BBC's Robin Hood

I got turned onto this series because Richard Armitage (of North & South) is in it. The first season is already out on DVD but I've been watching the reruns on BBC America. I'm almost through the season and I have to say that I've really been enjoying it. It's extremely silly and there are bizarre anachronisms all over the place but it's really a fun guilty pleasure. Which I suppose is kind of surprising because I've always kind of been indifferent to the whole Robin Hood thing. I know the basic story of course but I haven't watched any of the movies or anything.

Robin Hood is played by Jonas Armstrong, who I originally thought looked way too young to play someone who'd already fought in the Crusades for a couple of years, but he's really grown on me and he has this boyish charm going that makes him really easy to like. And it doesn't hurt that he's kind of cute. Actually a lot of his gang is kind of unnaturally good-looking, in an, um, outlaw way? Much, his right-hand man, is probably my favorite; he's got this sort of wide-eyed innocence that's really endearing. He also has this funny proper way of speaking and his always being hungry cracks me up. Allan A'Dale is snarky, and the newest addition to their gang, Djaq, who's actually a Saracen (Arab) woman, brings a lot of intelligence and freshness to the gang. Little John and Will Scarlett, traditional Merry Men characters, round out the gang.

One the baddie side, there's the Sheriff of Nottingham, played to ruthless perfection by Keith Allen (interestingly the father of current indie princess Lily Allen), and his deputy, Sir Guy Gisborne, played by our delicious Richard Armitage. He's pretty dark and brooding here as well, and though he's not as unequivocably evil as the Sheriff, it's yet to be seen whether he'll ever truly redeem himself. Robin and Lady Marian were engaged before he went off to the Crusades, but she became engaged to Guy after Robin returned and truthfully I'm completely torn about which man she should go for. I mean, obviously Robin is the "good" one and I do have a little crush on Jonas Armstrong, but something about Sir Guy's attentions toward Marian is kind of hot. Because I mean, it's Richard Armitage.

As for Marian herself, it seems like every episode I change my mind about her. I get that they wanted to create a more mature and modern version of her for this series, but sometimes her assertiveness and self-righteousness gets a little annoying. But then the next episode she'll kick some ass and get back in my good graces. I guess I'm still withholding final judgment on her.

A second season is going to be airing this fall on the BBC, no word yet on when that'll be coming to the US though. But if you get BBC America with your cable package, it's definitely worth checking out.