History Recap / RobinHoodS01E06TheTaxManCometh

* WoundedGazelleGambit: To get herself into the castle, the Abbess faints at the gates of Nottingham Castle, claiming that her pilgrimage has been attacked by outlaws, and correcting assuming that a woman of her status will be tended to within the castle walls.

* TheUnfought: Robin and the Abbess are the leaders of their respective band of outlaws, and operate as foils to one another across the course of the episode. However, they don't interact with each other until the very end of the episode.

* {{Bookends}}: The start of the episode has Robin confront a corrupt butcher who has been selling putrid meat disguised as fresh with the help of beetroot juice. This thread is then entirely abandoned until the final scene, in which Robin approaches various livestock owners in the area and pays them to distribute any meat directly to the people who need it.

* PaperThinDisguise: {{Invoked}} by Flaxton and Cedric when the outlaws block their way in the forest. They're disguised as farmers going to sell goat milk in Nottingham, a ploy that the outlaws are ''meant'' to see through (not least because their goat is a male) and unmasking them instead as tax collectors. Of course, they're not ''that'' either, and after the outlaws use Flaxton to gain entrance to the castle, he promptly locks them in the dungeons.

* TheCon: Though the viewer may twig as to Flaxton and Cedric's true identities as con-artists (as they're first seen being commissioned by the Sheriff for a job in TheTeaser) there's no indication that the Abbess of Rufford is in league with them until the end of the episode. Their entire scheme was to get the outlaws out of the way, the Sheriff and his cronies distracted, and the fake Abbess into the castle chapel so she could lower the taxes out the window and escape with the fortune.

* PaperThinDisguise: {{Invoked}} by Flaxton and Cedric when the outlaws block their way in the forest. They're disguised as farmers going to sell goat milk in Nottingham, a ploy that the outlaws are ''meant'' to see through (not least because their goat is a male), believing them instead to be tax collectors. Of course, they're not ''that'' either, and after the outlaws use Flaxton to gain entrance to the castle, he promptly locks them in the dungeons.

* {{Bookends}}: The start of the episode has Robin confront a corrupt butcher who has been selling putrid meat disguised with beetroot juice. This thread is then entirely abandoned until the final scene, in which Robin approaches various livestock owners in the area and pays them to distribute any meat directly to the people who need it.

* TheCon: Though the viewer may twig as to Flaxton and Cedric's true identities as con-artists (as they're obliquely introduced being commissioned by the Sheriff for a job in TheTeaser) there's no indication that the Abbess of Rufford is in league with them until the end of the episode. Their entire scheme was to get the outlaws out of the way, the Sheriff and his cronies distracted, and the fake Abbess into the castle chapel so she could lower the taxes out the window and escape with the fortune.

* NoNameGiven: The Abbess's true name (or even a ''fake'' name during her time as Abbess) is never given, and she's even credited as The Abbess of Rufford.

* StalkerWithACrush: Guy keeps bringing gifts and entering Marian's home uninvited, even though she makes it very clear she's not interested in his attention. Nevertheless, he tells her he's going to keep trying to win her affection.

* WhoYouAreInTheDark: Edward is told before Marian that the Abbess of Rufford is a fraud, but decides not to tell her in order to spare her feelings. When Marian finds out, she's moved that he agreed to her conditions to stay at Knighton even though he knew that her leaving with the Abbess was no longer an option.

Back in the forest, Robin and the outlaws ambush the conmen, who were planning to escape to Holland, and make off with the tax money. Marian informs Edward that she will not be leaving after all, as the Abbess was a fraud; he says he realized he was proud of the daughter he had all along.

At Knighton Hall, Marian and her father argue; having learnt she is the Nightwatchman, Edward insists she "could do worse" than marrying Gisborne, but she says she should be proud of the daughter he has rather than the one he thinks he ought to. Meeting with the Abbess at the castle, Marian decides to become a nun. Flaxton and Cedric spring their trap, and Robin and the outlaws are locked in an empty room; however, they escape because of Will's knowledge of locks. Too late, the Sheriff realises that the Abbess was working with the con-artists, and that she has made off with the tax money, which was hidden in the castle chapel.

Back in the forest, Robin and the outlaws ambush the conmen, who were planning to escape to Holland, and make off with the tax money. Marian informs Edward that she will not be leaving after all, as the Abbess was a fraud; he says he realised he was proud of the daughter he had all along.