Not to editorialize too much, but “Robot of Sherwood,” the third episode of the eighth series of “Doctor Who,” may be one of the funniest and best-structured episodes of all time. It’ll take a few more viewings to determine whether it reaches the lofty heights of a “Blink,” but writer Mark Gatiss crafted a great, standalone hour that also raises plenty of questions about the future of the series.
Here’s everything we’re still dying to know after watching The Doctor’s adventure with Robin Hood:
1. What Is The Promised Land?
Adrian Rogers, © BBC/BBC Worldwide 2014
…And why do all these robots want to get there? In the past three episodes, we’ve seen Missy (Michelle Gomez) rescue both a cyborg and a space soldier from the moment of their deaths, stealing them to a place she calls paradise. This week, the robots crashed on Earth (shades of the season opener, btw) want to make it to the Promised Land, too.
So what exactly is it? And why do all these robots want to get there? And furthermore, who is sending them on the mission to find the Promised Land? This is one mystery we expect we may not find out until the end of the season.
2. Is Robin Hood Coming Back?
Adrian Rogers, © BBC/BBC Worldwide 2014
Tom Riley’s Robin Hood definitely had his story neatly finished, but the character was so good, we can’t help but hope he’ll come back. In the pattern stands, there’s a good chance we’ll see the Merry Men show up in the season finale, so we asked Tom Riley about just that.
“I would love a Robin Hood spinoff, to be honest,” Riley said. “Forget the Doctor. Just Robin parading around with the Merry Men, just laughing for half an hour.”
Take that avoidance of the question as you will.
3. And Robin Hood Wasn’t A Robot, Right?
BBC America
Not that it’s left in too much doubt by episode’s end, but just in case you were unclear, no, Robin Hood is not a robot – as Mark Gatiss was happy to clarify for us.
“It was initially a lot more complex,” Gatiss said about Robin Hood’s character. “There was originally a much more complicated reason why Robin was Robin. Steven [Moffat] asked me to keep it simple, and I think in the end what worked really well with this episode, that it’s a very, very big gettable idea. It’s the Doctor and Robin Hood. It’s two icons meeting. It’s a 45 minutes Robin Hood movie with robots. That checks all my boxes.”
4. Related: What’s With All The Robots?
Adrian Rogers, © BBC/BBC Worldwide 2014
Episode one had robot cyborgs, the second episode had Daleks, and this episode also had robots. So is a theme developing? And more specifically, what’s with all the crashed spaceships on Earth those robots are piloting?
“I read ‘Deep Breath’ as Steven was writing it, but it wasn’t a conscious mirroring,” Gatiss said when we posed the above question. “It’s a standard ‘Doctor Who’ plot, and I did actually say, ‘if we take away this complex element, it’s just going to be The Doctor versus the robots, isn’t it?’ And in the end, that’s actually fine, I make no apologies for the fact that there’s nothing more to it because I think it works really well as it is.
“But it is sort of very familiar plot device, there’s certainly been a lot of crashed spaceships over the years. We have this conversation all the time, why do so many spaceships crash on Earth? Well, by an accident of production, we make the program on Earth. [Laughs]”
5. What About The Sheriff Of Nottingham? Will He Come Back?
Adrian Rogers, © BBC/BBC Worldwide 2014
Getting back to the recurring motifs this season, we were surprised that no one ended up meeting Missy in “Heaven” by the end of the episode. That said, it may be more of a budgetary thing (read: Michelle Gomez only signed on for a few episodes), and if someone was to show up there by the end, the Sheriff (Ben Miller) is the most likely suspect.
6. …And Will He Start A Club With Viserys?
Gold members only need apply.
7. Is That How Engines Work?
BBC America
Fun fact: if you need materials for an engine, all you have to do is shoot an arrow made of those materials into the engine and it’ll start working again. This is science.
8. Is The Doctor A Hero?
Adrian Rogers, © BBC/BBC Worldwide 2014
It’s a question the Capaldi Doctor has been struggling with, and one we assume he’ll be tackling all season. That said, Robin Hood’s advice seems to answer the question more definitively. The Doctor is a hero, but part of what makes him heroic is that he doesn’t know he’s a legend. Even if CapaldiDoc does bad things, deep down he’s a good guy.
9. Would Gatiss Come Back To Play The Master?
BBC America
Mark Gatiss has appeared before on “Doctor Who,” both in and out of makeup. But the show has a habit of reusing actors, and the prospect of Gatiss turning up as The Doctor’s dark mirror The Master (a role Gatiss once played on a radio show) was too delicious a prospect not to ask about… Particularly given rumors the character would return after his “death” a few seasons back have persisted throughout Capaldi’s takeover of the show.
“What do you think?” Gatiss said laughing. “Yes, of course. I had to be frog-marched back to play opposite Matt [Smith]. Of course, why not. The funny thing is, since the show came back, it’s eight seasons now, I don’t know if anyone has come back*. In the old show there was a bit of a tradition of it, people would come back five weeks later in the old days because people didn’t remember. I would absolutely love to come back any time.”
*Except, of course, Peter Capaldi, who appeared in a guest role before taking over the title character.
BONUS: Would Mark Gatiss Take Over Showrunner Duties From Steven Moffat, If Moffat Left?
Another persistent rumor dogging the current season is that Executive Producer Steven Moffat could leave the show after five series. There’s no good sourcing for this, but lists of successors always include Gatiss, who co-produces (and co-created) “Sherlock” with Moffat.
So we asked Gatiss whether he would want to have the baton passed, if Moffat did leave… Except we made a little oopsie, and forgot to include Gatiss’ name in the question, leaving the writer an easy out.
“Tom?” Gatiss repsonded, laughing.
“Yes, I’ll take the job, thank you for asking,” Riley joked back.
“There’s your answer,” Gatiss quipped. “Tom is up for it.”
So there you have it. Guest star Tom Riley will be taking over “Doctor Who” next season. Breaking news.
What questions do you have about “Robot of Sherwood?” Let us know in the comments below.
Alex Zalben
Writer/Editor at MTV News. You can follow him on Twitter, but not in real life because that would be weird.
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