Episode Review: Sleepy Hollow Returns With “This Is War”

Would you imagine deep diving in a cliff you just got in for the first time? Well, I don’t think so, which is why Sleepy Hollow returns with a lengthy preview, which they pulled off dramatically by the way. If you can’t binge watch, might as well skip and jump right on next season, because you can.

As episode after episode maintained consistent though often charmingly outlandish setting one can go headless but not sleepyhead.

The first season finale left us with some major cliffhangers. Abbie is stuck in a dollhouse with time warp versions of her and her sister in Purgatory, and Ichabod is buried alive by his son Jeremy a.k.a. Henry a.k.a. War a.k.a. the Second Horseman of the Apocalypse. Jenny is unconscious or possibly dead in the wreckage of her car, Abraham/the Headless Horseman has taken Katrina captive. No big deal, not really, just  a few things to resolve at this point.

Unsurprisingly, the season two opener picks up right where the finale had left off, but they did said so in previous press cons and not without a little mind bug first. Am I the only one dreaded with this purgatory loop, while Ichabod is still there, would anybody please get him out soon.

The cast would have easily gone into doom when you talk about curse from centuries ago lingering, the purgatory, a tragic love triangle on a remake, demons, I mean it could fall out in an instant, but it’s surprising how clearly they want it to be linear, there’s so many things yet they direct you to see one at a time. Brilliant.

It’s so lovely to see Ichabod and Abbie back together when they actually do reunite. Another strong point of the show, I believe, is their mutual respect and affection. We’d love to see them together, but not together like having a romantic relationship. I so respect the kind of relationship they have, mutual respect, bond and affection. But as witnesses to save the world, and knowing Ichabod has his wife Katrina as his true love, I’m hoping they maintain this kind of friendship all throughout.

Even though right now Katrina is in a swirl of illusions and confusion, thanks to the necklace from her ex- fiancé/ Headless Horseman/Abraham. Atleast she put up a fight but failed, I guess this is going to be more interesting from here; this powerful necklace will make her see the man he once was.

We also get to catch up with Jenny, who thankfully survived the car crash. She is a sort of surrogate renegade Abbie this episode, helping Ichabod solve Ben Franklin’s riddles and generally wreaking havoc among whatever evil is lurking at the moment. It’s a nice turn for her, and a good chance to explore a different dynamic for both her and Ichabod.

Speaking of Abbie and Ichabod’s adventure solving riddles, the reveal that Ichabod was once apprentice to Ben Franklin provided a goldmine of one-liners and revisionist history. I hope we see Mr. Franklin some more. Sleepy Hollow’s treatment of historical figures and Ichabod’s interaction with them is always ace, which again could very easily not be the case.

Some questions remain unanswered. The premiere had no time to check in on poor, incarcerated Captain Irving. But on the whole, it was all about throat-clearing and setup; we’ll have to wait until next week to see what season 2’s really going to look like. Now everyone’s out of purgatory, well except for us who have to wait until the next episode. Now who wants to sleep?

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