Sleepy Hollow S2 E1: This is War

Sleepy Hollow is back for its second season and how better to start an episode than with lots and lots of confusion.  A quick recap for those who have forgotten, last season ended with Ichabod trapped in a wooden coffin in the middle of the woods, the sin eater Henry Parish has turned out to be his son Jeremy as well as in league with Moloch as the Horseman of War, Abby is trapped in puragatory, Katrina was taken by the Headless Horseman and Jenny was in a car crash caused by the Headless Horseman.  Now that we are all caught up, let’s talk about that season opener shall we. Warning there will be spoilers so read at your own risk.

The episode opens with Ichabod having a flashback to being trapped in the box except that when he opens his eyes it’s to Abby holding a cupcake with a candle (both having the flag on them) telling him to make a wish and blow out the candle for his birthday. During the first 5 minutes we learn that it has been a year since the end of season 1, that both Jenny and Katrina are dead, and they have been training to fight the headless horseman for a year.

Before the surprise party can continue they get a call out to go to the historical society because a professor seems to have found something to do with Benjamin Franklin.  They rush over and find the police officer out front without a head.  They know that means the horseman is there and go back to the car to pull out weapons.  Have to say that getting a look at their arsenal and what they are carrying makes me think of Supernatural and the Winchester brothers’ trunk arsenal.   They go into the historical society building and find it completely ransacked.  Ichabod remembers being an apprentice under Franklin and you can tell how much he isn’t a fan of Franklin. As Abby and Ichabod try and find what it is that the horseman and the professor were trying to tell them about, who shows up but the horseman himself with his shotgun.

They finding the hiding files of Franklin, they return to their research room trying to find out more about the Hellfire Club and this key that Franklin was trying to destroy that could open purgatory.  This key apparently changes one of the rules of purgatory; that being for one soul to leave there has to be another in its place.  This key would be how Moloch plans to escape purgatory.

Abby and Ichabod go through all of their resources and can’t find anything about the key or how to destroy it.  They know they have to talk to Henry, who they happen to have imprisoned in their underground lair where they once held the Horseman.  As they question him about it, Abby remembers that Jenny had been sent out on a trip by Corbin.  While Abby is talking to Ichabod, he mentions to that he knows it’s been a year but he can’t actually remember anything beyond Henry burying him and this moment.  They both realize that they are still trapped underground and in purgatory respectively.  Henry had created the illusion so that he could find out information about the key from them.

So we are back in the real world now with Abby running from Moloch in purgatory and Ichabod trapped in his wooden box. Jenny is taken into a room and tied down by two hessians and Henry comes in to read her ‘sins’ to get information about the key.  He tells the hessians to keep her alive till they have found the key.  Meanwhile Katrina is alive as well and tied to the chair and a captive of the Headless Horseman.

Ichabod realizes that the ground he is buried in smells of sulfur, he decides to try and blow his way out and for the second time Ichabod rises from him grave.  He starts heading into town and attempts to call Jenny, who uses his callas a distraction to kick some Hessian ass.   Ichabod reveals to Jenny after they make their escape that they may have found away to free Abby from purgatory.  Speaking of Abby in purgatory, we see her have a run in with John Cho’s Deputy Andy Brooks who leads her to the mirror that Katrina used to communicate with Ichabod, she sends him a message to forget about the key and to leave her in purgatory.  Ichabod refuses to leave her behind and tells her that he is coming to get her.

Jenny and Ichabod find the hessians digging in one location for the key but Ichabod realized that Franklin would have never buried where the Hessians are digging and find the key in another location after Ichabod remembered something that Franklin had told him before.  Meanwhile Katrina is still tied to a chair in the Horseman’s house when he puts a necklace around her neck.  It is the necklace he had gifted her before when they were still ‘together’ and somehow the necklace allows her to see the Horseman as Abraham, head and all.  He tells her soon Ichabod will die and she will start her new life with him.

As Ichabod makes his way into Purgatory, Jenny reminds him that he can’t eat or drink anything there or he will be trapped there forever.  At the same time Abby seems to have found Ichabod and they have a great union scene, hugging each other and he hands her a bottle of water because she sounds so parched.  As she is about to take a drink when over the ridge comes another Ichabod yelling at her not to drink.  This leads to an epic fight between Ichabod 1 and Ichabod 2, which ends with Ichabod 1 running with the key and Abby to the spot to open the gate.   Abby cuts off the head of Ichabod 1 when he calls her ‘lieutenant’ but doesn’t pronounce it the way that Ichabod does. The real Ichabod runs up to her and the beheaded fake Ichabod and ask how she knew, and she told him it all came down to pronunciation.  Ichabod and Abby quickly use the key and the gateway closes just before Moloch can cross it.  The key dissolves in Abby’s hand and they all hope they won’t need it again.  The episode ends with Moloch giving Henry a flaming set of armor as the Horseman of War.

Have to say that I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how this season progresses.  Abby, Jenny and Ichabod seem to have the cards stacked against them so far.  Especially poor Ichabod whose wife is in the possession of the Headless Horseman and his son Jeremy aka Henry is the Horseman of War.  I’m also curious to see if a new horseman is going to be introduced.

Fun Bits from this episode:

* Ichabod not knowing what a birthday party is
* Ichabod stating he needs to learn how to drive
* Ichabod recording a message to Abby on his phone in case his attempt at escaping doesn’t work and it doesn’t save.
* Weird moment: The Headless Horseman starts to take his shirt off and his got a hot body but its just weird not seeing a head on top of said body.
* Franklin apparently invented his own alphabet
* Franklin liked to be nude (gross)

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Sleepy Hollow S1 E8: Necromancer

Abbie and Ichabod have caught the Horseman and have chained him up in the secret room designed by Thomas Jefferson. Abbie also teaches Ichabod how to fist bump which he comments on how it ‘makes no sense.’  Watching Abbie, Ichabod and Irving talking about what is going on in Sleepy Hollow among other things is hilarious.  NOW EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE DEAD OFFICER ANDY!!!  I also love how Ichabod drops the little bit of knowledge that Andy has a crush on Abbie and Irving is like seriously? This show has some amazing writing and they did a fantastic job casting it too. Is anyone going to point out that they are using electricity without any kind of generators on the off chance that the power fails?

I’m sorry, you see a horse with red fucking eyes and my first instinct isn’t to get closer but to move the fuck back and run. OF course it turns out that one of the two hunters is working for the demons and evil. Abbie and Ichabod are looking for Andy while Irving is looking for Jenny to bring her into the fold and she isn’t necessarily wanting to come willing.  Jenny is angry and has a chip on her shoulder because she told the truth and no one believed her and Irving says he gets it but now isn’t the time to pull the attitude and to either help or get out of the way. They leave when they get notified of a 10-65 at an antiques shop that Jenny had done some work for.

Abbie and Ichabod find Andy and he isn’t happy that they are in his bolt hole.  Ichabod realizes that Andy is the horseman’s necromancer and his voice. Andy doesn’t want to do it and he really does sound like a little boy not wanting to do something and of course Abbie uses her feminine wiles of touching his hand and telling him that ‘you want to protect me and this how’ to get him to do it. Andy tells her that his soul isn’t his anymore and when Moloch appears he has to do what he tells him.  This was actually a really great and touching scene because Andy is so conflicted about what to do. He wants to make up for the shit he did when he was alive but he really cant because his soul isn’t his any longer. So no matter how much he might try to help her, he will still be doing evil if he is commanded too.

Jenny and Irving go to the store and feel like the entire robbery attempt was faked. Jenny shows Irving the secret passage that Adams used to keep all his valuable stuff in and there is Adams shot on the floor. He asks for a box on the second shelf and when Jenny pulls it open, the box its self is empty but the top of it has some kind of writing on it.  How the hell does she know about 16th century Druidic scripture and where can I learn about it?   Adams tells them that the box held a tool that could be used to break a hex spell and as they leave it hits both Irving and Jenny that they are going to cut the grid next to the power because the Hessians are going to try and free Death.

Anyone else love that the introductory scene for Sleepy Hollow seems to be getting longer and longer?  This show also makes me really want to learn German.

Andy is sitting in front of the Horseman chained down to be his voice but the Horseman doesn’t want to talk at first.  Ichabod does the whole you are a prisoner and I will see you and all your kind destroyed and its when he knocks down a necklace that Andy seems to go into speaker role. Ichabod picks up the necklace which apparently belongs to Katrina and Abbie calls Ichabod to look at Andy.

The necklace was a gift to Katrina from Ichabod’s best friend, Abraham Van Brunt, who she also was once betrothed too. It also happens to be the necklace that Ichabod picked out for her. Katrina tells Ichabod that she is breaking off the engagement between her and Abraham because she does not love him and it is not right for her. She tells him that when she marries it will be for no less than love.

Abbie reminds Ichabod to stay on point and not to let the Horseman know his weakness instead of finding out what the Horseman’s weakness is. Ichabod tells him that they will find it out because they have got the Horseman talking. Meanwhile Jenny and Irving are trying to prevent the electrical grid from going out.  We get to see Irving being a bad ass and here comes the cops to stop the Hessians from killing the power.

Ichabod questions the Horseman and gets him mad. Ichabod realizes that the Horseman was looking for him and that Ichabod is and was his mission.  Ichabod asks why he was searching for him and the Horseman says to avenge his partner Abraham. That he betrayed and killed him and Ichabod tells him that’s a lie but of course that’s when the power goes out which kills the UV lights. Andy wakes from his trance and tells him that he knew this was a bad idea.

Ichabod tells Abbie what happened between him and Abraham. How they were suppose to go through enemy territory to deliver the letter of first resolves which outlined their grievances against the king.  Abraham was angry that she refused and didn’t understand why when Ichabod tells him that Katrina professed her love for Ichabod the day before. This of course pisses Abraham off and further angers him when Ichabod asks for his blessing. Ichabod refuses to fight Abraham who is angry beyond belief. Before Abraham could shoot Ichabod, he is shot by the Hessians and while Ichabod kills a few of them, he must run because they had to deliver the declaration. As Ichabod runs more Hessians arrive and he believes that they killed Abraham.

Irving and Jenny show up and tell Abbie and Ichabod that none of the Hessians had the phile and they still don’t know how or who is going to use the phile. Fucking hell Andy is pulling something out of his damn skin. What the fuck?!?!  Then again he did warn them it would be a bad idea to bring him.  Now demons are after them….great.

Ichabod realizes that Brooks has set the Horseman free and silly Ichabod is fighting in anger.  It is when he has fallen on the floor after sword fighting with the Horseman does Ichabod realize that the Horseman is his former friend Abraham.  The Horseman tells him that Moloch came to Abraham as he was dying and they put Abraham in a read coat, shaved his head, placed the mask on him, branded him.  Ichabod tells him that he made a deal with the devil and the Horseman tells him that Moloch has given him what he has always wanted, Katrina.  Ichabod realizes that Katrina is in purgatory to be held captive for the Horseman as a reward.  Andy stops the Horseman from killing Ichabod and tells Ichabod to tell Abbie he is sorry.

Abbie and Ichabod sit in their secret headquarters discussing what has been going on around them and what will happen.  It ends with them realizing that they need Katrina because she is the key to the Horseman. That she is his weakness.

Just when I thought this show couldn’t get better, they prove me wrong. This show just gets better and better. The Headless Horseman is no longer just Death but a man that Ichabod knew, someone that once was his friend and now is his enemy.  I was wondering how Abraham Van Brunt was going to be introduced and I have to say this is an interesting way to do it. The creators of the show have made this battle personal which means its gonna be full of betrayal and heartache and tears along with the fighting and trying to do what needs to be done for the good of everyone. It makes me wonder if Jenny is going to turn evil or  Luke. Every week we learn more and more about Ichabod and Abbie as well as more about what is coming after them.  If there is one highlight to my Monday nights/Tuesday mornings its being able to watch Sleepy Hollow.

Best Lines of the Night:

Irving: “Dead guy, mental patient, and a time-traveler from the Revolution…”
Abbie: “That’s our team.”

Abbie: She dumped her fiance for you. Wow. You got some game.
Ichabod: I neither wanted nor did I invite ‘game’.

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