As the third episode of Sherwood begin, we see the miners’ strike as Julie yells at Ian to ask what he is doing. She jokes about Ian St Clair being all dressed up. More guards arrive to protect a bus full of miners that intend to work. They throw eggs, bottles, and other items at the bus as it passes by. The police get rough with some of the protestors. In the present, a woman walks outside before we see a peacock that has been shot with an arrow. DCS Ian St Clair (David Morrissey) tells the press that they’re looking for 24-year-old Scott Rowley. It is believed he is residing in the woods around Annesley, Newstead, and Hucknall. He stresses that the public should not approach Scott if they see him. Scott’s stepmother Cathy Rowley (Claire Rushbrook) tries to appeal to Scott directly.

Fred Rowley (Kevin Doyle) listens to her from his living room. Cathy encourages Scott to turn himself in because it’ll make everything better. While watching it at home, Julie (Lesley Manville) begins crying. Neel (Bally Gill) returns to his father’s and gives Andy (Adeel Akhtar) a mousepad he bought him during his trip. He tells his father not to worry about the other night before inviting him over for a cup of tea. Once Neel leaves, Andy hears him call for Sarah (Joanne Froggatt) who is deceased. Andy begins freaking out. Daphne (Lorraine Ashbourne) reminds Ian that they tend to ask for forgiveness when they wrongly accuse someone. He does and thanks her for her assistance before asking whether Scott ever visited her archery range.

Daphne refuses to answer his question. She says the boy has lost his marbles and they need to catch him. Rory (Perry Fitzpatrick) pokes fun at the police when he joins them. Ian mentions what Mickey said to warn them that there are plenty of things they could send them down for. Chief Constable Fraser (Phaldut Sharma) tells Ian later that there is going to be a Forest match tonight so he needs him for the Safety Advisory Group. During the meeting, they discuss how having a Yorkshire team in Nottingham can get dicey because they still sometimes chant scabs. Sargent Cleaver (Terence Maynard) reveals some fans are planning to divert to Gary’s village today for a type of on-the-hoof memorial service for their fallen comrade. They talk about moving the level up from category B to category C.

Ian would need to bump up his number of officers, but he isn’t willing to do that. The other office recommends bringing Yorkshire officers down here. Ian quickly argues against that. If he won’t help, the Chief Constable wants men from the manhunt. Scott stops to watch the police work nearby. Ian goes to Julie to say it might take some time to catch Scott. They think some of Gary’s friends from the NUM might be visiting the village soon. Although they’re visiting out of respect, he is worried they might not be. Ian asks whether Gary talked about the meeting with his solicitor since they think he might’ve been looking for someone who might’ve been an undercover copper here in the ‘80s. He was linked to Gary’s wrongful arrest. Although Julie didn’t take it seriously, she remembers Gary saying he was looking into a spy in the village.

During their conversation, Ian gets a message from Cleaver saying there has been another murder. Ian leaves to visit the newest crime scene. DI Kevin Salisbury (Robert Glenister) learns about Andy being her father-in-law. It is believed that Sarah was killed sometime in the afternoon, but the PM will help narrow that down. She was likely killed with the spade. There is no sign of forced entry so Sarah might’ve let the killer in. Kevin says there is a connection to Scott since she is the daughter-in-law of one of the other targets. Ian and Kevin approach Andy and Neel. Andy asks whether they think it is the same game while Neel admits he has been away for a couple of days. He came back today when he walked in and saw her on the floor. Andy insists he didn’t hear anything. Neel is asked about the space in the kitchen. He has never seen it before in his life.

They’ve been doing up the garden so it might belong to them. When he learns it was brand-new, Neel suggests she bought it online herself. Kevin speculates it would’ve arrived on Wednesday then. That could help narrow the window a little. Neel confirms the front door was locked because Sarah was security conscious, but the back patio doors were unlocked. Neel tells them where to find the card that contains information about the builders. When Kevin goes looking for it, he finds a card from the deliveryman saying she was out at the time. Neel begins breaking down once he realizes they were only married for seven days. They’re asked about Scott. Neel doesn’t know him, but Andy knows he was responsible for Gary’s murder. Neel says Gary was on the opposite side of Sarah’s family.

Her dad used to bus miners through the strike so they’re not the same at all politically. Kevin returns with the note and suggests one of the neighbors might’ve got the spade and dropped it off at Sarah’s place. Andy claims he didn’t sign for it. Cleaver and DI Taylor visit Newstead Abbey where they find the dead peacock. Cleaver calls Ian to tell him. Ian tells Kevin and complains about him speaking so openly in front of Sarah’s family. Kevin asks if he was interested in gauging their reactions since they’re prime suspects. Ian expects Kevin to follow his lead. He’ll get his guys to check out the alibi. Kevin wonders if he is worried since this murder doesn’t match the first one. He suggests it could be revenge. Although Ian says it is a leap, people will believe it and it could be a massive problem.

Julie goes to the church where she talks to Reverend Wells (Jonathan Harden) about her husband. She tells him about her husband’s pals traveling down here to mark his passing. Since there is nowhere for them to do that, she worries they’ll just get drunk at the pub. The other church is being used by the police so she’d like to have something here. Wells agrees to have them. The miners ride on a bus. Neel tries to wrap his head around his loss. Kevin confirms his guys are contacting the delivery company about the spade. Helen (Clare Holman) interrupts when she calls Ian to ask who would do that to the poor girl. She suggests she’ll have to cancel dinner with Jenny and Jacob since Ian will likely work late. Ian tells her to see how she feels because it might be good to have old friends around.

Kevin thinks about his time with Jenny (Nadine Marshall). PC Arjun Patel (Harpal Hayer) and PC Kirsty Dove (Chloe Harris) visit Cathy to warn her that some visitors are heading this way. Ian recommends they come with them to the parish hall where officers are stationed. Cathy wonders if she should be going to the memorial while Fred argues that he isn’t going to hide. They go with the police before meeting with Ian and Kevin to learn about the second victim. Fred doesn’t know Sarah. When asked about Newstead Abbey, Fred says they didn’t go there as a family or anything. Kevin says 15,000 pounds sat in the account of a young man with no training, no qualifications, no job, and still living at home with his parents. He wants to know why Scott kept the money and why he didn’t spend it. Cathy explains that Fred resented him having it and only gave it to him to prevent his ex-wife from getting it in the divorce.

They talk about Scott’s biological mother briefly before Fred says Cathy is his mother. Fred was in a bad way when they split and wasn’t sure he could take care of their son. Scott was three or four when Fred sent him to live with his mom because he thought it would be best, but it didn’t work out. Scott didn’t get on with the kids of his ex-wife’s new guy. Cathy believes Scott knew nobody wanted him. Fred says she didn’t want him either although Cathy argues that she tried. Kevin mentions that Gary thought there was an undercover cop in the village. Fred doesn’t know anything about that. He says he was transferred from Shirebrook to Annesley Pit in approximately ’83 by the coal board. Fred says he never worked for the police. He respects the police because they cleared the path so they could continue working even though it was hard on them.

Those who remember know what Ian and the others did for them. A mining family like his was respected around here. Fred argues there is nothing to do around here except remember things. He thinks Ian knows what it is like to be ostracized since he was a police officer from that family at the time. He talks about the choice you have to make to survive and choose who to survive it with. Later, Ian tells Kevin that he almost feels sorry for a kid growing up like that. He can’t understand Scott’s pattern. Kevin didn’t know that about Ian’s family since he never talks about it. He asks if that has to do with what happened that night. They were so young back then. He wonders if they know at that age how beautifully young they are although he doesn’t think so. You should be excited about life’s possibilities at that point.

A man at the club watches Ian’s press conference about Scott. While Ian thinks about what happened during the strike, the striking miners arrive. Dean (Sean Gilder) sees them pulling out a banner. PC Dove asks if the banner is necessary. One man says Gary gave his life to the union so it is. They march off with the banner. Dean pulls out his UDM pin and sticks it in his jacket pocket. The striking miners make it to the church where they join Julie and the Reverend. While the Reverend speaks, Dean sits in the back with a small group. He knows that Gary was proud, humble, and principled. Although he was passionate about his views, he listened. At home, Mickey tells Daphne that Scott doesn’t know what he is doing to them or their business relationships. He mentions the others using kids as couriers which is something they will not do. Daphne thinks they should stop doing it since they have the taxis, but Mickey argues that the taxis aren’t enough.

Daphne says they trained him. Since folks will know, they need to think of some sort of penance. Scott sneaks around while carrying his crossbow. The Sparrow family shows up at the club for the memorial. Mickey says they want to pay their respects and show there are no hard feelings. Although Julie doesn’t want to accept their money, she eventually relents and agrees to let them pay. Warnock (Stephen Tompkinson) and the others enter. Dean asks what he has been up to down here and whether he heard about the girl who was killed. The bartender recommends leaving. Warnock says Gary’s family kept solidarity with them in ’84. Julie asks him not to use her family as a pawn. She knows Gary appreciated their kindness over the years, but she thinks it is best if they go. He asks whether he can say one thing that he thinks Gary would’ve wanted known by his holier-than-thou neighbors.

He says Gary was a good man who believed in things as well as a loyal friend. Someone here isn’t who they seem and Gary shared that with them. They have a great pretender in their midst. Julie claims not to know what he is talking about. Although Gary talked about a spy in the last couple of months, Julie thought it was bollocks. Warnock asks them not to shoot the messenger before mentioning that their union broke away from his. He reveals that his lot is lobbying the government even now to find out about these spies. Warnock encourages them to look at friends and neighbors who came just before the strike. He wonders if the mad guy in the woods knows who it might be. Scott uses the bathroom and takes pills from the cabinet before the doorbell rings. Ronan (Bill Jones) is outside. As he comes through the first door, Scott loads an arrow.

Once Ronan realizes that Cindy (Safia Oakley-Green) isn’t home, he leaves. Kevin calls for a PNC check on a vehicle. Then, he watches Jenny and Jacob (Don Gilet) get out of the car and go into Ian’s house. He looks through the window as Jenny hugs Ian before leaving. When they return home, Cindy finds that someone used the bathroom without flushing. Noah plays his game and asks what happened to his name. He wants to know who Robbie Platt is. Julie walks in and sees the name on the television screen. She gets a box from under the bed that contains a lot of paperwork. In a notebook, she finds that name with “who” written under it. Jenny tells Ian and his wife that Noah Jackson is in her school.

Helen hopes it is over soon so Ian’s pal can go back to London. Kevin heads to the club for a drink. A man at the bar, Martin (Mark Frost), wonders if he knows Kevin. Ian gets a call from Madeleine and quickly rushes from his home. He arrives at the bar as he learns that Martin has caused problems with the cop. He wants to know if Kevin is the cop. Kevin has been beaten while Martin is stunned and angry to learn he is working here. While Ian tries to get Kevin into the car, one man says once a turncoat always a turncoat. Kevin tells Ian that he didn’t ask to be here. Ian didn’t either. He reminds Kevin that he doesn’t have a clue. The people who were left here had to clean up their mess. He complains that people wouldn’t talk to him because he was painted with the same brush as Kevin and the others.

They’re doing it over again as Ian has to defend Kevin in front of everyone. Kevin really wanted to stay here, but Ian took that away from him. He can trace back everything that went wrong with him back to here and him. Ian asks if they can just do their jobs. Cathy contemplates calling Julie when someone busts her window and yells scabs. In the morning, Julie hears Cathy crying while smoking a cigarette outside. Julie asks if she is okay although Cathy believes she should be the one asking that. Cathy doesn’t know why Scott did that. Julie asks her not to say his name. She hopes they find him and he rots in jail for his entire miserable life. Cathy wonders what they should do now. Meanwhile, Kevin gets a call about the package delivery. After the call, he tells Ian that Andy signed for Sarah’s package.

Andy tells Neel that they can get a coffee after registering the thing. Neel confesses that it still doesn’t feel real. He can’t imagine how anyone could have it in them to do such a thing and suggests it had to be psychopathic. He calls it proper evil before saying he wants to top himself. Andy tells him that it gets easier and becomes possible to live again. In the meantime, he’ll always have him. Ian calls Neel to ask him to come in since there has been a development. He wants him to come in alone but says they both can come when he learns Andy is in the car too. Andy stops the car and gets out. He walks in the middle of traffic and begins running toward the woods.

 

Sherwood Review

Sherwood’s third episode had moments of magic where it felt like there was going to be a big revelation or a powerful emotional punch to the gut. As quickly as those moments come, they’re gone and overshadowed by a new character, a new angle to the storyline, or a new piece of evidence. Sherwood is a big undertaking that has unnecessarily complicated itself in every aspect, including the cast, story, and the decision to connect itself to real-life events.

There are many good performances here even though they’re easy to miss. In particular, Kevin Doyle and Claire Rushbrook really shined here. It is still unfathomable to believe anything in the present would have anything to do with a miner’s strike 30 years prior. I question whether Martin could’ve identified Kevin after so many years.

With such a massive cast, it has been difficult to develop empathy for any of the characters. The makeup could’ve been toned down a bit on one character in particular. While this was a better episode, Sherwood hasn’t struck gold just yet. It may be a worthwhile drama once all six episodes are finished though. The third episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Sherwood can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.