Okay so I love the show, Robin Hood produced by the BBC and Tiger Aspect. One of the things I've noticed as I rewatch the show is that, for a series set in 12th Century England, the female characters-Marian and Djaq (whose real name is Safiyya, for those who found my blog somehow and know nothing about this fandom) mainly but also some 'one-off' characters, such as Matilda, Queen Eleanor, and Meg-are given quite a decent amount of agency in their own rights. They are strong, they are smart, they are independent and they do not need a man to defend them. Marian and Djaq do chose to begin (or perhaps 'resume' is the better word in Marian's case) a romantic relationship with a male character, Marian with Robin Hood himself (of course), and Djaq with Will Scarlett. However these relationships are NOT what defines them nor do these realtionships rob them of their agency. Even after Robin has returned to England and they have begun in secret, by default as he is nearly immediately outlawed and Marian's eventual betrothal [despite the show's use of the word 'engaged', 'betrothal' and 'betrothed' are better and more period correct words] and near wedding [which she herself puts a stop by punching Guy in the face with her right hand, onto which she's placed the ring] to Guy, Marian maintains her agency and her guise as the Nightwatchman which begun as her way of going to war at home( as she says to her father Sir Edward, 'I went to war too. Against poverty.') and evolved into a truly real identity for her. On the other hand Djaq and Will's relationship is much less difficult, although there's the small detail of djaq dressing like a man for most of the series, although by season 2 when everybody knows she is, in fact, a woman, she's added some feminine touches to her outfit and has grown her hair out a bit, it is much more on the sidelines and 'off-camera' so to speak. Much of it grows unseen by the audience until the end of the second season.

I'll edit this later to include details on Matilda and Meg. Right now, I'm tired and going to sleep.