Robin Hood Wiki
Turk Flu
Season

1

Episode

5

Airdate

4 November 2006

Written by

Debbie Oates

Directed by

Declan O'Dwyer

Produced by

Richard Burrell

Starring

Jonas Armstrong
Lucy Griffiths
Richard Armitage
Keith Allen
Gordon Kennedy
Sam Troughton
Joe Armstrong
Harry Lloyd
Anjali Jay

Preceded by

"Parent Hood"

Followed by

"The Tax Man Cometh"

"Turk Flu" is the fifth episode of Season 1 of Robin Hood.

Plot[]

An accident at Treeton mine has killed several workers, including the uncle of a young man named Rowan. The workers refuse to work in the unsafe conditions, and Gisborne kills Dunn, Rowan’s father, for speaking up.

As the miners’ bodies are being buried, the Nightwatchman comes to give their families food. Gisborne attacks the Nightwatchman and tries to ask about Robin. He manages to cut the Nightwatchman’s arm before the mysterious figure escapes.

In the forest, Robin is restless because of an archery competition in Nottingham. Much tries to suggest having their own competition instead. Will comes up to announce that a cart has been caught by their trap. The outlaws find out that the cart is full of slaves that are being taken to work in the Sheriff’s mine.

Gisborne goes to visit Knighton just as Marian is treating her wound. He asks Marian to accompany him to the Sheriff’s fair, and she tries to refuse. He thinks this is because of her cut hair. She reluctantly agrees to go. Gisborne mentions his meeting with the Nightwatchman, and Edward realises that the Nightwatchman is Marian. Later as they are leaving to Nottingham, Marian tells her father how and why she took on the secret identity.

The slaver, Brooker, tries to warn the outlaws about a mysterious illness, the Turk Flu, that the slaves might have. This gives Robin an idea – he wants to use the slaves to close the Sheriff’s mine for good. The plan involves Allan sneaking in with the slaves and pretend to be sick. As they are making their plan, the outlaws find out that one of the slaves, Djaq, speaks English. They see Marian and Edward going to Nottingham in Gisborne’s coach.

As the outlaws prepare to enact their plan, Djaq manages to light a fire with a piece of glass to try and escape. Robin allows the slaves to wash and pray, making Djaq more sympathetic to their plan. As Djaq is washing, Will comes up to say that Robin is ready for them and sees Djaq partially undressed. Instead of being a boy, as the outlaws previously thought, Djaq turns out to be a woman. She storms off, accusing Will of spying on her.

Brooker goes to sell the slaves to the Sheriff. Rowan, hungry for revenge, watches from afar, and Robin grabs him. They allow him to help with the plan. The Sheriff and Gisborne leave for Nottingham. Allan pretends to be a deserter and tells the guards about the Turk Flu. Later he pretends to be sick, causing the panicked guards to run away. The outlaws and Rowan start lighting fires.

Robin lets the slaver go, with the hope that he will go to Nottingham to warn the Sheriff and Gisborne. This will allow Robin to take part in the archery contest. Rowan overhears a conversation and finds out Gisborne is wooing Marian. Robin says goodbye to the slaves, and as they are about to leave, John falls into the mine. Djaq wants to go help him, saying that she has a liquid that can help John. She overhears Rowan talking about Gisborne wooing a dead woman.

At the archery contest, the Sheriff has ordered all the men to remove their left sleeve in hopes of catching the Nightwatchman. Marian is peeling an apple, and when Gisborne notices the blood on her left sleeve, she claims to have cut herself while peeling the apple. Brooker shows up and tells the Sheriff about Robin.

Djaq is lowered into the mine, and she manages to wake John up. The two are pulled up just as the Sheriff and Gisborne arrive. The slaves run away and the outlaws take John to safety. Robin shoots flaming arrows into the mine, causing it to catch fire. Djaq tells the others about Rowan’s plan to get revenge on Gisborne, and Robin realises he’s going to try to kill Marian.

As the guards try to put out the fire, the mine explodes. The Sheriff and Gisborne realise that Robin is going to go to Nottingham now that they are not there.

Rowan follows Marian to the castle, and is about to shoot her, but she manages to talk him out of it. Robin shows up and Marian tells him to help Rowan win the contest. Robin takes Rowan’s place in the competition, and just as the Sheriff and Gisborne arrive, the two switch places, allowing Rowan to claim the winning prise, a silver arrow, that will allow him to feed the dead miners’ families.

The outlaws are getting ready to eat in the forest. Djaq comes up to them and says she wants to stay. Will reveals to the others her true identity, and Djaq explains that her name is Safiyya, but asks the others to call her Djaq.

Trivia[]

  • First appearance of Djaq.

Cast[]