Post by Dennis of Ravenscar on May 15, 2014 15:33:02 GMT
Robin of Sherwood: Series 1, Episode 3
The Witch of Elsdon
Original Transmission Date - 5th May 1984
Written by Richard Carpenter
Story
In a dream sequence we see Herne reflected in some water; a nervous looking man; the Sheriff; someone holding a pottery bottle; the outlaws rolling down a slope, then lying apparently dead; Gisburne looking down at them. Robin awakes from the dream. Marion is concerned, but he says it is nothing.
The Sheriff and Abbot Hugo arrive at a village and a couple of prisoners, a man and a woman, are brought before them.
Robin is deciding where they should go in Sherwood to see if they can rob anybody. He is influenced by his dream, but the others think they will end up going on a wild goose chase. Robin doesn’t want Marion to come with them, because of the danger, which she is not well pleased about.
Gisburne accuses the couple, Jennet and Thomas of Elsdon, of being devil-worshippers. He says that the villagers are in their power and that Jennet had tried to bewitch him, which she denies.
The man from the dream is coming through the forest in a cart. The outlaws ask Robin where they should go.
Gisburne reads out statements from the villagers which say that Jennet is a witch, and that she put curses on them and so on. The villagers do not appear very comfortable with this. Hugo gets bored of listening to the statements and questions Tom and Jennet. Tom accuses Gisburne of writing the statements himself, and says that the villagers are scared of Gisburne, not them. Jennet pleads with the villagers, reminding them of how she helped them when they were ill. She knows that they won’t talk because of Gisburne, and tells Hugo that all she has ever done is help them, and heal them when they were sick. Hugo concludes that this is “interfering with God’s purposes”, and she has therefore condemned herself by saying this. Jennet then states that the real reason they are on trial is that Gisburne wanted her but she refused him. Gisburne denies this, but looks embarrassed. Hugo decides that the matter is proven and sentences them to death by hanging in four days.
The Sheriff recognises the truth and comments, “What a paragon of virtue you are, Gisburne. I’m really most impressed. If she tried to bewitch me, I’d be inclined to let her.”
The outlaws ambush the man with the cart. He says he is only carrying a few sacks of grain, and John says he can be on his way. However, Robin seems suspicious of him and sticks his sword in one of the sacks. Money is mixed in with the grain that pours out, as in the dream. The man is Gregory of Bedford, a tax collector. The outlaws have a go at him, then Norman soldiers appear. A fight ensues, which the outlaws win fairly easily.
The Sheriff and Gisburne are riding back to Nottingham. The Sheriff says that he'll have to be careful of Gisburne if he doesn’t get what he wants. Gisburne doesn’t seem to understand and restates that Jennet is a witch. The Sheriff replies, “Yes, of course she is. And a very pretty witch too.”
The outlaws are back at camp and Marion is trying to look after them. She gives John some herbal medicine which he spits out the moment her back is turned.
The Sheriff is discussing Robin Hood. He says he doesn’t care what he gets up to in Sherwood. There’s a price on his head and someone is bound to earn it sooner or later, probably one of the other outlaws. As for Marion, he thinks that Robin will soon get sick of her, “One woman and half a dozen men - it’s a perfect recipe for disaster.”
It is, but not in the way that the Sheriff thinks. The outlaws are being very laddish, getting drunk and having a good laugh. Marion gets sick of this and walks off. Robin follows her and tries to cheer her up, but he doesn’t get very far. She feels she is treated as a wife, cook and nurse, and not as an equal.
The Sheriff is in a rage about the loss of the taxes, and is taking it out on Gregory. He’s changed his tune now and is determined to get Robin. Gisburne suggests that he go into Sherwood to get him but the Sheriff dismisses this idea as stupid and dangerous. Gisburne then says that they’d need a ferret to get Robin out, which gives the Sheriff an idea.
Back in Sherwood, Marion is talking to Robin, saying that she wants to be with him, no matter how dangerous it is, but Robin is still reluctant.
The Sheriff speaks to Jennet. He says he will save their lives if she helps him capture Robin. She refuses, but he says that if she doesn’t help him, he will torture Thomas and make her watch, so she reluctantly agrees. The Sheriff says that he wants her to drug the outlaws and make them helpless so he can capture them.
Jennet ‘escapes’ into the forest, pursued by Gisburne and some guards. Will and Much see her and rescue her by shooting one of the guards. Will is attracted to her, and they take her back to camp.
The other outlaws are distributing grain and money in a nearby village. John (literally) picks up a couple of young lads, Martin and James, who want to join the outlaws. On the way back to their camp, they discuss whether they should attack the Bishop of Leicester, who is travelling in the area. When they get back they find Jennet there. Marion tries talking to her, but she starts crying. In the evening they all drink from the same bowl asking Herne to protect them.
The next day they decide to ambush the Bishop at Darkmere at sunset. Robin tells Marion to stay behind because of Jennet, and she gets really annoyed. She kicks him and then jumps on his back. He dumps her on the ground, but she pretends to be hurt and then gets up and starts hitting them all with a branch. She then goes off to the lake to sulk.
Jennet gets her herbs and mixes them with some water in a bottle, which she pours out for Robin. The outlaws all drink again and ask for Herne’s blessing before they eat. Very soon they become confused and dizzy, and they start falling down the slope. Robin realizes what the part of his dream with the bottle meant.
By the lake Marion sees Herne reflected in the water and then sees visions of Robin fainting and Jennet just standing there. She hears Herne say, “The powers of light and darkness are with you. Use them. Act quickly.”
The Sheriff is in Nottingham Castle and Gisburne turns up, telling him it has been three days since they sent Jennet out, and that the Abbot is angry. Hugo thinks that the woman has made fools of them all. The Sheriff tells Gisburne not to worry, she would never leave her husband. He says when she returns that Gisburne can watch her burn. He also says that he should learn more patience and tact, as Jennet has already returned.
Jennet takes Gisburne into Sherwood where they find the outlaws lying on the ground. Marion watches from out of sight. Gisburne leans over Robin and suddenly all the outlaws get up and start fighting. Jennet runs off, but Marion goes after her and catches her. The outlaws have beaten the Normans, and they stick Gisburne on a plank and duck him in the water. Scarlet wants to kill him. Marion comes back with Jennet and Will confronts her. When he hears that she did it all for her husband he is very upset.
Back at Nottingham Castle, The Sheriff and Hugo are deciding what to do with the outlaws. Hugo thinks he should stick their heads over the main gate, but the Sheriff disagrees, “What about the stench? Aren’t you forgetting that the prevailing wind blows from that direction?” He wants them forgotten as quickly as possible. He thinks they should forgive Marion, though, and send her abroad, marrying her off to the highest bidder.
Robin arrives at the castle, disguised as Gisburne. He soon puts paid to a couple of guards, and says he wants to talk to the Sheriff. Robin wants Thomas in exchange for Gisburne. The Sheriff says he isn’t bothered bothered about Gisburne, or his men, so Robin decides to bargain with the Sheriff’s life. They have a swordfight, and Robin, naturally, wins. An extremely nervous Hugo rushes down with quill and parchment and the Sheriff writes the pardon for Thomas.
Robin comes back to Sherwood with Thomas and he and Jennet are reunited. This makes Scarlet even more moody, but Robin and Marion kiss. Robin knows that, having beaten the Sheriff, he will come after him until one of them is dead.
They return Jennet and Thomas to Elsdon, and send Gisburne back to face the Sheriff (once they’ve fished him out of the water!). They know that they’ll be back, but as Robin says, “We’ll be ready - all of us!”
Comments
Much’s joke has to be the worst of the entire series.
John, “How d’you know about the money?”
Robin, “A little bird told me.”
Much, “Was it a robin?”
He certainly deserves to be dumped in the cart!
I love the fight between Marion and Robin. It’s quite sweet, really, and she certainly knows how to fight dirty.
The part when the outlaws are drugged and are rolling down that slope in slow motion is unfortunately rather comical. And what is that expression on Scarlet’s face?
How exactly does Marion get rid of the influence of the drug? Does she use her own knowledge of herbs to counteract it? Does she make them all sick? Or does she use more magical means?
The Sheriff has some wonderful lines in this episode, and gets to be really sarcastic to Gisburne. His intelligence also shines through, showing why he is such a deadly enemy. He recognises the trial for what it is, and the scene with Jennet shows he really knows how to manipulate people.
This episode seems essentially to be about women, and the lack of power that they have in this time. One woman is accused of being a witch just because she refuses a man’s advances, and is forced to endanger other peoples’ lives to save her husband from torture. Another woman wants the right to face danger with her husband, and not be treated as either too delicate or useless. Strangely enough, even the Sheriff doesn’t want to kill Marion. He rather patronisingly thinks that she has just ‘gone native’.
Best lines
The Sheriff (lines you rarely hear), “But that’s brilliant, Gisburne, brilliant! Almost inspired!”
Marion, “Our fate must be shared, Robin.”
The Sheriff, “The Abbot’s always angry. He was angry as a child. I’ve still got the scars.”
Gisburne, “I believe in action, my lord.”
The Sheriff, “Ah yes, action. The eternal excuse for not stopping to think.”
Gisburne (when he’s being dunked), “Animals!”
Much, “What’s wrong with animals?”
Robin, “Animals are we? Who took away our rights as men?”
The Sheriff, “Well, where’s the villain’s head?”
Robin, “On the villain’s shoulders!”
The Sheriff, “Soldiers have a habit of dying. It’s an occupational hazard.”
Review
In this, the second episode, an attempt is made to establish the outlaws as a group. At the end of the first episode, none of them really knew each other (apart from Robin and Much), although they had gone through a lot together. Robin and Marion fell in love and got married, but again, they didn’t know one another very well.
So we find that, as a group, the men get on fine. The others find Robin’s mysticism a little hard to get used to, but he gets results, so that’s all that matters. They have a bit of a drink, a bit of a laugh, and a good old fight (if there was any football, I’m sure they’d be watching it!). However, Marion finds it a lot harder to fit in. She wants to be part of the group, involved in whatever they do. If there’s danger, she’d rather share it with Robin than be left behind, thinking the worst. And she certainly doesn’t want to be left behind to be the ‘little woman’, doing all the cooking, and patching them up when they’re injured. Her struggle to be accepted is dealt with rather nicely, with a lot of humour, but also with the bottom line that she saves all the outlaws’ lives.
Otherwise the episode is fairly standard ‘Robin Hood’ - they steal the tax money, and the Sheriff comes after them - but it is done in a very entertaining way. It’s amazing how the unpleasantness of the Normans - the trial; the Sheriff’s intention to kill Jennet even when she helps him - is combined with humour in such a way that it enhances rather than reduces the impact.
Cast in order of appearance
Jennet of Elsdon - Angarad Rees
Tom of Elsdon - Cornelius Garrett
Gregory the Tax Collector - David Goodland
Sheriff of Nottingham - Nickolas Grace
Little John - Clive Mantle
Robin of Loxley - Michael Praed
Much - Peter Llewellyn Williams
Guy of Gisburne - Robert Addie
Will Scarlet - Ray Winstone
Abbot Hugo - Philip Jackson
Tuck - Phil Rose
Marion - Judi Trott
Herne the Hunter - John Abineri
Nasir - Mark Ryan
Series created by Richard Carpenter
Executive Producer - Patrick Dromgoole
Produced by Paul Knight
Directed by Ian Sharp
Episode Guide written by Lucy of Ravenscar
First appeared in Nothing's Forgotten newsletter issue 2, December 1995