History Series / RobinHood

* AdrenalineMakeover: Accidentally inverted with Kate. On joining the outlaws Kate loses the forehead braid and the simple peasant outfit; but her new green dress is of a severely impractical length that obviously impedes the actress's ability to move, and she's constantly shaking or tipping her head in order to keep her unbound hair out of her eyes.

* ProtagonistTitle

* PutOnABus: At the end of Season Two Will and Djaq opted to stay in the Holy Land for reasons that are never specified.

* RedundantRescue: In the episode ''Turk Flu'' a young boy tries to kill Marian in order to make Guy suffer. Robin rushes to her rescue, but by the time he gets there, Marian has already talked the boy out of going through with it and is walking away. She tells Robin: "Better late than never," as she leaves.
* RandomEventsPlot: ''Let The Games Commence''. Guy has a sister! There's a lion! Throw mustard powder at it! Little John is a gladiator! Elite guards! Defeat them with giant fishing nets! Run away, run away! Robin lurves Isabella! Inexplicable behaviour from everyone!

* RecurringCharacter: Sir Edward (Marian's father) in Seasons One and Two; Rebecca (Kate's mother) in Season Three.
* RedemptionDemotion: {{Inverted}} with Allan-a-Dale, who seems to lose a lot of street-cred once he's joined up with Guy of Gisborne. Among other things, he loses a sword-fight to a one-legged man.

* RetCon: The S3 WholeEpisodeFlashback rewrote the entire known history of both Robin and Guy.
* RevealingInjury: Averted between Guy and Marian. Whilst she's dressed as the Night Watchman, Guy slashes her arm with his sword; later he notices that Marian has a similar cut. She passes it off as an accident with the knife she's currently using to slice up an apple, and although Guy looks mildly suspicious, he lets it go and never mentions it again.

* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: Marian and her SecretIdentity as the "Nightwatchman". It's unclear where Marian gets the supplies to give to the peasants, but it's suggested that they come from her own larder and we never see her steal anything. As such, there's no real reason for her to wear a disguise when delivering food - one gets the sense that she just likes the thrill.

* RoofHopping: Marian does this in ''Angel of Death'' in order to get into the quarantine; later the Scarlett brothers do this to get ''out''.
* RousingSpeech: Robin specialises in these, beginning in the first episode with the "Will you tolerate this?" outburst. Tuck gets quite a few of them too.

* RunawayBride: Marian in ''The Return of the King''

* SecondLove: {{Played with}} and {{Deconstructed}} in rather awkward ways in Season Three. After Marian's death, the showrunners enthusiastically discussed how this was an opportunity to see how Robin copes without the love of his life. Turns out, he does surprisingly well, with the introduction of ''two'' new [[LoveInterest Love Interests]] in the following season, and barely a mention of Marian outside the first episode. However, there is some nuance here and there. One suspects that Robin was LovingAShadow when it came to Isabella, given her resemblance to Marian in both position and appearance, and the relationship quickly implodes when he refuses to run away from Nottingham with her. From there, Kate is presented as the ''true'' SecondLove, with plenty of CharacterShilling designed to make her seem like a perfect and natural partner to him. Yet towards the end of the season, after their RelationshipUpgrade, Robin only seems tepidly interested in his new girlfriend (he's practically [[ShipperOnDeck talked into the relationship by Little John]]) and after he's fatally poisoned in the GrandFinale, he has very little to say to Kate and can't even bring himself to give her a LastKiss. Seconds later, [[TogetherInDeath he's reunited with Marian's spirit in Sherwood Forest]]. So all that time and energy that was spent on building up Isabella and Kate as potential [[SecondLove Second Loves]] for Robin is eventually rendered meaningless, with the final word being that for Robin, there was ''never'' going to be a SecondLove after Marian.

* ScarpiaUltimatum: Completely deconstructed. In this case, it is not Guy that demands Marian's hand in order to spare Robin's life, but rather ''Marian'' who offers herself to Guy if he ''assassinates'' the Sheriff (believing that Robin is dead). Further subverted in that Guy seems disgusted by the deal and instead agrees to the Sheriff's orders to kill King Richard, telling him that he plans on taking Marian anyway, whether she likes it or not.

* ShipperOnDeck: Bizarrely, Little John encourages Robin to hook up with Kate, despite all the problems inherent in that pairing.

* OutdoorBathPeeping: How [[SweetPollyOliver Djaq's]] gender is revealed, when Will Scarlett accidentally interrupts her bathing.
* OutrunTheFireball: Guy does this in ''A Thing Or Two About Loyalty.''

* PetTheDog: For such a woman-hater, the Sheriff has a [[BrotherSisterIncest surprisingly affectionate]] relationship with his sister, and is visibly shattered by her death (even though he never [[ForgottenFallenFriend mentions her again]]).
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: The outlaws more or less abandon the whole 'rob to the rich to give to the poor' idea in the second half of series 3 to concentrate on [[spoiler: Robin and Guy's secret half-brother]] and [[spoiler: removing Isabella as Sheriff.]]

** Lampshaded at one point in series 2 when Much attacks Little John for accidentally letting the Sheriff into the camp, and he responds "I was trying to help the poor! Remember, like we USED TO DO?"
* PlayingPossum: Season Two opens with Robin doing this.
* PleaseWakeUp: Marian uses this trope by name when she finds her father has died.
* PluckyGirl: Djaq.
** And "feisty village girl" Kate.
* PoisonedChaliceSwitcheroo: In ''Do You Love Me?'', when both the Sheriff and Gisborne worry that one has poisoned the other's meal, they keep on switching the two bowls of food over.

** They sort of give a good explanation for Djaq turning up in England (although presumably it would have been easier or cheaper to sell Saracen slaves in Italy or somewhere else on the Medeterrean, as opposed to carting them all the way to England), but barring ''Peace? Off!'' and a few episodes where it is a minor plot point, no one really comments on the fact that she is a Muslim in a time and place where non-Christianity was associated with Devil-worship and/or heresy (Christians at the time thought Muhammad was a Christian heretic).
* PositiveDiscrimination: Tuck, Kate and Djaq.

* TheQuietOne: Will Scarlett says very little, especially compared to chatterboxes such as Much and Allan.
* RaceAgainstTheClock: ''Walkabout'' is an episode in which the Sheriff must be found by sundown or Nottingham will be destroyed.
* RaceLift: Tuck is usually Caucasian, while this version is African.

* IronicEcho: A possibly unintentional one. In the first episode of the first series, Robin tells Much one of the most important rules of combat is "never forget the last man" when Much breaks his cover before the last of the Sheriff's guards has gone by. Whilst escaping from the castle via the escape tunnel in the final episode of Season Three, Robin proceeds to break this rule - the Sheriff's guards are coming down the tunnel, and Robin breaks from his hiding before he's out of sight of the last one. Given the completely different writing team for Season Three, it's difficult to tell if this was a deliberate call back or a coincidence, although the episode ''had'' been written by the one Season Three writer who had also worked on the first two series (Simon J Ashford).

* LoveMakesYouDumb: Marian. Oh Marian. What made you think that running up to Guy of Gisborne and yelling: "I love Robin Hood! I'm going to marry Robin Hood!" was a good idea in any way, shape or form?

* McNinja: Harold in ''Peace? Off!''
* MeaningfulName: Archer.
* TheMedic: Djaq in seasons one and two; Tuck to a lesser extent in Season Three.
* MedicalHorror: Plenty of this when Djaq tells Marian she has to sew her up with a blunt needle.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: In the final episode of Season Two, Robin and Much have a whispered conversation outside the cell that Marian is being held in. She hears their voices and hurries to investigate, but by the time she gets there, they've moved on and she dismisses it as her imagination.
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Allan convinces himself that this is the reason behind his FaceHeelTurn, on account of Robin not taking better care of his men.

** Robin chooses to murder all the Black Knights - including the Sheriff and Gisborne - for no clear reason in Season Two, episode six.

* {{Narcissist}}: Prince John, ''a lot''. "Do you love me?"
* NeverMyFault: Rufus from the episode ''Sins Of The Father'' seeks revenge on the Sheriff for the death of his father. [[spoiler: the reason his father was executed was because he took the heat for Rufus, who stole money from a wedding couple.]]
* NewNeighboursAsThePlotDemands: Kate has apparently lived in Locksley her whole life, even though she's not seen or heard from until Season Three.

* TheNotLoveInterest: Robin and Guy at the end of Season Three.

* NowOrNeverKiss: [[spoiler: Will and Djaq]].
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Marian, to a degree, around the Sheriff and Guy.
* ObliviousToLove: It takes a ForcefulKiss from Kate before Robin realizes that she's got a crush on him.

* OneOfTheBoys: Djaq. Much nearly mentions this trope by name with regards to her:
-->'''Much''': Apart from being a girl, Djaq is one of the lads.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted; both Robin's manservant Thornton (a recurring character throughout series 1) and Isabella's husband share the same name. There are three Kates: a villager in an early series 1 episode, a regular character in series 3, and it's also mentioned that Edward's wife/Marian's mother was named Kate.

* OverprotectiveDad: Sir Edward, Marian's father.

** held in the StandardFemaleGrabArea hold ''twice''(by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'' and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead'') and
** seriously injured in combat ''once''(a random soldier throws a dagger at her in ''Do You Love Me?''). Every single time she needs a man to extract her from the situation.

* InformedAttractiveness: Kate, who gets an incredible amount of male attention across season three. For Much it's LoveAtFirstSight, Allan also pursues her, Robin hooks up with her, and her presence alone is suggested to be a factor in Archer deciding to join the outlaws. Little John says she's "worth more than any treasure" and she's ''constantly'' menaced by villains who demonstrate [[SoBeautifulItsACurse a frank sexual interest]]. Yet the fact that Kate is just a dim-witted peasant girl makes all the adulation directed at her come across as rather silly, especially when compared to her predecessors, who were objectively far more beautiful (with personalities and intelligence that would make the average guy actually ''want'' to hang out with them) yet only allowed two love interests each.

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Guy dies after he's impaled on the sheriff's sword]], the same way he killed [[spoiler: Marian]] at the end of Season Two. Likewise, Isabella manages to stab him in the back with a dagger dipped in a poison that he himself had given to her as retribution for selling her as a child to a sadistic husband.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Archer's swords - he even appears to [[DualWielding Dual Wield]] them somehow (despite them being two-handed weapons).
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Roy, Marian's father, Marian herself and now Allan - but [[strike:probably]] definitely not Vaizey - see TheEndOrIsIt. Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff, Isabella and Robin Hood don't make it through the GrandFinale.]]
* KillTheOnesYouLove: Gisborne kills Marian and repeatedly tries to kill Isabella, though YMMV as to what extent he "loved" them.
* KingIncognito: King Richard hides amongst his men to avoid detection in the Holy Land.

* KnifeNut: Marian. She keeps them in her boots, in her cleavage, and in her hair.
* KungFuJesus: What Tuck seems to want to turn Robin into in ''Total Eclipse'' by having him rescue the other outlaws during an eclipse, with it ending just as Robin is perched dramatically on the battlements.

* LaserHallway: Not actual lasers - even this show isn't ''that'' bad - but the episode ''The King is Dead, Long Live the King'' features a hallway of ropes that, if disturbed, set off hidden crossbows.

*** Kate tries for one of these with Robin in the GrandFinale, but has to make do with a platonic hug instead.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The back of the Season Three DVD boxset has written on it: "[[spoiler:Marian's]] death was just the beginning."
* LeftHanging: The third season ends with Prince John still in power, news of King Richard being held hostage in Austria, the remaining outlaws vowing to raise the ransom to free him, and [[LastEpisodeNewCharacter newcomer Archer]] tasked with the responsibility of becoming the [[LegacyCharacter new leader of the gang]]. However, faced with the absurdity of a ''Myth/RobinHood'' show without a Robin ''or'' a Marian, the fact that all but ''two'' of the nine original cast members had been killed off or written out, and the prospect of a universally-despised FauxActionGirl as the story's female lead, the BBC (rather wisely) opted to pull the plug.

* LethalChef: Much. Though to be fair, it's not like he has a lot to work with. Djaq also describes herself as "a rubbish cook," though on several occasions she's seen helping Much prepare the food.

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: In series three, Kate is the Light Feminine to Isabella's Dark.

* LovableRogue: [[spoiler:Archer]] and Allan-a-Dale.

* [[LoveFatherLoveSon Love Mother Love Daughter]]: Lord Winchester wants to marry Marian because of her resemblance to her mother, who turned him down to marry Edward.

* MagicalNegro: Tuck.
* ManChild: Kate may also fit into this category, though this was possibly accidental on the writers' behalf (it didn't help that a grown woman was playing the part of a teenage girl).

* IFightForTheStrongestSide: Isabella. Subverted considering this attitude (and Robin's badly timed "it's not you, it's me" speech) is what makes her choose Prince John's team.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Firstly, [[spoiler: Guy runs Marian through with his sword]] at the end of Season Two, and [[spoiler:Guy]] then dies a KarmicDeath at the end of Season Three, after [[spoiler:the sheriff impales him]].

* ImportantHaircut: Marian has one in an early episode of series 1. Ostensibly this is punishment for defying the Sheriff, but afterwards her tougher "Night Watchman" persona comes more into focus.

* InformedAttractiveness: Kate, although this has less to do with the attractiveness of the actress as it does with the sheer amount of unwarranted attention Kate got. Much falls in love with her at first sight and Allan pursues her for reasons that are never particularly clear. Robin hooks up with her after telling her she's "[[InformedAbility brave, compassionate]] [[CreatorsPet and beautiful]]," and her presence alone is suggested to be a factor in Archer deciding to join the outlaws (this is a character that seemingly has no interest in the two half-brothers who have just saved his life). She is threatened by no less than three villains because they are sexually interested in her (this includes ''the Crown Prince of England'') and even Little John jumps on the bandwagon when he calls her "a treasure" and warns Robin not to let her slip through his fingers. Even ''Isabella'' of all people says "the prettiest things are the most fragile" in regards to Kate. Yet the fact that Kate is just a dim-witted peasant girl makes all the adultation directed at her come across as rather silly, especially when compared to her predecessors, who on top of being a stunning noblewoman and an exotic Saracen, were given personalities and a level of intelligence that would make the average guy actually ''want'' to hang out with them.
* InsigniaRipOffRitual: Done with the outlaw tags when Allan is banished.
* [[InstrumentOfMurder Instruments Of Murder]]: Will makes these as part of a plan to break into the castle in ''For England..!'', including a dart-shooting flute and a lyre that conceals a bow for Robin.
** Both played straight and subverted at the same time, as each outlaw gets a weaponized instrument except for Little John, who gets... bells. Just regular bells. Not even the big bells you can use to hit people, no, just ''tiny'', cutesy bells. So he promptly tacks them on the top of the staff he regularly wields.
** ImprovisedWeapon: After Much pulls his sword and shield out of the sitar, Will then uses the actual sitar part to smack a guard over the head.
---> '''Will:''' Told you I was [[AccidentalInnuendo good with wood]].
* InTheBack: [[spoiler: Allan's death]]

* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: Edward utters this trope by name after he's fatally stabbed.

* FauxActionGirl: Despite being [[InformedAbility shilled as “a good fighter”]] and insisting that [[BlatantLies “I can look after myself”]], Kate is...well, to say "completely useless" is putting it mildly. She appears in eleven episodes, and in that time she is [[DamselInDistress held captive]] ''five'' times (once by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'', twice by Rufus in ''Sins of the Father'', once by random guards in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and finally by the Sheriff's men in ''Something Worth Fighting For''), [[IdiotBall endangers her own life by wandering into a volatile situation]] and making it worse ''four'' times (in ''Cause and Effect'' she ruins the outlaws' ambush by rushing in prematurely, achieving nothing except to get Robin captured along with her brother, and later abandons the outlaws to sneak into the castle by herself only to be discovered five seconds later, in ''Sins of the Fathers'' she goads Rufus into destroying her pottery kiln and livelihood, and in ''Something Worth Fighting For'' she sabotages Tuck's attempt to stage a peaceful protest by daring the guards to kill her), [[AttemptedRape almost raped]] ''three'' times (by Rufus in ''Sins of the Fathers'', Prince John in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''), held in the StandardFemaleGrabArea hold ''twice''(by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'' and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''), and seriously injured in combat ''once''(a random soldier throws a dagger at her in ''Do You Love Me?''). Every single time she needs a man to extract her from the situation.
** Even in one of the {{Audio|Adaptation}}books she ends up getting accused of witchcraft and [[BurnTheWitch nearly burnt at the stake]].
** The writers [[ThrowTheDogABone throw her a bone]] occasionally and have her do something helpful (she's good at [[HufflepuffHouse finding things]]), but it's never anything that one of the other outlaws couldn't have done just as easily.

* IAmSpartacus: {{Inverted}} and PlayedForLaughs in ''The Enemy of My Enemy'', when Guy tries to find Archer in York Dungeon; he announces he wants to free Archer from the dungeon and all the prisoners start claiming they're Archer in a bid to be rescued.
* IDontLikeYouAndYouDontLikeMe: Guy to Kate, and by proxy, the rest of the outlaws.

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every episode in Season One was named for a line of dialogue taken from that episode. The finale's title was a catchphrase of the Sheriff's that had been prevalent throughout the series.

* EmphasizeEverything: Tuck's speech patterns often lent themselves to this.

** [[GoodCostumeSwitch Less-Evil Costume Switch]]: In the first two episodes of season three, Guy wears brown leathers instead of his usual black. It fits with [[HeelRealization how he actually feels guilt and remorse for the first time in his life]], brought on by [[MoralEventHorizon killing Marian]]. Then he leaves, comes back and has an Eviler Costume Switch, mixing the black leathers with reds and golds.

* FauxActionGirl: Despite being [[InformedAbility shilled as “a good fighter”]] and insisting that “I can look after myself”, Kate is...well, to say "completely useless" is putting it mildly. She appears in eleven episodes, and in that time she is [[DamselInDistress held captive]] ''five'' times (once by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'', twice by Rufus in ''Sins of the Father'', once by random guards in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and finally by the Sheriff's men in ''Something Worth Fighting For''), [[IdiotBall endangers her own life by wandering into a volatile situation]] and making it worse ''four'' times (in ''Cause and Effect'' she ruins the outlaws' ambush by rushing in prematurely, achieving nothing except to get Robin captured along with her brother, and later abandons the outlaws to sneak into the castle by herself only to be discovered five seconds later, in ''Sins of the Fathers'' she goads Rufus into destroying her pottery kiln and livelihood, and in ''Something Worth Fighting For'' she sabotages Tuck's attempt to stage a peaceful protest by daring the guards to kill her), [[AttemptedRape almost raped]] ''three'' times (by Rufus in ''Sins of the Fathers'', Prince John in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''), held in the StandardFemaleGrabArea hold ''twice''(by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'' and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''), and seriously injured in combat ''once''(a random soldier throws a dagger at her in ''Do You Love Me?''). ''Every single time'' she needs a man to extract her from the situation.

* FinaleCredits: Minor example; ''Something Worth Fighting For: Part Two'' used an alternate version of the closing theme to avoid SoundtrackDissonance.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Just ''where'' did Saladin's assassins pull those big-ass swords from?

* HeartwarmingOrphan: Walt.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Allan again, at the end of series 2. Guy of Gisborne and Archer in series 3.]]
* [[spoiler:TheHeroDies]]: Season Two ends with [[spoiler:Marian's death]], Season Three ends with [[spoiler:Robin himself being killed]].
* HeirClubForMen: Guy makes it clear on a number of occasions that he expects Marian to provide him with a male heir. After her father's death he tells her that the best way to grieve is to get pregnant. It was awkward.

* HighHeelFaceTurn: Eve, after getting to know Much.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Apart from King Richard and Prince John, Eleanor of Aquitaine appears in a series 2 episode and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Walter Archbishop Hubert Walter]] is in series 3.

*** Robin probably wishes that too.
* HoldingOutForAHero: Tuck thinks that Robin's defence of the village people prevents them from standing up for themselves, and that they should be training them to fight instead of making them rely on outlaws for protection. [[AbortedArc Nothing comes of this.]]
* HopeSpot: The show could be downright sadistic about these at times, particularly in the Season Two finale.
* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: "How did you know there wasn't some kind of infectious disease?"

* HotterAndSexier: According to interviews, the costume designer was instructed to dress Lucy Griffiths in "sexier" costumes for Season Two, whereas in Season One her outfits were meant to "appeal to young girls". Then [[spoiler:Marian]] was killed off and Isabella was introduced, who was walking FanService.

* FakeOutMakeOut: Marian and Count Frederick after they've been to see the outlaws in Sherwood.
** Much and Eleri when a patrol of soldiers go by.

* FanDisservice: The Sheriff leaping out of his bath stark naked in ''Booby and the Beast''.

* FanservicePack: Anjali Jay's transformation from scruffy SweetPollyOliver to gorgeous Saracen woman.
* AFatherToHisMen: Robin, though he is by no means a perfect father.
* FauxActionGirl: Despite being [[CreatorsPet shilled as “a good fighter”]] and insisting that “I can look after myself”, Kate is...well, to say "completely useless" is putting it mildly. She appears in eleven episodes, and in that time she is [[DamselInDistress held captive]] ''five'' times [[note]] Once by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'', twice by Rufus in ''Sins of the Father'', once by random guards in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and finally by the Sheriff's men in ''Something Worth Fighting For''[[/note]]. [[IdiotBall endangers her own life by wandering into a volatile situation]] and making it worse ''four'' times[[note]]In ''Cause and Effect'' she ruins the outlaws' ambush by rushing in premmaturely, achieving nothing except to get Robin captured along with her brother, and later abandons the outlaws to sneak into the castle by herself only to be discovered five seconds later, in ''Sins of the Fathers'' she goads Rufus into destroying her pottery kiln and livelihood, and in ''Something Worth Fighting For'' she sabotages Tuck's attempt to stage a peaceful protest by daring the guards to kill her.[[/note]], [[AttemptedRape almost raped]] ''three'' times[[note]]By Rufus in ''Sins of the Fathers'', Prince John in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''[[/note]], held in the StandardFemaleGrabArea hold ''twice''[[note]]By Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'' and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''[[/note]], and seriously injured in combat ''once''[[note]]A random soldier throws a dagger at her in ''Do You Love Me?''[[/note]]. ''Every single time'' she needs a man to extract her from the situation.
** Even in one of the {{Audio|Adaptation}}books she ends up getting accused of witchcraft and nearly burnt at the stake.
*** The writers [[ThrowTheDogABone throw her a bone]] occasionally and have her do something helpful (she's good at [[HufflepuffHouse finding things]]), but it's never anything that one of the other outlaws couldn't have done just as easily.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The Sheriff, performing heinous acts in the most hilarious ways possible. Prince John is this, but even more so, if that's possible.
* FightingIrish: The Irish brothers in ''Cause and Effect'', one of whom arbitrarily picks a fight with Gisborne whilst hung-over.
* FinalSeasonCasting: To compensate for the loss of three cast members at the end of Season Two, the writers introduced ''five'' new ones in Season Three. Had a season four been commissioned, only one original cast member [[spoiler:(Gordon Kennedy)]] would have remained on the show; everyone else having been killed off [[spoiler: (Jonas Armstrong, Lucy Griffiths, Keith Allen, Richard Armitage, Lara Pulver, Joe Armstrong)]], written out [[spoiler: (Harry Lloyd, Anjali Jay)]] or moved on to other projects [[spoiler:(Sam Troughton)]].

* FinaleCredits: Minor example; ''Something Worth Fighting For: Part 2'' used an alternate version of the closing theme to avoid SoundtrackDissonance.
* FingerTwitchingRevival: [[spoiler:The first Sheriff of Nottingham.]]
* FishOutOfWater: Largely averted with Djaq, as she adjusts to life in England reasonably well.
* {{Flanderization}}: Much goes from the somewhat hard-done-by BumblingSidekick who nevertheless is a well-trained soldier, commands a reasonable amount of respect, and who manages to make one of the Sheriff's [[HighHeelFaceTurn spies fall in love with him]], to a completely emasculated buffoon who lets Robin and Kate walk all over him, thinks that walking up to a girl and randomly telling her "I think you're perfect" is the quickest way to her heart, and who off-handedly reveals that he doesn't even know how to count (though he manages to get some of his dignity back in the GrandFinale).
* ForcefulKiss: How Kate finally lets Robin know that she's interested.
* [[ForgotAboutHisPowers Forgot About Her Powers]]: Marian forgets all about her SheFu in the finale of Season Two, and instead decides to stop Guy from murdering King Richard by pushing his BerserkButton (his hatred of Robin). It does not end well.

* FreudianExcuse: Allan gives one of these to Robin after he is exposed as TheMole.
* GenderFlip: The character of the Saracen is played by a woman (Anjali Jay) for the first time.

* GirlNextDoor: Apparently, Kate is this to Robin, having lived in Locksley all her life. Oddly, Robin doesn't recognise her when they first meet, even though he's on a first-name basis with her mother and all the other villagers.

* GoshDangItToHeck: The strongest swear words we ever hear are 'hell' and 'damn', and those are confined almost entirely to the third series. Two exceptions: an early series 1 episode does feature the expression "Son of a cur", and in 'Ducking and Diving', where Matilda calls Vaisey a 'whoreson', which was pretty serious in 12th-century swearing.
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Marian]] is either heartbreakingly brave or bizarrely cheerful for a young woman with a sword in her stomach.

* GrandFinale: Although it ''did'' try to set up for a forth season.
* GroinAttack: Only used twice; when Marian sends a skittle ball below the belt of Count Frederick and in 'For England!' when Little John waves the bells on his staff in Guy's face before jabbing him in the groin with them..

* {{Guyliner}}: Extra points for being worn by a character who's actually ''called'' Guy.

* FullNameUltimatum: When Allan tries to tell Djaq that he's sorry for [[TheMole betraying the gang's trust]], she tells him that she believes he's a good man, addressing him as "Allan-a-Dale" for good measure.

* DiedHappilyEverAfter: [[spoiler: Robin is welcomed by Marian as he dies, who promises him that now they have eternity together.]]

* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Robin's father]]

* DramaticNecklaceRemoval: Averted. When this trope is played straight, the necklace is easily pulled off by the villain without any pain on the part of the wearer. Here, the first time Guy takes Eleri's necklace, he gently unclasps it (even taking off his glove to do so); the second time he yanks it off, but it visibly hurts her.

* DrowningPit: An overflow chamber for the River Trent that Prince John has blocked up to cut off the water supply becomes this in ''Too Hot to Handle'' when Robin and Isabella enter it to restart the water flow and Gisborne has it blocked off.
* DullSurprise: Kate spends most of her time with her face screwed up due to her constant scowling, crying and whining, but when she's faced with an actual crisis such as a threat from her brother's murderer or the dead body of one of her comrades, all she can muster is a blank stare.

* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:The Sheriff was thought to have been KilledOffForReal in the series 3 episode "Do You Love Me?", but as his body was being taken away his fingers moved, indicating that he [[strike:may be]] was NotQuiteDead.]]

* EroticDream: Or at least as erotic as one gets on a kid's show. Guy has a dream about Marian massaging his shoulders. It gets weirder when Marian [[HomoeroticDream turns into Allan]]...
* EroticEating: Isabella eating strawberries. "Mmmm...juicy..."

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Sheriff of Nottingham is rarely called by his real name (Vaisey), and even is called "the sheriff" in the rare cases when he isn't.

** Prince John is a very weird case of this mixed with ItsAllAboutMe, as he believes essentially that because he is Prince John, everything that he does is inherently good. When Isabella tries to call him out on it, pointing out that burning villagers to death in a church is not the mark of a benevolent king, his response is "but I AM being benevolent!" He's an Evil character who can't comprehend that he's not Good

** [[GoodCostumeSwitch Less-Evil Costume Switch]]: In the first two episodes of series 3, Guy wears brown leathers instead of his usual black. It fits with [[HeelRealization how he actually feels guilt and remorse for the first time in his life]], brought on by [[MoralEventHorizon killing Marian]]. Then he leaves, comes back and has an Eviler Costume Switch, mixing the black leathers with reds and golds.

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Gisborne's hair throughout the third series; in the first two episodes it's been grown long and greasy to indicate the aftermath of [[spoiler:his murder of Marian.]] When he returns following a two-episode break in episode 5 it's still long, but he seems to have found the time for a shampoo.

* {{Expy}}: Guy of Gisbourne has been part of the legends for centuries, but give Richard Armitage an eyepatch and he'd be [[Series/BlakesSeven Space Commander Travis]].
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Allan in series 2, Isabella in series 3.]]

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Allan, twice; he loses Djaq to Will and then Kate to Robin (as does Much).
** A variation of {{Did Not Get the G|irl}}uy happens between Robin and Kate. Though Kate ''does'' get herself into a relationship with Robin, it's pretty clear by the final handful of episodes that he's just not that into her. Though they are separated by death, Robin foregoes the opportunity to die in Kate's arms in order to meet Marian's spirit in Sherwood, indicating that he knew she was waiting for him.

* TheDragon: Guy for the Sheriff, the Sheriff for Prince John.

* DramaticUnmask: When Guy finally learns who the Night Watchman is.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Allan]], who dies a cruel, meaningless, partially off-screen (he is seen being shot down by the Sheriff's men, but his actual death is never seen) death that turns his entire life into a ShootTheShaggyDog story.

* DumbBlonde: Kate.

* EasilyForgiven: Robin forgives Guy for [[spoiler:running Marian through with a sword]], an act that sets off [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Roaring Rampages of Revenge]] in dozens of other movies and television shows. Yet by the final episode, Robin is referring to Guy as "my friend." This is somewhat justified, as the two are thrown together out of circumstance rather than choice.

*** In her first episode Kate rats out Robin's location to Guy in exchange for her brother's freedom. Robin is only in the castle in the first place because he tried to ''help'' Kate free her brother, but the outlaws express shock at her betrayal for about two seconds before being completely fine with it. The episode ends with Robin apologising to ''her'' for her brother's death. When Isabella turns up, [[{{Hypocrite}} Kate is the first one to suspect her of treachery]], and nobody points out that Kate is just as culpable.
*** Tuck also introduced himself to the gang by leading them into a trap as a motivational tool for Robin to get his mojo back by saving them. At the end of the episode Robin admits Tuck to the gang, barely acknowledging complaints from the rest of them that, oh yeah, HE was the reason why they were almost executed. Tuck's explanation is something along the lines of "You've got to gamble big to win big." Justifiable in that Tuck was very helpful to Robin during the episode, but when Robin is captured in the next episode it's a little surprising that the gang is willing to follow Tuck
*** Archer sold Guy and Robin out to Isabella for money, and also sold [[spoiler: Vaizey]] Byzantine fire. He ends up a member of the gang with little comment to him being untrustworthy. Admittedly, like Guy, he was thrown into the situation with them and they didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.

* EnemyMine: Happens OnceASeason; the Sheriff briefly teams up with Robin when his life is threatened in ''Peace? Off!'', Gisborne asks Robin to help find the Sheriff in ''Walkabout'' before Prince John's men destroy Nottingham, and Gisborne joins the outlaws near the end of series 3.

* EvolvingCredits: Series 3, to the point that with two exceptions, the credits were never the same two weeks running.

* FauxActionGirl: Despite being [[CreatorsPet shilled as “a good fighter”]] and insisting that “I can look after myself”, Kate is...well, to say "completely useless" is putting it mildly. She appears in eleven episodes, and in that time she is [[DamselInDistress held captive]] ''five'' times[[note]]Once by Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'', twice by Rufus in ''Sins of the Father'', once by random guards in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and finally by the Sheriff's men in ''Something Worth Fighting For''[[/note]]. [[IdiotBall endangers her own life by wandering into a volatile situation]] and making it worse ''four'' times[[note]]In ''Cause and Effect'' she ruins the outlaws' ambush by rushing in premmaturely, achieving nothing except to get Robin captured along with her brother, and later abandons the outlaws to sneak into the castle by herself only to be discovered five seconds later, in ''Sins of the Fathers'' she goads Rufus into destroying her pottery kiln and livelihood, and in ''Something Worth Fighting For'' she sabotages Tuck's attempt to stage a peaceful protest by daring the guards to kill her.[[/note]], [[AttemptedRape almost raped]] ''three'' times[[note]]By Rufus in ''Sins of the Fathers'', Prince John in ''Too Hot to Handle'', and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''[[/note]], held in the StandardFemaleGrabArea hold ''twice''[[note]]By Gisborne in ''Cause and Effect'' and by Sheridan in ''The King is Dead''[[/note]], and seriously injured in combat ''once''[[note]]A random soldier throws a dagger at her in ''Do You Love Me?''[[/note]]. ''Every single time'' she needs a man to extract her from the situation.

* BettyAndVeronica: Kate (Betty) and Isabella (Veronica), right down to the hair colour.
** Does that make Marian the ThirdOptionLoveInterest?

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Technically Isabella, though most fans would be quick to point out Kate as a more obvious example.

* CatchPhrase: '''"We are Robin Hood!"''
** "La dee da dee da." and "A clue: no." from the Sheriff.
** "I'm not being funny," from Allan.
** And Little John's "Him/her/that, we like/do not like."

* CharacterShilling: Kate got this to a truly absurd degree, with the writers seemingly under the impression that if enough outlaws fell in love with her (at various points they call her: "a treasure," "a good fighter," "amazing", and "brave, compassionate and beautiful"), the audience would too. [[{{Understatement}} They didn't]].

* ChekhovsGun: The GreekFire ledger that Djaq rescues from the campfire. Technically the ledger itself never appears again, but what Djaq learns from it sure does.

*** Marian's lock-pick, first seen in the late season one episode ''Peace? Off'', turns up again completely unannounced and unmentioned in the season three episode ''Cause and Effect''.

* ComedicSociopathy: Personified in the Sheriff and Prince John.
* CompositeCharacter: Kate seems to be a deliberate blend of Marian (as {{Love Interest|s}}), Djaq (as TokenGirl) and Will (as Oppressed Peasant), standing in for all three of them, albeit rather unsuccessfully, in season three.

* DeathBySecretIdentity: Marian being unmasked as the Nightwatchman by Gisborne ultimately leads to her death two episodes later.

* DemotedToExtra: Allan-a-Dale has one of the most dramatic story-arcs in Season Two what with his TheMole, FaceHeelTurn and WelcomeBackTraitor storylines, and in Season Three is lucky if he gets three lines per episode. The writers remember him eventually, just in time to [[spoiler:kill him off]].
* DependingOnTheWriter: Guy veers from sadistic killer to noble anti-hero on a whim.
* DerailingLoveInterests: Isabella goes insane and tries to kill Robin so that the writers can start focusing on Robin/Kate and set Isabella up as the next BigBad.

* AlliterativeName: Guy of Gisborne.
** Averted with Maid Marian who is always referred to as "Lady Marian."

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: In ''Get Carter'' Robin is clearly more concerned about Marian's safety than that of any of the other outlaws.
** In season three, the outlaws will usually drop everything in order to rush off and rescue Kate.
* AmbitionIsEvil: Guy of Gisborne's entire StoryArc is based on this premise.

* BulletDancing: Robin does this with ''arrows'' to Little John and his men in ''Will You Tolerate This?''

* ChainedToABed: Guy. By his sister. Who then refers to him as "a present for Prince John."

* ClassyCatBurglar: Years before Robin is doing it, Marian stealing from the rich to give to the poor as the [[SecretIdentity Night Watchman]].
* ClingyJealousGirl: Kate asks, unimpressed, "what's the reason for her?" before Isabella is even in plain sight.

* CompositeCharacter: Kate seems to be a deliberate blend of Marian (as {{Love Interest|s}}), Djaq (as TokenGirl) and Will (as Oppressed Peasant), standing in for all three of them, albeit rather unsuccessfully, in Season Three.

* CreateYourOwnVillain: Robin, Guy and [[UnwantedSpouse Thornton]] contribute heavily toward Isabella's downward spiral into insanity, and all pay dearly for it.
** As do Meg and Kate. They also come out worse off. You do ''not'' want to mess with this woman.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Much. People keep forgetting that the talkative, clumsy, sensitive, perpetually hungry BumblingSidekick fought in the Holy Land for five years. Then a fight comes along and suddenly he's taking names and kicking ass.

* CuteButCacophonic: Wincing was a natural reaction from viewers whenever Kate decided to open her mouth whilst angry.
* DamselInDistress: Beatrice, in the S2 episode ''Show Me the Money'' is a young woman held against her will by a canon of the church.
** Also Kate.

* DeathSeeker: Little John, what with his "today is a good day to die" mantra, embracing the idea of death out of guilt that he abandoned his wife and child.
* DelayingAction: In the show's GrandFinale, the outlaws and their allies hold Nottingham Castle in the hopes that King Richard will arrive with his armies to tip the balance in their favour. When this falls through, they call for an evacuation.

* SheCleansUpNicely: Djaq in the [[AnachronismStew casino episode]].

** The episode title "Lardner's Ring" is a reference to screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr., who was a writer on ''Series/{{The Adventures of Robin Hood}}'' (among other notable but not Hood-related credits).

*** In fact, there had already been a character called Thornton in series 1, which probably was a ShoutOut; the series 3 writers probably just forgot there'd already been a character called Thornton.
** The episode title "Get Carter" references a Michael Caine movie of the same name.
** The episode "Treasure of the Nation" involves following a needlessly-elaborate series of clues to find a Film/NationalTreasure.
** One of the Saracens in the series 2 finale is called [[Series/RobinOfSherwood Nasir]].

* CardboardPrison: Whether Nottingham Castle's dungeons are this varies DependingOnTheWriter; sometimes they manage to break out, but many other escape attempts fail. Played more straight with various other prisons, such as the "Vault" in ''Cause and Effect''
* CatFight: The inevitable conclusion to Kate and Isabella's rivalry over Robin. Despite the fact both are armed with swords and daggers, they resort to hair-pulling and face-slapping instead.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first episode Robin and Marian have opposing points of view when it comes to dealing with the Sheriff. Marian is more political, whilst Robin is more personal. By Season Two, their viewpoints have been switched around.

*** Marian's lock-pick, first seen in the late Season One episode ''Peace? Off'', turns up again completely unannounced and unmentioned in the Season Three episode ''Cause and Effect''.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Isabella]].

* ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike: Kate outright objects to several of her rescues.

* ConvenientlyPreciseTranslation: In "Treasure of the Nation", everybody renders ''thesaurus patriae'' as "treasure of the nation", never (what would have the episode's roots a bit too blatant) "Film/{{national treasure}}".
* CoversAlwaysLie: The UK box set for Season One has a line-up of the outlaws, including Roy and Djaq. In the show, Roy died before Djaq was introduced. The box set for Season Three has Tuck displayed front-and-centre, even though he's [[AdvertisedExtra relatively minor]].

* CuteBruiser: Djaq

* DatingCatwoman: Robin and Isabella.
* DeathByFallingOver: [[spoiler:Ghislaine, Gisborne and Isabella's mother,]] gets elbowed in the face, falls over, and dies.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Matilda, who cusses at the Sheriff whilst she's being [[BurnTheWitch dunked in the lake]]. True to the trope, this occurs as her daughter gives birth in Sherwood Forest.

* DirtyHarriet: Kate does this in a seedy pub, acting as a drunken tavern wench in order to distract a man that the outlaws want to rob. [[DamselScrappy Of course, she's nearly raped two seconds later...]]

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Marian at the end of season 1, and Vaizey in series 3.]]

* BumblingSidekick: Poor Much.
** And Kate isn't a bumbler, either?
* BurnTheWitch: Or in this case ''dunk'' the witch.
* ButtMonkey: Much, to the extent that the fanbase started a "Treat Much Right" campaign.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Robin is reunited with Marian...he just has to die first.]]
* BolivianArmyEnding: {{Subverted|Trope}} in the second series, in that they were all for it.

* CharacterShilling: Kate got this to a truly absurd degree, with the writers seemingly under the impression that if enough outlaws fell in love with her (at various points they call her: "a treasure," "a good fighter," "amazing", and "brave, compassionate and beautiful"), the audience would too.

* TheBigDamnKiss: Robin and Marian's first on-screen kiss occurs at the end of Season One, after Robin has dramatically whisked her away from her aborted wedding. He drops her off at the castle, and she's rushing away when he calls her back again. As their love theme swells, he leans down in the saddle, she stands on her tippy-toes, and...awww.
* BirthDeathJuxtaposition: As Rosa gives birth to her baby daughter, her mother Matilda is being dunked in the lake. However, this trope is subverted considering Matilda only fakes her death and is rescued by Robin mid-dunk.

* BottleEpisode: ''Tattoo? What Tattoo?'' features no characters outside the regular cast and two recurring characters, and utilises only the existing sets.
* BratsWithSlingshots: A small group of young Robin-wannabes totes these around.
* BreakingTheFellowship: The end of season 2.
* BrickJoke: In the season 1 episode ''A Thing or Two About Loyalty'', Allan suggests they could use the black powder to blow up the whole castle. Two and a half seasons later...

* BringNewsBack: Throughout series 2 the Sheriff aims to stop Robin sending a messenger to alert King Richard of Operation Shah Mat.

* BrokenBird: Isabella. Dead parents? Check. Abusive Marriage? Check. Failed Relationships? Check. Driven insane by one too many betrayals? ''Yes.''
* BrokenPedestal: Sheridan, the man that trained Robin, eventually turns against King Richard out of resentment at being put out to pasture.

* TheCaligula: Prince John, the Sheriff and eventually, Isabelle.

* ChangedMyMindKid: Will and Allan at the end of Season One.

* AchillesInHisTent: Robin in the first season episode ''Tattoo? What Tattoo?'' in which he captures Guy and refuses to help the other outlaws rescue Djaq, despite their pleas for help.
** Much in ''A Dangerous Deal'' once he realizes that Kate wants to hook up with Robin. He returns as soon as he the gang is in danger.

* AllGirlsLikePonies: After an argument with Marian, Guy tries to appease her by bring her a new horse. It works.

** In series 2 episode 2, what appears to be an electric buzz-saw shoots out of the wall of the strongroom.

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:Isabella, after [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Robin dumps her]].]]
* BadassAdorable: Djaq: tiny, adorable, PuppyDogEyes...and will rip your arms off if you get her angry.

* BadassInDistress: Robin in ''Sisterhood''.
* BadassLongcoat: Little John.
* BadassPreacher: Tuck.
* TheBaroness: Davina, the Sheriff's sister.
* BathOfPoverty: Inverted when Much is temporarily made an Earl he gets to have a bath smelling of flowers.
* BatmanGambit: Tuck pulls one of these in his first episode in which he tricks the outlaws into walking into a trap in the hopes that it will force Robin to re-embrace his role as a hero to the people.

* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: At least, this is Allan's excuse when Robin finds out he's been working for Gisborne.

* BetaCouple: Will and Djaq.

* {{Bifauxnen}}: Djaq. To the delight of many.
* BigBad: The Sheriff (Vaizey), then later Prince John. [[spoiler: Vaizey seemed like he'd becone this again for the finale, but was actually working for Prince John too.]]

* AbortedArc: Throughout the first two-thirds of the second season, Robin and the outlaws are concerned with the accumulation of Black Knights in Nottingham. The Sheriff is getting them to sign the Pact of Nottingham, a document that will set Prince John up as King and which goes on to be a MacGuffin that an important RecurringCharacter actually dies for in order to deliver it to Robin. In episode 12 this entire plot is dropped completely when the Sheriff decides to travel all the way to the Holy Land in order to assassinate King Richard himself. The Black Knights are given some degree of closure in Season Three, when it’s said that they’ve disbanded, but it doesn’t change the fact that a whole season worth of set-up went precisely nowhere.
** In Season Three, the writers seem to be setting Kate and Allan up as a potential couple. After episode 8, Allan loses all interest, and has no reaction whatsoever when Robin hooks up with her instead. Neither is there any closure on the Will/Djaq/Allan LoveTriangle. Much/Kate doesn't go anywhere either, though it's given a bit more attention.

** For an example of an arc that's aborted before it's even had a chance to ''begin'', the series ends with the surviving outlaws discussing the need to raise King Richard's ransom money. The show's cancellation was announced about a week later.

* AesopAmnesia: A particularly disappointing one in ''Too Hot to Handle''. For the first time since the season premiere Robin is displaying pangs of grief over the [[spoiler:death of Marian]]. This leads to Robin breaking up with Isabella, basing it on a) his duty to the King and England, b) his acknowledgement that he's never going to get the chance to have a normal life, c) the danger that Isabella is in if she's known to be in league with Robin, and d) the fact that he still misses Marian too much. The episode ends with him looking wistfully at a happy family, knowing that it's a future he can never have...only for him to hook up with Kate two episodes later.
** To make matters worse, Robin's other Aesop throughout the show is that he needs to treat Much with more respect. Starting a relationship with Kate, the girl that he ''knows'' Much has a crush on, is probably the cruellest thing he's ever done to [[WithFriendsLikeThese his best friend]].

* AlmostKiss: An interesting variation occurs in ''Brothers In Arms'' in which Guy moves in to kiss Marian after she's accepted his marriage proposal. The MomentKiller is the fact that Marian is tearful and frightened, having just been threatened by Guy over the whereabouts of a missing necklace that links her to Robin and been forced to accept Guy's proposal in order to assuage the suspicion. Realizing that now is ''not'' the best time to kiss his bride-to-be, Guy backs off.
** It provides a much darker comparison with an AlmostKiss between Robin and Marian earlier in the episode, in which Robin tries for a kiss and Marian coyly draws away.

** In Season Three, the outlaws will usually drop everything in order to rush off and rescue Kate.
* AmazonBrigade: Saladin's Assassins.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: A subdued version at the end of Season Three as the surviving outlaws [[spoiler:carry Robin's body deeper into the forest]] after vowing to fight on in his name.

* AnnoyingArrows: Played straight, but then averted big time with [[spoiler:Allan's death]].

* AttemptedRape: Though not explicitly stated, it's doubtful that Prince John was going to visit Kate in the dungeons in order to bring her some tea.
** Guy also tells the Sheriff that he will: "take her (Marian) by force" in the finale of the second season.

* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Marian]], in a scene that has divided viewers: she's either heartbreakingly brave or bizarrely cheerful for a young woman with a sword in her stomach.

He is immediately stripped of his title as Earl of Huntingdon and outlawed, after which he gradually builds a band of fellow outlaws to assist in his quest to alleviate the suffering of Nottingham's poor. Throughout season one, he and his band of outlaws, assisted by his love interest Lady Marian, take numerous actions against the Sheriff and Gisborne, while in [[GrowingTheBeard the second]] and [[ReTool third seasons]] their efforts are aimed at thwarting organized efforts to overthrow King Richard and conquer England.

The show made some interesting changes to the legend. Friar Tuck was omitted for the first two seasons, and when he appeared in season three, he was turned into a Black warrior priest. Marian was not referred to as "Maid" and became something of an SuperHero in her own "Nightwatchman" SecretIdentity. The Merry Men (which included a Saracen woman) were not referred to as such, being only called "the outlaws". Green tights were conspicuous by their absence.

* AbortedArc: Throughout the first two-thirds of the second season, Robin and the outlaws are concerned with the accumulation of Black Knights in Nottingham. The Sheriff is getting them to sign the Pact of Nottingham, a document that will set Prince John up as King and which goes on to be a MacGuffin that an important RecurringCharacter actually dies for in order to deliver it to Robin. In episode 12 this entire plot is dropped completely when the Sheriff decides to travel all the way to the Holy Land in order to assassinate King Richard himself. The Black Knights are given some degree of closure in season three, when it’s said that they’ve disbanded, but it doesn’t change the fact that a whole season worth of set-up went precisely nowhere.
** In season three, the writers seem to be setting Kate and Allan up as a potential couple. After episode 8, Allan loses all interest, and has no reaction whatsoever when Robin hooks up with her instead. Neither is there any closure on the Will/Djaq/Allan LoveTriangle. Much/Kate doesn't go anywhere either, though it's given a bit more attention.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: A subdued version at the end of season three as the surviving outlaws [[spoiler:carry Robin's body deeper into the forest]] after vowing to fight on in his name.

* TheBigDamnKiss: Robin and Marian's first on-screen kiss occurs at the end of season one, after Robin has dramatically whisked her away from her aborted wedding. He drops her off at the castle, and she's rushing away when he calls her back again. As their love theme swells, he leans down in the saddle, she stands on her tippy-toes, and...awww.

* ChangedMyMindKid: Will and Allan at the end of season one.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first episode Robin and Marian have opposing points of view when it comes to dealing with the Sheriff. Marian is more political, whilst Robin is more personal. By season two, their viewpoints have been switched around.

*** Marian's lock-pick, first seen in the late season one episode ''Peace? Off'', turns up again completely unannounced and unmentioned in the season three episode ''Cause and Effect''.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The UK box set for season one has a line-up of the outlaws, including Roy and Djaq. In the show, Roy died before Djaq was introduced. The box set for season three has Tuck displayed front-and-centre, even though he's [[AdvertisedExtra relatively minor]].

* FinalSeasonCasting: To compensate for the loss of three cast members at the end of season two, the writers introduced ''five'' new ones in season three. Had a season four been commissioned, only one original cast member [[spoiler:(Gordon Kennedy)]] would have remained on the show; everyone else having been killed off [[spoiler: (Jonas Armstrong, Lucy Griffiths, Keith Allen, Richard Armitage, Lara Pulver, Joe Armstrong)]], written out [[spoiler: (Harry Lloyd, Anjali Jay)]] or moved on to other projects [[spoiler:(Sam Troughton)]].

* [[ForgotAboutHisPowers Forgot About Her Powers]]: Marian forgets all about her SheFu in the finale of season two, and instead decides to stop Guy from murdering King Richard by pushing his BerserkButton (his hatred of Robin). It does not end well.

* HotterAndSexier: According to interviews, the costume designer was instructed to dress Lucy Griffiths in "sexier" costumes for season two, whereas in season one her outfits were meant to "appeal to young girls". Then [[spoiler:Marian]] was killed off and Isabella was introduced, who was walking FanService.

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every episode in season one was named for a line of dialogue taken from that episode. The finale's title was a catchphrase of the Sheriff's that had been prevalent throughout the series.

** At the end of season three, Isabella releases a proclamation that announces Allan has been pardoned, leading everyone to believe that he's betrayed them once again. No one stops to wonder -- if he ''was'' Isabella's [[TheMole Mole]] in the outlaw camp -- why she would blow his cover like this.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Firstly, [[spoiler: Guy runs Marian through with his sword]] at the end of season two, and [[spoiler:Guy]] then dies a KarmicDeath at the end of season three, after [[spoiler:the sheriff impales him]].

* IronicEcho: A possibly unintentional one. In the first episode of the first series, Robin tells Much one of the most important rules of combat is "never forget the last man" when Much breaks his cover before the last of the Sheriff's guards has gone by. Whilst escaping from the castle via the escape tunnel in the final episode of season three, Robin proceeds to break this rule - the Sheriff's guards are coming down the tunnel, and Robin breaks from his hiding before he's out of sight of the last one. Given the completely different writing team for season three, it's difficult to tell if this was a deliberate call back or a coincidence, although the episode ''had'' been written by the one season three writer who had also worked on the first two series (Simon J Ashford).

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Guy dies after he's impaled on the sheriff's sword]], the same way he killed [[spoiler: Marian]] at the end of season two. Likewise, Isabella manages to stab him in the back with a dagger dipped in a poison that he himself had given to her as retribution for selling her as a child to a sadistic husband.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The back of the season three DVD boxset has written on it: "[[spoiler:Marian's]] death was just the beginning."

** Subverted with Marian and Isabella, who get a new outfit each episode (Lucy Griffiths jokes on one of the DVD commentaries that half the show's budget was spend on her clothing). It is especially extraordinary in Marian's case considering her house is burnt down at the start of season two, and yet she still manages to have brand new outfits at the ready.

* TheMedic: Djaq in seasons one and two; Tuck to a lesser extent in season three.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: In the final episode of season two, Robin and Much have a whispered conversation outside the cell that Marian is being held in. She hears their voices and hurries to investigate, but by the time she gets there, they've moved on and she dismisses it as her imagination.

** Robin chooses to murder all the Black Knights - including the Sheriff and Gisborne - for no clear reason in season two, episode six.

* TheNotLoveInterest: Robin and Guy at the end of season three.

* PutOnABus: At the end of season two Will and Djaq opted to stay in the Holy Land for reasons that are never specified.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: In the season two finale Guy tells the Sheriff that he will: "take Marian by force." Whether he was bluffing or not probably depends on your shipping preferences, but it's clear that this line [[spoiler:and the murder that follows]] was behind why Richard Armitage described this episode as "the point of no return" for Guy.

* SecondLove: {{Played with}} and {{Deconstructed}} in rather awkward ways in season three. After Marian's death, the showrunners enthusiastically discussed how this was an opportunity to see how Robin copes without the love of his life. Turns out, he does surprisingly well, with the introduction of ''two'' new [[LoveInterest Love Interests]] in the following season, and barely a mention of Marian outside the first episode. However, there is some nuance here and there. One suspects that Robin was LovingAShadow when it came to Isabella, given her resemblance to Marian in both position and appearance, and the relationship quickly implodes when he refuses to run away from Nottingham with her. From there, Kate is presented as the ''true'' SecondLove, with plenty of CharacterShilling designed to make her seem like a perfect and natural partner to him. Yet towards the end of the season, after their RelationshipUpgrade, Robin only seems tepidly interested in his new girlfriend (he's practically [[ShipperOnDeck talked into the relationship by Little John]]) and after he's fatally poisoned in the GrandFinale, he has very little to say to Kate and can't even bring himself to give her a LastKiss. Seconds later, [[TogetherInDeath he's reunited with Marian's spirit in Sherwood Forest]]. So all that time and energy that was spent on building up Isabella and Kate as potential [[SecondLove Second Loves]] for Robin is eventually rendered meaningless, with the final word being that for Robin, there was ''never'' going to be a SecondLove after Marian.

* SnakePit: Robin being dangled over a pit of venomous snakes in the first episode of season two.

* SpoilerOpening: He had already been given a FingerTwitchingRevival, but the [[spoiler:Sheriff's return in the penultimate season three episode is ruined by the inclusion of Keith Allen's name in the opening titles.]]
* SpotlightStealingSquad: Though some of the new characters are introduced late, or only stay for a few episodes, season three is dominated by Isabella, Kate, Prince John, Tuck and Archer, leading to the marginalization of the original outlaws. Even Robin and Guy were short-changed to some extent as a result of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters the character overload]].

* StandardFemaleGrabArea: {{Subverted}} in the first episode of season two with Djaq. A {{Mook}} grabs her and shouts: "I've got the girl!" Djaq calmly head butts him, retrieves her sword, and marches off, muttering: "A ''woman'' you'll find."

* StockholmSyndrome: Arguably (''very'' arguably) Marian had this in regards to Guy of Gisborne, particularly in the first half of season two.

* TechnicalPacifist: Robin. Whilst in series one the only time he actually kills someone is when Marian's seeming death causes him to go berserk, it goes downhill from there; the majority of his kills in series two are only people immediately threatening him or someone else, but in season three, his killing policy is completely arbitrary - in episode 8, he shoots a guard in the back without warning, and then next episode he claims to only kill when there is 'no alternative'.

* TonightSomeoneDies: The season two finale's promotional material stated that either Robin, Marian, Guy or the Sheriff would die.

* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: [[spoiler:Guy killing Lady Marian]] in season two is what leads to many other characters being killed in season three. Also, had [[spoiler:Guy not impulsively kills the woman who could have gotten away with throwing herself between King Richard and Guy's sword by not bringing up her marriage to Robin Hood]], then the deaths wouldn't have happened.
* TragicKeepsake: Marian's ring, presumably her wedding or engagement ring except it looks totally different to both of those, retained by Robin in the first episode of season three. He buries it at the end of the episode after deciding he can't dwell on it.
* TragicOneShotCharacter: Meg, whose narrative purpose is to be a ReplacementGoldfish for Guy in the wake of Marian's murder at his hands. She's also killed, though Guy gets to play the role of savior instead of killer in her case.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In season three Robin attempts to forge an alliance with Isabella, the new Sheriff of Nottingham (also his ex-girlfriend) and the two come to a tenuous agreement. Unfortunately, Robin asks Little John to escort Isabella home, during which John feels the need to tell Isabella that Robin "has eyes for Kate". This achieves nothing except [[GreenEyedMonster pissing Isabella off]], making her question just how much influence she has over Robin, and leading her to turn on him at the next available opportunity. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice job antagonising the valuable ally, John]].

* TheWalrusWasPaul: In the final episode of season two, there's a rather inexplicable scene in which Guy has a dream about Marian massaging his shoulders, who then turns into Allan. On the DVD commentary, the actors turn to writer/director Dominic Mingella for clarification, who admits that he only added the scene in order to make people talk about it, saying: "the internet will be buzzing after this scene!"

** At the end of season two, Allan is seen carrying a pigeon-carrier, presumably with a messanger pigeon inside (the DVD commentary confirms that Djaq gave it to him). He must have dropped it overboard on the voyage back, because it's nowhere to be seen in season three.

* YeahShot: The outlaws at the end of season one, one that almost seems to [[BreakingTheFourthWall Break The Fourth Wall]].

* TonightSomeoneDies: The series 2 finale's promotional material stated that either Robin, Marian, Guy or the Sheriff would die.

* TragicOneShotCharacter: Meg, who's purpose is to be a ReplacementGoldfish for Guy in the wake of Marian's murder at his hands. She's also killed, though Guy gets to play the role of savior instead of killer in her case.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Allan, Djaq and Will in seasons one and two.
* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: [[spoiler:Guy killing Lady Marian]] in Season 2 is what leads to many other characters being killed in Season 3. Also, had [[spoiler:Guy not impulsively kills the woman who could have gotten away with throwing herself between King Richard and Guy's sword by not bringing up her marriage to Robin Hood]], then the deaths wouldn't have happened.
* TragicKeepsake: Marian's ring, presumably her wedding or engagement ring except it looks totally different to both of those, retained by Robin in the first episode of series 3. He buries it at the end of the episode after deciding he can't dwell on it.

** Apparently Archer showed Gweneth one of his "wonders of the Orient".

* PreSacrificeFinalGoodbye: Actually configured a little to become a ''Post''-Sacrifice Final Goodbye. Robin is stabbed by Isabella and a dagger coated in a lethal poison halfway through the FinalBattle, though it's slow-working enough to give him time to complete the mission and get individual goodbyes with each of the remaining outlaws.

It should be noted that the Robin Hood mythos is a rich theme that British TV returns to, as if magnetically drawn, at periodic intervals. The first Robin Hood television series aired in on the Creator/BBC in 1953, and starred Creator/PatrickTroughton (grandfather of Sam Troughton, who played Much in the 2006-09 series) in the title role. However, that series is now [[MissingEpisode lost to time]], with only a few minutes of footage remaining. The earliest surviving example would therefore ''Series/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood'' (1955-60), which starred Richard Greene in the title role. It ran for several years , was much repeated, and is well-thought of as a show which in terms of script, acting and production values were many years ahead of its time.

It should be noted that the Robin Hood mythos is a rich theme that British TV returns to, as if magnetically drawn, at periodic intervals. The UrExample would be the original 1950's monochrome series starring Richard Greene in the title role. ''Series/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood'' ran for several years (1955-60), was much repeated, and is well-thought of as a show which in terms of script, acting and production values was many years ahead of its time.

The 1984-86 remake ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' (distributed in the USA as simply ''Robin Hood'') dwelt heavily on the more mystical and romantic elements of the mythos with a soundtrack from Music/{{Enya}} and Clannad, and was both praised and parodied for its misty Celtic cinematography.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Isabella and Kate are each convinced they are Robin's true LoveInterest, that the other is TheRival, and eventually partaking in a childish CatFight over him. Despite this LoveTriangle taking up much of the season's screen-time, the truth is that Robin doesn't care that much about ''either'' of them, is one half of an OfficialCouple with [[TheLostLenore Marian]], and gets a TogetherInDeath scene with her in the GrandFinale with nary a thought for the two of them.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Isabella and Kate are each convinced they are Robin's true LoveInterest, becoming [[GreenEyedMonster Green Eyed Monsters]] in each other presence, and eventually partaking in a childish CatFight over him. Despite this LoveTriangle taking up much of the season's screentime, the truth is that Robin doesn't care that much about ''either'' of them, is one half of an OfficialCouple with [[TheLostLenore Marian]], and gets a TogetherInDeath scene with her in the GrandFinale.