure out if he can eat or not. The thunder! Spitting out his food without a word! I love it. 

Final Thoughts:

I seriously LOVE this episode and it's one of my most rewatched because it's Djaq's introduction to the show. It has some really great scenes in it, especially every single time Much opens his mouth in the entire episode and Djaq hitting Will in the face with the branch. Djaq is seriously the best and the only downfall to her character is that there wasn't enough of her. I wanted to know more details about her past. I want to know how she managed to hide being a woman or how many of the others knew her secret. I want to know how she knows English and what reason she had for learning it. I wish they would've spent more time on that kind of stuff. One of my biggest complaints about this show is that they spent way too much time on the Robin/Marian/Guy love triangle drama (which I just honestly could not possibly care any less about) and not nearly enough time on the characters in the gang, who are all my favorites. My top three favorites are definitely Djaq, Much, and Allan, but Will isn't far behind them. But anyway, this version of the gang is my favorite. I love Roy and I miss him, but when I think of this show and I think of "the gang," I will always think of Robin, Much, Will, Allan, John, and Djaq. I loved Allan's storyline in season two, but the gang felt like it had a hole in it after he got kicked out. And don't even get me started on season three... These six characters will always be my gang. I love the relationship between the six of them. They felt like a family. I love them.

By the way, I've decided to give Guy the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn't realize it was the Nightwatchman since she was out during the day this time.