S02.E13: Pittura Infamante

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: After the mysterious death of an art restorer at the Sleepy Hollow Historical Society Soiree, Ichabod and Katrina are reminded of a dear friend from their past - Abigail Adams. Meanwhile, Abbie is shocked by someone's visit to the police precinct.

[janeta]

Well, the painting story was a yawn.... Glad to see Irving though. And the zombie was a hoot. :-)

Not looking fwd to next week.

[Enero]

Terrible acting all the way around tonight. From Katrina to Irving’s wife.

Speaking of Irving's wife how can someone have just learned that their husband is alive (after thinking he was dead) and not have a response? Irving’s wife barely blinked an eye when she saw him alive and failed to shed a tear. Just horrible acting.

Loved all the Jenny/Abbie scenes.

The haunted painting storyline started off creepy and interesting but quickly became boring when Katrina and Crane arrived on the scene. Supernatural did this story soooo much better.

Abbie and Crane continue to sparkle. Loved that they immediately got in touch with each other, I wonder who called whom, to reveal the bizarre situations they’d encountered for the evening.

Once again Irving was wasted. He's brought back from the dead only to sit in a room handcuffed to a table for an hour. I guess he’ll remain there, like he did in the asylum until they're ready to use him for another plot point.

This episode was boring.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Enero

[allyw]

I spent most of the time on my phone while watching this episode so maybe I didn't hear clearly but did Abigail Adams say that Ichabod would be happy once he found out Katrina was pregnant? Because I could've sworn in season 1 that it was established that Ichabod died before Katrina knew she was with child.

[phoenics]

I don't even know what to say about this show tonight.

[bmoore4026]

The only part I liked was Jenny having to extract the bullets from the evil corpse.

 

I'm wondering how much of Abbie (present-day Abbie) acting morose was acting and how much was Nicole Beharie pissed-off about being shunted into the background....again.

[TaurusRose]

Was this the Crane hour?

[3dog]

When the face in the painting first turned around, that was just freaky as hell. Sometimes this show can really bring the scary.

The tone of this show was soooo weird. It was all hushed and whispery and stilted and just off.

Jenny and Abbie were so badass.

No Hawley. Yes!

[Kanner]

Even in episodes that are average or even less than average Abbie is still awesome. Even though she feels deeply for people she will not let that blind her to what needs to be done. Glad she saved the day.

Irving might not have had much to do but I think Orlando kicked ass in the scene with Abbie in the interrogation room.

I do not need to see another Crane date night, thank you very much.

Crane, not cool to recycle your "together" speech.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Kanner

[BrokenRemote]

So Jenny's gone from tough-as-nails woman who circled the globe to find artifacts for Corbin to a girl who isn't smart enough to bring gloves to dig up a corpse, can't go five minutes without talking about Hawley and is a breath away from "ew, I broke a nail!" Why do they even have her there? I see no purpose to her character--and I loved her in Season 1.

[Amethyst]

Never thought I would say this, but I miss Moloch.  This episode was so boring and generic.  Is this how it's going to be with Moloch gone; them fighting any asshole who shows up?  Between the Crane Date Night (Ichabod, the man bun does not suit you) and Abbie basically stuck to a chair all night, I'm really glad I didn't DVR this one.  

 

Nothing against Michelle Tractenberg, but the Abigail Adams stuff bored me to tears.  And of course Katrina delivered all five of her children as well as being her bestest friend.  Surprised Abigail didn't end up being a witch as well.  The Cranes don't have to be connected to everyone in the 18th century.

 

LOL at Jenny screaming about the bullet.  Bwah!  Never change, Jenny.  And you don't need Hawley to help you, you're bad-ass on your own. 

 

I groaned when Ichabod declined to tell the real Abbie what was going on so he and Katrina could solve the case together, but I cheered when Abbie showed up and got shit done, as usual.  Know why she did that, Ichabod?  Because she's your partner.  Don't keep her out of the loop so wifey can feel better.  

 

I'm betting that Mrs. Irving pulled some strings with the DA to get Frank vindicated.  Although the whole thing is weird.  Abbie said they buried him, but wasn't there a funeral?  Unless it was closed casket and no one saw the body, I would think everyone would be losing their minds at seeing a dead man just stroll up in the precinct.  But there was no horrified reaction, not from the cops, from Reyes, from Mrs. Irving, from anyone.  That is just bizarre.

 

It had to be the makeup or the lighting, but I thought Nicole looked kinda off this week.  

Edited January 20, 2015 by Amethyst

[Straycat80]

This episode was underwhelming. I might be forgetting past stuff, which isn't good because that means I'm starting to lose interest in the show.

I thought Frank and his wife were divorced? What happened to Franks daughter who was in the wheelchair?

I totally missed the reason why Jenny was digging bullets out of that corpse. Yuck BTW!

Last time I watched Ichabod and Katrina were having marital problems and then tonight they had a date night and worked well together getting rid of the demon painter.

Anybody know when the season finale is?

[kanona29]

Goffman is clearly in bed with Katia Winter. Clearly... As there seems to be no other rational explanation for continuing to throw the Katrina character in the forefront when she simply does not work well alongside Ichabod or anyone else for that matter.

As usual Abbie and Ichabod were great together in the beginning and over the phone. The 'taking the girl out of the 18th century' and Ichabod's translation was comedy gold!

The killer painting was a clever idea, but fell flat with Katrina being the leading lady. When will this torturous character come to an end????

[sinkwriter]

 

Speaking of Irving's wife how can someone have just learned that their husband is alive (after thinking he was dead) and not have a response? Irving’s wife barely blinked an eye when she saw him alive and failed to shed a tear. Just horrible acting.

 

So much agreement. With her barely roused "My God..." I found myself wondering who wrote and directed the scene because it was lifeless. For someone who's seeing her husband on a live feed, I would think she'd be many things -- alarmed, freaked out, angry, upset, confused, even oddly relieved. But to have her just kind of 'oh wow, okay' about it all, I just don't buy.

 

I liked the freakiness of the painting story, but really really missed having the 'investigators' be Crane and Abbie. The only thing that made it worthwhile to have them separated was that awesome entrance when she showed up at the end and saved his life. To have her stand there and say in her marvelously dry manner, "You didn't answer your phone," I loved that. It was hilarious and kick-ass. And I liked the smiles they exchanged as they talked afterward; so genuine and connected, not like the uber-formality that Crane and Katrina have.

 

I also loved Jenny's frustrated yell: "Thanks for telling me to leave one bullet IN, Hawley!!" Heeeee.

 

So Jenny's gone from tough-as-nails woman who circled the globe to find artifacts for Corbin to a girl who isn't smart enough to bring gloves to dig up a corpse, can't go five minutes without talking about Hawley and is a breath away from "ew, I broke a nail!"

 

I actually didn't mind it in this case. She can be tough-as-nails but still find digging into a gooey corpse to be disgusting. Those human moments help me to relate to the characters. It's like on The X-Files in an episode called "Squeeze," in which Mulder -- who usually loves alien intrigue -- realizes the substance he just touched is some creature's bile and says to Scully: "Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?" before shuddering as he tries to flick it off. LOL.

[thuganomics85]

Well, this was a first for me.  Despite my issues with this season, I usually still pay full attention and enjoy the majority of the ride.  But this time, I actually found myself drifting off or doing other stuff during almost all of the A-plot.  Honestly, I think I just didn't enjoy the case by itself to begin with, but it being all Ichabod and Katrina really didn't help either.  They are just so boring.  There is no spark or humor there.  The main reason I turn into this show is to watch Ichabod and Abbie play off one another.  This episode makes me think that, without Abbie, Ichabod is actually kind of a bore.

 

The stuff with Abbie and Frank was better at least.  While I like Frank, I"m glad Abbie is being suspicious, because, really, you can't automatically assume everything is OK.  At least Abbie knows this.  Jenny being disgusted over pulling the bullets out of the zombie was kind of annoying, but I'll admit that I still laughed.  I'll take what I can get at the moment.

 

The more Henry gets name-dropped, the more I dread his eventual return.  The more Andy Brooks gets name-dropped, the more I miss him.  If there was anytime this show needed a dose of John Cho, it's now.

[sinkwriter]

Frankly, I think Crane and Katrina could use some of human moments under crisis. Neither of them really seemed terribly fazed by the guy in the painting. At some point I would have jumped, super-startled at the very least, in seeing a portrait turn its head and look at me. Screaming would not be out of the question, either. Just because they're from a potentially more formal era (or because Crane was a solider) doesn't mean they should be unfazed by violence or death or stuff of a scary nature. To see Crane metaphorically let his hair down a little and get scared or at the very least rattled would help me to reconnect with his character. 

 

It's like the show Prison Break -- Wentworth Miller's character Michael Scofield intentionally got himself sent to his brother's prison with the plan of breaking him out, and the character tends to be very laser-focused on completing each step of the plan, to the point that he doesn't show much emotion. We used to joke over on TwoP that he should be called Blue Steel, for all his staring in the face of danger like it's something he could think his way through. But the environment of being in a prison, surrounded by murderers and violent offenders, should get to him eventually, we should see him get rattled or it doesn't feel real. It becomes too difficult to connect to him as a character if he doesn't show fear or something like most people would have under such circumstances. And the writers and the actor finally captured that when there was a prison riot scene, and he ended up crouched in his cell, looking freaked out, jumping at any movement near his cell door, clutching a bolt in his hand as a makeshift protective weapon, and another scene where he sat on the floor of his cell, hearing another cellmate taunt and threaten to kill him, and in that moment we finally saw him get overwhelmed and he started to cry. That was the moment I said, NOW I believe him as a character.

 

I want more of those moments for Crane. He acts like he's got this world figured out (at least more than Katrina, anyway), but there have to be moments when he's still thrown by these modern surroundings. I would think, anyway. He's so formal; I like it better when we see some raw emotion from him.

Edited January 20, 2015 by sinkwriter

[stealinghome]

This episode was okay, but not one of the show's finest. The painting idea was good, but dragged in the middle of the episode--it felt like Ichabod and Katrina were in slow motion solving it.

 

Whoever played Abigail Adams was terrible. Was it really Michelle Trachtenberg? Because I tend to think she's at least okay, but Abigail Adams was distractingly bad in every single scene.

 

I could see the corpse coming back to life when Jenny took the final bullet out from a mile away, but I still cackled when it happened. Don't ever change, Jenny!!! Her disgusted faces--and Abbie's reaction on the phone--were probably the highlight of the episode. That said, goodness, even when Hawley's not around the show has to fawn over him nonstop. As tonight amply proved, the character is absolutely unnecessary. Just write him out, show. Let him have a Noble Heroic Death or whatever and get him off my screen, never to be mentioned again.

 

Agree that Irving's wife was totally off. She was way too underwhelmed by her dead husband coming back to life (and granted I missed last week's episode, but: did Abbie fill her in on everything off-screen? Because if so, wtf???). That said, I am so totally unsurprised that Irving's alive that I almost came back around to surprised. I'm interested to see where that goes though. I'm hoping that he is a double agent but isn't consciously aware of it--I think that's the most promising path forward dramatically.

 

While I like Frank, I"m glad Abbie is being suspicious, because, really, you can't automatically assume everything is OK.  At least Abbie knows this.

Yeah, much as I love Jenny, I was wondering if she checked her brain at the precinct door when it came to Irving. Like, dude, you saw his corpse. Maybe a little more caution here is wise?

 

Did like that Abbie continues to be the war general for Team Witness.

Edited January 20, 2015 by stealinghome

[catrox14]

I watched 20 minutes of this suck fest. I cannot believe it but Katia Winters made Tom Mison worse tonight. How can this continue? She was so bad that I turned it off. My Gods is she incapable of speaking without whispering?

[Amethyst]

Frankly, I think Crane and Katrina could use some of human moments under crisis. Neither of them really seemed terribly fazed by the guy in the painting. At some point I would have jumped, super-startled at the very least, in seeing a portrait turn its head and look at me. Screaming would not be out of the question, either. Just because they're from a potentially more formal era doesn't mean they should be unfazed by violence or death or stuff of a scary nature. To see Crane metaphorically let his hair down a little and get scared would help me to reconnect with his character.

 

In all fairness, I thought their reactions made sense, because Katrina had sensed some dark presence already, so they knew something was up.  And apparently, being around Abigail's possessions made the feeling stronger.

 

I wish they had made Katrina into a novice witch or something.  Her powers just come and go.  I could understand if her powers were brand new and she didn't understand them, but I don't buy that this woman is an experienced witch.

[sinkwriter]

 

In all fairness, I thought their reactions made sense, because Katrina had sensed some dark presence already, so they knew something was up.  And apparently, being around Abigail's possessions made the feeling stronger.

 

That's true. But there was just not much sense of urgency, without human reaction. So I found it more boring than "oh my gosh, RUN!" (or whatever the scene should invoke).

Edited January 20, 2015 by sinkwriter

[Indi]

This episode makes me think that, without Abbie, Ichabod is actually kind of a bore.

 

He has always been a bore. By the third or fourth time they showed another flashback to his revolutionary days, I found myself falling asleep. The character never worked for me outside his scenes with Abbie and, to a lesser extent, Jenny and Frank.

 

So yeah, another episode with Abbie relegated to the background, while the ever useless Katrina played the lead. And still Abbie was the best part of the show. The Cranes, however, both of them, were absolutely useless and boring. This show would survive without Ichy just fine. He's just as bad as Katrina.

[DearEvette]

Overall I found this episode dead boring.

 

It is official Katia Winter and Tom Mison have ZERO chemistry.  No,  wait -- Negative zero chemistry.  Watching them do their Daphne & Fred impression was --no pun intended -- like watching paint dry.  I weep for Mison. 

 

I was much more engaged in the Frank plot.  Once again we se that Abbie is the anti-Katrina.  She is willing to sacrifice Frank for the greater good.  She is not trying to save his soul or get him help.  I love her attitude: Not quite trust, but totally verify.

 

I wasn't as underwhelmed with Cynthia as some.  She is in on the secret that they are in the middle of some heavy supernatural crap, after all she had a front row seat to her daughter being possessed by a Demon & killing their priest.  I would think that would rather rub some awe from her.  And yeah it is rather cheap that she got told about Frank's death off-screen.  She could have had a scene or two.  They couldv'e cut that superfluous Hawley scene last week and given us a flashback or something.

 

I did like the special effects.  The painting stuff was cool and creepy.

 

Michelle Trachtenburg was horrible.  her line readings were awful.

 

Abbie saving the day at the end instantly injected life in the Crane scenes.

Edited January 20, 2015 by DearEvette

[phoenics]

Okay. I've recovered enough to say some stuff.

This episode felt like two different shows.

Abbie is one hell of a markswoman.

The Mills Militia is awesome. And their shade at Katrina made the episode slightly more bearable. The scene with Jenny and the corpse - funny - by why is it always the Mills Militia who has to get into the nasty stuff?

And unless I'm mistaken, this episode seems to suggest that Katrina knew about her pregnancy BEFORE Ichabod's death - unless he was on the battlefield RIGHT AT THAT VERY MOMENT, which I seriously doubt. Because when he was, Katrina was doing her nurse thing. Hence - Katrina lied. Again. But what else is new. The writers won't explore that - it's just their bad writing.

The "B" plot was far better than the "A" plot (Ichabod and Katrina). It's sad when a phone conversation between Ichabod and Abbie has more chemistry than that forced "kiss to keep people away" trope mess they did with Ichabod and Katrina... just zero chemistry. I've never seen anything like it. Even Lauriver had more chemistry than that (not much more, but more).

[sinkwriter]

 

The Cranes, however, both of them, were absolutely useless and boring. This show would survive without Ichy just fine. He's just as bad as Katrina.

 

I agree and disagree. I found Crane and Abbie pretty boring in this episode. Both characters are best served working together in scenes. I felt the episode light up when she arrived to save them, and also in those brief scenes where they were talking at the end or talking on the phone earlier in the episode. They have wonderful chemistry and that is what makes the show for me. One without the other, and I would not be as interested in the show. Katrina, on the other hand... they can get rid of her anytime now. The show would survive and potentially be a lot more interesting without her.

[TwistedandBored]

At first I was intrigued by the painting despite Abbie not being part of the story but it got bored really fast. I have no connection to Katrina and her flashbacks with Abigail Adams put me to sleep. Like I don't give af! And, the moment Ichabod decided not to inform Abbie about anythng…I knew she will end up saving him. It such a TV trope between partners. 

 

Also, like someone said, they totally retconned about Katrina finding out her pregnancy after Ichabod "dies". The writers thought they were being soo cheeky including the word "monster baby" but ended up effing themselves over. Seriously, at this point I am just glad the sisterhood between the Mills is not retconned. 

 

The Mills sister and the little we saw of Irving were amazing. Soo much emotions. 

[LeeLeePanda]

I enjoyed any scene that wasn't Crane and Katrina together. Hell, I loved the scene of Crane and Reyes together. I loved Jenny's freak out over the corpse coming back to life. Jenny and Abbie shading Katrina had me rolling. I dont understand how Abbie and Crane can have chemistry over the phone, but Katrina kissing her husband was cold as ice water. I don't want to turn this into a Katrina sucks post, because lord knows everyone else here has said it at least every other post. I truly think that Katia Winter and Tom Mison suck the energy from each other.

Edited January 20, 2015 by LeeLeePanda

[maraleia]

Abbie told Irving's wife that Team Witness buried Frank and the only people who knew he was dead were the members of Team Witness, Irving's wife and daughter. The rest of the world thought Irving was still on the run.

[DearEvette]

 

Also, like someone said, they totally retconned about Katrina finding out her pregnancy after Ichabod "dies". The writers thought they were being soo cheeky including the word "monster baby" but ended up effing themselves over.

 

I know right.  I swore Katrina hadn't discovered she was pregnant until after Ichabod was already dead.

 

And I know she is immortal, but how old is Katrina supposed to be?  Ichabod said she delivered all of Abigail Adams' children, but Abigail Adams had her kids over a 7 year period with the last one being born in 1772.  Ichabod supposedly dies in 1781 so Katrina has been a nurse for at least 16 years or more by the time Ichabod died?

[BigEasygirl]

I dont understand how Abbie and Crane can have chemistry over the phone, but Katrina kissing her husband was cold as ice water. I don't want to turn this into a Katrina sucks post, because lord knows everyone else here has said it at least every other post. I truly think that Katia Winter and Tom Mison suck the energy from each other.

It's called anti-chemistry. Over the course of my TV watching life, I've seen some extreme instances, but truly, I think Mison and Winter have one of the worst cases of it I've ever seen.

[benteen]

And here we go again!  We discover that Ichabod apparently has a friend that we've never heard about and that he's become close with completely off-camera.  And what happens to any new friends we meet on Sleepy Hollow?  They get killed off in the opening five minutes.  The show continues to introduce potentially interesting new characters only to kill them off immediately.  It'd be nice to have some of the townspeople of Sleepy Hollow appear and see what they think of the crazy stuff happening in their town.  But the writers seem determined to make the town very small, focusing on nothing outside of eight people.  Weak.

 

Anyway, I thought the haunted painting thing was pretty cool and it was an awesomely creepy moment when the killer turned around to face them in the painting.  Always love reading about the Revolution and I've had an interest in art since I took a class in college.  So combining the two (Revolution-era art) was a plus for me.  Did love the random evil corpse come to life and try to kill Jenny.  Why Jenny wasn't wearing gloves is beyond me.  It's understandable that it would disgust her but I agree she that the "icky girly" stuff went on for too long there.

 

Yeah, Sleepy Hollow's Abigail Adams is like something out of the CW.  A great historical figure like Abigail Adams deserves FAR better.  Deserves more too than propping up Katrina.  And how the hell didn't anyone find those letters in her desk after two hundred years?

 

Can Katia Winter have her character speak in anything other than a constipated whisper?

 

Agreed about the Tom Mison Katia Winter anti-chemistry.

 

Speaking of bad acting, I agree about the actress playing Irving's wife.  Her acting when she found out Frank was alive was terrible.

 

Historical note, John Adams wasn't practicing law in 1781.  He was overseas in France.

Edited January 20, 2015 by benteen

[phoenics]

It's called anti-chemistry. Over the course of my TV watching life, I've seen some extreme instances, but truly, I think Mison and Winter have one of the worst cases of it I've ever seen.

That's the risk you run when you cast sans chemistry test.

On another note, I did get a bit emotional when Irving shed that tear... that kinda messed me up. But all of the cuts to Ichatrina just killed the pacing of the more interesting storyline - Irving's resurrection. I think it was a huge mistake to make that the "B" plot... it just goes to show the priorities of Goffman. He really doesn't understand Sleepy Hollow or the show he's got.

And I agree with a previous poster - the scene with Abbie coming in at the end was rather epic... and when she hit that upside down cross with those perfect shots... wow.. the whole scene got a shot of adrenaline.

[SimoneS]

I thought the episode was okay. The serial murderer in the painting was scary as hell. I will be voice of dissent and say that I think that Icabod and Katrina have chemistry. They work well together as a married couple. However, based on the ratings, the writers are the main ones who loves them as a couple and the direction that the show is going.

 

Abbie was mostly in a supporting role which I did not like at all. I like seeing her lead the action. Jenny in the graveyard was fun. I am glad that Irving in back, but they have got to get him out of jail and doing something interesting.

Edited January 20, 2015 by SimoneS

[phoenics]

I do wonder what they have planned for Irving.

Orlando Jones mentioned that at the end of this season, someone will die and not come back. I know we won't be blessed enough to have it be Katrina (it should though), but I wonder if Irving, Jenny or Henry, or Hawley are on the chopping block.

I am worried the show won't make it to the end of the season.

How did we come to this...

[stealinghome]

And here we go again!  We discover that Ichabod apparently has a friend that we've never heard about and that he's become close with completely off-camera.  And what happens to any new friends we meet on Sleepy Hollow?  They get killed off in the opening five minutes.  The show continues to introduce potentially interesting new characters only to kill them off immediately.  It'd be nice to have some of the townspeople of Sleepy Hollow appear and see what they think of the crazy stuff happening in their town.  But the writers seem determined to make the town very small, focusing on nothing outside of eight people.  Weak.

I mostly agree with this. ITA that I'm really annoyed that Ichabod has friends outside of Team Witness that we never meet until five minutes before they die--they're potentially rich, interesting secondary characters, and if nothing else meeting them before their death episode would help us grieve with Ichabod more! But with that said, I feel like Ichabod's dying friends are the writers' attempts to make us feel like Sleepy Hollow is big? Like "oh, Ichabod and Abbie actually do know all these people, we just don't get to see them usually because we're focusing on the monster stuff, not everyday life." It just falls flat because it's a lazy writing shortcut to fleshing out the town.

 

The world-building this season has been terribly weak in general--I am pretty convinced at this point that the writers continue to make Abbie and Ichabod totally reactive because they don't want to do the hard work of really fleshing out the mythology, which would be a must for Team Witness to become more proactive.

 

I will be voice of dissent and say that I think that Icabod and Katrina have chemistry. They work well together as a married couple. However, based on the ratings, the writers are the main ones who loves them as a couple and the direction that the show is going.

Agreed on all counts. I find that Mison and Winter have okay chemistry--nothing rivaling Mison and Beharie, of course, but I don't think they have anti-chemistry at all--but the show is (obviously) really struggling to figure out what to do with Katrina. Which irritates me, because it should be obvious--have her and Jenny be a roving, globe--or at least nation--trotting witch team! I totally thought the show was going to go the Jenny-as-witch route at the end of last season--it would've been so epically awesome.

 

I wish they had made Katrina into a novice witch or something.  Her powers just come and go.  I could understand if her powers were brand new and she didn't understand them, but I don't buy that this woman is an experienced witch.

Also, this. The writers clearly haven't put much thought, if any, into the magical rules of the show at all. It really irks. Katrina's powers swing between actually pretty useful/dynamic to nonexistent at the writers' fiat, and the Horsemen seem to be able to do anything they want...until they can't.

[Amethyst]

Abbie told Irving's wife that Team Witness buried Frank and the only people who knew he was dead were the members of Team Witness, Irving's wife and daughter. The rest of the world thought Irving was still on the run.

 

Thanks.  I was wondering why no one was reacting to a dead man in their midst.

 

 

The "B" plot was far better than the "A" plot (Ichabod and Katrina). It's sad when a phone conversation between Ichabod and Abbie has more chemistry than that forced "kiss to keep people away" trope mess they did with Ichabod and Katrina... just zero chemistry. I've never seen anything like it. Even Lauriver had more chemistry than that (not much more, but more).

 

Ikr?  At least that trope works most of the time.  I've tried to see it, but Ichabod and Katrina have no romantic chemistry.  Did they say how long they courted before they married?  

 

I think Michelle was miscast as Abigail Adams.  She seemed like a modern woman from 2015 just dropped in the 18th century.

 

I also agree that this felt like two different episodes.  While I hated Ichabod leaving Abbie out of the situation, it's very unclear as to what they are now.  Are they even Team Witness anymore?  They're still partners in supernatural affairs, but with the Apocalypse averted and no real villain, there's no sense of urgency for them to fight.  What exactly are they fighting?  What are they trying to avoid?  If they're just going after whatever comes out of Purgatory, then who says they even need to be together to get things done?  Abbie can fight the monsters with Jenny, or Ichabod can team up with Jenny, or Ichabod can fight alone, and so on.  I don't want them to be separated, but it hasn't been defined if there's a need for the Witnesses anymore now that the main threat is gone.  

 

Instead of some bogus episode about the Cranes having a night out to revive their dead marriage, they missed an opportunity for Ichabod and Abbie to find out what their real purpose is now, together or apart.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Amethyst

[cassandle]

I found myself fast-forwarding through all of the Crane scenes but stopped to watch Matthew McConaughey try to sell me a Lincoln and Rob Lowe try to sell me Direct TV.  Commercials should not be more entertaining than the show!

 

Suffice it to say I have no idea what the A plot was about but the gist I got was that a ghost was escaping the painting and killing people?  If that’s the case, I would so much rather watch the Supernatural episode that, I’m going to guess, did it better.  Besides, as annoying as it gets sometimes, Winchester Family Drama is much more palatable than Crane Family Drama.

 

But I do have to ask, what’s with Ichabod’s terrible prom updo?

[The Wild Sow]

 

When the face in the painting first turned around, that was just freaky as hell. Sometimes this show can really bring the scary.

Ha, we've all seen paintings where the EYES follow you, but that's the first time we've ever seen it happen with the whole head!  Freaky is right!

 

Not to mention, of course, the whole SUBJECT of the painting following folks around later!

 

As for Frank, I wonder if Henry was able to return his soul (& thus restore his life)?  So he's not an actual zombie?  Henry could have also cooked up some exonerating evidence that doesn't implicate Macey -- that is, if Henry is really looking to make amends!   I wouldn't mind that.

[Pete Martell]

It's called anti-chemistry. Over the course of my TV watching life, I've seen some extreme instances, but truly, I think Mison and Winter have one of the worst cases of it I've ever seen.

 

The last I remember so vividly was Marc Blucas and SMG on Buffy. I guess Michelle Trachtenberg showed up to make it official.

 

With that said, I don't think Winter/Katrina is the only problem with Mison/Crane. Crane is a mess of a character, and outside of Nicole Beharie and the usual tropes for Ichabod (he has pretty hair! he has a British accent! modern things are funny and strange to him!) Mison really struggles to produce basic presence and stature for the character. 

Edited January 20, 2015 by Pete Martell

[DeLurker]

We get Irving back and somehow his story is secondary to Katrina's bestie Abigail Adams?Hell the fuck no.

DO NOT & WILL NOT CARE ABOUT THE CFD.

[phoenics]

The last I remember so vividly was Marc Blucas and SMG on Buffy. I guess Michelle Trachtenberg showed up to make it official.

Ohhhhh good example.

 

With that said, I don't think Winter/Katrina is the only problem with Mison/Crane. Crane is a mess of a character, and outside of Nicole Beharie and the usual tropes for Ichabod (he has pretty hair! he has a British accent! modern things are funny and strange to him!) Mison really struggles to produce basic presence and status for the character.

I think this is because Ichabod really works best when he can bounce off of Abbie. It's their interaction that sells Ichabod. Without Abbie, he just seems stiff, weird and cranky. With her, he softens... and there is always a bit of humor with him underneath the surface. It's the funny vs straight man. Neither work very well alone.

[catrox14]

I found myself fast-forwarding through all of the Crane scenes but stopped to watch Matthew McConaughey try to sell me a Lincoln and Rob Lowe try to sell me Direct TV.  Commercials should not be more entertaining than the show!

 

Suffice it to say I have no idea what the A plot was about but the gist I got was that a ghost was escaping the painting and killing people?  If that’s the case, I would so much rather watch the Supernatural episode that, I’m going to guess, did it better.  Besides, as annoying as it gets sometimes, Winchester Family Drama is much more palatable than Crane Family Drama.

 

But I do have to ask, what’s with Ichabod’s terrible prom updo?

The Winchester Family Drama has always been part and parcel of SPN from the first episode. There was never a time when it wasn't. and dear gods, j2 can act and rise above the material.

The CFD is IMO nothing but bait and switch crap. It was never main part of the show until this season.

[cassandle]

The Winchester Family Drama has always been part and parcel of SPN from the first episode. There was never a time when it wasn't. and dear gods, j2 can act and rise above the material.

 

Very true.  Which is why I'm now watching "Provenance" (for the umpteenth time) to cleanse my palate of the bitter Katrina aftertaste :)

[catrox14]

This episode makes me think that, without Abbie, Ichabod is actually kind of a bore.

Ichabod is great with everyone but Katrina. I don't find him boring at all with just about anyone else. In one-scene he had more chemistry with Caroline than he ever had with Katrina. It's Katrina not Ichabod. IMO

[FormerMod-a1]

Not as good as last week, but not bad.  I did not recognize Michelle Tractenberg, but now that I've read it here, of course that's her.  I guess I wasn't even thinking about it.    I hope they recovered some of those special bullets from the painting or the body somehow.  I'd hate for those to disappear all into one being.

 

I love Abbie - reading her mother's journal, talking to Frank, rescuing the Cranes.  Plus she looked gorgeous tonight.

 

I hope all this talk of redefining their relationship leads to an annulment or divorce or something.  It's not that I need or want to see Ichabod or Katrina in other relationships.  It's just that Katrina is really not the woman Ichabod thought he married, and Ichabod has changed from his time here w/o Katrina.  They really don't know each other.  I like that they want to sort it out, but I don't need to see any more of it either.  Drop another line about the separation again and leave it at that.

[LeeLeePanda]

Agreed on all counts. I find that Mison and Winter have okay chemistry--nothing rivaling Mison and Beharie, of course, but I don't think they have anti-chemistry at all--but the show is (obviously) really struggling to figure out what to do with Katrina. Which irritates me, because it should be obvious--have her and Jenny be a roving, globe--or at least nation--trotting witch team! I totally thought the show was going to go the Jenny-as-witch route at the end of last season--it would've been so epically awesome.

Honestly, I think Jenny and Katrina: Witches wouldn't be a bad idea. Obviously the character isn't going anywhere, so why not team her up with someone interesting. I say this mostly because I want to see Jenny become a badass witch.

[catrox14]

With that said, I don't think Winter/Katrina is the only problem with Mison/Crane. Crane is a mess of a character, and outside of Nicole Beharie and the usual tropes for Ichabod (he has pretty hair! he has a British accent! modern things are funny and strange to him!) Mison really struggles to produce basic presence and stature for the character.

I think Mison established a great presence last season. He was funny, charming, smart, egotistical, annoying at times and clever. He stood toe to toe against headless. IMO it's the writing this season which is forcing him to be a dumb ass to prop Katrina.

[chrisvee]

Wow what a hot mess.

No clue what the Cranes were wearing but they both looked ridiculous. I'm tired of seeing StruggleWitch's cleavage.

I had time to make these observations since unfortunately Katia managed to suck all the energy out of what started as a darn creepy story until I become so bored I stopped paying attention to the plot. Other than when Katrina grabbed Ichabod's butt -- then I actually became queasy and hit fast forward.

Their antichemistry needs to be measured in degrees Kelvin.

I can't believe that Frank was the B story!

Michelle Tractenberg was terrible which I assume had to do with the Katia Effect.

This show needs to be put out of its misery. How the mighty art fallen.

Edited January 20, 2015 by chrisvee

[Actionmage]

The writers clearly haven't put much thought, if any, into the magical rules of the show at all. It really irks. Katrina's powers swing between actually pretty useful/dynamic to nonexistent at the writers' fiat, and the Horsemen seem to be able to do anything they want...until they can't.

 

I didn't understand exactly what Katrina was chanting, but I was all " if she saves this guy and Frank was left to die....!"  Still, for a supposedly strong witch, she's very easily distracted. That reads to me as if she has little to no faith in her powers. 

 

Since the writers seem determined to not have a set of magic rules/guidelines, nor an interest in making Katrina an actually integrated part of Team Witness, they need to dial her back to Sheriff Reyes levels of exposure. There is a lot of story potential with Katrina, but there seems to be no interest in the deeper stuff--her acclimation to now, what's it like to be on the outs with the only person you know when you are a time-traveler, what the hell are Spanx?, and other questions about shaking the ring rust off and getting to use her magic the way she wants. So dial her back. It happens in ensemble-type shows. I just watched Gotham, where Sean Pertwee was in the opening credits, but was not in the actual episode. The world did not end.

 

To be clear, my problems are with the writing and writers, not Katia. I love the idea posited with Katrina and Jenny being bad-ass getting relics and such. That could be a show that's cool. And yet.

 

Frank's back and Abbie made him cry, dammit. Poor Abbie. I loved her shooting at the painting! She is a bawse and needs to be respected as one. Jenny as well. I loved Jenny's "friend!" to Frank. My crackship of CaptainJenny may still be in port, but there is nothing wrong with hoping.

 

Especially with the wtf writing for Cynthia. ICAM with the previous posters who wondered the same. I would have demanded to see that man, regardless of what just a lieutenant said. The father of my child may be back with us and I would see him or hell would surely rain down. Henry and Moloch aren't here, I am.

 

I hope the Hawley story is good and doesn't eat the next hour.

[The Cake is a Pie]

I couldn't understand half of what was happening this ep because I couldn't hear anything because every...scene...was...whispered. Jenny and the corpse was the best part of this episode because it was the only scene with dialogue above a whisper.

I don't hate Katrina nearly as much as most, but even I have to agree that she is a chemistry vacuum. She is a chemistry black hole. I don't think she registered an emotion on her face all episode. The haunted painting was deliciously creepy. Too bad no one reacted to it.

Can one of Ichabod's weird, nerdy collection of off-screen friends manage to survive for once?

[sinkwriter]

 

I didn't understand exactly what Katrina was chanting, but I was all " if she saves this guy and Frank was left to die....!"

 

Ooh, yes, that ticked me off! She didn't even seem to TRY to help Irving, already giving up as it was "too much," but with this guy she's chanting and chanting. I was like, is she a powerful witch who can stop someone's bleeding or not?