‘Robin Hood’ Episode 4 Recap – Fleshing Out the Ranks

A pretty big deal is made about the forest in Episode 4 of Robin Hood. Norman military might has no answer for it. Those who know it can disappear inside it, never to be found. It’s a nice idea, but the MGM+ series continuously makes Sherwood Forest feel like the tiniest place in the world. Rob can scarcely walk a hundred yards without bumping into someone who will become a staunch ally after one conversation. It was Little John last week. In “The Cause of This Unrest”, it’s Friar Tuck, among others. By the time another couple of episodes have unfolded, Rob and his merry men will be able to take on the Normans in open conflict.

Not yet, though, which is why this episode builds to the gang’s first heist. And it’s a good idea. Money is a major issue in Nottingham. Calling in reinforcements to hunt Rob down is expensive. King Kenry II isn’t inclined to send any more money immediately. The Sheriff can’t afford the manhunt out of his own pockets. The only other option is the notoriously stingy Catholic Church, but the Bishop isn’t keen on that idea. He’d be much more inclined to let Rob and his allies wander the forests unmolested, just like several other Saxon bandits already make their homes there. But that’s an untenable scenario for the Sheriff. Rob’s exploits are already taking on a mythic quality, and rebellion foments under those conditions. Plus, it makes him look bad. Instead, he proposes raising the bounty, funding half of it via Nottingham and half via the abbey, and then repaying the outlay back with state taxes.

The Bishop approves of this plan, albeit reluctantly, but it comes back to bite them both, as we’ll see.

In the meantime, Rob and his new allies continue to roam the forests and discuss the morality of killing Normans, the blood of Aaron Huntingdon still fresh on their hands. Personally, I’m inclined to swap an infinite number of Normans – any humans, really – for the sake of Little John’s now-dead dog, but we’re supposed to side with the outlaws in this story anyway. Their first robbery as a unit is of a wagon carrying supplies to the abbey, which Little John is a bit reluctant to knock off, given there are holy men inside, but Rob’s faith is still with the pagan gods. This, of course, leads Rob to meet another of his iconic Merry Men – Friar Tuck, who is still resolutely Catholic, which he goes on about for the entirety of Robin Hood Episode 4, but is also not inclined to return to the abbey and face the wrath of the abusive and self-serving Bishop.

The presence of Friar Tuck gives the show a nice new texture. He’s the only person who has really provided a coherent viewpoint in support of the Norman rank and file, who are answerable to their political and religious overlords and are, functionally, not much different from the Saxons. He’s also unusually self-aware for a religious person, having recognised that the Bishop is exploiting his position as God’s supposedly chosen Earthly representative to line his own pockets and indulge his worst impulses. This is why he’s willing to join Rob’s group, and soon after, a couple of Saxon thieves named Spragart and Mary do the same. You see what I mean about how frequently Rob just bumps into useful people?

Anyway, we should account for some of the goings-on elsewhere in “The Cause of This Unrest”. Robin Hood is refreshingly adamant about not neglecting its key female characters, and both Priscilla and Marian get a good amount to do here. In the case of the former, she’s placed in the sticky position of being forcibly sent away to the convent at Hereford Abbey to prevent her from throwing herself at any more guards, news which the Sheriff, rather hilariously, instructs the Bishop to give her. Unsurprisingly, Priscilla isn’t having that, and concocts a scheme to return to Nottingham by seducing the grieving Earl of Huntingdon and then racing back to the estate.

This does go a bit wrong when her father discovers her back at home, though. Emasculated by the reminder that he’s clearly not in charge of his own household, whatever his official status may be, he goes so nuts that one of his trusted employees pulls a dagger on him – to protect himself or Priscilla is a little unclear – and lands himself in jail.

Marian, meanwhile, continues to learn at the knee of Queen Eleanor, functionally a hostage at court but nonetheless the kingdom’s real string-puller, while being introduced to key political figures like the Earl of Pembroke, William Marshal. The vibe here is extremely different from the one back in Nottingham, though just as transactional. There’s an element of luxury, though, that suits some better than others. Marian isn’t keen, but Rob’s cousin, Will, has immediately become a kind of swaggering Lothario, though he admittedly takes things a bit too far when he tries to make a move on Marian herself.

But back to the forest we go. It’s Friar Tuck who proposes the first big target for the Merry Men, which is the wagon carrying the bounty that the Sheriff is offering for Rob’s capture. It’s a great idea, since it would mean no money being available to pay the bounty, and thus no bounty hunters trying to claim it. Plus, Friar Tuck has inside knowledge of how the cash is transported and where the convoy can best be ambushed with minimal risk.

There are more guards than he expected, though, resulting in the deaths of Henry and Mary, though the fact that those names didn’t ring much of a bell in the first place was something of a death knell for the pair of them. Someone has to die to up the stakes, but it can’t be Friar Tuck or Little John, can it? This is also the first time Rob is referred to as Robin Hood, and thank goodness for that, frankly.

As a final touch, Rob lets the Bishop go so that he can return to Nottingham and spread the word of his growing legend far and wide. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, after all.

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