S02.E01: This Is War

[tv echo]

Despite some minor flaws, I loved this episode.  It was great to see Ichabod, Abby and Jenny again.  The fake-out was great at the beginning (it was cruel of the writers, though, to make us think that Katrina was dead).  Ichabod's escape from the box (nice call back to pilot with hand bursting out of the ground) and his subsequent walk to where Jenny was being held required some suspension of disbelief.  However, the humor was back, the chemistry between Ichabod and Abby was back, and the suspense was back.  I didn't care for the Katrina scenes (like scenes from a bad romance novel), which didn't seem to accomplish much other than to show that she was with the Headless Horseman (which we knew).  I liked John Cho's brief appearance.  I liked that Abby could tell it was Fake Ichabod because he didn't call her "Leftenant".  And Jenny was kickass when she went all Black Widow on the henchman.   

 

Although I normally don't laugh during TV shows (not even comedies), I did LOL when Ichabod recorded his farewell video message to Abby, saw the "Memory Full" message, and said "and none of that recorded, wonderful".  I also loved Ichabod's comment about how he must learn to drive and all of his snarky comments about Benjamin Franklin.  BTW, as kennyab also noticed, why didn't Benjamin Franklin have a British accent?  Remember, "we were all British then".

 

I like aquarian1's theory that the reason Ichabod is involved with so many historical figures is because he's a witness, so destiny took a hand.

 

Also, my theory about why two of the Horsemen are related to Ichabod in some way is that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are not the same throughout history.  Over centuries, they've tried to emerge on various occasions, so the two witnesses change each time, and therefore the Four Horsemen change to be people related to the two witnesses.  So we know two Horsemen are related to Ichabod and the other two Horsemen will probably be related to Abby in some way.

Edited September 23, 2014 by tv echo

[kimberella]

Good lord! This episode should be retitled as "The Bait" and I'm pretty sure the next will be "The Switch". They couldn't be more transparent.

 

Ok it's a bit much that Crane was present and involved with so many major events in American history. First he worked closely with George Washington, then he created the Boston Tea Party as a distraction for... I can't remember what (I'd have to watch the episode again to be reminded), now he's Benjamin Franklin's apprentice

And all of them were aware of his Importance! And all of them hid it from him! LOL

 

I missed Frank. Where is he? Jenny, go rescue your boo!

 

I loved seeing Andy again. He's such a tragic figure! I want him to get a redemption arc. Hopefully Selfie will allow John Cho enough time for Sleepy Hollow.

 

That hug between Abbie and Jenny was the best. More of that sister closeness, please!

 

Moloch is such a great dad! He still gives his disappointing kids amazing presents. I hope Jeremy makes good use of daddy's generosity.

 

I hope Abraham feels free to run around shirtless. I shall rename him The Hottie Horseman!

[dubbel zout]

Particularly how pleased he was that Franklin's alphabet didn't take.

 

Slightly bitter Ichabod is always fun.

 

Crane driving the ambulance into the warehouse

 

I rewound that about five times because I couldn't stop laughing at his shrug and expression—"What? It was there."

Edited September 23, 2014 by dubbel zout

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved how exasperated Jenny was that he didn't know how to put the car in reverse and then climbed over him to switch places with him. She was like damn, I went through a lot of trouble to bust myself out so I am not getting recaptured just because you don't know how to drive!

[beadgirl]

Yay, it's back!

 

I knew the time jump couldn't be real (if only because I knew Katrina at least had to be alive), but I thought it was a hallucination on Crane's part.  And then I thought maybe the key would be some kind of time-travel device.  Or maybe a reset button.  But no, it was Henry's mind games. (Funny, too -- Mr. Beadgirl got caught up with the show over the weekend, and just before the big reveal of Henry's identity in the finale he commented how boring Noble's character was; he really is best off playing crazy, evil, or crazy-evil.)

 

 

Ok it's a bit much that Crane was present and involved with so many major events in American history. First he worked closely with George Washington, then he created the Boston Tea Party as a distraction for... I can't remember what (I'd have to watch the episode again to be reminded), now he's Benjamin Franklin's apprentice.

It's the kitchen sink approach to historical fiction.  Remember how they incorporated the Roanoke colony because reasons?  But if I can tolerate the theological crazy (their version of purgatory is wrong [so to speak] in pretty much every way) for the sake of awesomeness, I can deal with Ichabod knowing everybody and everything.

 

Poor Katrina -- her attempt to stab Headless (he's death! did she think that would slow him down?) can't compare to Jenny's escape.  Katrina can't (and shouldn't) become the fighter Jenny and Abbie are, but the writers need to make her witchery actually useful.  I'm not crazy about the character, and I will like her even less if she just becomes a damsel in distress.

 

Fist bump!  Eventual romance or not, I adore the relationship between Abbie and Ichabod.

 

 

So, have there been any other characters in flashbacks to speak with basically a modern-day American accent? I thought they pretty much all employed British accents, as the current American accent hadn't had time to develop. It's at least the first time it stuck out to me and was really, really jarring. I love Timothy Busfield, but it felt like a modern person trying to speak in the manner of the Revolutionary period. I'm sure I'm reading way too much into it...

I wondered about that too.  Mr. beadgirl knows accents well, and he confirmed that at that time there was little difference between British and Colonial accents, so I suspect it was just a way to highlight Franklin's crude, egotistical ways (you know, ugly American and all that).

 

 

Also, my theory about why two of the Horsemen are related to Ichabod in some way is that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are not the same throughout history.  Over centuries, they've tried to emerge on various occasions, so the two witnesses change each time, and therefore the Four Horsemen change to be people related to the two witnesses.  So we know two Horsemen are related to Ichabod and the other two Horsemen will probably be related to Abby in some way.

Interesting!  I like it.

[proserpina65]

They haven't done Paul Revere yet, have they?

 

Yes, they did, in what was, to me, the best episode of last season, The Midnight Ride (the one with the beheaded Masons).

 

Other than the continued uselessness of Katrina (who can't be too kick-ass without being completely Mary Sue-ish for the 18th century, but still . . .), this was a terrific episode.  Can't wait until next week.

[DearEvette]

I am loving the little glimpses of Ichabod's relationships with the various historical figures:

 

He almost idolized Washington

He respected Jefferson (until the unfortunate revelation that Ol' Thomas plagiarized Ichabod's own words and had relations with Sally Hemmings)

He seemes to have thought of Paul Revere as a Bro-Dude

and Now he thoroughly sniffs with disdain and Franklin.

[Tippi Blevins]

Shirtless Horseman was just hilarious. LOL. So what does he do all day? Take heads? Then comes home after a hard days work and changes into something more appropriate for his time with Katrina?

 

I think he also spends quite a lot of time doing crunches.

 

I'm glad he was able to manifest a head for those talking scenes, although I'm simultaneously disappointed he and Katrina didn't have to communicate with written signs and/or Pictionary.

 

I like Jeremy's remote-soul-controlled suit of armor and flaming sword. He gets all the fun of badass fighting, without having to wear that cumbersome, sweaty thing.

[Dobian]

Yay, my favorite nutty show is back, and they're still keeping it fun.  Still striking that perfect balance between camp and action/adventure.  I enjoyed the scenes with Ben Franklin.  He was both of his period but also thoroughly modern in a way.  And Ichabod's chagrin doing his goodbye video to Abbie and getting the memory full message was hysterical.  I love how this show highlights both his growing understanding of modern technology and his experiencing the same frustrations with it as the rest of us.  Still the best looking show on tv, it looks awesome in HD.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Dobian

[panthergirl13]

While I'm a relentless nitpicker about almost every other show I watch (hey, I'm a Virgo...what can I say?) I put all of that aside for this batshit crazy thing.

 

I just love this show from top to bottom, and The Shirtless Horseman was the icing on the cupcake this week. 

[Helena Dax]

 

And I am totally in for the Forrest Gump treatment of Crane. All his bitchy, catty comments about historic figures is AWESOME!

 LOL, I agree.

 

So glad this show is back! I just love Ichabod, Abbie and Jenny, and the relationships they have with each other. And OMG, the shirtless headless guy! I was laughing so hard...

 

"Is there no end to this birthday madness?" Never change, Ichabod Crane.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Helena Dax

[Julia]

Yay, it's back!

 

...

 

It's the kitchen sink approach to historical fiction.  Remember how they incorporated the Roanoke colony because reasons?  But if I can tolerate the theological crazy (their version of purgatory is wrong [so to speak] in pretty much every way) for the sake of awesomeness, I can deal with Ichabod knowing everybody and everything.

While I'm a relentless nitpicker about almost every other show I watch (hey, I'm a Virgo...what can I say?) I put all of that aside for this batshit crazy thing.

Yes, please, this. I'm a huge fan of history (history is gossip about dead people. What's not to love?). I even used to spend divorced kids' weekends at the colonial restorations around Sleepy Hollow. Also a Virgo. Usually if a show or a movie got pretty much everything wrong, I'd be really annoyed. This, though? This is Neil Gaiman-type myth making, where the history is just a character in a new story.

 

If I also kind of picture every bored, humorless history teacher I ever had who sucked the life out of the past for me (not all of them, just the bad ones) with their heads exploding, well, we all have our sins.

 

I love Abbie. Love. She's just such a pure badass. It fills me with joy when she does things like handcuff Andy to the radiator or cut off not-Ichabod's head with a sword. I'm also glad she and Jennie have each other again, because i agree with the people above who said that there's still got to be a reckoning with Ichabod about the events of the finale. I'm sure she's forgiven him, but if Katrina's going to be the pawn moving forward, she can't really trust his judgment the way she used to.

 

Also epic: shirtless horseman.

[green]

  BTW, as kennyab also noticed, why didn't Benjamin Franklin have a British accent?  Remember, "we were all British then".

 

 

History nerd here.  The modern day British accent that we think of didn't exist back then.  The English then sounded closer to modern day American accents particular those from the Chesapeake Bay area and the NC Piedmont regions.  (Think nasal mixed in with a long "o" sound).  Linguists often use the elderly evangelist Billy Graham as the poster boy for the closest we have in this century to what King George III would have sounded like.  The modern English accent we know had not appeared yet.  It was slowly getting there since the great vowel shift in England was in it's finally phase.  But it had not been polished off as yet to what we think of an English accent these days.

 

Language is a very fluid thing and apparently it seems to change far more in the homeland of origin of a language then in "language colonies" like America where it tends to freeze more in place.  For instance, if you listen to English actors in movies from the 30's and 40's compared to today's the difference is far greater than in their American counterparts.  Though in both cases it changes obviously, just to different degrees.

 

Liked the premiere.  As a history nerd I got to let the Ichabod timeline of impossibilities regards the Revolutionary War and his appearance in it (and before it - Franklin's kite, Boston tea party) etc go.  I just take it is an "inside joke" on the show now.  And Franklin certainly was a bit full of himself as well as America's number one party animal of the era chasing the women (and landing them often) way into his 80's.

 

I tune in for the quirky humor mixed with the improbable history and mangled-up meta end of days silliness.  And the wit and clever stuff between Crane and the Mills' sisters.  Love the memory error thing.  Can't get enough of Headless going around blowing things up.  And now he has his own little lair where he chills like the phantom of the opera or something.  Too funny.  Also funny he has more personality headless than with a head.  Loved Jenny taking care of business.  Great clever dialog even in the hallucination about the birthday cupcake. 

 

Just got to get rid of boring, useless and what a drag witch lady and bring back the head law dudes (both - the living one and the dead one) and keep Andy the Reluctant Demon around and show would be perfect.

[3dog]

 

Just got to get rid of boring, useless and what a drag witch lady

 

What I hate is that she and Ichabod just aren't well-matched, so it doesn't help the "it's an epic love story, ya'll!" thing that the show seems to want to have happen. He's quickly recalling the complexities of an alphabet he begrudgingly learned 200 years ago so he can save the world

while she's sitting in a chair being super gaspy and stuff.

[Elsinore]

I thought this episode took a while to get going. And I knew (incidental spoilers) that it was a fake. I thought it went on a bit long. The birthday stuff was sweet though.

 

Oh, Jenny. Making her a regular was the best thing to happen to this show.

 

Crane's disdain of Benjamin Franklin made me snort.

 

So there's a demon army now? Of listless dead people?

 

I also snorted at the necklace making the Headless Horseman grow a head. It was so delightfully silly. Also him strutting around in that frilly shirt and ... *dies laughing*

[JayKay]

Something that kind of threw me was how Benjamin was somewhat sanitized, and yet Ichabod hated him anyway. I read years back that he had his apprentices hold the kite for him and that one of them was electrocuted to death. I don't know if the writers heard that story as well, but it adds an extra meta layer of humor to Ichabod's disdain.

It's interesting that the show went with arrogant, if brilliant eccentric over shady occultist mastermind, like I was expecting for Franklin. I agree that the historic inaccuracies aren't bothersome since history is just another toy in Sleepy Hollow's sandbox, so it's always intriguing to see what treatment the past gets.

[peacheslatour]

Franklin wasn't trying to invent electricity- he was trying to destroy the Ring!...er I mean the Key!

[DeLurker]

 

And I am totally in for the Forrest Gump treatment of Crane. All his bitchy, catty comments about historic figures is AWESOME!

 

He really needs to change his name to Ichabod Gump.

[lucindabelle]

I know, this show owns me. It's so historically inaccurate and I. don't. care. Even the Roanoake thing where they spoke High Dutch or something-- when hello, it would have been English-- didn't kill my love.

[Dobian]

I can't wait to find out that the next secret to stopping the apocalypse is in George Washington's false teeth.

[3dog]

I can't wait to find out that the next secret to stopping the apocalypse is in George Washington's false teeth.

You mean the false teeth that Ichabod personally whittled?

[MDKNIGHT]

I can't wait to find out that the next secret to stopping the apocalypse is in George Washington's false teeth.

 

Didn't they say last season that George Washington's date of death was fudged or something which for a while I thought they meant that he had come back to life for a few days after he'd died but somehow the whole thing was part of this apocalypse thing?  I don't recall the details now but I would NOT put it past them for the false teeth to have a secret code carved into them.  The show of course will have Ichabod make a point that they were ivory not wooden because on THAT stuff they like to be correct. 

 

I don't mind Katina's character and I've assumed that witches have very limited powers without proper ingrediants etc otherwise how could they have killed her?  I just assumed she couldn't magic her way out of the restraints either because magic in this universe is not something you just think or say but need eye of newt and wing of bat for.  In a way I think that is good otherwise you have the deux ex machina with a witch.  She would be able to do anything at any time and take the focus away from the 2 Witnesses who are the ones who have to do everything.  Also I have enough romantic couples on my tv so I want Abbie and Ichabod to be friends because male and female best friends is a rarity and I'd like to see that. 

[lucindabelle]

Good point, her magic is more like modern day hoodoo which needs certain ingredients to work. I actually like that-- it's like I can spiritually visualize chocolate chip cookies all I want, but I need flour and eggs and butter and sugar to make them. Ditto for spells.

 

Still, it would be nice if we got to see that rather than have to parse it out here, because the magic that's been on TV for the past 20 years or so has been all twitch my nose, raise my hand and pouf.

[bmoore4026]

I just saw the ratings.  Goddamn /scorpion better not get my Ichabod and Abbie Show cancelled!

[peacheslatour]

I just saw the ratings.  Goddamn /scorpion better not get my Ichabod and Abbie Show cancelled!

I've been on other forums today and a lot of people who watched Scorpion were really disappointed in it and won't be watching again.  I wouldn't worry about our beloved Sleepy Hollow.

Edited September 23, 2014 by peacheslatour

[Danny Franks]

Man, I missed this show. More than I even realised until I watched the season opener.

 

It didn't miss a step, really. The fake time jump was initially surprising, but soon became an obvious vision/hallucination. Still doesn't mean I can't enjoy Ichabod's pissy reaction to the birthday cake, and whether he was just supposed to look at it candle. And the plot was wafer thin, but it was just about resolving the cliffhangers from the season one finale, so that's fine.

 

I'll never get tired of Ichabod's prissiness or of Abbie's delighted reaction to it all. Abbie Mills, in general, is just perfect. Nicole Beharie's face remains ridiculously expressive and ridiculously beautiful, and she plays those little 'future shock' moments with Crane so well. Loved the fist bump and her sheepish little, "I'll show you the other part later". She's so playful and fun, which is a rarity for leading women on television. Usually they get stuck with the 'prudish killjoy' character, while the man is the fun, extroverted one.

 

The cheesy old 'evil double fights the hero' trope was sidestepped well enough, with Abbie not really seeing the fight, and soon figuring out which one was the fake. Love that she acted so decisively when she did figure it out, too.

 

I never needed to see Timothy Busfield naked, thank you very much. He's certainly aged since his West Wing days. And I still find it so daft that all of the Founding Fathers were actually occultists or whatever. This show just embraces that daftness in such a way that I can smile at it rather than roll my eyes. Ichabod Gump indeed! I wonder how many great figures of the late 18th century they have lined up for him to have known, this season?

 

Katrina is still boring, if very nice to look at. It feels like an almost meta comment, that she spent the entire episode sitting on a chair, tied up. She just doesn't have anything to do other than play the hostage. But she tried to escape once, so I guess that makes her plucky and worth rooting for? No, you'll need to give me more than that, show.

 

Not wild about Jenny either. I still resent how she was brought in as being super awesome and competent and special to the old sheriff, and a secret that was kept from Abbie. But she's growing on me a bit, now she seems more of a lesser partner to Abbie and Ichabod.

[ABay]

Liked it a lot. Glad it's back.

[janestclair]

I didn't realize how much I missed this show until I watched this episode.  Or how afraid I was that it was going to lose the batcrap crazy in the intervening 9 months.  Glad to see that it didn't.   So, so, so many good things in this episode that I need to watch it again to remember them all.  My birthday is later this week, and I'm so using Crane's birthday line.  They had me going for awhile there at the beginning until that tree or whatever it was on the guy's desk started some weird crap with the roots.  I only half saw it but it was enough for me to be like - this is not happening.  Abbie and Crane are still awesome.  Loved Crane driving the ambulance. Loved the working of leftenant into the actual plot. 

 

Katrina still just sits there. They need to find something for her to do other than ogle Shirtless Headless's bare chest, even though that whole thing was goddamn hilarious.  

 

So much of the history on here is ridiculously cracked, but they get so many little things right that I can overlook it. Did Franklin really have a penchant for nudity? I feel like the answer is yes, but now I don't know if I made that up from reading spoilers mentioning naked Ben Franklin or something. Haha.  Oh show.  Never change. 

 

Can't wait for the rest of the  season. Everything from the cliffhanger is sort of resolved...ish, except for Frank.  I like that. 

[Ankai]

History nerd here.  The modern day British accent that we think of didn't exist back then.  The English then sounded closer to modern day American accents particular those from the Chesapeake Bay area and the NC Piedmont regions.  (Think nasal mixed in with a long "o" sound).  Linguists often use the elderly evangelist Billy Graham as the poster boy for the closest we have in this century to what King George III would have sounded like.  The modern English accent we know had not appeared yet.  It was slowly getting there since the great vowel shift in England was in it's finally phase.  But it had not been polished off as yet to what we think of an English accent these days.

 

Language is a very fluid thing and apparently it seems to change far more in the homeland of origin of a language then in "language colonies" like America where it tends to freeze more in place.  For instance, if you listen to English actors in movies from the 30's and 40's compared to today's the difference is far greater than in their American counterparts.  Though in both cases it changes obviously, just to different degrees.

Does that mean that HBO's John Adams miniseries lied to me? Because I could not help but hear the Found Fathers speaking that way after watching that show. Also, I kind of remember Paul Revere speaking in a casually American accent last season, though he did not say much.

 

I had figured that the beginning was a fake-out, but it went so long that I started to believe that it was real. I think that having it be so drawn-out was effective in getting most of the unspoiled to eventually let their guard down, which I did.

 

Personally, I don't care if they do or do not provide a reason why or how Ichabod was present for so many historical events; I feel that it just adds to the ridiculous charm of the show. They can pile on whatever they want, regardless of reason, logic, believability, or narrative continuity.

 

I did think that the "Lieutenant" clue was a wee bit unsubtle.

[Rhetorica]

I think Ichabod was present for so many historical events because he's a witness...works for me.

[el perro fumando]

I don't mind Katina's character and I've assumed that witches have very limited powers without proper ingrediants etc otherwise how could they have killed her? I just assumed she couldn't magic her way out of the restraints either because magic in this universe is not something you just think or say but need eye of newt and wing of bat for. In a way I think that is good otherwise you have the deux ex machina with a witch. She would be able to do anything at any time and take the focus away from the 2 Witnesses who are the ones who have to do everything. Also I have enough romantic couples on my tv so I want Abbie and Ichabod to be friends because male and female best friends is a rarity and I'd like to see that.

I see this the same as you. Katrina isn't top of my list of fave characters, but she doesn't bother me either. She makes sense to me as she is, partly due to when and where she was raised and partly due to where she's been imprisoned. While I had hoped she might be evil, I'm glad she's not because, like you, I love Crane and Abbie as partners/friends and don't want them getting together. And as show writers can NEVER resist the temptation to put male-female friends together, Katrina serves as my insurance! Edited September 24, 2014 by el perro fumando

[Ankai]

I don't like Katrina, but I harbor no ill will towards her and have no real problem with her getting screen time. While I suppose that I would prefer the other leads have more screen time, I don't feel that anything is lost or tainted when she is there, or even the focus of a scene. 

[HalcyonDays]

I just saw the ratings.  Goddamn /scorpion better not get my Ichabod and Abbie Show cancelled!

 

Yeah, but SH is on the worst day - Monday Night Football of all things. Any other day and it would be fine.

 

Didn't they say last season that George Washington's date of death was fudged or something which for a while I thought they meant that he had come back to life for a few days after he'd died but somehow the whole thing was part of this apocalypse thing?

 

Apparently in real life, doctors tried to resurrect Washington a few years after he died. So again, it's the twistory of SH.

[Fosca]

From what I've read, Benjamin Franklin did indeed enjoy taking naked "air baths", but I'm pretty sure he didn't do so outdoors in public.

[MDKNIGHT]

 

And I still find it so daft that all of the Founding Fathers were actually occultists or whatever.

Well considering in real life most  of them were Free Masons which has always been a cultish secret society, what they've done on the show doesn't bother me.  Like if Satan or whatever HAD been trying to rise during that time period I wouldn't have put it past the Founding Fathers to at least attempt some of the stuff on the show.  To me the harder part to believe is that the Brits (or at least a chunk of them) would have sided with Moloch.  I think in general people back then were more likely to be religious and a Christian of SOME sort so I can't really see a lot of people working for Moloch, even if they were on the side contrary to the revolution.  Heck I could see George Washington and the generals on the Brit side in a temporary truce if THE END OF DAYS needed to be averted.  What good would throwing thier taxes in our face do the Brits if the New World were in a lake of fire after all? 

[Izeinwinter]

Katrina did do one thing. She stabbed the horseman in the hand, then promptly stopped fighting. I'm kind of hoping that was about getting an ichor sample so she can hex him blind when he is no longer standing in the actual room. Because that would make sense. If she is passive because attempting magic or escape while he is *right there* would be futile, then she isn't being a wet noodle, she's being sane. - Jenny was after all being guarded by a cultist when she made her move, not by Henry himself!

[CaughtOnTape]

I love this show for one reason.  It's hilarious and you wouldn't expect it to be.

 

Ichabod's attitude about how much the future sucks and his one-liners make me cry laughing.  

 

I don't even care that it's ridiculous.

[Actionmage]

I hope that now the team's mostly back, they turn to freeing Irving! Surely Ichabod learned something from John Adams that is snark-worthy by Ichabod and helpful for Our Captain! I mean, he's covering up that his teenage, wheel-chair-bound daughter was possessed by a demon and killed the priest who was there to save her!  The Witnesses and BAMF Jenny can rescue their best ally, right?  If they can do all that they did in one episode, circumventing the current US judicial process should take half an episode, no? *g*

 

I loved that Andy, while wanting to help Abby, is pragmatic in what he actually signed up for. I think he still cares for Abigail deeply, but it is more tempered since he knows what she's willing to do about him. A weird, yet touching relationship those two have. Kudos, writers. So hopefully it won't be long until we get Take Charge! Katrina, right? Please?

[DearEvette]

I don't mind Katina's character and I've assumed that witches have very limited powers without proper ingrediants etc otherwise how could they have killed her?  I just assumed she couldn't magic her way out of the restraints either because magic in this universe is not something you just think or say but need eye of newt and wing of bat for.  In a way I think that is good otherwise you have the deux ex machina with a witch.  She would be able to do anything at any time and take the focus away from the 2 Witnesses who are the ones who have to do everything.  Also I have enough romantic couples on my tv so I want Abbie and Ichabod to be friends because male and female best friends is a rarity and I'd like to see that. 

 

This would make some sense except for the fact that all of season one, the way they presented the power of witches, this was not evident.  The Reverend simply said incantations, Serilda too.  She came back to wreak her revenge and was killing people left and right with her powerful witchiness.  The Coven also seemed to work with just incantations and of course they showed Katrina poofing from Europe to America in a puff of smoke, again just on the power of an incantation.

 

What would make more sense,imo,  would be if all her years in Purgatory did mess up her powers somehow.   It would actually make her interesting and give her a plot outside of just being Ichabod's wife (let's face she has no other identity at this point).   If she had to come to terms and struggle with the idea that she is no longer as powerful as she once was it could give her something to work with.  That would be a bit of a blow since being able to twitch your fingers and get what you want has to be a seductive thing.  It would be akin to losing a limb.

[MDKNIGHT]

Maybe when you die you lose your powers unless you make a deal with the DARK arts. Katrina is a "good" witch.  Maybe to keep your powers after you die you have to be willing to do bad things like sacrifice people to Moloch.  Have we seen any "Good" people be powerful after death?

[OakGoblinFly]

I enjoyed that ep. so much. But if Katrina is a witch, why can't she magic herself out of the Horseman's lair?

 

That was a bit of a misstep on the writers part ...... maybe the cottage is bespelled rendering Katrina's powers useless?

[beadgirl]

 

To me the harder part to believe is that the Brits (or at least a chunk of them) would have sided with Moloch.  I think in general people back then were more likely to be religious and a Christian of SOME sort so I can't really see a lot of people working for Moloch, even if they were on the side contrary to the revolution.  Heck I could see George Washington and the generals on the Brit side in a temporary truce if THE END OF DAYS needed to be averted.  What good would throwing thier taxes in our face do the Brits if the New World were in a lake of fire after all?

Like I was saying, the show isn't just historically insane, it's theologically insane, too.  Especially because the end result of the apocalypse is the final, total defeat of evil.  A big part of Christian theology is that evil may win the battle, but good will win the war.  So why, exactly, is Moloch trying to bring about the end of days which will result in his own end?  He wants to go out in a blaze of glory?

 

 

What would make more sense,imo,  would be if all her years in Purgatory did mess up her powers somehow.

In the season finale she did mention that her powers were weakened; from the context it wasn't clear if it was a result of Jeremy's interference/resurrection as War or as a result of her stint in purgatory, but it would make sense.

 

 

She's so playful and fun, which is a rarity for leading women on television. Usually they get stuck with the 'prudish killjoy' character, while the man is the fun, extroverted one.

Absolutely.  One of my complaints about the "strong female characters" that are in so many shows and movies is that they don't have actual personalities ("hot" is not a personality, and neither is "badass").  Abby, however, is a three-dimensional character, and a delightful one at that. 

[OakGoblinFly]

History nerd here.  The modern day British accent that we think of didn't exist back then.  The English then sounded closer to modern day American accents particular those from the Chesapeake Bay area and the NC Piedmont regions.  (Think nasal mixed in with a long "o" sound).  Linguists often use the elderly evangelist Billy Graham as the poster boy for the closest we have in this century to what King George III would have sounded like.  The modern English accent we know had not appeared yet.  It was slowly getting there since the great vowel shift in England was in it's finally phase.  But it had not been polished off as yet to what we think of an English accent these days.

 

Language is a very fluid thing and apparently it seems to change far more in the homeland of origin of a language then in "language colonies" like America where it tends to freeze more in place.  For instance, if you listen to English actors in movies from the 30's and 40's compared to today's the difference is far greater than in their American counterparts.  Though in both cases it changes obviously, just to different degrees.

 

 

In addition to the vowel shift, weren't Loyalists and Regulars in the Colonies actively trying to change their accent as a way to distinguish themselves from the Patriots?  At least I thought I remembered reading that somewhere. 

I also snorted at the necklace making the Headless Horseman grow a head. It was so delightfully silly. Also him strutting around in that frilly shirt and ... *dies laughing*

 

I thought the necklace created the illusion of a head, not that he "grew" a head.  Still the entire sequence with him coming "home" all grubby, washing up, walking (shirtless) to the wardrobe to change (and what a quick change that was), and presenting dinner to Katrina was ridiculous (and I mean that in the best way) ... from the the proud bearing of Headless to Katrina's "what the ...." face.  It was silly and outrageous and crazy and I loved every mad second of it.

[dubbel zout]

A big part of Christian theology is that evil may win the battle, but good will win the war.  So why, exactly, is Moloch trying to bring about the end of days which will result in his own end?  He wants to go out in a blaze of glory?

 

Maybe Moloch isn't Christian and/or doesn't believe the outcome of the war is predestined. Or if he does believe he'll ultimately lose, maybe his goal is to go out in a blaze of glory. Just because good wins doesn't mean there can't be a lot of damage and casualties along the way.

[topanga]

Love the show and loved the episode. I'm so glad it's back. Listening to Ichabod and Abbie's banter has become the highlight of my week. Best line of the night: Abbie's subtle "I can see why that would be hard for you" when Crane said that Ben Franklin always had to prove he was the smartest man in the room.

 

A few nitpicks:

 

1. I was totally un-spoiled for this episode, so the first 20-30 minutes were somewhat frustrating for me. I did believe that Ichabod and Abbie had escaped, so I kept screaming at my TV, "Aren't you going to tell us what happened? Am I supposed to guess how they escaped?" So while I initially thought I was watching a "6 months later" kind of premier, I was actually watching a good trick--although it went on a bit too long.

 

2. I agree with the posters who said it's likely that Katrina can't do all of her witchy magic because she was in Purgatory or doesn't have the proper witchy ingredients right now, but I wish someone would tell us that (or give us some idea why she's been so friggin useless during these last episodes).

 

3. I don't want Ichabod and Abbie to get together romantically (not yet, anyway), and I think the writers agree with me. So I wish they I would stop creating so many melodramatic moments between the two of them like playing cheesy soap opera music during their lonnggg full-body hugs, like the soul-penetrating stares into each others' eyes, like Ichabod's passionate declarations of "I'm coming for you," "I promised you," and "I cannot do this without you," and like Ichabod grabbing Abbie's outstretched arm like they're partners on "Dancing With The Stars." Don't get me wrong. I love the chemistry between Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie, but please don't give me too much too soon. It cheapens the Ichabod-Abbie friendship and their working relationship.

Edited September 24, 2014 by topanga

[cam3150]

I am sooooo happy that this show is back!!!  Granted, it's been so long since the finale (and I haven't re-watched it) that I kind of forgot what happened.  I was confused in the beginning just because I wanted to know how everyone got to where they were so I enjoyed the fake out.

 

I just love Ichabod and Abbie. I just love them, just as they are now. One day I feel like they will become more but, for now, I am totally happy with how they are and I don't need them to be anything else.  The hug, the recording (and who hasn't experienced the memory being full on your phone?? -- Fabulous), the fist bump, just everything between them is perfection. I love that she knew it wasn't him because he would never call her "Lieutenant".  As an aside, I am watching Outlander on Starz and the English also prounouce the word the way Ichabod does - Leftenant. 

 

Count me as one who just doesn't care how silly some of the historical references are. I love that they have Ichabod involved with all of these important moments in US history. I LOVE how he refers to historical figures in very unflattering terms, it is too funny. For example, when Ichabod found out Ben Franklin was on the money, etc and Jenny said "It's all about the Benjamins" and he says, "It always was" or something to that effect -- love it!  I just am not going to get too caught up in what really happend vs what is happening on the show.

 

Tom Mison is perfection in this role.  I am not sure I've every seen another actor be so pefect in a part. The character of Ichabod could have easily devolved into total cheese but, with TM, he is charming, funny, likeable, adorable, handsome, smart....I could go on and on.  It is this portrayal that allows me to be able to watch this show at night when the supernatural elements would normally freak me totally out to the point where I'd have to wait until a bright sunny Sat morning with all the blinds open. The charm of the show (everything about it) far outweighs the scare factor.

 

Also, HELLO Headless.  If only you weren't actually headless, hot d @ mn if I wouln't consider looking your way.

Edited September 24, 2014 by cam3150

[Nanrad]

Ichabod's escape from the box (nice call back to pilot with hand bursting out of the ground) and his subsequent walk to where Jenny was being held required some suspension of disbelief.

 

I agree, but maybe Jeremy decided to stick close to his dad's burial site???

[HalcyonDays]

He really needs to change his name to Ichabod Gump.

 

No, it should be Ichabod GRUMP. (I love him grumpy)

 

Maybe when you die you lose your powers unless you make a deal with the DARK arts. Katrina is a "good" witch.  Maybe to keep your powers after you die you have to be willing to do bad things like sacrifice people to Moloch.  Have we seen any "Good" people be powerful after death?

 

Katrina is not dead. She was trapped in Purgatory by her witch coven, very much alive. The tombstone that says she was burned at the stake was a decoy.

That was a bit of a misstep on the writers part ...... maybe the cottage is bespelled rendering Katrina's powers useless?

 

I never thought of that - they haven't said it yet but then it would make sense. She is supposed to be able to "apparate", so once she gets her powers back, she should be able to get the heck out of there, unless like you said, the cottage blocks her powers.

 

In addition to the vowel shift, weren't Loyalists and Regulars in the Colonies actively trying to change their accent as a way to distinguish themselves from the Patriots?  At least I thought I remembered reading that somewhere.

 

That is what I have read to - but the reverse. That the older English accent was more like the American, and the Brits changed theirs to distinguish themselves from the Americans and just to be different. From Wikipedia: Studies on historical usage of English in the United States and the United Kingdom suggest that spoken American English did not simply evolve from British English, but rather retained many archaic features British English has since lost.

[topanga]

Ichabod's escape from the box (nice call back to pilot with hand bursting out of the ground) and his subsequent walk to where Jenny was being held required some suspension of disbelief.

 

I agree, but maybe Jeremy decided to stick close to his dad's burial site???

 

Maybe Sleepy Hollow has a shortage of usable land.

 

Oh, yeah, and I'm glad opening sequence is shorter. Last season's opening was creative and visually-appealing, but I was always so impatient to watch the episode itself. And I hope they axed the painfully-long flashbacks at the beginning of each episode.

[Julia]

Back in the days of the WPA (Works Progress Adminstration, a depression-era government works program), story and songcatchers went into the Appalachian mountains and discovered isolated groups of people who were still speaking something very much like pure Elizabethan english. It's more or less disappeared as a spoken language since the advent of radio and television, but when you hear language or an accent you code as hillbilly, you're hearing the language Shakespeare spoke.