Canadians will learn whether the country is in a recession later this week. And this past July, Statistics Canada released a report indicating that the wealthiest 20 per cent of households controlled 68 per cent of the country’s net worth in the first quarter of 2023. So now seems like as good a time as any for the debut of Robyn Hood, a homegrown drama that tackles themes stemming from that alarming economic gap.
The new Global TV series hails from frequent Drake collaborator Director X (born in Toronto as Julien Christian Lutz) and stars English actor Jessye Romeo (Pennyworth) as a female iteration of the fabled robber, Robyn Loxley. Along with her younger sister, Jill (Kayla Hutton) and her activist mother, Tressie (Lisa Michelle Cornelius), she lives in a city-owned housing project at the intersection of Sherwood Ave. and Forest St. that receives too much attention from the local Sheriff (Kira Guloien).
When billionaire John Prince (Ian Matthews) sets his sights on purchasing the property from the city and orders the pocketed police to arrest Tressie leading the peaceful protests against his plan, it results in her shooting. From there, Robyn and her friends – including recent military dispatch Little John (Nykeem Provo) – fight back in neon masks that protect their identities.
And that’s when the real drama begins. The first three episodes are filled with music videos, sword fights, hand-to-hand combats, police chases and too many drones to count. As the Sherwood Towers world unfolds, the show uncovers numerous injustices, underdog victories and evil plotting galore.
Where Robyn Hood succeeds is in its soundtrack, which is unsurprising considering Director X is known for his iconic music videos. (Usher’s Yeah!, Nelly’s Hot in Herre and Nelly Furtado’s Promiscuous featuring Timbaland are all on his resume.) When the show opens, Robyn and her friends perform in those aforementioned masks (Romeo had a sound double) and post social media videos raising awareness.
Following the big incident in the premiere, however, the videos evolve to incorporate the missions, opening the door for some of the more classic stories of robbing the rich to help feed the poor. As the focus shifts to those jobs and heists, the videos themselves fade into the background and sometimes feel disjointed or extraneous as a result.
Still, Romeo does a solid job of anchoring it all while exploring her character’s moral compass and fielding two potential love interests: Little John and the community’s pro bono lawyer, Marian Fitzwalter (Sydney Kuhne). Whichever way that story leans over the eight-episode offering, either pairing would be a strong choice, acting-wise.
The action sequences are equally strong and entertaining, and they punctuate the episodes to create extra tension. This community has a huge big heart but few resources, which makes the overall war against the rich feel impossible and drawn out. But the show keeps hope ignited by peppering in small-scale victories and allowing the characters to celebrate their wins.
That isn’t to say Robyn Hood doesn’t have its flaws. The series often feels overambitious as it tries to inject multiple topics into short episodes, which doesn’t always allow time for prolonged exploration or thought. Social injustice, racial inequality, wealth, status, corrupt police, technology, absent family members, internal community issues, trauma and so much more are woven into the first three hours alone.
Still, those are the types of flaws that are typical of first-season shows as they find their beat and settle into what they want to be. There is a lot of potential and story to mine here, and the overall fight is so massive that this is the type of show that could go on indefinitely and in many different directions.
The core problem in Robyn Hood is much bigger, and it lies solely in how the show has set up its villains. From the moment each antagonist appears onscreen they feel cartoonish and saddled with tropes. Whether hurting their own henchmen, monologuing about their ambitions or obsessing over the hero (if Sherwood Towers is considered the hero), it’s surprising no one rubs their fingers together like Mr. Burns and sneers, “excellent.”
In other words, not one comes with nuances or depth. John Prince, the Sheriff and even the police officers are painted as pure evil, which may be how the residents at Sherwood Towers see them, but to audiences they just fall flat. The same can be said for the internal community antagonist that enters in episode three, who just comes in to hurt people and cause more trauma.
In real life, no one is one thing, and so by failing to develop the “bad guys” the show misses an opportunity to create meaningful conversations and takeaways. With so many relevant issues at hand that deserve to be explored in a real way, it’s disappointing the series doesn’t give as much thought to those characters as it does to its protagonists.
Perhaps that’s the plan as the show continues, and if so that development can only make the series stronger. For now though, wealth and status aren’t the only barriers barring Robyn Hood from audiences.
Robyn Hood debuts Sept. 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Global.