#djaq

As many problems as I have with the BBC Robin Hood, one thing I'll always be thankful for about my time in this fandom is what it taught me about how writers' misogyny can hurt all the characters, not just the women. What is unique about this show is that it starts off so well in this regard and gets progressively worse as it approached the end.

Season One introduces us to only two female main characters, but what characters they are! Lucy Griffiths' Marian of Knighton is a total badass and a nuanced, beli!evable woman: a rare combination even today. Anjali Jay plays Djaq, a Saracen woman passing as a man whose knowledge and medical skill continues to be valued after Robin and his gang learn she is a woman. Marian and Djaq are problem-solvers, not passive love interests in need of rescue. Marian is helping people in her community while Robin is off slaughtering Saracens in King Richard's name. I would have happily watched a show called The Nightwatchman set during that time and ending upon Robin's return (and probably enjoyed it more than the show we got!) But instead of recognizing the appeal of smart, strong women for female fans and leaning into it, showrunners Foz Allan and Dominic Minghella chose to downplay and even undermine these characteristics, supposedly to benefit the male characters.

Over the course of Season Two, Marian becomes more and more defined by her relationships with Robin and Guy; her primary form of agency is her influence over the latter. When she does try to act on her own, the narrative frames it as evidence of her heedlessness, and she is disciplined either indirectly by the outcome of her choices or directly by Robin. The final consequence of her taking matters into her own hands (instead of waiting for Robin like she SHOULD have done) is her death. Djaq fares a little better. She is more consistently written than any other woman on the show, but I find myself struggling to remember any scenes or exchanges with other characters in Season Two that stand out as brightly as in Season One. Once she and Will Scarlet become an established couple, she starts to fade into the background. Although she continues to treat ailments, she takes on the role of peace-keeper within the gang, a more traditionally feminine one than that of a learned doctor. The episode in which Marian dies is also her final episode, as though she could read the writing on the wall and wanted no part of what was to come in Season 3. I don't think anyone can blame her!

The showrunners appeared to think they could do more interesting things with Robin and Guy's rivalry without Marian at the center of it. One of the few things a majority of BBC RH fans can agree on is that they did not. It becomes clear very quickly that it is the men's relationships with Marian that make them interesting, not the other way around. Take away Robin's frustration and petty jealousy regarding Marian, and he's just a cookie cutter hero with a savior complex and a thirst for revenge. Take away the tension between Guy's desire for Marian and his obedience to the sheriff, and he's just a one-dimensional greedy, ambitious villain, now with crippling guilt and depression! Their grief over Marian does not make them more sympathetic towards women who are still alive; if anything they treat them worse for not being her! Isabella Thornton and Kate are two of the most criticized characters in Season Three, largely because they're given the narrative prominence of Marian without any of her nuance. Isabella goes from victim to villain so fast it will give you whiplash. Kate is the object of attraction to one man in Robin's gang after another while only being interested in him. Robin's dalliances with these two women only serve to confirm how strong his commitment to Marian is. Marian, Marian, Marian!

anyone ever heard of a show called bbc's robin hood?

Ranking the BBC Robin Hood gang (based on these polls):

Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC, 2026) Relationship: Allan/Djaq/Will Rating: Gen WC: 2.4k

Summary: Will and Djaq have settled into their new life, far away from Nottingham and Sherwood Forest, when a very unexpected visitor turns up looking for them.

“It pains me to be the bearer of such sad news, but you must know. Robin of Locksley and Allan A Dale are both dead, killed in the fight for Nottingham and its people.” The words had haunted Will’s dreams, or more accurately nightmares, since the arrival of the Much’s letter. Much had gone on to explain what had happened, including Allan’s betrayal and last-minute redemption, and who was writing the letter (a Friar Tuck who’d joined the gang after Will and Djaq had left), but Will had barely taken the rest of it in. Djaq had been equally distraught, and they’d spent the run up to their wedding in mourning. Will would’ve happily gotten married as soon as the two of them had gotten settled in the Holy Land, but Djaq had wanted to get used to her homeland and being Saffiya again first, and Will had had to convert to Islam in order for the local Imam to agree to perform the ceremony.