Courtesy of FOX
In The Lesser Key of Solomon, the Mills sisters get back together, learn the name of the demon that’s been plaguing them all these years, and get a history lesson about what really happened at the Boston Tea Party.
Let’s bitch it out…
We begin with the Tea Party. Not the ones that are currently trying to take away U.S. universal health care, but rather a flashback to the Boston Tea Party which we learn was actually a diversion devised by Ichabod (Tom Mison) to steal a crate from the British! By orders of George Washington he is to retrieve the crate, which he doesn’t know at the time holds a book – the titular Lesser Key of Solomon – that will resurrect 72 demons. Yikes!
Back (or forward?) in the present day, Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) is still on the lam. (Sidebar: Jenny makes lots of stops and clearly has no qualms with stealing, yet she continues to wear her psychiatric hospital patient t-shirt. You would think that’d be the first thing to go). Jenny retrieves a bag with her belongings from a bar (cheaper than a locker at the bus station, I guess) and heads off to…wait for it…Sheriff Corbin’s cabin! Apparently the entire time he was Abbie’s (Nicole Beharie) mentor and friend, he was also developing a relationship with Abbie’s sister. This is a great twist that adds an additional emotional layer to the already ridiculously complex relationship between the two sisters.
Meanwhile, a piano teacher/Hessian soldier gets a call to follow Jenny and retrieve the crate. Those of us forced to take piano lessons as kids have no problem believing that they are secretly evil-doers spreading hate and discontent (Hi Mrs. Angermeyer!). Piano Teacher and his goons track Jenny to the bar and brutally torture and decapitate the owner that helped her (guess now that’s five bodies in just a few weeks – the party never stops in Sleepy Hollow!).
At the cabin, Abbie and Jenny have their first official face-to-face in five years. Of course, this results in a stand-off, forcing Ichabod to act as the exasperated referee. Once everyone puts their weapons down, the newly formed team discovers a map hidden in a sextant that outlines where the Lesser Key of Solomon is hidden. In short order, the Hessians show up guns a blazin’. The bad news: two get away with the map. The good news: our team kidnaps Piano Teacher and, like all stupid villains, he immediately gives them a whole bunch of info on the book, as well as the name of the villain who’s behind all this: Moloch, the demon that Abbie and Jenny saw in the woods.
Courtesy of FOX
Abbie, Jenny and Crane race to intercept Goon 1 and Goon 2 as they find and “activate” the book (activate? I’m not really down with demon-raising lingo). When Goon 1 threatens to kill Jenny, Abbie throws the book into the fiery lava pool/portal thing to stop the demons from rising. Um, sure, let’s roll with that. As much as I like Abbie, that seems like a particularly lucky guess.
Now that the apocalypse has been temporarily postponed, Abbie arranges for Jenny to be legally put under her care so that she’s out of the hospital and available to help prevent crazy stuff from destroying the world (because, priorities). Ichabod realizes that Moloch is not only the one Abbie and Jenny saw, but that he’s also in charge of the horsemen and guarding Katrina (a briefly glimpsed Katia Winters). Looks like we found our season’s Big Bad!
Other Observations:
- The opening scene in which Ichabod has a heart-to-heart with Yolanda (!) from OnStar is outstanding!
- Ichabod obviously respects Jenny and her commitment to her beliefs. It will be interesting to see how the team dynamics shift now that she’s a part of it. Will Abbie be jealous? How bitter is Jenny that Abbie’s refused to acknowledge what happened to them but was still chosen as a biblical witness instead of her?
- I’m confused about the Jenny timeline. She’s, what, 25? She’s been locked up for 5 years, but she’s been a freedom fighter in several dangerous countries and running international errands for Sheriff Corbin for years. So how old was she while doing this?!
Best Lines:
- All of Jenny’s lines refusing to use Ichabod’s name: “Hi again…British Guy” & “So what’s with you and Prince William?”
What did you think? Are you happy with the way Jenny has become a part of the team? Is the “demon of the week” format working for you? Sound off below!
Sleepy Hollow (which was this week renewed for S2 – huzzah!) airs Mondays at 9pm EST on FOX
Pros: I absolutely adore Icabod and his lovely heartfelt moment with Yolanda was both a) a great way to recap his doomed relationship with his wife and b) show off the actor’s acting chops with both haunting gravity and spot on humor in the space of a few sentences. Abbie continues to delight, as did her interactions with Icabod and I too loved the exasperated moment when he forces the sisters to lower their guns with the power of his words instead of brute force. I also liked the moment with the foster mom who nailed Abbie to the wall about her motives in trying to located her sister – I don’t think Abbie is on a high horse at all, but it is a poignant moment when even a despicable person points out she wronged her sister by turning her back on her. I love redemption arcs and so far this one is perfectly tuned with the right amount of pathos.
Cons: Jenny. Her character and her gradual integration into the show isn’t the problem. It’s her backstory. I just can’t believe her short little spiel about her guerilla training and the places she’s been if only because who was funding these trips? I know we’re supposed to believe it was the Sheriff since she went for fact-finding/relic hunting reasons like she was some female Indiana Jones/Sarah Connor hybrid, but it rang false, unlike her psychiatric incarcerations and stays in multiple foster homes. I appreciate the writers trying to write a righteous warrior woman who was wronged by the world (wow say that three times fast), but it just doesn’t work (not in the least that the actress looks like a wind would blow her over despite her stringy muscles).
Meh: The flashbacks. When we see Icabod’s past, it’s awesome especially this episode because it tickles the historian in me for the Boston Tea Party to be a cover for a raid. It isn’t as good when they use the same modern day scenes we’ve already seen to show the characters’ thoughts/quick recap of previous actions. I know it’s a handy and easy way to catch new viewers up, but its annoying for someone who’s seen all the episodes so far.