I’d like to take a moment to say my chosen cover image sums up my thoughts on the show after the first week.
So finally, the first week of Alyas Robin Hood is done, and to be honest, I did find a few impressive points. Now before everyone expecting this show to fail gives me flak, let me tell you now: I’m not completely happy with the show. I’ll get to that later, but for now, let’s talk about how Alyas Robin Hood’s first week went.
Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk if you haven’t watched Alyas Robin Hood Episodes 1-5
So what we’ve seen so far is the bulk of Alyas Robin Hood’s origin story. We know Dantes plays Pepe, a troublemaker who also happens to be a law student.(Netflix fans might say he’s a rip-off of Daredevil.) We know he has high hopes for improving the justice system, and we know he has an obsession over Robin Hood. The first five episodes set the pieces in place nicely and introduced us to – of course – the protagonist’s love interest, Sarri (played by Megan Young). The plot is set in motion when a jealous suitor named Dean (played by Sid Lucero) kills Pepe’s father, Jose (Christopher de Leon), and frames Pepe for the crime.
The Good: Alyas Robin Hood has good plot development, excellent cast
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I just love Christopher de Leon’s acting. Now it wasn’t perfect. I really didn’t buy his expressions in one specific scene where Pepe revealed that he had passed the bar exams. Still, he did a good job of recovering from that mistake. I mean the transition from disappointment to pride in Pepe went smoothly, and the first five episodes did make you feel de Leon’s struggle. I expected the series to kill him off, and they did. De Leon showed real character just before his death as well. Not bad.
Then there’s Dingdong Dantes himself. Okay, he did alright. He definitely portrayed his character better than in the pilot episode. His own performances in fight scenes are decent enough, though the camerawork still sucked. The best thing about Dantes, however, is his conversation. Every line he says sounds like something a real person would say. It rarely sounds scripted. This is especially true in one particular scene where he apologized to Sarri.
Speaking of Sarri, I like her character development as well. She’s not completely helpless. She’s rich, and she has an advocacy for making the world a better place. There are some inconsistencies I’ll get to later, though.
Moving on, I love the way the corrupt elite are portrayed here. Sid Lucero and Cherie Gil are great at their roles. They are loyal to their family, and they are unafraid to admit that what they do is wrong. Gil’s style is extremely expressive, but Lucero is much more down-to-earth.
The Bad: Alyas Robin Hood is slow, stereotypical and insensitive
Now the show has impressed me in some aspects, but it did fall short in a lot of areas as well. Let’s start with a plot hole. Remind me again, why Sarri – a millionaire doctor – booked a ride on a low-budget bus before switching to a tricycle in an area she doesn’t know very well. Doesn’t her family have a car? A chauffeur? I only mention this because while it makes it convenient for Dantes and Young to have their first meeting, it totally breaks my immersion.
And then… there are the villains. When I wrote about the pilot episode, I crossed my fingers and hoped that GMA wouldn’t screw up their villains. Well… they did. Sid Lucero and Cherie Gil are insanely good at what they do, definitely. But it ends there. To cut things short, there was a scene where Cherie Gil met with one of her hitmen, a Chinese killer named Wilson Chan (played by Dennis Padilla). My initial reaction was: “Why the hell is he wearing a black and yellow eyepatch!?” My second reaction came out when he started talking: “Is it not racist to portray a Chinese assassin like this!?”
Let me demonstrate how he talks: “Herro. My name it Wirson. Ako kain ako maya siopao… Gu’to ko ikaw maya sama.”
Speaking of… Really? His name is Wilson, and he has an eyepatch? I defended this show the last time and said it wasn’t a ripoff, but that sounds suspiciously like Deathstroke
I can’t speak for the Fil-Chinese community, but let me know… don’t you find this offensive? Don’t get me wrong, I get that it can be funny. But isn’t it the slightest bit offensive?
Also, while I love the plot, the story is just unfolding a little slowly for my taste. It’s been a full week, and we’ve had some badassery, but no Robin Hood. I suppose it helped develop the characters, but it still made me feel like the end of the first week had too little payoff.
Oh yeah, there was also a Nerf-gun-wielding baddie who CW fans will say is a rip-off of the Mick Rory/Heatwave character. Case in point, watch this and cringe.
Watch: “Alyas Robin Hood: Ang unang kalaban ni Pepe” via verified GMA Network You Tube Channel
I mean Jesus Christ, that gun! What is this?! And that stalking? Oh, and let’s not forget… I know I said Dantes did alright in the fight scenes, and I’ll stick to that. It’s alright compared to most Filipino action scenes. But THIS guy’s fight choreography… what in the hell…
The Verdict: So far, average… slightly below.
So finally: Is Alyas Robin Hood a good show or not? After the first week, I’d say it’s average, but only just. It’s nowhere near excellent. It has the potential to be excellent, but at the moment, it just suffers from a disease where just as I’m getting hooked on the plot, something happens to break my immersion.
I can’t forgive that nerf gun, guys. I’m sorry. It just triggers me so hard.
Now don’t misunderstand. I’m Filipino, and as much as possible I want to support Filipino names and brands. But pride in my country is NOT AN EXCUSE to promote terrible content where terrible content is found. Alyas Robin Hood has a good premise. It has excellent cast and crew. But these villains are going to be the death of the show, I’m telling you now.
I’ll be honest here though: I’ll keep watching if I run across the show while channel surfing, but unless the villains improve, I’ll never be able to take it seriously enough. I can’t feel like I NEED to watch it if the villains can’t step up their game. I just don’t feel a threat to the hero. Final verdict, it’s not as bad as people say it is. BUT it’s got a long way to go if it wants to overcome its bad rep.