Sleepy Hollow should not work as well as it does. When this show was coming out, I ranted and raved about how stupid the concept was, then I started watching it because it was getting good reviews and I don’t have the spine to stick to my convictions when someone says “Headless Horseman with a machine gun.” I’m only human! The reason Sleepy Hollow works – and why it works especially well tonight – is because it fully embraces its fan-fiction DNA. So many scenes are akin to kids playing with action figures, and I mean that in the best possible way. “Bullets don’t work on the Headless Horseman!” “Well, Ichabod has magic arrows in his crossbow!” This episode shot Sleepy Hollow right up to can’t-miss status, and I really admire the way the show is swinging for the fences. What began as a modern take on Washington Irving’s seminal short story has gradually – and confidently – morphed into an all-out war between good and evil. It evokes a reaction along the lines of “What the fuck?” – but again, in the best possible way.
Director Ken Olin hits the ground running in “This Is War.” Honestly it’s a bit confusing at first, because Sleepy Hollow packs so much shit into forty-two minutes that you’re always in danger of missing something. Apparently a year has passed? And Katrina and Jenny are dead? And Henry Parrish is now Crane and Abbie’s captive? Shit, I know this show hasn’t been on for a while, but I don’t think I missed that much.
We open on Abbie throwing a one-woman surprise party for Crane, because everything about the two of them is adorable, and once again Crane is confounded by modern traditions, such as making a wish but only to yourself. Tom Mison has the unenviable task of being the lead and the comic relief, and he achieves it nicely. You’d think this joke would wear thin, but honestly it’s one of the most enjoyable parts of this show (I’m thinking of one episode last season where Crane left Abbie a voicemail and ended it with “Yours, Ichabod Crane”).
Turns out the whole thing was a ploy; Crane is still buried alive and Abbie is still in Purgatory. See, Henry (Actually Crane’s son Jeremy, and oh yeah, the Horseman of War) needs to find a key that can unlock the door to Purgatory, which would allow people to enter and exit whenever they wanted. And by “people,” I mean “Moloch and his army of demons that look like the skeletons from Pirates of the Caribbean.” So basically the first half of “This Is War” was a variation on “It was all a dream!” (And now you have “Juicy” stuck in your head. You’re welcome.) John Noble, who was elevated to full-time cast member between seasons, is in full-on Hannibal Lecter mode, and chewing the scenery so much you can see the bite marks on the props. Just cackling, mustache-twirling villainy that would be campy and unwatchable in a less capable actor’s hands. It’s fucking awesome. (Between this and his role in Return of the King, I wouldn’t want John Noble as my father or my son.)
So Crane and Jenny retrieve the key, as you know they would, and Crane gets in a lot of jokes about Ben Franklin’s self-aggrandizing behavior (Crane was Franklin’s apprentice way back when. Apparently the famous kite experiment was an attempt to destroy the key, so I guess Stephen King was right about Ben Franklin all along). Crane frees Abbie from Purgatory, but it’s not easy. First he has to fight a demon who has taken on his form, which tells me that the Sleepy Hollow writing staff have played Ocarina of Time, then he and Abbie barely make it out ahead of Moloch. Apparently Moloch just rides around Purgatory astride a horse, which is a nicely creepy image. Derek Mears (who also plays Kickpuncher, Community fans) has a very imposing presence, and by shooting Moloch from afar for most the episode, Olin is able to play on our general fear of the unknown. In fact, I’d say that Sleepy Hollow‘s second season is already shaping up to be a straight-up horror movie.
Which brings me to the closing scene. Just to preface this paragraph, I want to say that The Knick is the best show on TV right now, but Sleepy Hollow might be the fuckin coolest. Moloch speaks to Henry and tells him that they have “new work to be done,” and then out of a FLAMING PORTAL he summons an animate suit of armor that Henry controls WITH HIS SOUL, which is already awesome, but then Henry gives it a sword and THE SWORD CATCHES ON FIRE and I got a boner and Sleepy Hollow became my new favorite show.
A Few Thoughts
- Where is Frank?
-
That was Timothy Busfield playing Franklin in the flashbacks
-
Moloch’s lair is just covered in skulls, which is just…just so cool, you guys
-
The special effects on this show are pretty impressive, especially for network TV. I mean, compare this show to Once Upon a Time. Yeesh
-
One thing I didn’t like: for a show that wants to poke fun at Franklin for his self-aggrandizing qualities, Sleepy Hollow sure is eager to make Crane absolutely amazing. I mean, Benjamin Franklin told him, “There’s me, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and you. You’re one of us.”
About Author
