Last night’s episode of Sleepy Hollow stuck with the theme of “monster of the week”, but this time, it’s about family business. Yep, it’s time for the Emotional Baggage Monster!
Every horror-themed show will eventually have the Emotional Baggage Monster, a demon assigned to guilt-trip you about something lousy you did years ago. It’s a good excuse for character building, and it’s used as such here to give Nicole Beharie’s Abby Mills a spotlight. And Beharie actually uses it to good effect; we get to learn more about Abby and we get to see her comic timing. Also, the Emotional Baggage Monster in question is fairly well used and well designed, and the episode doesn’t take the cheap way out that it sets up, which is a welcome decision.
The show also introduces a character that really has to be seen to be believed; a ticked-off car salesman/Native American shaman who immediately and hilariously dismisses Ichabod as a self-righteous hippie. He doesn’t get nearly enough to do in this episode, but watching the guy switch from sleazy used vehicle purveyor to practical, smart-assed wizard is a hoot, and he’s a character so unique and specific one hopes they have a lot more planned for him. That said, one doubts the Mohawk nation fought dream demons by drinking mouthwash and getting stung by scorpions.
There are a few moments of skepticism, like the fact that Crane is basically being treated like a police officer even though pretty much everybody thinks he’s a nut. It’s also an oddly edited episode; there are some unusually clumsy moments and cuts that make me think there were a few moments that were either excised or not shot. There’s a moment where Tom Mison blows his blocking early on, for example, that the show left in for some reason.
What stands out most about this episode is that Tom Mison, playing Ichabod, and Beharie are really good as a duo; the end of the episode is genuinely warm and funny. It’s a fairly low-key episode of the show, but this continues to be a bright spot on the schedule.
Some more thoughts:
- “The requisite faceless nightmare monster” was a really funny running gag.
- Who the hell keeps a 9mm pistol in their toolchest? Are there lots of home invasions in Sleepy Hollow?
- At least they managed to hold off using Mr. Sandman until nearly two-thirds of the way through the episode.
- There’s one scene that seems to exist entirely to remind us that A) there’s a Headless Horseman and B) Abby has a Douchebag Ex. We’ll remember his name when he grows a personality, guys.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
