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Lt. Abbie Mills: Lef-tenant Fist-bump


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I think the show hit the jackpot with Nicole Beharie - I think she brings something extra to the role that feels fresh and original. She's in the thankless role of the skeptic/audience surrogate (a.k.a. the Scully role), but manages to bring a nice funny take to the line readings. I think she has great chemistry with Tom Mison as well, though I don't see the romantic vibes that some fans do.

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There's a lot of swooning and praise thrown Tom Mison's way (which is fine!), but my favorite is Nicole Beharie's 'Abbie.' As noted she faces the challenge of portraying the 'Scully'-type role which are often annoying or redundant. But Nicole has, I think, made Abbie the most interesting character despite being surrounded by a quirky time-traveler, a cryptic witch, a conflicted captain, and a bitter mental patient. I think she depicts Abbie's guardedness and sarcasm/wit in a manner true to somebody with a troubled, dysfunctional childhood without becoming a trope. Also, yes - she is effortlessly beautiful!

Edited by CinnamonCW
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I **love** Abbie, and agree that Beharie makes her special in a great way.  It doesn't hurt that Nicole is pretty gorgeous.

Almost word for word what I was going to say.

Abbie Mills feels like the most fully formed TV character I've seen in a long time. She just feels completely real and awesome and like someone I'd love to spend time with.

I adore that scene in the finale where Abbie is leaving a voicemail for Ichabod, where she just seems so playful and light-hearted and chats along with herself, laughing about Ichabod's attempts to text. It's a nothing moment, just a way of getting from the opening to the reveal of Andy, yet it encapsulates everything I love about Nicole Beharie's performance.

And yes, she is stunning. One of those women who is so beautiful I find myself stopping in the middle of watching a scene to acknowledge the fact. Not only that, but she has this wonderfully expressive, mobile face. And, as io9's recaps ably showed, she uses it to great effect, offering some memorable facial expressions.

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I know the media is all about Tom Mison, but, honestly, Abbie/Nicole Beharie makes the show for me. Maybe because I'm a little fed up with special charismatic white leads (male most of the time), that TV shows are so enamoured of, so my attention goes to the leads that feel more human. But that's not all. I've completely fallen for Nicole's acting. The ability she has to imbue her chatacter with steel, warmth, intelligence, determination and vulnerability is amazing to see. In her hands, I can fully believe that someone as petite and graceful as Abbie could become a "leftenant" and kick Moloch's ass. I just love how expressive and lively her beautiful face is!

And what about that incredible crackling chemistry she has with everyone and everything? It's amazing!

There are many things I adore about Abbie, but I think my favorite is her sense of humor. I love her snark, of course, but I also find myself looking at her reactions to Ichabod having modern world problems. I'm sure she knew Ichabod would hate modern clothes, but that doesn't mean she had to miss his reaction to wearing those, right?

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I know the media is all about Tom Mison, but, honestly, Abbie/Nicole Beharie makes the show for me. Maybe because I'm a little fed up with special charismatic white leads (male most of the time), that TV shows are so enamoured of, so my attention goes to the leads that feel more human. But that's not all. I've completely fallen for Nicole's acting. The ability she has to imbue her chatacter with steel, warmth, intelligence, determination and vulnerability is amazing to see. In her hands, I can fully believe that someone as petite and graceful as Abbie could become a "leftenant" and kick Moloch's ass. I just love how expressive and lively her beautiful face is!

And what about that incredible crackling chemistry she has with everyone and everything? It's amazing!

There are many things I adore about Abbie, but I think my favorite is her sense of humor. I love her snark, of course, but I also find myself looking at her reactions to Ichabod having modern world problems. I'm sure she knew Ichabod would hate modern clothes, but that doesn't mean she had to miss his reaction to wearing those, right?

 

I totally agree. Though the premise of Sleepy Hollow is intriguing, the only reason why I gave this show a chance was because of Nicole Beharie.  She is wonderful to watch, and I enjoy the amazing chemistry she has with all the other actors on the show.

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I really like Abbie. Not that I don't enjoy Ichabod, but I felt like Abbie breezed past a lot of standard woman-in-peril cliches with yeah, I don't think so, and when does that ever happen?

One of the things that kept me watching this show was the way the two of them confounded each others' expectations, which was/struck me less as I am more awesome than you than hey, you're something new, aren't you.

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I love Abbie, the character because of her sense of humor. I feel like there are many sides of her that are hinted at and they show promise of expansion. I think the best (for me) way to look at her is a survivor. She is obviously able to adapt very well to new environments and know how to act acccordingly. As she is a witness, it's something I liked observing. I like the Scully references. But I love even more that I can't say that I have seen a character just like her on my screen yet.

I adore the way Nicole interprets the character. Her tone, her body language (which is my new thing to obsess over in performances) and her facial expressions are just so on point. Amazing!

I love the duo Abbie and Crane. They are just fun to watch interact. They both mentor each other on different things. It aslo helps bring levity in a mythology and horror heavy show. I actually am enjoying their frienship so much that I kind of would hate for them to get together... Unless the show makes it past season 5 or something. I might be more amenable by then.

 

Her story seems to be interesting in the future. That creepy dollhouse she is stuck in will be a well of info. I really want to find out about her mum, growing up and what made her so different from Jenny.

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What I love most about Abbie is that she isn't a typical female sidekick.  She is intelligent, stands up for herself, and isn't the woman in peril that Mr. Crane must rescue.  In fact, in one or two episodes, she has to rescue him by using her instincts and intelligence.

 

I remember an article was written shortly after the show debut where the writer was worried that she would be shafted in favor of Crane and Katrina.  However, the first five or six episodes shed quite a bit on her background.  She betrayed her sister to save herself, she felt incredible guilt over it which may have led to her getting in trouble as a teen, she had a surrogate father who was murdered in the first episode, she had a past relationship with a cop that she ended due to her career, and finally trying to educate Mr. Crane on the differences of the 21st century vs 18th century.

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I love Beharie, even though I'd never heard of her before this show. Strangely enough, I've read on other threads people say they tried Sleep Hollow but left because they didn't like her. I just kind of scratched my head because I think she's pretty damn good.

Could be because they don't like strong female characters. You know, we're supposed to clutch our pearls and drop to the fainting couch...

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That's one thing about Abbie, even when she's in the most perilous situations she keeps her head and obviously can take care of herself.

I loved how she was able to stay focused on what needed to be done, warning Crane about what Moloch was up to. Then beheading fake Ichabod when he called Leutenant instead of Lefttenant. She's sharp and resourceful, a very strong character.

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I feel like she stepped it up this season even though she could have continued playing her the same way as thta was already great. I like that she loosened up and she seems more relaxed in her role. I keep marveling at the fact that this is her first time playing in a genre heavy production. I just can't wait to see more from her. I also loved that while the shooting and editing emphasised the Ichabbie hug more, I could see that the way she hugged Crane and Jenny was the same "good to be home with my family" vibe. Her face was the same relieved and walls down and I enjoyed those nuances.

Sounds like Nicole is better and the show resumed filming last Wednesday.

 

http://wilmonfilm.blogs.starnewsonline.com/16509/sleepy-hollow-to-resume-filming-wednesday/

 

Watching tonight's episode, I realized once again why I enjoy the character of Abbie so much. She's level-headed, which will get her a long way. She always keeps her eye on the ball (eta. her being stuck in purgatory, but wanting to warn Crane about Moloch's plans so that everyone could be saved). Though I'm sure she wasn't happy to hear that Reyes' testimony put her mother in a mental institution, she knew based on the information she had about the situation (what her mother had done and her mental state at the time), that Reyes' was just doing her job.  That's not to say that Reyes' is a good person, but again considering the circumstances what else could she do. I think Abbie has not drawn a conclusion about Reyes but is very wisely walking the line. The woman is after all her boss, so she can't be pull a Jenny.

 

I also liked how quickly she thought on her feet and turned Jenny's attention away from Reyes when she suggested she take out Reyes' instead of Jenny. Like her comment to Crane about them being short on allies. Lastly, liked her finally voicing her opinion about Katrina. She's already seen herself sacrificed by Crane so that he could reunite with Katrina. The same could happen with Henry. Both Crane and Katrina could potentially make a choice that would leave her vulnerable all in an attempt to save their 'son.' I hope she will continue to reiterate her concerns and stand firm with them especially when a situation arises that seems to be more about the Cranes resolving some family drama, than making a choice for the greater good.

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I, too, am struggling to come up with something one could possibly not like about Abbie.

 

A strong female character, particularly a black one, would be very upsetting to certain segments [quack, quack] of the population.

 

What I love most about Abbie is that she isn't a typical female sidekick.  

 

I don't see her as a "sidekick".  I see her as Ichabod's equal partner.

Edited by jhlipton

Watched the first few eps of this show last year and liked it well enough...even though this type of supernatural fare is far from my preferred cup of tea.  For some reason though I stopped watching without really making a conscious decision to do so.  Missed a couple eps or something and never really felt compelled to catch up. 

 

Until later that is.

 

Orphan Black's probably my favorite current show (mainly because of Tatiana Maslany's tour de force).  So, when Emmy nom time came around, I found myself reading more than my fair share of "prognostication" articles about who would or should or could be nominated.  More often than I might have expected, Nicole Beharie's name popped up as something of a darkhorse...a delightful outside possibility.

 

Cut to SDCC where Tatiana was appearing on a "Kickass Women" panel.  She's the reason I watched the panel online.  But, as it so happened, Nicole was on the panel too.  And she impressed me.  Reminded me of how much I liked her in those first few eps of SH that I had seen.  Made a mental note to catch up with the show when I got a chance.  And I got the chance (OnDeMand) and took it.

 

She's great.  I love her.  Actually, while I find many of the "supernatural" aspects of the series pretty silly, I think the acting is, across the board, top flight.  Mison is excellent and engaging.  Really like Lyndie Greenwood.  And John Noble is, well, John FUCKING Noble!  But Nicole is, for me, easily the cast MVP.  She's why I bothered to catch up with this show and why I'm watcing this season.

 

Can even tell you when she really nabbed me.  That scene when Abby and Ichabod are in the park watching baseball.  Abby finds herself waxing nostalgic/poetic about the game in historical context, about the game as America's traditional national pasttime.  And as she winds down in her shared reverie about the game being passed down from generation to generation her (Abby's) delivery s l o w s as she realizes that, believe it though she might, what she's been saying has been said thousands of times before AND THAT Ichabod probably has no idea WTF she's talking about.  "...generashun to generashun."  It's not merely that that's how Nicole chose to deliver the line.  It's that that's how Abby, suddenly self aware, chose to say it.  I fell in love with both the actress and the character at that moment.  A nothing moment...that Nicole made endearingly, amusingly beautiful.

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SAVINGGRACE, ON 02 NOV 2014 - 2:15 PM, SAID:

Being a "strong" female doesn't mean one can't still have or desire a relationship. It's actually rather cliche to have these two kick-butt women be manless.  Abbie's character is coming dangerously close -- and has possibly crossed the line into-- to the "Strong Black Woman who doesn't need a man" trope. To date they have not given her any hint of sexual passion or desire. We've seen Katrina's bosom heave over Crane and we saw Jenny display some sign of desire with Hawley but Abbie? She's all about self-sacrifice.

I think the issue some of us have with that kind of POV, is that it's not placing value into relationships that are not of the romantic/sexual nature.

To me, Abbie does not fit into the "I don't need a man" stereotype because she lets herself depend on Corbin, Andy and Crane. Those types usually don't let any man help them and are offended when offered help. Abbie has no problem taking charge but she also doesn't mind being helped by those who can. I don't see how not showing she wants to bang someone (pardon my french) means that she is sacrificing her self. Otherwise that means that anything she wants for herself (for example knowing more about her family) doesn't count because she is not trying to date or have sex with someone and I don't understand how why that would be the only definition of self-fulfilment or happiness.

She is in battle mode. She is trying to be the cool-headed, big picture person because one of the Witnesses has to be and she knows Crane can't keep his head in the game right now. Like when at the beginning she was in denial about the whole Witness thing with one foot in and one foot out, Crane was the one telling her she needed to face her fears. He helped her bridge the gap between her and Jenny just like she is helping him face the problems with Katrina instead of carrying on like it's all good. The timeline is not all clear in my head but I think the events of season 1 have gone on for a relatively short period of time, it makes sense that in the wake of all this we don't see her thinking about going on dates. The thing about the Cranes (also would like to add there are literally 2 or 3 scenes max that were full on couple-y for those 2 in the whole series so far) and Jenny/Hawley is that they are both pre-show established history which takes no more more than a few lines to explain. Just like Morales was explained in a few lines and she did show signs of wanting to reach out before he got scared away by Andy.

Abbie shows sign of having pretty big walls and knowing the reason why is the first step, then I want to see her open up to someone in the vulnerable way an equal relationship can bring. So far we have seen people more invested in her than she was in them and I think it's because she doesn't let herself go there but also because her priorities are more about who she is. She now wants to know more about her family and how she fits into this crazy world she just became a part of. She finally has her sister back and wants to make sure that relationship is strong. Those aspects are so much more interesting to me and make me feel like she is a real person. It fleshes out who Abbie is from a writing stand point. She already feels real thanks to NB's am-ah-zing portrayal but the script doesn't have al those layers I want yet. Before I think about who she would be good with, I want to see her be good with all her issues resolved by herself. Getting help along the way is fine but I am tired of that "you bring out the light in me" bullshit. Being inspired by another person? Yes. Dependent on said person to be a well adjusted person? Hell.NO!

She is a strong person with enough belief in herself to create a life she wants even when not given the best circumstances regarding her parents. Kudos to her, but it's obvious that she didn't deal with all the emotional hang ups that history gave her. Jenny is almost "healthier" in that way because she accepted that crappy things happened and impacted her. Abbie recognises they happened but is acting like they don't affect her. I think that's what was hinted at in 2.03, that she tries to keep it together by pretending their mother's actions didn't get to her. She doesn't want to admit that she's angry and has resentment towards their mother. Jenny on the other hand embraces her anger a little too much. Basically I am so much more interested in her coping mechanisms and seeing her let go of the security blanket of being "above it". There are so many facets that can be covered successfully just around Abbie herself that I don't need to see her with someone right now. Especially someone with shifty morals and wandering eyes.

Also is it abnormal for an adult woman (even in regular circumstances) to be single for like 6 months without hooking up? If so I definitely wasn't aware that was the case. I am hopeless at relationships. A guy basically has to make a neon sign that he likes me before I get it so maybe I am just not equipped to talk about this, I don't know...

@Shanndee I am right there with you. I actually think some people hearing the noise during the Hiatus might have been turned off because they thought the show would become heavy and take its premise seriously with convoluted romantic storylines. It has some but definitely not as many as I feared. I am ok with how Hawley has been so far as in he is not even a grain of sand on Abbie's radar. I also really like catty Ichabod so that's fun. I just want more Jenny and while that's probably unfair, his role is so similar in their quests that I feel he is her substitute.

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SAVINGGRACE, ON 02 NOV 2014 - 4:15 PM, SAID:

fanique you make good points but I fear this show doesn't have the kind of time to explore Abbie's inner workings before giving her a relationship. With the ratings the way they are another season is looking questionable. If they're going to show other characters' relationships they need to give our main lady some love too and not just have her chasing around after Crane and Katrina.  It will be a shame if this show ends with Abbie fulfilling her destiny as an overused  Strong Woman trope.

I guess I can understand that you're saying better to have a bad LI than none at all. I am the opposite so maybe they won't have time to get to the healthy dating part of her evolution but my point was that what comes before is more important to me. Because if she gets through her evolution and is alive, then I can imagine her happy in off-screen land. I want the show ending with me being certain that whoever she ends up with, whether I see it or not, I am thinking "Wow Abbie, you've come a long way and all you went through was worth it" and I can imagine her happy life. I want to feel the way I felt when closing the final HP book. The Epilogue was cheesy but I understood JKR really wanted to say it's over. I wanted to see more but at least I know that it was all worth it and the main characters are all in a better place than I found them. I was sad it was over but thankful for the journey.

I just think that if what you care about most -emotionally speaking- is Abbie getting with someone then things like 2.03 having huge significance for both Abbie and Jenny will not register to you as "fair treatment" of the character and we just have to agree to disagree. I guess we are just not interested in the same things WRT characters and entertainment which is cool. I just wanted to clarify my previous answer.

PS: Also I get people don't want to see her playing second fiddle but Abbie has made it very clear that while she respects Crane's boundaries, she will not hesitate to dispose of Jenry if that's the only option. She is very clear about helping Katrina because it helps Team Witness so she is obviously not there for the babysitting. The next episode will be all about her wanting to nuke Jenry. In light of that, without going all meta, it's hard for me to fear she is just becoming "the Cranes' assistant".

Edited by fantique, Yest. 10:58 pm.

Edited by fantique

I just think that if what you care about most -emotionally speaking- is Abbie getting with someone then things like 2.03 having huge significance for both Abbie and Jenny will not register to you as "fair treatment" of the character and we just have to agree to disagree. I guess we are just not interested in the same things WRT characters and entertainment which is cool. I just wanted to clarify my previous answer.

You made some excellent points, fantique. From the beginning, Sleepy Hollow decided that it's not going to be a straight procedural like Law and Order, where the characters are given few, if any, personal arcs. So I think it shortchanges Abbie's character development if we learn 100% about what makes Crane tick: from his political leanings to his love life to his personal weaknesses, but we are left to wonder about major aspects of who Abbie is. No, she doesn't have to be in a relationship. But is she casually dating anyone, making booty calls, or has she made a conscious decision not to get into a relationship? Part of the problem is that her only "buddy" is Crane. But when they do sit down to have drinks or just to talk, the conversation revolves around Crane--Katrina, Jeremy, George Washington, etc. Or they focus on Moloch and the Apocalypse. And while he reassures Abbie that his relationship with her is a partnership, it seems very Crane-centric.  

 

Compare this to Season 1, where Jenny's appearance gave us a crucial opportunity to learn more about who Abbie was as a child/teenager and who she is now as a sister and a daughter. She even probed into Abbie's romantic life by asking about Crane. I wish that when Jenny asked about "Tall, Dark, and British," Abbie would have gone into detail about 1) not even thinking about romance because this Apocalypse crap zaps any ounce of libido she might have had, or  2) Crane not being her type, or maybe even that she 3) is taking a break from romance, given her recent break-up with Morales.

 

I think there are still plenty of opportunities this season to develop Abbie's character and show us more of who she is, if the writers seize the opportunities.

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And I hope they do. From what I heard during NYCC with the appearance of Mama Mills (there is even an episode called Mama), the focus will shift back to Abbie. Also one way or another I think tonight's episode will (hopefully) come to a sort of conclusion of the Crane family drama. I think they also teased at SDCC that Abbie has magical ancestry. Oh, what they could do with that :)! Also I love witches, they are my favourite supernaturals. 

 

I have faith because they already sprinkled hints along the way that show they are building her story. Crane's story is almost straightforward because there are less options than with Abbie. I think they have to be more careful with hers and it takes more time to lay the tracks. Also I think the are aware that if they mess it up they will be crucified because anyone that is a Sleepy Hollow fan loves Abbie.

 

For example when referencing that scene with Jenny asking about Crane mattering to Abbie, we learnt that she and Jenny were outsiders and formed their own little team. She always felt out of place with others but she also values familial bonds more than romantic ones. I took her not even addressing the potential romantic nature of the question to mean that's not how she sees him (yet at least). Weirdly enough, I see a lot of people saying they see Abbie already having feelings for Crane which is strange to me. I kind of chalk it up as people always going the "She's a hot female lead with a handsome male lead who she shares a destiny with, so of course she has heart eyes" route. In my head canon, based on all of 19 episodes lol, if/when there is canon Ichabbie, Crane would definitely be the first to realise his feelings. Abbie put him in the safe "family" box so I think it would take much longer than him to see their relationship in a romantic light. 

Maybe because I love her so much any tidbit of info in the script helps me build who she is in my mind. Whereas with Ichabod it's more like "haha, that's funny he is ranting again". It was really only after Sin Eater that I got more of a sense of who he was wrt his ideologies and later his sense of family. I also think his attachment to family is also linked to still not feeling like he is home. Having his family back would be one more link to the past. Aside from his grumpy old man "it was better way back in the good old days", I only heard him really expand on his feelings of displacement in the Pilot and in Sin Eater at the end of the baseball scene.

Edited by fantique

So, with all the discussion of Abbie's rightful role as a lead and not a sidekick, I'd like to propose changing the name of the thread.  Every time I come to the board, I'm a bit bothered by the fact that Abbie's title doesn't relate to anything about her; it just defines her as not being Ichabod.  It's a little thing, but it bugs.

 

Any suggestions?  I've never launched a name-the-thread effort, but I humbly offer some maybe-not-so-great starter ideas:

  • Lef-tenant Fist-bump
  • The Voice of Reason and Avatar of Awesome
  • Baseball, Yoga, and General Kicking of Ass

 

(*slinks back off to quasi-lurkdom*)

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Okay, more than happy to change the title of the topic (after all, that's what mods are for!)

 

So here's a poll, if you have another suggestion, make it in the comments - @HalcyonDays or I will add it to the poll. To be fair, let's give it, say, seven days? We'll meet back her next Tuesday with the new topic name!

 

ETA: BTW, it should read Lt. Abbie Mills in the poll. My bad!

How about Lt. Abbie Mills: Awe-inspiring, Heroic and the Voice of Reason

 

Or Lt. Abbie Mills: The Heroic Voice of Reason

 

Heroic because Crane calls her that in the first season. Awe-inspiring, a bit of a play on a conversation from last season (the awful intercourse one)

 

I would like to see the Voice of Reason in there somehow, because by god, is she ever....

Wow, thanks for the poll!

 

Upon further reflection, I think the baseball one is kind of clunky.  How about "Baseball & Yoga & Being a Boss" (or Badass)?

 

Or alternately, "Grace Under Fire" (which is an obvious choice that I should have proposed earlier)?  Perhaps a mashup:  "Voice of Reason and Grace Under Fire"?

 

Okay, I'll stop now.

Not liking "The Littlest Leftenant", only because I immediately think "The Littlest Hobo."

 

Fascinating article/analysis on Abbie Mills and how her character is in a unique position on TV with regards to race, damselling and basically everything people have been arguing about for the past year or so...

 

Abbie Mills: Dodging the Double Binds of Race and Gender.

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