Robin Hood 2x07 "Show Me the Money"

This episode is a fun one! We get some Allan/Djaq moments (in a roundabout way), a ridiculous love story plot, the death of a character I hated, and by the end of the episode, we'll have a new gang member. Let's begin!

Thoughts While Watching:

• LMAO SO HARD! Robin tells John to break in "quietly" so he YELLS out a really loud growl and runs full force into the door to knock it over. Oh my God, John...
• Robin frames the Pact storyline as, "It's proof of treason. We show that to the king and the sheriff's history." So that's why we're supposed to care. They must've realized that none of us give a damn about the king so they had to present it as the only way to get rid of the sheriff without getting the whole town killed, but I don't buy that it's the only way.
• I feel bad for that guy they caught in the trap. The gang actually seems kind of terrifying there for a minute. The way they're all ganging up on one lone man, taunting him and making fun of him, continuing to attack him and grab onto him, it reminds me of hyena possession on Buffy. And the poor guy lost his horse! They really can be bullies sometimes, both to Much and to the random people they come across (although Much joined right in on the bullying as soon as he wasn't the target).
• I do love how Djaq taunts him, he yells at her, and she makes this face like, "try me, bitch."
• I get that Robin is the leader, but I think before making an agreement like that to pay 2,000 pounds, there really should've been a gang discussion since they all risked their lives to get that money. I mean, I get that he thought the guy was lying and he'd never have to pay it, but still.
• Also, what would they had done if Robin hadn't made the agreement and the guy only had ten shillings? Would they still take one tenth if all a person had on them was ten shillings, even if that person did appear to be wealthy? They could be wrong about how much wealth a person actually has. I keep thinking back to Dan and Luke. They actually were poor and the only reason they weren't stolen from was because they were recognized. If someone else in their situation that the gang didn't already know had been caught, would they have stolen from them? How do they know they're not stealing from the poor?
• Oh, Allan...you're being an asshole. What if you spilling that secret causes one of your friends to get trapped and killed? How will you feel then? I love you, but please stop.
• "Upgrade this young man to leather." Oh, Vaisey...I love you.
• Marian is not fucking around. It's interesting that Allan says he's fighting for his life. That actually might be true, considering how the job interview process went. If he doesn't give them enough information, they might kill him. So then the question remains, whyyyy did he go to work for them in the first place? Like, yeah, I get it. He's homeless, penniless, friendless, bitter, I get it. Guy seemed like a logical choice and maybe alone he would be, but the sheriff is a nutcase. But why go somewhere where your life is going to be in even more danger than before? Go back to pick-pocketing for your own benefit or move somewhere new and get an honest job and work the pick-pocketing and gambling schemes on the side. 
• What did Guy think he just walked in on? It almost kind of looked like they were about to kiss, from an outsider's perspective who wouldn't have seen the dagger she just had pointed at his throat.
• The gang's hats are so ridiculous but I love it!
• Can they do that? Just sell her like that? I don't know enough about medieval law.
• Seriously, Allan? Okay, now I'm pissed. There was no reason for him to say that. Forget loyalty to the gang for a minute, he just heard them talk about selling a girl into a marriage. Maybe don't help them with that, you fucking prick.
• Oh, so the birdcage was Allan's idea? What a dumbass. I'm surprised they don't hang him when it fails. If even Guy can recognize when something is stupid as shit, you know that's a dumb idea.
• OMG LMAO That crazy knight and his arrow! How did he manage to become a knight with so little skill?
• Allan...think before you speak, you dumbass. Thinking immediately after the words have left your mouth and trying to backtrack is too late. What he should have done, because he clearly doesn't want to reveal the camp, is to tell them upfront that they change campsites every week and never reveal that they have a permanent camp. Lie and pretend you're still in season one, Allan. Damn it. Now his life really is in danger if he doesn't take them to the camp, so he's "stuck," but he didn't need to be if he would just think for once before doing something stupid.
• I hate Edward, but if that were my child putting their life at risk, I wouldn't support it either. 
• YASSS MARIAN, YOU TELL HIM! She should've been ashamed of him the whole time, especially in 1x12 and 1x13.
• How long has Beatrice been kept in the castle? How did we never notice someone being kept captive in there before?
• "And I swear to you, that if you don't tell us, God won't be your friend, he'll be your next door neighbor." Great line. Also, "You made a promise before God not to hurt me!" and Robin goes, "He did." *punches so hard he knocks him down the stairs and makes crazy eyes* "I didn't."
• Would Allan have actually taken them to the camp or just somewhere random and claimed that it was there and they'd moved on?
• LMAO I love Marian being let down from the trap and punching Robin for taunting her and the whole gang goes "oooo!"
• Aww, oh my God, poor Djaq. Marian says that Allan is out of control (more like being threatened, but okay, let's just have no sympathy for him at all then I guess) and is leading them to the camp (which I'm still not sure that he actually was) and Djaq, of course, is the one who speaks up and sounds heartbroken, betrayed, and confused when she asks, "Allan?"
• Maybe you should've just given him another chance, Robin. Then you wouldn't be in this mess.
• The no-killing policy from season one is dead and gone, just like all those guards.
• Aww, Allan saves Guy. So cute that they sort of have a weird friendship forming. It only gets weirder as it goes on.
• My ship! Robin immediately jumps to the conclusion that Allan will betray Marian and Djaq says that he wouldn't do that. I agree. I don't even think he actually planned to take them to the real camp. Will argues that Allan would do that and the rest of them seem to agree with him. The only one who still believes in Allan or sticks up for him is Djaq. 
• Okay, this little exchange is interesting so I want to focus on it for a minute. I've seen different interpretations of this line from Robin and I know which one I think it is, but I can definitely see how it's ambiguous. 
• Robin: I'm gonna find Allan. (heavily implied that he might kill him) *Djaq immediately looks up at him with deep concern and worry all over her face* 
• Djaq: Robin, don't. (this sounds like a desperate plea in the tone Anjali Jay used)
• Robin: *reaches out to hold her tenderly behind her neck* Djaq... *her breath kind of hitches like she's about to cry* I know you liked him, but he has to be stopped for all our sakes.
• So a few things I want to point out there. 
• Djaq is the only one still defending Allan. She's the only one who seems to care whether he lives or dies. She's the only one who still recognizes that he's a good man who has just made some bad mistakes. 
• Robin tells her, "I know you liked him." What did he mean by that? That whole interaction just screams not-as-a-friend. I think Djaq had feelings for Allan, she's pretty much made it obvious, in my opinion, although some fans disagree with me, and Robin knew it. He certainly knew Allan confessed to liking Djaq in "Tattoo? What Tattoo?" so he may have took their flirting as a sign that Allan was making his move and her constant defense of him and still obviously caring for him as evidence that she returned those feelings. I just definitely think that first of all, Djaq absolutely, definitely had feelings for Allan and secondly, I'm pretty damn sure that at least Robin (not sure about anyone else) knew about it and that's what he meant here. Which honestly makes the fact that he is about to try to kill him anyway even worse. 
• Djaq at least tries to convince him not to kill Allan when she didn't even try to convince him not to kill Will in 2x04 (and won't give a damn about Will getting caught in 2x09), even though she's unsuccessful and gives up quickly. I wonder whether she honestly thought that he would actually be able to go through with it. Maybe she hoped her plea would sink in or maybe she's starting to wonder if he might be right and her feelings could be clouding her judgment. Either way, she doesn't push the issue. 
• Allan tells Robin, "I would never take him to the camp. I wouldn't! I love you, Robin, all of you." And I 100% believe him. I always believed in you, Allan. I knew you weren't going to actually take him to the real camp. And I do believe that he still loves all of them. Robin should've just given him another chance, damn it.
• This fight is so sad. Allan's not even attacking him, just desperately trying to defend himself without hurting Robin. If Robin had been a better friend and a better leader, this shit wouldn't be happening.
• Okay, Allan...I love you, but it sounds a little silly when you claim you'd never betray him when that's literally what you've been doing all season. 
• Allan says, "I'm not a Judas." and Robin replies, "And I'm no Jesus." which is basically just spelling it out for us that that's the metaphor or symbolism or whatever (And I'm no English teacher) that they've been going for all season, with the bag of silver in 2x01 and the line about betraying him for a few silver coins in 2x05.
• Okay, I just gotta say, I love Robin, but I like him less and less as the show goes on. He started out this great guy with his anti-war statements and his peace loving no-killing policy and whatnot...and now he's this. This beast. He's willing to kill Will in 2x04, he ignores that Allan said he was tortured in 2x05, he's willing to hypocritically and foolishly kill the sheriff in 2x06, he's trying to kill someone who was one of his best friends until very recently in 2x07, he's killing all kinds of people now like a shit ton of guards for basically no reason, he's kissing King Richard's ass nonstop...what happened to the character I initially fell in love with? Where did he go? Sometimes his no-killing policy frustrated me in season one because there were definitely characters that I think he should have killed and who deserved to die (like the slave trader, for example, because that dude definitely went on to live another day and deal in more slave trading), but he refused to kill them, and now he's willing to kill everybody over everything. He went way too far in the opposite direction. He's barely even a hero anymore at this point, in my eyes anyway. Like sure, he feeds the poor, he sometimes saves people when they're about to be executed, he's not as bad as Guy and the sheriff, I'll give him that...but he's not a hero. I wouldn't call any of this shit heroic.
• Where are they? Kitchen? Dungeon? 
• Marian shows up to actually be a hero, thank God. I wonder if Robin would've actually killed him or not had she not stepped in. I don't necessarily think he was sure of what he was going to do when he went there, even though he made it seem like he was sure he was going to kill Allan, I don't think he really knew. But I think at some point during the fight he went into total enrage mode and would've done it.
• Edward decided to finally grow a pair because Marian told him everything was his fault, he's a coward, and she's ashamed of him. Hmm...just like Will told Dan. And this will end exactly the same way. 
• Aww, I'm not gonna lie, that was really cute. I've always had my issues with Edward because I think he's a bad father, but seeing this old man taking a huge risk to make his daughter proud and holding up the Pact all proud of himself and saying, "I heard England needed saving!" is really fucking cute. They just had to go and make him do something adorable right before he dies. 
• Aww and Robin calls him a new member of the gang! That's sweet too, although I'm glad he doesn't actually make it that far because I would've hated him again immediately if he'd actually lived at the camp and tried to be a member of the gang.
• Edward tried too hard. Two actions of heroism in one day was just too much. Stealing the Pact and being successful at it was mostly pure luck, but going after that purple dude was too big a risk. I'm proud of him though for finally doing something, he just did too much.
• I actually really feel for him here, which is odd since I've never cared for him. 
• Wait, did Djaq really think she'd be able to save him? Did Robin really think she's that much of a miracle worker? He's got a knife sticking out of his heart! What happened to never lie to a dying man?
• Lucy Griffiths does a phenomenal job here. Absolutely fantastic. I love how Marian tries to deny that her father was working with Robin, probably in an attempt to cover her own ass so it would seem like she didn't know since it's obvious that he was, and actually thinks to do that in her state. I also love how she shoves Guy away but goes to Robin for comfort after, proving who she really cares about and wants near her in her time of grief when she's too upset to put on an act. I mean, I always thought it was obvious who she cared about, but some shippers seem confused.
• Guy knows that Edward was helping Robin, the sheriff knows that he was helping Robin, and yet somehow Marian will end up back at the castle again later this season. Interesting though that despite knowing full well that Edward died helping Robin and escaped the dungeon, Guy is still trying to protect Marian. He even knows that it was her dagger that killed the jailer (although it genuinely wasn't her and she had no idea). Can he really still not realize the truth? Can he really still be in denial that she's working with Robin? Even after all this evidence keeps piling up? He's either the biggest dumbass in the world or he's so in love that he is intentionally refusing to see what's right in front of his face.
• So...no one saw them climb down the side of the castle? No one saw the rope hanging out of her window connected to one of Robin's arrows on the ground? Okay, sure.
• This is the second time we've ended an episode on a cheesy wedding in the forest...

Final Thoughts:

This episode isn't the game changer that I originally thought it was going to be when I first watched it. Marian leaves the castle to go live in the forest now that her father died. When I first saw it, I believed this was a new permanent shift in the show. It's not. It's depressingly short lived. I'm not sure what crack the writers were smoking, but I can think of about a million ways to improve the show that would have allowed it to last a lot longer. First of all, Marian should have stayed in the gang for at least the rest of the season. Second of all, throw the season two finale in the garbage and completely redo season three. They could still have her eventually go back to the castle and go back to the Guy/Marian storyline later, but she needed more time in the gang than she'll get. Although, and this is fascinating, her time in the gang is going to give us a little preview of what domestic Robin/Marian is like and it's heinous. If she did stay in the gang longer, they probably wouldn't make it. 

The main reason why I liked this episode (surprise, surprise) is all the evidence we get that Djaq loves Allan. I truly believe she did. I absolutely love how she never gives up on him, never stops believing in him, never stops defending him, and clearly wants him back. My poor ship...Robin, stop blowing holes in my ship!