Robin Hood (TV series)/Recap/S01 E03 Who Shot the Sheriff

A tax collector Robin had promised the people of Nettlestone he would "deal with" is killed by a mystery archer. The Sheriff capitalises on this by ordering his Master-at-Arms, de Fourtney, to carry out the executions of more people to make Robin look like a murderer; Gisborne decides to send packs of dogs into the forest to deal with the problem.

Trying to clear his name, Robin suspects the mysterious Nightwatchman, who has left food and medicine for the poor long before Robin returned from the Holy Land. Several more deaths, including the ones the Sheriff ordered, occur, including the death of a young boy. As the townspeople turn against Robin, he makes a deal to save the Sheriff's life by catching the assassin. The next day, the Sheriff arranges for his double to ride through Nettlestone as a decoy; Robin catches the Nightwatchman, only to discover it is really Marian. Marian's investigations into the deaths have led her to realise the real killer is Joe Lacey, a castle guard who holds a grudge against the Sheriff for the death of his wife. The Sheriff catches Lacey and has him killed; Robin regains the trust of the villagers.

Tropes

 * The Bad Guy Wins: The Sheriff is never made to answer for the deaths of the innocents he ordered so as to make Robin look bad.
 * Black Vikings: De Fourtney
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: Inverted. Lacey contrives to somehow miss the Sheriff because "he moves" on each of his assassination attempts.
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: