Before I broke down and forced myself to watch Robin Hood
I had a hard time grasping why so many Richard Armitage fans went ga-ga over Guy of Gisborne….and so I routinely scrolled past the pictures of him that I encountered daily.
The very idea distresses me now.
I thought the series 3 long hair made Guy seem too feminine (secretly I think I was just jealous of those beautiful curls)
The somewhat plastic-looking black leather of previous series, with all of it’s various metal fastenings and space-aged shoulder ribbing turned me away as well. As did the aptly named guy-liner; never been a fan of it, in general.
*whispers*
and the smirk kind of annoyed me.
Slowly my horizons broadened, once I found out more about Guy and his motivations.
Thanks, in large part, to the Guy of Gisborne tagged posts on Me+Richard, which highlights particular story-lines and the use of Richard’s microexpressions to dig deeper into Guy’s actions.
Since this post is about a Guy related confession, I thought it only fitting that I include the Guy and Marian Confession fanvid that I’ve been obsessing over lately:
[ETA: this fanvid is no longer online but here is the Josh Groban song it featured]
I think if we, as RA fans, put ourselves into the place of the confessor in the chorus of the song, it’s easy to recognize the parallels.
I feel myself surrender each time I see your face. I am staggered by your beauty, your unassuming grace. And I feel my heart is turning, falling into place. I can’t hide it, now hear my confession.
Nowhere in Particular RA 
Thanks for the link love! I was really not thrilled about the possibility of watching it, but in a moment of desperation I joined Netflix in order to do it … and got hooked.
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me too! once I read some of your break-downs of Guy, it not only gave me an idea of what the episodes were about (I had no clue at that point, other than “Robin Hood” with historically inaccurate clothing… ) but that Guy had a darkness in his soul that was there for a reason, must investigate! I’m very glad I did.
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I have a confession too: as a writer, a history buff, a former stage combat choreographer, *and* a theatrical costumer, I am deeply horrified by so much about the show myself that it actually fills me with a kind of rage when I let myself actually think about what’s going on. I can’t even count how many parts of my brain I have to shut off before watching an episode simply in order to not implode. (The anachronisms and inaccuracies are not hip or clever! They’re just ugly and jarring!)
On top of that I’m reeeeeeeeeally not much of a fan of most of the other actors and/or characters on the show. For me, my enjoyment of the *entire* production hinges on Richard and Guy — and that’s sorely tested when he’s in bad costumes/armor or performing embarrassing fight choreography. It’s a testament to *just how* smoking hot he is, and how much depth Richard was able to work into the character, that I got all the way through the whole thing and will actually rewatch some episodes on purpose when I’m in a certain mood. It was honestly the gifs that made me do it. I tried to watch the first episode, hated it, saw more gifs that were just too tantalizing to resist, and gave it another try.
*sigh*
The things we suffer for our man.
(Deepest apologies to everyone who loves this show. I know there are many and I’m just a grump. Sorry, really.)
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I agree with all of this, speaking from the historian’s standpoint. There are funny jokes and representations about history and this is not one. But Guy’s story and Richard’s performance are fascinating. But I’m gearing up to do a rewatch for myself because I want to write about some of this stuff again and my stomach is already aching.
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I do not envy you the rewatch, but I know I’ll love every second of the analysis it produces.
In other words, better you than me. 😉
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it did take me quite a few episodes to overlook all of those things, but if I look at it as a family show, geared towards kids, then it’s easier to watch
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Oh man, if I let myself ever actually remember that it’s meant for kids while I was watching it, I’m pretty sure I would Hulksmash at the thought that *this* is what we’re teaching our kids about that period in history. lol
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I really think we have to distinguish how viewers look at “historical” entertainment and the lessons they draw about “history” based on them — it’s really not one to one. Just like people who go to Ren Faires know that’s not the real middle ages, most kids won’t watch this show and say, oh, that’s how it really was in 1090whatever. Viewers are more sophisticated than we give them credit for being.
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I know, I know. Don’t mind me. Like I said, I’m a grump. 😉
But we’re all agreed that this show does yield a particular kind of entertainment that makes it worthwhile.
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Ha Ha Ha! Yes, Guy’s “motivations” are rather athletic and healthy . I’m in that choir, Kelbel 🙂
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what? I posted that pic of guy to show him in a state of deep contemplation, I don’t know what you are referring to *tries to appear clueless*
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May I ask if inserting link to fan-vid on your or any other blog isn’t somewhat impolite, Kelbel ?
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I don’t mind 🙂 if I don’t think it’s appropriate, then I’ll remove it and tell you why. (I’m not into slash, for example, but if it’s done in a lighthearted manner, it’s not a big deal to me ) I’m not sure about how other bloggers feel though *shrugs*
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So in agreement with all previous comments. It took me awhile to make myself watch it also, after a few false starts (although have to admit I became quite attached to the character of Alan after he became Guy Jr). I really needed to break out of the North and South mode and all the fan vids of Guy finally pushed me over the edge. The clothing was one of the things that really got to me. I am a huge needle arts lover and collect vintage textiles and vintage sewing tools, along with obsessing over vintage clothing, so it’s almost unbearable to watch the show without wanting to squeeze my eyes shut and turn the tv off….notice I said almost! Just like everyone else I have to make some sacrifices, and Richard and Guy are certainly worth it. It just so frustrating to know that the costume designers could have done such amazing things yet did such awful things. Lara Pulver’s costumes in season 3 were beginning to turn things around. Still didn’t like the men’s costumes. And did my eyes deceive me but did Guy wear motor cross boots and the Sheriff Birkenstocks in the first season? My guilty pleasure is watching just the Guy scenes to hear his voice then turning to some of the incredibly well written fanfiction that’s out there with much better story lines and happier endings. 😍
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If you haven’t read this already, this might interest you, an interview w/the series 1-2 costume designer on her rationale for the costumes:
http://www.boldoutlaw.com/robint/francestempest.html
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that was a really interesting interview. with 2 kids in the age range they were probably targeting, I can agree that they will not watch something if it does not visually grab them. my 13 year old boy likes the utterly unrealistic archery and escape tactics in the series, while my 9 yr. old girl likes Marian’s pretty clothes and hair.
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One thing that I find interesting about that interview is that *she* really had an actual aesthetic concept. That’s a level of conceptuality that’s harder to discern in the series as a whole. Part of the reason for me that it fails as camp is that most of its anachronisms are so entirely random.
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I liked the idea of her envisioning Guy as a Motor-cross rider. knowing that, the outfit makes so much more sense to me now! it did take me awhile to get on the same wavelength as the show. I thought it was supposed to be funny, but there were times when I wasn’t quite sure…
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yeah, usually historical anachronism that’s supposed to be humorous involves running jokes (a la Monty Python) that signal to you when something might be supposed to be funny. This show kind of lacked that.
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I became quite fond of Alan too 🙂 I felt betrayed when he went back to the gang.
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Me too!! I felt so bad for Guy, like there goes one more person who rejected him! I really wanted to hold him and console him……*sigh*
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exactly! I was happy that there seemed to be a bond forming there, even though there was still a distinct line between servant and master. if Guy could have had support from someone, he would have been better off for it 😦
(and I always thought that the actor who played Alan would have made a better Robin)
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I think literally any other actor on the show would have made a better Robin.
In fact, as long as they were going with anachronisms and a new take, how interesting would it have been if they’d bypassed Robin altogether and the Night Watchman was actually Robin Hood all along?
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Guy… *sigh* Oh, I totally fell for him. He was incarnation #3 after N&S and Spooks for me, but the first one that *stirred* me rather than just pique my interest. I belong to the history camp, but I completely suspended all knowledge from the moment I spotted the kohl-rimmed eyes. So pretty much from first contact. I was drawn in by YT clips of Marian x Guy and eventually worked myself through the whole 3 seasons via YT and Netflix. RA gave Guy so much depth, that it seemed entirely worth-while doing so. Plus, I already had a thing for a blond, floppy-fringed incarnation of Guy in a 1980s dramatization of RH *cringe* so was pre-disposed to liking the character. Guy is what pushed me over the edge into RA fandom, though. I had to see who was able to characterize this character with so many layers. And I never looked back *ggg*. He’ll always be my #1, even though I love Lucas, Thornton, Porter and Thorin, too.
That “My Confession” fan vid actually was instrumental in pushing me over the edge. It went so far that I actually downloaded the song from iTunes, and listened to it obsessively for weeks, even though I normally hate sickly-sweet, Latin ballads with weeping guitars… Mad. Thanks for bringing me back to this, Kelly! I love following your story because it reminds me if my own unexpected journey…
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I have been obsessively listening to the song & watching the fanvid several times a day! so good to know I’m not alone 🙂
and I’m glad you’re enjoying your walk down memory RA lane with me! that has been my intent: to remind those who have been fans for awhile, what made them fans to begin with; and to introduce the new fans to things that they may not have stumbled across yet.
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You have been doing that very effectively, I think. I find something to relate to in each and every one of the posts you put up 🙂 Keep going!
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*cackles*
She’s one of us now 😉
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Servetus, thanks for the link about the costume designer. It sure explains a lot to me! At least now I know that she was tasked with a specific concept, and I think in that context she actually did a fairly good job, although I still don’t like it! And her idea to go with a motorcycle racer look for Guy? Again, I don’t like it but now I understand the costume. Maybe now I can watch it with less cringing…..aww, who am I kidding? As long as I see Guy, I’d willingly watch every second of Robin and his gang. 😁
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And as long as that leather outfit is as tight as it is, we’ll have *something* to thank her for 😉
(I’m sorry. Did I say that out loud?)
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