DearEvette

I think the positive buzz by critics so far re: the S3 premiere might be helping too. I don't think we can understate how bad S2 & the lack of promotion hurt Sleepy Hollow going into last Thursday. Even as late as a the end of Sept. there were people on twitter who 1) feeling bad that Sleepy Hollow got cancelled (cuz of course it wasn't in its normal Monday timeslot) or 2) had no idea when it was actually on. If the show really finds its footing and the live numbers rise, even to the S2 live average of 1.5, especially against the Thursday Heroes/Blacklist/Scandal/Football competition, then I think Sleepy can survive to Season 4.

Ratings are based on Live viewing and then Live + 3 (meaning same day +3 days after the show airs) and then again L+7 (same day plus seven days after the show airs.) Live viewing is critical because it is supposed to measure how people watch the show when it airs. This is important because of commercial breaks. In a nutshell ratings matter because the higher they are, the more money advertisers will pay to sponsor the show. The problem with live viewing is that it is only measured if you have a Nielsen box. A sample is taken and that sample is what is used to determine the overnight ratings. In the old days when the only way to watch tv was to actually watch your tv, this was more statistically significant. However nowadays with Netflix, Hulu, DVRs, computers, apps etc. people don't watch in front of their sets anymore, so the live ratings give only a piece of the viewing story. Which is why if you are not a Nielsen family and you want to make sure your show gets ratings, then the best way to do it is to DVR it (or watch it on an ad supported platform like Hulu) within 3 days of it's live airing. The best thing to do is DVR it (don't skip the commercials) and watch it no later than 3am of the day it airs. The L+3 numbers are significant because they at least let Fox know, that while people didn't watch it live (most likely because nobody knew it was back on Thursday) once people realized it was back, they scrambled to DVRs, Hulu etc. and watched it within days of airing. This helps immensely because while the live numbers were dismal, it signals that interest in the show is still high enough that people make a point to watch it soonish. The 18-49 demographic is the sweet spot. It is the age group where the advertisers like to target. It is so important that a lot of people never even look at the total number of viewers, but instead only pay attention to the 18-49 demo rating. So it is possible for a show to have less total viewers than another show, but be considered a higher rated show because they might have more viewers in the 18-49 demo.

I used to love listening to Afterbuzz, but I gave up on them late in S2. They became way too mired in micro discussing Katrina and there was enough of it on the show, I didn't need them to follow it up on the podcast. I adore Jaquie, though, for her ride or die love of all things Abbie/Ichabbie. LOL. I LOVE the Podcast Fandom crew. They are hysterical and always have been. I love how outraged the other two were that Nina Perez (the main host) didn't notice Betsy's boobs. They were so done! LOL. Also, fyi, Nina Perez is a writer and she has a really good book called Sharing Spaces which is a romance/chick-lit type book and really good (sorry to plug it and it is off-topic, but it was good!) I tried the Random Tea podcast but had to give up after like, 20 minutes. They were picking at every nit. At first I was liking their side research and how they incorporated it, but it seemed like they were heavy on the 'could this really happen...?' stuff. At one point they were going on about Ichabod being in Scotland and how implausible it was for him to have a crypt there. But that wasn't implausible. His family had no body to bury and lots of people create headstones or crypts when there is no body so they have someplace symbolic to lay a flower. Also they questioned the use of the term 'Walkabout' because Ichabod was not an Aboriginal Australian. However Walkabout is also a British concept. Usually I can enjoy when a tv show podcast can riff on something small, especially when the hosts are funny or incisive about it. But this made me feel impatient. By the the time I had decided to give up they hadn't even gotten to the opening credits. And I just wasn't enjoying it. Oh well.

Of course CBS would make Nancy Drew into a 30-something police procedural. Keep on' CBS-ing, CBS! I swear if they decided to remake Sweet Valley High, Jessica & Elizabeth would be twin sister LAPD detectives, one good cop one bad cop! Or Encyclopedia Brown would be an ex-NPYD cop who was fired for not following the rules and now he's a PI who helps his dad solve cases Or the Animoprhs would be an elite CSI team who use their "special" skills to solve crimes Seriously, it would have made more sense to make Nancy at least a college student solving crimes with the help of some friends.

On some level I think this re-intro kinda had to address Crane's state of mind. If you look at it objectively he is in a really fucked up situation. He is here 230 years in the future and while he had the whole being a Witness and stopping the Apocalypse thing as an anchor before, with it all seemingly gone (and having killed his wife) I can see why he feels a bit lost. What is he supposed to do with no demons? His coming forward from his own time has to have meaning. If you think about it, his rants about modern times is another way of him coping with his changed circumstances, but it is amusing so we don't think about it in the same way we'd think about him panicking or questioning or maybe even having moments of doubt. And I do agree that the balance of the relationship is lopsided, but I think part of that is also necessary. He needs Abbie more than she needs him. So I think he does take more than he gives. But I do think Crane gives Abbie something that is hard to define that makes him valuable to her. Or maybe she needs him cuz he's hard to kill , let's face it, men in Abbie's orbit seem do to die at least once or twice...Corbin, Irving, Andy, Luke(?) ... LOL

Oh, honey, why? She should have just stayed quiet. They were doing a great job of keeping it at just the speculation level. Archie was gone. The furor had died down -- a little. And now this. Plus the little sly suggestion that the animosity isn't coming from her side. To add fuel, I love how the explanation went from "The scene was shot the way Robert wanted to shoot it" to 'Archie had scheduling difficulties'... why anyone prefer to shoot a scene that involved double set up, different call times for the crew and post-production editing to make it look like one scene rather just... I dunno... shooting the scene with both people present? Sigh.

Y'know at first I was like, 'Oh, Abbie, come on, you are not a doubter!!!' but then upon re-watch when I got a chance to actually watch the actors & pay a little more attention to what the actors were doing and a little less to what they were saying. Nicole & Tom were doing their Nicole & Tom thing where they let their bodies (eyes, hands etc.) tell the story too. What I came away with was that Ichabod left & didn't call Abbie. She went ahead to the FBI. Nothing weird or demony was happening. He didn't call her for nine months. WHen he admitted he was in the detention center for 4 days before even calling her then, he looked shamefaced & she looked hurt. In her mind nothing Apocalypse-y was happening the whole time he was gone. So now he is back and suddenly wants her to believe demony stuff is happening again? And, btw, that is the only reason he called her? Not because he was back, not because he was detained & needed her help, but only because she is a witness. In the car ride when he said they weren't a team Abbie blinked again like she was hurt by his words. So I could see why she would clap back at him on that front. Not because she isn't a believer but because she doesn't want to feel that it suddenly convenient for him to remember he has a witness partner. I felt the scene in the end was her really realizing why Crane acted the way he did. He needs a purpose and a place and he felt he had neither. So she needed to reassure him. Also on second viewing, I liked Pandora more than I did on first viewing The actress has charisma. Once they got her away from her weird cloak and shadowy cave, she really clicked. And yes, i felt a little Hoyay! vibe in her interaction with Abbie. My second viewing thoughts on Betsy was no better than the first viewing. I felt maybe I was judging her too harshly and the shock of her boobs overwhelmed any other impression I might have. But no. Her line readings were jarring. She didn't feel like a woman of the 19th century. Even wearing pants and a push up corset, a woman of her time would have still felt like a woman of her time.

I made the comparison to the Harry Potter Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. They all had pretty bad fates: death, dementia, torture etc.

I liked it. It didn't have the giddy awesomeness that was This Is War, but it hit the right note for me. Even though it is clear Abbie & Ich still share their bond and affection, under it was some coolness and acknowledgment that things didn't end right with them so they have to work their way back to each other. The episode kinda felt that way to me as a viewer. I still have a lot of love & affection for the show, but I couldn't help but feel that the characters feel a little unfamiliar and we need to work our way back to each other. But... there were some great Ichabbie moments and I can see that they are trying to make sure Ab & Ich are central to each other. I liked Pandora. I think the actress brought a good vibe to the character. I like how the show began with her dispatching Headless. Let us know he's not completely gone, just tucked away in a box. Just as I feared, Betsy was problematic. Not because they are trying to create this flirtation between her and Ichabod, but the character just feels over the top. The boobsie mc-pushup corset is distracting. And unnecessary. It feels like a try too hard. I am no prude, but nothing would have been lost if she was just wearing a shirt. She could have still been a bad ass spy and flirt with Ichabod but the tits were turned up to 10 and it feels cheap. I liked the call back to the pilot with Abbie's boss. C Thomas Howell dying in a cavernous structure from a slit throat with Abbie screaming 'Agent Down!' was just like Corbin's death. Even Abbie's voice inflection was the same. Love the preview for the next ep.

I don't believe Scandal is trying to to sell Olivia and Fitz's relationship as something women should aim for. It is simply showcasing a particular relationship in all its fucked up glory. Sure it is making it clear that Olivia and Fitz are stupid in love with each other and on some level -- because of the attractiveness and chemistry of the actors and the normal audience tendency to try to identify with main characters -- you want to believe in it for them. But the show also clearly displays the fall out and consequences of that love and how it really isn't an aspirational love. Shonda said in an early interview: That said, I do believe that Olivia is a feminist as well as a character that is in existence because of feminism.

I wonder if on some level it is because 1) they are kids and have no real concept of how real the danger is and 2) they live in a very safe place with very little threat to themselves so again, even with someone as old as Zoey who should know better, the reality of using a gun against another person for self defense with the very real possibility you can kill someone is only theoretical. I found it interesting how the show managed to be both on the side of actual gun control -- Dre sent his back because he had neither the knowledge nor the stomach for it so it a wise decision to not have it; and on the side of gun ownership -- Pops has one and acknowledges unapologetically that makes a difference in a confrontation.

I was just coming to post that. It seems like the links are coming fast and furious and each interview has something a little different to say. I loved how he specifically addresses the Abby sideline and how he refers to S2 as the Henry/Katrina/Moloch era. LOL. I sense a little shade there. Just a little. ETA; The Variety interview is probably my favorite of them so far. Lots of good detail and a very balanced and detailed explanation of all the characters.

Wow.. and the gates are open... people feeling anxiety about a full fledged romance b/t Crane & Sexy B. can probably give a small sigh of relief http://tvline.com/2015/10/01/sleepy-hollow-spoilers-season-3-irving-gone/

I thought this was charming. I only meant to have it on as background noise, but ended up acually paying attention and enjoying it. Couple things I liked: - The first close up of the baby with snot clearly running out of her nose. - All of his staff giving him judgmental face after he brushed off his son and him appealing to them 'What am I supposed to do, buy him a baseball mitt, play catch with him and sing Cat in The Cradle? Am I right Victor?" (non-white guy) and then 'white Victor?" cue white Victor pulling off his chef's hat disgustedly and leaving. - When he runs after them, Cats in the Cradle starts playing and you think it is a musical cue, but then it is just the house band in his restaurant fucking with him. LOL So yeah, there were some genuinely witty beats. Even though some stuff felt cliche, the writing felt sharp. Also am liking the supporting cast.

Cookie " You ain't born with your name. You grow into it" Cookie: "Ain't nothing wrong with a couple of J.Lo's as long as they can really sing." (ouch) Cookie: "Anika knows marketing. She made a whole career selling her ass." Anika: "As opposed to you and your stellar career in pharmaceuticals?"

Not as funny as last week, but still did a great job of hitting the speaking points of a debated topic in a funny way. I especially liked the panic scene when they thought someone was breaking in because they all did the panic well and it brought everyone's separate 'defend our home' plots together. Loved the quick shot of Jack & Diane doing the Home Alone face. I liked the visual of Dre not being able to get the gun box open; and pointing the box (with his hand still in it) was both funny and really interesting. Like last week's The WORD where we never actually hear the word, we never actually see Dre holding the gun do we? Best use of Zoey in a while. I loved ZoZo and her interaction with Pops. Actually, thinking back I think Yara Shahidi shines the best when she is paired with Laurence Fishburne. Second week in a row we get to see their neighbor. I've always liked her smallish interactions with the Johnsons and she's a naturally funny actress.

A couple of things I felt very gratified about when reading that interview is how often he brought his answers back to 'our witnessess.' Even when the question was specifically about Ichabod he always contextualized it with both of them and them being Witnesses. What a contrast to some Goffman interviews when every answer seemed to somehow circle back to 'The Katrina of it all." Also, I love his answer about Joe. Obviously as a viewer he saw the same thing a lot of the fans did re: the relationship potential between August Corbin's three 'kids' and I like that they decided to mine that specifically. Very excited about the season. God I hope it rebounds!

Longish interview with Cliff Campbell about S3. http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2015/09/30/sleepy-hollow-new-boss-clifton-campbell-on-making-abbie-and-ichabod-central-bringing-the-fun-back-and-more/

OMG Squee. Spoilerish. Also explains the camisole. http://tvline.com/2015/09/30/sleepy-hollow-season-3-video-abbie-ichabod-living-together/

I am being cautiously optimistic. I love, love, love the regular addition of Joe and what looks like the real involvement of Jenny this early signals promising things. I am a survivor of the S2 wars but i can't fall down the rabbit hole of anxiety and have bad feelings of S3 before it even airs. I remember when the news first came out about Abbie being transported back in time and being mistaken for a runaway slave, people damn near lost their minds and were planning to boycott. But Tempus Fugit turned out to be the best episode of S2 hands down, imo. I think I've watched it like 5 times! First and foremost I want a great, fun storyline with lots of Ichabod & Abbie doing awesome things. I can handle an expanded group as long as it doesn't diminish Abbie, Jenny or Ichabod. Katrina didn't just sideline Abbie, she also in subtle ways damaged Ichabod as a character as well. But this is the positivity thread so i won't go into that! Anyway, I am all for giving us awesome new characters and monsters. I am watching for the story and the core characters first. I don't watch for the ship -- although I do think Ichabbie are fiyah and I am a low-key shipper! But a romance for them is not my priority in watching the show. A healthy relationship between the two? Yes. Them being ride or die for each other? Yes. Them being the leads without question, driving story narrative and focus? Absolutely! Romance... not necessarily. Don't get me wrong, if we get some Ichabbie luvin' I would be all "hells, yeah." but I don't need it right now and it won't bother me if Ich & Ab see other people. As long as those other people don't interfere with Ich & Ab's total awesomeness. And especially if those other people don't derail the story from Ich & Ab. I plan to watch live because, even though I like Scandal, it ceased being appointment tv for me a couple of years ago, And on a basic level I get way more just plain old enjoyment from watching SH than I do Scandal. I'm also gonna dvr SH (or at least play) the episode again soon after. Not being a Nielsen family, my live watch won't matter when it comes to ratings. But my DVR will.

I wonder if that is why Archer gets away with as much as it does? I mean, it is really risque. They've always been frank about nudity and the sexual escapades of the characters on the show, but even it pushes the envelope. There is a running gag that Cheryl really gets her sexual rocks off by being hit or choked. And they really show it explicitly with bruises and stuff and her gasping for air but she super enjoying herself. And also last season they showed Lana and Archer doing it doggy style with her boobs' swinging, very 'liquid' sound effects and even some suggestion of anal.

It is an augury rhyme. Apparently in really superstitious times the # of crows (or magpies) you see is a portent of good or evil. There are a lot of variations but the rest of this one goes: One for sorrow, two for mirth, Three for a wedding, four for a birth, Five for silver, six for gold, Seven for a secret not to be told. Eight for heaven, nine for hell, And ten for the devil's own sel'. The rhyme does feel very Sleepy Hollow-ish.

I don't think that is necessarily true, though. On the whole SH and Scandal don't share the same audience. Scandal is overwhelmingly female skewing. SH is male skewing. It feels like more of a counter-programming move than some big conspiracy to quiet shippers. Although if they were really trying to counter-program it would have made a lot more sense to move Gotham to Thursday because it ended on stronger ratings and there were no 'hero' type shows on Thursdays. If we are talking a black demographic then Empire v. blackish has shown that tv can support two shows that share a niche audience portion. Empire is a ratings monster, but blackish still manages to pull in over 2 ratings. If it was just Scandal v. SH then I think SH would be able to hold it's own very nicely. But I think Heroes Reborn is the bigger threat because SH and HR overlap in audience more than Scandal & SH do. Also they are both genre shows which also share a significant audience. It is all academic anyway.. the show hasn't aired. We don't know how the season will shape up. And honestly Fox's shows are doing dismally so far. Minority Report is the lowest rated scripted show to premiere on network last week. Scream Queens was the second lowest until The Player aired. And even though Rosewood got decent ratings, the word of mouth on the show is awful. I'd be interested to see how it does next week since ratings tend to dip from premiere episodes and the anticipation for Empire won't be as high.

I dunno, Pitbull seems more J.Lo than Rosie Perez. Cypress Hill maybe...

I am actually looking forward to this episode. This might belong in the unpopular opinion thread, but I don't care if Abbie & Ichabod get together this season. Their chemistry and connection is strong so I'd like to see them get together eventually but I am not upset if they kiss a couple of frogs before they find each other. I know shippers are a little depressed with early reports of the ep, but I want a fun story that we can sink our teeth into again, first a foremost. My hugest concern for all things is that Abbie & Ichabod stay Abbie & Ichabod. Their connection stays strong, nobody comes between them and most especially neither Abbie's nor Ichabod's role as lead and the two most important people on the show is usurped. The threat of Abbie being usurped feels higher because we already had to suffer through Katrina and now based on the breathless early reports, it does feel with Sexy Betsy that they are trying to throw Ichabod a new partner. And although I hate the idea of her as a character (it comes off and so very try hard) as long as she does not in any way overshadow Abbie then I'll endure her. If she turns out to work well in the story I may come to like her -- although the promo picture looks - again - waaay too try too hard, so i am skeptical.