Robin Hood 1x08 "Tattoo? What Tattoo?"

This episode is a major turning point for the show. It calls back to a few things we've seen before, including Robin's nightmare from a few episodes ago, his wound, and the conversation he had with Guy in the first episode when Guy mentioned having seen Robin fight before, all of which was foreshadowing for the big reveal in this episode. The episode is sort of split into two parts. Half of it is focused on Djaq, her capture, and the attempts to free her, and the other half is focused on Guy and Robin. It's a really important episode with some great scenes in it and gives some fascinating insight into Robin's character, including in my opinion, highlighting several of his major character flaws. Let's begin!

Thoughts While Watching:

• We open with a flashback of when Robin and Much were in Acre that's actually part of a dream that Robin's having in the present day. We see him get injured and try to stop someone, who we find out is Guy, from killing the king. The reason we know it's Guy is because Robin slices through a tattoo on the man's arm which he recognizes later on Guy. A tattoo of what exactly? Who knows? Not me. Seriously, what is it?
• Aw, a cute Robin/Much moment!
• Poor Marian. She looks so horrified at Guy publicly announcing their engagement. Nobody in attendance seems all that thrilled about it either.
• The ring is kinda pretty. I'll give him that.
• Nice entrance, Robin. I like a good dramatic entrance.
• HAHAHA Much started eating the food immediately.
• "This way, please, my friends!" I love how polite Allan is in comparison to John.
• Robin's bullshit here puts his whole gang at risk. I have little tolerance for it. It's so unnecessary. 
• His reason for taking the ring from Marian is personal, but would he take a wedding/engagement ring from other rich people? Because I don't think that's right. If an item has sentimental value, it should be left alone. But then again, other than a wedding ring, how would he know for sure which items have sentimental value for someone and which ones don't? They could be lying.
• So Robin and Guy start fighting, Guy's sleeve gets torn, and Robin sees the same tattoo as before with a scar from where he cut him in the Holy Land. He freezes up and can only stare at Guy, the sheriff is coming and the rest of the gang have already left, and the only one who didn't leave Robin behind is Djaq. She stays with him, shouts at him to wake up from his daze, and pushes him toward the door. Robin then runs out ahead of Djaq who gets knocked to the floor. This is important and revealing information, in my opinion, for a few reasons:
• The rest of the gang did not wait around for Robin or do anything to try to make sure that all of them got away. Not even Much, who is usually so hyper-aware of everything Robin related.
• Djaq does notice and care what's going on and refuses to just run out like the others do when Robin is clearly distracted and putting himself at risk. She stays behind so that she can make sure he gets out safely, putting herself at risk.
• Robin pulls this stunt with the ring after the signal has been given, putting his whole gang at risk, and then continues fighting with Guy, putting himself at risk. When Djaq breaks him out of his daze, he runs out ahead of her without noticing or caring that she's  been attacked and isn't following behind him. 
• The only reason why Djaq is captured is because of Robin and the absolute nonsense he's pulling here and the fact that she's the only one who cared enough to make sure he made it out. Her capture is no reflection on her abilities, which I think is an important distinction to make. It's entirely Robin's fault, which I think is also an important thing to note considering how he abandons her later. She's only caught because she refuses to abandon him, but he's willing to abandon her.
• All of these are big reasons why I absolutely love Djaq and love her far more than I will ever love Robin. I have major issues with Robin in this episode. He acts like a total ass.
• "Your parties are much more fun than mine." ha I love the sheriff.
• Has Marian even met Djaq yet? 
• Look, I don't like King Richard at all. I really don't. I think both the real, historical King Richard and the fictional King Richard in the show are both douchebags. And I'm guessing I'm not alone in this which is why they had to portray Guy as a racist who was solely responsible for destroying Richard's attempt at making peace with the Muslims in order to get us, the audience, to side wholly with Robin on this. Because honestly, if it weren't for that, how many of us would give a shit? Who really cares what happens to King Richard? Not me. Of all the things I dislike about Guy, this really isn't one of them.
• Why do the gang care so much about Guy's life? Honestly.
• Oh, so now finally they notice that Djaq's missing. Took you guys long enough. Credit to Will for being the one who notices.
• I like how Djaq is just sitting there completely still and refusing to show any fear or reaction at all to them. It's impressive.
• "Glad you brought me here for this." I love when the sheriff's sarcastic. The jailer seemed so pleased with himself too.
• Djaq's not content to wait for the boys to rescue her and immediately begins her own escape plan. I love it!
• Why doesn't she fight the jailer? I mean, I get that there are other guards around and she likely wouldn't make it, but it'd be worth a shot.
• "Djaq is our priority. She's one of us." Yes, Will! Thank you! Tell him!
• I've already had enough of Robin's bullshit this episode. 
• "I'm telling you it was him." is not a trial or evidence, Robin.
• I love that look Guy is giving Robin, very sexual. I'm getting some serious BDSM vibes here.
• "Well, get your story straight." LMAO Allan!
• I love the way Allan pronounces "tattoos."
• Everybody in the gang wants to go rescue Djaq except Robin, the person responsible for her capture in the first place. Fuck him.
• "This is for England." No one gives a shit, Robin.
• Good work, John! Knock that little douche out.
• So what is this acid stuff? Anyone know?
• Poor Djaq. She must have a high pain tolerance though. She hisses in pain and whimpers, but it's nothing compared to the moaning and groaning Guy will do later.
• "Little John said!" Good excuse, Much. I love it.
• Much, don't fall for it! Robin's lying and manipulating you!
• LMAO I love how Robin bolts over to Guy as soon as the ropes are loosened. He doesn't even try to pretend to keep his word. 
• "I will kill you whether you talk or not." Well, geez, Robin...that's not a good way to get someone to tell you what you want to know. Dumbass.
• And here comes one of Robin's worst character traits. He thinks he's better than everyone else. He thinks he's smarter than them and that they are somehow beneath him, probably because he's a noble. Allan will call him on this in season two and Robin replies something like "No, just better than you." But you know what? Allan was 100% right. Let's take a look at this:
• Robin: They are simple men. They have spent years hiding in the forest. They cannot understand politics! (Simple here is a euphemism for stupid. And who has spent years hiding in the forest? Only John. Allan and Will were outlawed the same day Robin was. I don't think he's including Much or Djaq in this statement though since he's talking to Much and Djaq wasn't one of the ones fighting him on the topic of killing Guy.)
• Much: What has happened to you? I have not hidden in the forest and I cannot understand this. (Exactly. Much went to war, same as Robin. He was with the king, same as Robin. He was there that day at Acre when Guy attacked the king, same as Robin. So this isn't a matter of understanding politics at all, this is a matter of a difference of opinion.)
• Robin: That, Much, is because you are also simple. (Oh, HELL NO, you did NOT just say that, Robin. Can I jump through the screen and beat the shit out of him? Please?)
• Omg, my poor baby Much. His face. That sad little face! I wanna punch Robin in the face repeatedly. 
• Telling him you didn't mean that isn't the same as an apology and it's pretty obvious you did, you ignorant little prick. Robin thinks he's better because he was a noble, plain and simple.
• The sheriff is taking Djaq to an alchemy lab to force her to make more of that acid stuff. Hands her a human skull that used to belong to his last alchemist. Oh geez...
• "Good boy, handsome...bit like you. Soft hands." Is he flirting with her? What's happening here?
• "What kind of king deserts his people to fight someone else's war in a foreign land?" Guy's making some really good points here. He really is. And honestly? With all of Robin's anti-war statements he's made, he should realize this.
• "If you are his people then he was right to desert them." What? Really, Robin? Really? Omg...What about all of the other people who are starving to death? Was he right to desert them too? Not all of these taxes are the sheriff and Prince John being ridiculous. A lot of them really are going to fund King Richard's bullshit war effort that you have spoken out against yourself.
• "You are my master, everything concerns me." Aww...poor Much. Robin doesn't deserve him. "I have followed you into battle, I have followed you into the forest, but I will not follow you into torture." Robin then tells him to leave him then, Much tries to deny that Robin really means what he's saying, and Robin screams at him to go. His facial expression here is one of absolute heartbreak. This is making me absolutely despise Robin.
• Sam Troughton is an excellent actor. He's probably one of the best actors on the show.
• I love this fist fight. This show doesn't have a lot of good old fashioned fist fights, usually preferring to have them use archery or sword fighting instead, but this is pretty cool.
• This is interesting. Guy brings up a really good point and Robin doesn't actually deny it, just shifts blame instead:
• Guy: Face it, you're loyal to a weak king.
• Robin: A king with principles.
• Guy: No, he's a pawn and you know it. It's not England's war, it's Rome's.
• Robin: Then why have you made it worse? 
• And here we have the reason the show is giving us to root for Robin instead of Guy:
• Robin: Your attack broke the ceasefire that could've been peace.
• Guy: No, there will always be war. So let's have a king that will fight for our gain, not the Pope's.
• My thoughts: What? What is Guy even saying here? He dressed as a Saracen and said earlier that there will never be peace with the Turk, so it implies that he wants to continue the Crusades. But he also calls out Richard for abandoning England to fight in the Pope's war. He's saying here that he approves of war, in general, but fighting for England's gain, not the Pope's. So...is he for or against the Crusades? What's his end goal? What exactly does he want to see happen? I can't follow this logic. I think the writers were trying too hard to make Guy seem like the bad guy here and they completely dropped the ball on giving him a plausible motivation. He's contradicting himself left and right.
• And here we have another reason portraying Robin as the good guy:
• Robin: Do you know why I went to war? To recover Jerusalem, to recover our Holy Land.
• Guy: How noble. (super sarcastic)
• Robin: No, when I got there I met the Muslims and the Jews and I saw it was their Holy Land too.
• Guy: What are you Locksley, Lord of the Dance? *some punches are thrown*
• Robin: You were right. There will always be war as long as people like you revel in their own ignorant bigotry.
• My thoughts: Alright, I love that quote from Robin. I just don't fully understand it in context. The show is portraying Robin as the tolerant and accepting man who came back from war and realizes it was a mistake and Guy as the ignorant bigot who wants the war to continue but they're also simultaneously portraying Robin as the man who is completely loyal to his warmongering king and Guy as the man who is against the king abandoning his people to go to a foreign land to fight the Pope's war. What?!
• The sheriff goes to see Djaq who claims to be finished making the acid he wanted but it's actually some kind of explosive that creates a lot of smoke that she uses to escape. He told her that her outlaw friends are here so she runs off to find them. This is the second escape plan that she's tried on her own and she would've likely been able to escape this time except she, just like at the beginning of the episode, cares more about making sure her friends are able to get out safely too so she goes to find them. I love Djaq.
• Allan, Will, and John were the only ones who came to rescue her and the three of them have just gotten caught in a trap in the dungeon. Djaq shows up and joins the fight and they manage to knock out or kill all the guards. Then there's a really cute exchange between them that I really like.
• Will: Are you alright?
• Djaq: Are you alright?
• Allan: I thought we came to save you.
• Djaq: Now I'm saving you.
• Allan: *laughs* You're a woman. We're men.
• Djaq: *smirks* Irritating, isn't it? (YES! Go, Djaq!)
• I think it's kind of funny how Djaq questions why Robin didn't come to her rescue, but she doesn't seem to notice or question Much's absence at all. Poor Much, so easily forgotten.
• So the guys don't give her a reason or real explanation for why Robin didn't come, even after she asks if it's because she's a girl. Why wouldn't they say something about how that has nothing to do with it?
• I actually wonder what was going on in her mind during this scene. I don't think it makes a lot of sense to assume the reason why he didn't come is because she's a girl. I get that she's probably afraid that Robin might think she's a liability to the gang because she's a girl or that he might be blaming the fact that she's a girl for why she was captured more easily (which would be totally inaccurate since it was his fault, but I'm saying that I can understand why she would be worried about it), but that still wouldn't make it less likely for him to want to rescue her. It might make it more likely that he wouldn't want her in the gang anymore, but wouldn't the fact that she's a girl make him more likely to want to rescue her? Wouldn't most guys who like to think of themselves as a hero, especially in this setting, view a woman in danger as less capable of getting out on their own, more vulnerable, and like a damsel in distress? Regardless, I think this shows that she's obviously self-conscious about her place in the gang and whether or not they truly view her as an equal because she's a woman.
• They get to the indoor privy and this is one of those examples I mentioned in a previous post that I don't like. Like yeah, sure, it makes sense to use the privy to escape, but was it really necessary to have the sound of flies and all the gagging? I get that it would smell, but it's a little much and it just feels like they're trying to get some cheap laughs.
• Here we have a rare instance of Djaq acting like a girl by asking John to catch her at the bottom. Yeah, I wouldn't want to land in shit either. And the sheriff captures her again before she can escape.
• Oh, here we go again with the Robin's doing everything for glory stuff...bored now.
• And now we're making it all about Marian. Cool. 
• Robin's trying to convince Guy that he still has a chance with Marian, but if he succeeds at convincing him, wouldn't that just put Marian at risk?
• "Well, you didn't seem uncomfortable." REALLY, Robin? Fucking really? Yes, she absolutely did. She seemed majorly uncomfortable. Do you not have eyes?
• Robin is making sense with one thing. There is no justice in the legal system right now. I don't actually have a problem with Robin killing Guy if that's what he thinks is necessary. It's everything else he's doing in this episode that I have a problem with.
• Ugh...I don't find the fact that they smell bad and have shit on them funny, BBC. I just don't.
• "But it was I who fetched her, so you could say that it was all my doing." I love Much.
• I don't buy Robin's excuse here that the reason he's not going to rescue Djaq right away is because the sheriff will be expecting it and they need to wait and think. It's bullshit. He's full of shit this episode.
• Will brings up a great, but horrific, point: "Djaq is not one man. She's a woman. Have you even thought what could happen if the sheriff realizes?" They don't come right out and say it, probably because it's a family show, but we know he's talking about rape. I wonder if this has actually occurred to any of the others prior to Will bringing it up now.
• Poor Marian is so confused lol
• I LOVE this scene and there are some absolutely FANTASTIC facial expressions here:
• Much: If they know we're coming, then we could all die. (Really, Much? You're going to fall for Robin's crap twice in one episode? You were on board with getting Djaq immediately at the beginning of the episode.)
• Allan: True, but it's Djaq.
• Will: *whispers desperately* It's Djaq. (I love the look on his face here, it's so cute!)
• Much: Well, what does that mean? "True, but it's Djaq." It's not even an answer.
• Allan: Look, the thing is...I like her. (YES, MY SHIP!)
• Will: *talking over Allan* I think I love her.
• Robin: *looks majorly confused and a little horrified*
• Much: *gapes in shock*
• John: *looks extremely concerned*
• Marian: *WTF IS GOING ON, I THOUGHT SHE WAS A DUDE TWO SECONDS AGO, holy shit this is so awkward, what goes on in this forest* (her reaction absolutely wins)
• Will and Allan: *look at each other like "wtf did you just say?"*
• Much: *trying desperately to bring order back to this absolute chaos* Well, even then, that is...that is no reason to knowingly walk into a trap. 
• Alright, so, it's a little early on for declarations of love. With Allan, I understand it. He doesn't claim to be in love with her (which is a bit ridiculous of Will, just saying), just that he has feelings for her, which makes total sense. They've had a chance to bond, we've seen them playing around together and flirting already, and Djaq was the one who was there for him at his lowest moment. I totally get it and I ship the hell out of it. But Will? What's his deal? How can he possibly think that he's in love with her already? We haven't even seen any kind of special connection between them yet. Has he been lovestruck since he saw her boobs? That must be a really nice rack under that vest to have that kind of power over him. This scene is hilariously awkward and cute though. It's nice seeing Djaq get the appreciation she deserves.
• Marian steps up to be the hero of the situation: "Robin is right, you need to think. Look, that is your solution. Trade him for her." After she said that Robin was right, you can see this hopeful look in his eyes like 'yes, someone finally gets it' but then she immediately turns it around on him and offers the suggestion he least wanted to hear. It's a great idea though and it ends up working. 
• Oh, thank God someone finally knocked him the hell out. I wish John would keep beating him with the staff. He deserves it.
• I like that Marian was the one who came up with the rescue plan that ended up being successful and went to actually deal with the sheriff to make it happen. The women are saving each other and the men are being useless. Nice work, show!
• "If you are my true friend, you must do this one thing for me." Oh, shut up, Robin. Just shut the fuck up already with your guilt tripping garbage.
• Why does Djaq tell the sheriff that Robin didn't come the first time? Why did he need to know that?
• So...the sheriff yanks Djaq forward and is able to feel her breasts and figures out she's not a "pretty boy" at all. Are they not bound or anything underneath that vest? Do they just like...bounce around when she's running? Sounds painful.
• "Oh, no wonder they want you back in the forest, hmm? All those long, cold nights." The sheriff's being a creep, but this is something I've wondered about. Given how different the time period and culture was back then, do you think this would be a likely rumor among the people? Obviously not at this point in season one, but in season two the fact that Djaq is a woman is common knowledge and she openly presents as female. I wonder how many people gossiped about this and came to the same conclusion that he did. Although, I don't actually think the sheriff really believes what he's saying here. I think he's just taunting her to be an ass. 
• Robin gives Djaq a strange look when the sheriff announces that he knows Djaq is a woman. I wonder if he's thinking back to what Will said in the forest and wondering how the sheriff figured it out and what might've happened to her.
• "Holy Land? Gisborne?" I love his tone here. 
• The sheriff says the episode title as he pours that acid stuff on the tattoo and Guy has a much lower pain tolerance than Djaq does. 
• Aww, Allan and Will both look so happy to have her back!
• "Stop mewling, Gisborne! Maybe in the future you'll think twice before painting your arm like a girl!" Love it!
• Oh, Djaq... Don't go giving Robin credit for giving Guy up for you. He fought everyone tooth and nail on that all episode. He's an asshole.

Final Thoughts:

I absolutely HATED Robin in this episode. He was an ass about everything the whole entire time. The way he treated Much was atrocious, downright abusive even. He made it clear that he views himself as smarter and better than the rest of his gang. It was his fault that Djaq got captured in the first place and he didn't give a damn about going to rescue her until the very last second when it was too late to do anything about it anyway and I almost feel like he just said that at the end so he could take credit for the rescue too. He was an asshole to Marian for accepting a marriage proposal under the threat of being tortured and killed. And he was absolutely obsessed with loyalty to a king who does not deserve it. This was just not a good episode for Robin at all. That being said, I like that the show is portraying Robin as a real, three dimensional person with flaws. A hero without flaws is boring. A protagonist who's always in the right is boring to watch. Being flawed makes him real and this episode was full of Robin's flaws as a leader, a friend, a love interest, and as a hero. He was nothing but a great big flaw all episode. So glad he got whacked with Little John's staff not once, but twice.

Also, remember how I said that I think one of the things that happen that lead to Allan's storyline in season two was in this episode? Let me explain that a little further. I think seeing that Robin was willing to abandon one of his own gang members to possibly be tortured, raped, and hanged because he was too worried about politics and his precious king made a huge impact on Allan's faith and trust in Robin. Last episode Robin's heart was in the right place (eventually, not at first) and he tried, but he still failed. Allan probably still had trust in Robin, but his faith in Robin's abilities to save them was probably shaken. This episode, even his trust in Robin and faith in him to do the right thing as their leader and their friend had to be shaken, if not destroyed. In season two, the catalyst for Allan turning traitor was being captured, tortured, and not rescued. Guy even tells him that Robin was in the castle but didn't bother rescuing him. Of course, Robin didn't know that Allan was captured and once Allan agreed to be a spy in order to free himself, this probably became apparent to him too. But while he was in there? He had to be thinking about this incident. I know I would be. I would be wondering what the point was in being loyal to a man that shows no loyalty in return. Logically, once Allan realizes that they didn't know, the best thing to do would be to tell them about the arrangement that Guy made him agree to in order escape the dungeon. But emotionally, if Guy was able to stir up these dormant feelings of resentment toward Robin, I can kind of understand why Allan reacted the way he did. I'm not making excuses for him or saying that he did the right thing because he didn't, but I'm saying I understand why he had built up enough resentment toward Robin that he was willing to betray him.