Robin Crud - Torchwood

[erastes]

1. When you think Robin Hood can't get any more stupid.  It does.

Gunpowder. in 1192. When, as far as my research when doing historical stuff, revealed that  "Saltpetre, the principal ingredient of Black Powder first appears in the writings of Arabian, Abd Allah, in 1200"

hmmm.

This week, we had female assassins in harem pants (gauze) veils (gauze) and morning stars.  In Nottingham. In England.  Hmmmm.

I shouldn't watch it, really. It only raises my blood pressure.

2. Torchwood!!  Although it did bear a very strong resemblence to Doctor Who's "Gods and Monsters" (which, chaps, I know was only just aired in the US, it's a delicious spoof, please don't slag it off - it was one of the best episodes ever, for reasons I don't think I could ever explain to anyone who isn't English) was pretty good.  Yes, it was slower than what has been going on recently, yes, it was Gwen-centric (but oh -hasn't she IMPROVED?) with hardly any appearances by anyone else, but the end section punched me straight in the stomach and it touched me greatly.

Comments

[julesjones]

it was one of the best episodes ever, for reasons I don't think I could ever explain to anyone who isn't English

Not even the Scots, Northern Irish, and Welsh?

Incidentally, you utterly destroyed my productivity by posting that photo on Friday. I have spent entirely too much of the time since drool^W looking at it. And no, I'm not joking. It probably doesn't help that the last month has been spent writing about two guys in business suits, one a lot older than the other. It sort of *primed* me...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the nice non-spoilery Torchwood comments! Yo have whetted my appetite.

I too loved "Love and Monsters", thought it was absolutely brilliant. I love it when a TV show isn't predictable.

[rwday.livejournal.com]

I liked "Random Shoes" for the same reason I liked "Gods & Monsters" - it had the common touch. I think it's good to see that beneath all the high drama and 'end of the world as we know it' stuff you get in Dr Who and Torchwood, the lives of ordinary people are touched by this stuff.

[aunty_marion]

I watched Torchwood at a friend's house last night, and we laughed ourselves silly. Not to mention that it was obviously Mad-eye Moody's spare eye!!!! I've got it on tape and will really have to watch it again for more belly-laughs.

Robin Crud

[enolabloodygay.livejournal.com]

I am SO not a history buff but this series drives me nuts on the rare occasions I watch it! If it ain't the historical inaccuacies, it's the PC 'let's have wimmin assassins' 'wimmin members of the Merry Men' (pardon? Did i really just say that?) wearing 21st Century style clothes or just the whole modern day speak!

Drives me mental, but with a sick sort of fascination, I keep watching.

It's almost better than having bulimia.

Robin Hoodie/Torchwood

[predatrix.livejournal.com]

Never occurred to me to take RH as a historical narrative, mind. (It never was. What would people be trying to keep it accurate _to?_ The ballads?)

It's extremely silly, the Robin is slightly, well, _wet,_ and the best things in it are the villains. This is probably fairly traditional for a Robin Hood story.

Loved Torchwood -- and I too saw it as very like _Love & Monsters_ (from the sense of wonder and bittersweet mood to the 'outsider/ordinary person' narrative.) I actually found it quite moving, but Beloved thought it was a bit blah. I hate it when that happens.

Re: Robin Hoodie/Torchwood

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well I'd rather like them to make it historically accurate to the time era involved and not have things like knitted cardigans and references to clocks! I don't mind how adventurous unlikely the things they get up to, but inventing dog tags and zip lines and the other many stupid things which are literally writers taking the piss.

The villains are good though, specially Guy. *sigh*

Re: Robin Hoodie/Torchwood

[predatrix.livejournal.com]

Oh, it is very silly. Think it depends what mood the viewer's in whether the cheekiness works or not. Lots of pop culture references (like 'I shot the Sheriff', for example), not high on plausibility. But if you're in the right mood, you giggle with it.

I still remember with fondness that completely crap film version of Robin Hood which got absolutely sod all right apart from having Alan Rickman as the Sheriff. The film was still pants, but that was a compensating factor.

Keith Allen not as fanciable as Rickman, for me, but still funny.

Re: historical accuracy, I still wince at the series of Regency novels I read recently whose author is under the impression that 'flaming tea-leaf' is a reference to an effeminate man. Poor dear, she reels the phrase out once per book in a four book series. She's obviously really proud of her command of British idiom.