Click HERE to download the script for S03E04!
This is the fourth episode in our Series 3 rewrite, based on the fifth episode called "Let The Games Commence." We have retitled it "Thicker Than Water," to reflect what became a near-total overhaul of the plotting and character arcs. Read more below:
Lindsey and I affectionately call this episode "The Lion Episode." If you have seen it, you know why (and if you haven't, I thank you for visiting what must seem like an extremely niche and unnecessary project blog - because, of course, it is). The entire episode building up to Guy unleashing the saddest, most emaciated, jowly old lion onto the Gang is possibly the single most ridiculous stunt the show ever pulled, and not only makes Guy look stupider than usual, but also doesn't jive with the new, high-production-value, slightly less tongue-in-cheek vibe of Series 3. It always felt like a Series 1 stunt, but obviously all of the Series 1 budget went to endless duplicates of cargo pants and pleather trousers, and possibly also Marian's single acceptable red dress.
So, the lion had to go. We have also done away with the subplot of Little John befriending the orphan children and Bertha. So, what is left? The answer, of course, is Isabella.
Isabella, to us and to many fans, is a very painful sore spot, and one of the most annoying and frankly insulting character arcs I've ever encountered. I've previously mentioned that we are discarding her villain arc and romance with Robin – and thankfully, mostly due to Lara Pulver, there is still a complex and engaging character beneath the misogynistic, lazy writing. A survivor of abuse who has escaped her captor, but also a Gisborne through and through, ready to work the angles when the opportunity presents itself in following episodes.
Guy's new arc is also something very precious to me and Lindsey personally. We were not only disappointed when the series continued to handle his redemption badly (or not at all), but also are aware that Richard Armitage felt very negatively about how the character was written following Marian's death – without dignity, or growth, or kindness. Our rewritten arc is our offering to what could have been – a man in a position of power who has done selfish, damaging things, who begins to take responsibility for his actions and understand the role he plays in a system of injustice – and who will eventually make the selfless choice to help tear it down.
In terms of Guy and Isabella's relationship, we have scratched out – with extreme prejudice – the plotline in which Guy sold his own sister to her abuser as a teenager. This was yet another nail in the coffin of any potential redemption for Guy – a character they still wanted us to feel bad for and want to be redeemed! It seems Mssrs. Allan and Minghella leaned quite heavily on Richard Armitage's greasy-haired sex appeal to sway viewers to his side, and…it worked. Of course it worked. Because we are here writing him to be a good guy because we feel bad for him. Well...shit. Regardless. It feels good to write something genuine and plausible as a love letter to Richard's passion for this show, and this character, and – in a way – for Marian, whom he loved.
Robin is also struggling here, not with feelings of attraction for Gizzy's long-lost sister in a horrible yellow velour renfaire gown (if i may shill my own redesign here...), but with feelings of purposelessness and impotence. What is the point of their work if it cannot sustain itself past Robin's own lifespan? What good is a hero, or a legend? Or a leader, for that matter, if he is the lynchpin without which everything falls apart? What does real, revolutionary change look like? How can he build it from a place of selflessness, rather than personal redemption?
Finally, I realized it's been six years since Lindsey and I embarked on this ridiculous project (four since I released the last script…whoops). I also realize that, even if the first episode script has 759???????????????????????? downloads, the audience for this is extremely small. And I'm honestly okay with that. This has become a project where I, Abigail, can learn and flex my writing skills in a very safe sandbox, and have a bit of relaxing and satisfying creative time tinkering with something I know can be done better. I thank everyone who's stuck with us so far, and I will make no promises – but I do hope to keep going with this as long as I can, or until the series reaches its end, even if it takes years. I enjoy coming back to Rewriting Robin Hood. And while it's probably high time I stepped out of this comfort zone and worked on some original things, I love having it on the backburner. I've grown a lot as a writer even between the scripts I've released, and I hope you've all enjoyed reading them and stepping into this idyllic little fantasy world where the show………was actually good?
This Has Been An Ambush...
Love,
Abigail
