Lambert, a scientist, has invented a highly explosive powder known as "Greek fire", which the Sheriff wants to exploit. The Sheriff orders Lambert to be thrown into the castle dungeons until he agrees to share his project ledger. It is decided that Much will get himself thrown into the castle dungeons so he can free Lambert.
Much stands in the marketplace shouting insulting remarks about Prince John and the Sheriff. He is arrested after attacking one of the Sheriff's guards. Much is dragged in front of the Sheriff before he can help Lambert. The Sheriff, recognizing Much as Robin's right-hand man, appoints him as the Earl of Bonchurch. He also assigns a girl named Eve to the task of spying on Much and reporting back to the Sheriff. Robin breaks into the dungeons and asks Lambert to reveal where the ledger is. Lambert says the ledger is hidden in a water barrel outside the castle and Robin goes off to retrieve it.
The Sheriff finds out that Robin knows the whereabouts of the ledger. When Gisborne returns to the castle, the Sheriff tells him about this act of "betrayal". That night, Lambert is tortured to death. Robin visits Much at his new estate and asks him to find out where the Sheriff's three barrels of Greek Fire are hidden. Marian tells Robin that Lambert is dead, and cries on his shoulder.
Much is getting along very well with the servant girl Eve, who is suspected of spying on him under the Sheriff's orders. On seeing this, Marian takes him aside and asks him to tell Eve that the ledger is located in a powder barrel. Much agrees, but unknown to him, Eve has been listening at the door. Eve promises to lie to the Sheriff about the ledger's location, and helps Much to escape back into the forest. Before he leaves, he kisses her and swears to return and find her when the Sheriff is gone and justice restored.
Eve tells the Sheriff that the ledger is hidden inside one of the barrels of Greek fire. Gisborne's men are sent to look for it, and are unknowingly followed by Robin. When Gisborne returns empty-handed, the Sheriff realizes that Eve led them into a trap and immediately rides to the mountain with Gisborne. Unfortunately for the Sheriff and Gisborne, Robin is waiting for him, and blows up the powder with a well-placed Fire Arrow. Gisborne is seconds from death when the cave blows up, and only just survives. A furious Sheriff orders Gisborne to "clean up [his] mess".
Tropes
- Bath of Poverty: Inverted when Much is temporarily made an Earl he gets to have a bath smelling of flowers.
- Bittersweet Ending: The outlaws have successfully rescued the ledger from the Sheriff's hands and destroyed his stash of black powder. However, they were unable to save Lambert's life and Eve has to go into permanent hiding after betraying the Sheriff.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Marian wants the ledger destroyed because if it falls into the wrong hands, it'll be used to harm innnocent people. Robin wants to keep it safe, since he doesn't think anyone has the right to stop important and useful information from existing.
- Captured on Purpose: To reach Lambert, Much volunteers to be deliberately imprisoned in Nottingham's dungeon. When openly insulting the Sheriff in the town square doesn't do the trick, he attacks one of the guards instead.
- Central Theme: As the title would imply, loyalty — though this is not always a good thing. Much choses loyalty to Robin and Eve to Much, but Guy also remains loyal to the Sheriff, despite it being against his best interests.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: The Sheriff orders Lambert tortured to get him to reveal the location of his ledger. Eventually both his legs are broken.
- Cry into Chest: After failing to rescue Lambert, Marian is silently held by Robin as she weeps.
- A Day in the Limelight: This is a Much-centric episode, in which he becomes Earl of Bonchurch and deals with the perks, responsibilities, and burdens of such a position.
- Disappointed in You: When Guy choses his loyalty to the Sheriff over his friendship with Lambert (and Marian's attempt to convince him to take the injured man to Kirklees Abbey) she makes it very clear that this is how she feels about him.
- Double Agent: Eve is initially a spy for the Sheriff, though eventually performs a Face–Heel Turn and starts working for the outlaws for Much's sake.
- Exact Eavesdropping: Eve overhears Marian and Much discussing her loyalties. Justified in that she's a spy and on the lookout for any secret meetings between other characters.
- Earlier the Sheriff is looking out of a castle window at just the right moment to overhear Marian try and talk Guy into smuggling Lambert to Kirklees Abbey.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Robin's spat with Marian over what to do with the ledger is clearly tinged with jealousy given that she's independently come up with a plan to save Lambert that involves cooperation with Gisborne.
- Grief Song: Eve sings a song to Much while he's in the bath, and on commenting on how sad it is, she tells him her deceased father used to sing it.
- High-Heel–Face Turn: Eve, after getting to know Much.
- Holding Hands: Robin and Marian's reconciliation after Lambert's death (and Guy's failure to assist Marian in his rescue) is demonstrated by the two of them holding hands in the scene after she breaks the news.
- Honey Trap: Eve is placed in Bonchurch for this purpose, to spy on Much and gather intel for the Sheriff.
- Last Kiss: See page image. Much and Eve share a kiss before she goes into hiding.
- MacGuffin: Lambert's ledger, the whereabouts of which drives the course of the plot.
- Meaningful Name: Possibly. The Biblical Eve is both the mother of all mankind and the woman responsible for introducing sin into the world. That dual nature is also found in this Eve, who is both a duplicitous spy and a loyal Love Interest to Much.
- One-Shot Character: Despite Much's promise he'll one day try to find her again, Eve is sadly never seen in the show again.
- Outrun the Fireball: Guy does this when the explosives go out.
- Remember the New Guy?: Lambert is established as being Guy's long-time friend, though we've never seen him before this episode.
- Running Gag: Once again a guard gets down on hands and knees so that the Sheriff can use him as a footstool in getting off his horse. Likewise, he again refers to women as "lepers" on seeing Marian try to convince Guy to rescue Lambert.
- Temporary Love Interest: Eve to Much, in a very straightforward example of this trope.
- Tragic One-Shot Character: Poor Lambert. Also doubles as Victim of the Week.
- Trying Not to Cry: Marian at the Council of Nobles, on learning that Guy isn't going to help her rescue Lambert, and that in fact he's already dead.
