12 Great Moments From Robot of Sherwood

Mark McCullough picks out twelve faves from the third episode of Series 8.

Note: Episode spoilers naturally!

Following our encounter with the Robot of Sherwood, it’s time to choose twelve stand-out moments who could make their way into the history books.

The Spoon Fight

In an episode which sets out to be a light-hearted romp there are always going to moments which are a little silly and mostly played for laughs. For Robot of Sherwood one of these comes in the shape of a mismatched sword fight as the Doctor takes on Robin’s sword using only his spoon balanced precariously on a log over a river. There’s no doubt the scene is meant to be taken light-heartedly, it is even suggested to be an innuendo by the referencing of the size of their… egos. Inevitably a scene of this fashion is going to have a Marmite nature, so I would not be surprised it some take objection with its place on the list.

Clara inspires Robin

An emerging trait of Clara’s character this series is that she knows exactly how to bring out the best in people. Here we see her talk to Robin and persuade him to continue being the hero she knows him to be. Initially established as the girl who saved the Doctor in Series Seven, we see her develop her skills and extend them to others. This is a testament to the strength of her character and how much she has learnt from her travels with the Doctor. However you could argue there is another reason why she is able to read Robin so well…

The Legends

Expanding on my point above, we move to the very next moment of the episode. This scene draws on the comparisons between Robin and the Doctor, and makes a trio of main characters this series who reflect the Doctor (The Half-Faced Man, Rusty and Robin). The scene is done very well as Robin speaks as if addressing himself, before dropping Gallifrey into the conversation and making it known that he is aware of the Doctor’s past. The final scene is also suggesting that the Doctor sees the comparison and perhaps that is the source of rivalry. It is noteworthy that the Doctor’s gift is to give Robin a companion suggesting how he values Clara.

The Archery Contest

If you’re dealing with Robin Hood the bow and arrow will not be far behind, so it made sense for there to be an archery contest scene. Again this started as another one played for comic value with Robin declaring that he target was too close. After a rather simple affair Robin emerges victorious, but before he receives his prize the Doctor gets involved, outdoing him (and it is later revealed he cheated to do so). Their face-off intensifies as the Doctor goes to ridiculous lengths to win. Once he gets fed up he uses his sonic to blow up the target in an act which is fundamentally childish. The scene whilst cheesy is quite effective in drawing laughs from its audience

Inside the Ship

This moment is included for two reasons, the first being a pleasant cameo from the second Doctor himself, Patrick Troughton. It was a nice little nod to the show’s past which I’m sure you all picked up on. (In fact it wasn’t the only nod to the past held within this narrative). The second reason is the mention of the Promised Land. Whilst this probably left us all expecting an appearance from Missy, one which never came, it did give some clues to the arc: Robots are actively looking for the Promised Land, the Doctor knows this, and from the screen the Promised Land is an orange planet (possibly).

Robin Kills the Sheriff

Much had been made of the Sheriff’s death in the build-up to the episode. I can say with complete conviction that the BBC made the correct decision in cutting what they did and the scene still flowed well and made sense. What I liked about the way in which the scene was done is that Robin used the same move the Doctor used on him. What this shows is despite their bickering he embraces and utilises the Doctors ideas and comes off the better for it. Like several scenes in the episode this one was another which was compelled by the concept of the Robin Hood plot, yet it still felt fresh and worked well.

Clara Tricks the Sheriff

For the second time in three episodes Clara faces the enemy on her own. Like with the Half-Faced Man she uses her intelligence to encourage her captor to give her the information she needs. What I found particularly interesting is that she plays along with all of his games until the point where he tries to kiss her, then she resists. This shows us her strength of character and her sense of self-worth. I have really enjoyed Clara so far this series and hope to see more development from her.

The Riot

The riot scene was a little bit too easy for my liking. Killing the robots by reflecting their fire back at them, whilst a clever idea initially, should have led to the robots stopping their fire and utilising their superior strength instead. But alas it continued to happen in what was actually a pretty epic scene albeit not one with a logical basis. What was nice about the scene was the religious imagery contained within. The Robots themselves fired their weapons from a crossed shaped slit in their face, and the shape that the deflected shot to kill the last Robot makes the shape of the Star of David. It is highly likely this was intentional and could fit in with heaven somehow.

The Dungeon

The dungeon scenes are another collection of moments whose primary intention is humour, much of which is created by the Doctor and Robin’s relationship. The scenes also allowed Clara to establish her authority, although it was a little obvious when she was picked as the ‘leader’ of the group. As I mentioned earlier the Doctor’s behaviour is quite childish which leads to a parallel with Smith’s take on the character. Robin as a character is a little too clichéd and cheesy for my liking but it doesn’t detract from the episode. It is these scenes which I find a real highlight for the character.

No Banter!

It’s funny hearing the Doctor use a word such as ‘banter’. It’s even more hilarious to see him complain about others being happy and having fun. However the best moment of all was when he degreed that banter was not allowed. In a way, it’s quite hypocritical from him as much of what we have seen from him so far could actually be classed as banter, particularly his insults geared towards Clara. Regardless of that, I absolutely adore Capaldi and he has already climbed his way to the position of my favourite Doctor, after only three episodes.

The Opening Scene

I think I have included the opening scene for all episodes, so why not. They have all had memorable openings. This time we see the Doctor offer Clara free reign of the TARDIS telling her he will be open to any suggestion. As it turns out he immediately shot down the idea claiming that Robin Hood was merely a work of fiction, suggesting a trip to Mars with Ice Warriors instead (Nice nod to Cold War there Gatiss). After some persuasion the Doctor relents but is still adamant in his belief until he exits the TARDIS and is nearly hit by an arrow. It is a nice scene which eases the viewer into the episode.

The Sheriff Kills the Villager

Series Eight has been billed as a darker series. Unless you’ve been living under a rock I am sure you are aware of that fact. Another complaint circling the previous series was that there was not enough death, and the villains were underdeveloped. This short scene serves to address all three points as we see the Sheriff kill the villager but making light of it whilst doing so. This establishes the threat he poses for the remainder of the narrative and shows he is unhinged. Another feature for this series is the guessing game every time a character dies, will we see another heaven scene, or is Moffat and Co. intentionally teasing us? Character deaths keep us on our toes and this one is quite well done.