‘Sleepy Hollow’ Hired A ‘Necromancer’ In Its Latest Episode

Sleepy Hollow started surprisingly strong, but it also had a small problem; the Headless Horseman isn’t exactly a well-defined antagonist. But that changed tonight, in an episode that has been one of the strongest so far.

At the end of last episode, the Headless Horseman was captured, and, in theory, all is well. Except, of course, not so much; Ichabod gets it into his head that interrogating Death is a good idea, while the rest of the show’s cast tries to keep the Hessians from breaking him out.

This could have been an annoying episode, as it’s largely limited to one location. But it’s actually quite well done, largely thanks to the cast. For one thing, the show makes sure everybody’s got something to do. Ichabod is interrogating Death, Abby is trying to keep him from flipping out, and Captain Irving establishes the Make 7 Up Yours Guy can kick your ass.

This might be the first episode where Orlando Jones actually gets to be truly active in the plot, and honestly, the man makes a very convincing action hero. He balances out his character pretty well; Irving might be freaking out a bit, but he’s not the kind of person who panics. Similarly, John Cho gets to show off a bit in a role that’s turning out to be more integral to the show than you might at first think; he, Tom Mison, and Richard Cetrone, make an interrogation scene featuring a guy without a head a tense, engaging affair.

As the plot unfolds, we learn more about Ichabod and Katrina, and that Katrina used to be betrothed to Abraham, Ichabod’s best friend. As you might guess, it doesn’t end well, and it turns out Ichabod’s centuries-old personal problems are pretty closely tied to why the Horseman wants him dead, although the reasons are a genuine surprise.

In short, the show reinforced its plot, had a lot of great acting, some good action scenes, and some really funny moments. It’s kind of annoying we’ve only got five episodes left this season.

A few more thoughts:

  • Ichabod’s struggles with modern idiom and slang continue to be hilarious.
  • Could they have made Abraham any more of a Colonial dork? Gee, Abe, maybe Katrina doesn’t want to marry you because you play the glass harp and have mommy issues?
  • Am I the only one who doesn’t want Abby and Ichabod to hook up? The show keeps hinting in that direction and it just doesn’t seem in character for either of them.

Any thoughts yourself? Let us know in the comments.

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