Courtesy of FOX
The penultimate episode of Sleepy Hollow‘s second season is titled ‘The Awakening,’ but I like to think of it as ‘Wait…did Sleepy Hollow just become interesting again?’
Let’s bitch it out…
We have to start at the end, because…holy cow! The end of ‘The Awakening’ thrusts Abbie (Nicole Beharie) back in time to the Revolutionary War. She follows Katrina (Katia Winter) through a portal and lands in the middle of a dirt road. As a carriage passes by and we see the vintage “Village of Sleepy Hollow” sign, I suddenly got more excited about the show than I have all season. As Abbie wanders into a town full of soldiers and muskets, she realizes she’s not in Kansas anymore. It dawns on her that the color of her skin puts her in a precarious position as she is ordered to show her papers (Side Note: the Land’s End puffy vest in a sea full of hoop skirts couldn’t have helped either). She barely makes it a few minutes back in time before ending up in jail and, in the closing scene, asks to speak to Captain Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison).
But let’s go back to the beginning…Henry’s (John Noble) plan o’ the week is to awaken the thousands of dormant witches across Sleepy Hollow via a facsimile Liberty Bell. First, he needs a powerful witch to help with the spell. Enter Katrina, who is surprisingly easy to sway to the dark side. We knew it was coming, but it would have been nice if she gave more than a token protest when confronting Henry about everything he has done (“It was totally Moloch’s apocalypse, not mine. I’m just here for the food”…I’m paraphrasing).
That being said, there’s nothing Katrina wants more than her son and a coven. Katrina’s all in, which makes her infinitely more fun. She confronts Crane, telling him there’s no way a powerful witch like her could be satisfied with a mortal husband. She also attempts to kill Abbie with a supernatural car bomb. If that’s not enough to end a marriage, I think “I should have let you die” seals the deal. Someone call a divorce lawyer. In addition to the charged confrontation between Crane and Katrina, Crane also battles Henry, calling him out for acting like a petulant child. Basically, Crane is a badass in ‘The Awakening’. He’s so over his crappy family. So much so that he and Abbie realize they need to kill Henry to stop the awakening. Henry does get both of his parents reunited with him in the end as he…evaporates into green light?
Courtesy of FOX
Meanwhile, Frank (Orlando Jones) and Jennie (Lyndie Greenwood) are duking it out. Frank, suited up in leftover costumes from The Blade trilogy, tries to attack Jennie to find his family (whom he previously told her to hide when he was in his right mind). The whole B-plot was for naught. Just as Jennie was going to have to turn Frank into stone (nice continuity with the Gorgon reference from earlier this season), Henry died and Irving’s soul was returned to him.
So where are we now? Katrina and Abbie are in 18th century Sleepy Hollow, but no one else knows it. Henry is dead (or not born yet?). Frank is no longer controlled by evil. And Crane 1.0 is about to be introduced to a new friend.
Other Observations:
- Obviously it was Crane who cracked the Liberty Bell back in the day.
- Can we please send Crane to Home Depot every week?! Everything about it, from the cashier thinking “flint and steel” is cologne or a CD, to Crane’s glee at batteries is superb.
- The episode opens with a foreshadowing discussion of time travel, yet I didn’t anticipate the ending. I’ll confess that I am a little embarrassed of myself.
- What is the status of Henry/Jeremy when we go back in time? Katrina was holding her belly. Was he conceived already but not born? Whatever the case, I’m ready for Henry to be officially dead. And I’m not talking Sleepy Hollow, Supernatural, or Buffy dead. I mean Law and Order dead. I fear that when they alter the course of history he will come back.
Best Lines:
- Crane (at the home and garden store): “What, pray tell, are seasonal items?”
- Crane (on lighters vs. the durability of flint and steel): “I appreciate the modern world, but sometimes old school is the best school.”
What did you think of the episode? Are you ready to give Sleepy Hollow another chance? Are you excited to see Crane meet Abbie again for the first time? Sound off below!
Sleepy Hollow airs its season (series?) finale next Monday at 9pm EST on FOX. Here’s your preview: