‘We’re peeling this onion slowly’: Robin Hood showrunners defend episode 5’s controversial, steamy scenes

Warning: Spoilers ahead Robin Hood Episode 5 is coming soon.

We are officially halfway through the MGM+ series Robin Hoodand I wasn’t sure what we had seen so far.

I love the new story of Rob (Jack Patten) and his healthy but flourishing relationship with Marian (Lauren McQueen), and I think Connie Nielsen gives her best performance in years as Eleanor of Aquitaine.

However, there is a downside. I hate to sound like an eight-year-old fart, but there is way too much free sex on the show. Entire conversations take place in explicit places and to me it does nothing to move the story forward.

But it wasn’t until the fifth episode that I realized that there is one character who constantly bears the burden of this decision: the daughter of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Sean Bean), Priscilla (Lydia Peckham).

While I have no idea what Peckham herself thinks of Priscilla’s portrait, it was one of my burning questions when I had the opportunity to speak with her. Robin Hood Creator John Glenn.

The interesting thing is that, in my opinion, they have a completely opposite opinion: although I think the hot scenes are not necessary, they seem “down to earth” to me.

‘We are all many things’: Robin Hood creators explain why Priscilla’s fire scenes are so important

Official Trailer for Robin Hood (MGM+ Series 2025) – YouTube

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“I think Priscilla starts off as quite a sexual character, almost like a femme fatale,” Glenn tells me. “And you think that’s all it means. But in life, of course, we’re not just one thing. We’re a multitude of things.”

“So eventually we started peeling back the onion of her character and revealing what’s inside her. Maybe what she really wants and what she should do. It’s a human, personal and very grounded story.”

As a viewer, I think this is pretty well done? Not at all. I hope Priscilla’s arc changes in the second half of the series and shows that she has more to offer than just using her body as a strength.

Given that the Sheriff of Nottingham seems to be getting angrier and angrier, I think this is entirely possible. Only she will bear the brunt of his wrath, which will likely cause an irreparable rift between the two.

I know there’s more to offer here and the show’s female characters could use better hands – look at how well Marian and Eleanor are written. I just hope we can peel the onion without taking off our clothes, for no reason at all.