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Spoilers and Spoiler Discussion: How's Your Head?


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As a white man, I'm starting to see that depictions of slavery in historical fiction is a third rail, much like depictions of the Holocaust. There's so much potential to give offense that I suspect that in the future it will be avoided by writers, TV and film except by those of AA background.

I don't think that is necessary, but there are issues that need to be handled sensitively and with tact.  The lack of which is not excused by the race of the writer/source.  This show, specifically S2, has given me absolutely no reason to believe that they will successfully cross this mine field without huge explosions.

 

I've got a tolerance for history twistory for the purpose of fiction; I don't have any tolerance for careless treatment of real and painful historical fact.  I never watched Titanic because I felt that making it an epic lovestory that overshadows the magnitude of loss is wrong (but, that's my opinion and millions clearly disagree with me).

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At this point, I would trust Mison more than the showrunners or the promo monkeys. Seriously. He has to know that coming right out and saying Ichabod is in love with Abbie is a big deal.

 

I suppose maybe the way this all plays out is that Mison is telling the truth...and that maybe Ichabod realizes his  love for Abbie is romantic and as a partner because he sees something in her in the past that pings with him. I'm not saying I believe it will happen but maybe. 

 

I wish I could, but I don't trust Mison either, since he's gone on record saying Katrina is Ichy's undying true love and that Ichabod doesn't like Abbie as a person (and viceversa). That wasn't long ago, November or December... I'm not blaming him for changing his tune. I think he just says, what he's told to say.

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As a white man, I'm starting to see that depictions of slavery in historical fiction is a third rail, much like depictions of the Holocaust. There's so much potential to give offense that I suspect that in the future it will be avoided by writers, TV and film except by those of AA background.

 

When writers don't possess the sensibility, perspective or competency to handle these types of topics but choose to attempt them anyway, they should at least consult with members of their intended audience they feel might be offended.

 

How about shows simply add some diversity to the writers' room?

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I don't read all the Sleepy Hollow interviews so I missed where he said that.  Without reading those interviews and just my intrepreation it could be that he meant that during the time where they are at odds because of Henry and Katrina they don't like each other about those situations but not that they don't care still care about each other like they did in s1.  Not that he doesn't value her as a person. JMHO

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I honestly think the time travel thing is interesting.  And although I have no desire to see Abbie as a slave, it’s unrealistic to expect that she wouldn’t be captured, flogged or subjected to horrible treatment before either being killed or and sent back to whoever they think her owner is.  Would they really simply put her in jail?  I doubt she'd make it through the first few minutes of discovery unscathed if they were being true to  the times.  Even if there were a few emancipated blacks back then.  Solomon Northrup’s story is a testament to that. 

 

But given the writers, I don’t think they should have ever went there because, as most here have said, they have treated the POC so deplorably.  Not to mention, this show isn’t really the vehicle for such a storyline.   On a show like “Black Sails” or “Copper”, yes.  “Sleepy Hollow”, no.  Touching on slavery is one thing, depicting it is quite another.

 

If this leads to Katrina staying behind in the 1700s and Abbie and Crane returning to the present time, I’m going to get a twitter account and demand that Goffman pay the two fan fic authors who 1) wrote about Abbie going back in time and meeting a Crane who doesn’t know her and 2) wrote Katrina returning to the 1700s for the sole purpose of being able to raise Jeremy.

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I’m going to get a twitter account and demand that Goffman pay the two fan fic authors who 1) wrote about Abbie going back in time and meeting a Crane who doesn’t know her and 2) wrote Katrina returning to the 1700s for the sole purpose of being able to raise Jeremy.

 

 

For my own reasons and interest, do you have links to those two fanfics, by chance? Thanks FierceAfroChick!

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For my own reasons and interest, do you have links to those two fanfics, by chance? Thanks FierceAfroChick!

 

Here you go:

 

This (Not So) Charming Man:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/1296037

 

The Timepiece:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/1166287

 

Both are written excellently and have good plots…I wouldn’t have touched the one with Abbie going back to the 1700s if the slavery aspect of it (and there was a perfectly plausible reason why she wasn’t enslaved) hadn’t been handled so well.

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For my own reasons and interest, do you have links to those two fanfics, by chance? Thanks FierceAfroChick!

I am well aware of the one where Abbie and Crane go back in time and Crane doesn't remember Abbie. It's right here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1296037/chapters/2689276?view_adult=true

 

Don't know the one about Katrina.

Oh wait. I've read The Timepiece too, but never put it together, but yeah, Katrina does go back to raise Jeremy.

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I doubt that this storyline would've caused such outrage if not for the fact that the writers have spent the entire season disrespecting Abbie and the audience. There's simply no trust in their ability or willingness to handle this sensitively. After the clusterfuck this season became it makes sense to expect the worst.

Very, very, very true

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Here you go:

 

This (Not So) Charming Man:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/1296037

 

The Timepiece:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/1166287

 

Both are written excellently and have good plots…I wouldn’t have touched the one with Abbie going back to the 1700s if the slavery aspect of it (and there was a perfectly plausible reason why she wasn’t enslaved) hadn’t been handled so well.

This is veering off topic, but The Timepiece is one of my favorite pieces of Sleepy Hollow fanfiction.

Back on topic: SpoilerTV released promo pics for 2x17 today. Unfortunately I'm trouble posting the link. It looks like they go back in time in this episode, probably towards the end.

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I believe that Ichabod was a former Oxford history professor who rose to the rank of Captain with George Washington's Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  I don't recall his rank in the British army (before he defected to the American side).  I also believe that he started out at a lower rank in the Continental Army and was promoted.

 

I came across this article on "Slavery, the American Revolution, and the Constitution" (I'm no history expert, so I can't vouch for its accuracy):
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/active_learning/explorations/revolution/revolution_slavery.cfm

Edited by tv echo
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Touching on slavery is one thing, depicting it is quite another.

 

Even when I loved the show I was wary of getting to much into slavery issues, because as I've said before I think it had a fragile balance of elements, but it landed most often on batshit insane, super fun theme park ride. It had managed to handle the few allusions to Ichabod's era of slavery relatively well in the first season, and because it was showcasing an amazingly diverse cast (my favorite cast photo was as shot of John Cho, Orlando, Lyndie, Tom, and Nicole), and because it had a WoC on the writing team I felt it was the very picture of how to do diversity right. 

 

And then I started noticing that they weren't showcasing Nicole in the press in favor of Mison, instead of marketing them as a equals like the X Files did for it's duration. I started hearing bullshit like, they weren't trying to be intentionally diverse, and they started to beat the Katrina drums. That ComiCon presentation was the death knell for S2, indicating they had NO fucking clue why they'd been successful and were starting some kind of bitch fight with their audience over Katrina being The Most Interesting Character in the World. The truth is they've been failing since they gave Headless a backstory, since they made Henry the Crane's son (which was their only way to justify a continued story about Katrina). I can't think of a more epic crash and burn in a S2 except maybe Heroes, but I actually thought S1 of that show sucked almost as much as  S2, so that doesn't really work for me.

Edited by blixie
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I honestly don't think the writers on this show have 1) the talent, 2) the interest or 3) the intestinal fortitude to depict any type of slavery in any way. 

 

Look at their track record.  They have featured two characters of color in the 1700s.  One was being persecuted not because he was black but because he was supposed to be a traitor.  At no time was his race even referred to. 

 

Grace Dixon was referred to as as servant but treated as and mingled with invited guests. 

 

Now that doesn't mean they can't be dumb, but it will also depend on who is writing the episode.  they did give us a good episode with Mama.  So who knows...

 

I am pretty protective of Abby and her character too, but I just can't get upset over that synopsis until actually seeing the episode.  Who knows, it may turn out to be a total 'WTF' and an 'Aw Hell Naw!'  or it might turn out to be a 'Meh, that's it?'  I am content to wait and see.

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I am well aware of the one where Abbie and Crane go back in time and Crane doesn't remember Abbie. It's right here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/1296037/chapters/2689276?view_adult=true

 

I knew you would be, Blackhoney. Just checking to be sure, for reasons. *wink*

 

I am going to be very interested in seeing if they re-release the synopsis and what wording changes have been made. You know, we have to marvel at this show. Not only did it manage to destroy itself with a few episodes, the back management seems utterly incompetent. It's just insane! I really have the feeling now that the show is done, and they are just getting out the final episodes, and whatnot. That's why the lack of promotion and the lack of care.

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I honestly don't think the writers on this show have 1) the talent, 2) the interest or 3) the intestinal fortitude to depict any type of slavery in any way. 

 

Look at their track record.  They have featured two characters of color in the 1700s.  One was being persecuted not because he was black but because he was supposed to be a traitor.  At no time was his race even referred to. 

 

Grace Dixon was referred to as as servant but treated as and mingled with invited guests. 

 

Now that doesn't mean they can't be dumb, but it will also depend on who is writing the episode.  they did give us a good episode with Mama.  So who knows...

 

I am pretty protective of Abby and her character too, but I just can't get upset over that synopsis until actually seeing the episode.  Who knows, it may turn out to be a total 'WTF' and an 'Aw Hell Naw!'  or it might turn out to be a 'Meh, that's it?'  I am content to wait and see.

I agree completely. I really think there will be no depiction of slavery at all other than as a pretext for Abbie to be behind bars (and that was not a wise choice IMO). Depictions previously on the show of AA's in the 1700's seemed idealized and definitely avoiding any real depiction of slavery or the lives of free blacks. It seems to me that it's very difficult to bring slavery into a show like this and would need a very adept writer who has earned the trust of an AA audience to pull it off. There's the dilemma of trivializing or ignoring the black experience in Colonial America versus derailing the light, humorous, fun aspect of the show with a 12 Years a Slave treatment. How difficult would it be to have a Jewish character in a similar show travel back to Nazi Germany? (I suspect it's been done but nothing comes to mind…)

 

I would be interested to hear the opinions of folks here regarding how the show deals (or doesn't deal) with slavery in that finale we've been discussing. I learn a lot from your comments and I suspect others do as well. Even if you've sworn off watching SH for whatever reason and the finale sound horrible, it might be worth watching just to post your critique and opinions regarding how this is handled on the show and might be better done in the future. Who knows what TV people might read these comments at some point?

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Just to clarify, I saw the exchanged referenced above on Twitter. He didn't say they've explored her past "enough." What Baiers said was that although they already focused on revealing some things about her past (such as her mom) they want to find more and that it's a "huge" topic they've discussed going into Season Three. I'm saying this because I actually jumped into the exchange myself.

Here's a link - https://twitter.com/abaiers/status/562503421639397376

Oh - that's completely not what I thought - he's saying they haven't gone deep enough and that they will in S3?

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Time travel. Ugh. Just...no with that, I can't. I can accept if Abbie goes under a trance or spell to let her witness past events, but to have her actually physically go back into the past and alter events that have happened? I'm out. I've hated it on all other shows that have done it, I'll likely hate it here, too.

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The creator of SH himself said his idea came from wanting to do a time travel show:

 

 

“I wanted to do a time travel show but leave aside all the things that make it geeky,” Iscove says.

Edited by MissAlmond
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Time travel. Ugh. Just...no with that, I can't. I can accept if Abbie goes under a trance or spell to let her witness past events, but to have her actually physically go back into the past and alter events that have happened? I'm out. I've hated it on all other shows that have done it, I'll likely hate it here, too.

Octavia Butler wrote a wonderful science-fiction novel, The Kindred, where a modern-day black woman time-travels to the past, and she ends up on a Southern plantation. Issues of slavery, freedom, and racism were handled very well. But the concept is more difficult to execute on television, I agree.

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Octavia Butler wrote a wonderful science-fiction novel, The Kindred, where a modern-day black woman time-travels to the past, and she ends up on a Southern plantation. Issues of slavery, freedom, and racism were handled very well. But the concept is more difficult to execute on television, I agree.

I love Octavia Butler and have read many of her stories and novellas numerous times but could only read Kindred once. Excellent read which was well handled but very difficult material. I could only read Draper's Copper Sun once as well.

On topic: I wouldn't and don't trust these showrunners with a topic like this. To write things like this you need to have an knowledge, understanding and sensitivity towards the topic. Based upon what I've seen this year, the writers don't have any of the above.

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How fucking CUUUTE is Abbie in that last picture? Sooooo cute.

 

Katrina is back in a corset. SMDH.

Abbie looks about 14 in that picture. But it is cute. And even in still shots, you can see how well Tom and Nicole play off one another when performing a scene. Why would the writers want to put that magic on the back burner? That's got me SMDH.

 

And why does Corset (Evil?) Katrina still look scared?

Edited by topanga
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Katrina is back in a corset. SMDH.

 

I've been vocal in my dislike of her costuming, but if she's about to go back to her time she would be wearing something along those lines so I can let it pass to a certain degree. However I suspect that the show won't be able to resist the urge to make her ridiculous under the guise of making her look sexy, so I may very well cringe when I see the full outfit. In fact, wouldn't something more along the lines of Quaker Plain-dress be more practical for moving easily through various levels of society? Or does she plan to attend a social occasion to enact her plans?

Edited by yuggapukka
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I've been vocal in my dislike of her costuming, but if she's about to go back to her time she would be wearing something along those lines so I can let it pass to a certain degree. HoweverI suspect that the show won't be able to resist the urge to make her ridiculous under the guise of making her look sexy, so I may very well cringe when I see the full outfit. In fact, wouldn't something more along the lines of Quaker Plain-dress be more practical for moving easily through various levels of society? Or does she plan to attend a social occasion to enact her plans?

Oh, I just think evil overlords can't resist the costuming that goes with the role.  Just look at Megamind and his "Black Mamba" cape! ;)

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And why does Corset (Evil?) Katrina still look scared?

Because she always looks scared or has tears in her eyes, no matter what. It's like a perpetual case of runny eyes/allergies.

 

The "corset" is her original black "witch" dress she was always seen wearing in Purgatory. Since she's going back to her time, she probably grabbed her 200 year old dress to fit in with the times. (not that I mind, it's an awesome dress). Thought I remember Headless got her a really fancy dress to wear in episode 2 or three of this season. The black one is better - fits with baddie Katrina.

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"Jena Malone (the Hunger Games sequels) has signed on to play a lead role in the writer-director Nina Ljeti’s indie feature Things You Missed While You Were Gone. She stars alongside Lyndie Greenwood, Thomas Mann, Soko and Shane West. Adam Trahan, Ljeti and Tom van Dell are producing the pic, which starts principal photography in the spring in South Carolina. Malone’s recent credits include Inherent Vice, Time Out Of Mind and Hatfields & McCoys, and she next appears in the features Angelica, Bottom Of The World and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. She is repped by Gersh."  Dateline Hollywood-2/3/2015

 

Lyndie Greenwood will be filming a movie. Her twitter has a tweet with Shane West of "Salem".

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The "corset" is her original black "witch" dress she was always seen wearing in Purgatory.

 

 It is? The details I can observe seem right, but the colour looked red to me, however that could just be the quality of the picture. I love that dress too.

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 It is? The details I can observe seem right, but the colour looked red to me, however that could just be the quality of the picture. I love that dress too.

 

I would buy a replica of that dress.

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Time travel. Ugh. Just...no with that, I can't. I can accept if Abbie goes under a trance or spell to let her witness past events, but to have her actually physically go back into the past and alter events that have happened? I'm out. I've hated it on all other shows that have done it, I'll likely hate it here, too.

I don't know.. I've been thinking about it,  and incorporating time travel into SH on a regular basis could be a lot of fun (IMO). Those historical flashbacks would be minimized (and at least they'd be in full color, not sepia or whatever). I could get behind "Doctor Abbie and Doctor Ichabod" as the show's direction. (Obviously I'm a fan of Doctor Who)

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So after re-watching the first episode of this season over the weekend I noticed a few things. In the first sequence Abbie and Ichabod almost seem like a more stylized version of themselves. Their team seems like a group you don't want to mess with. Also, their weapon (Ichabod with a crossbow) and ammo choices seem weird (Kali's arrows and Consecrated rounds). Fifteen episodes later and those weapon(Ichabod got a crossbow in 2x11) and ammo choices make sense. In the preview for 2x16 Abbie and Ichabod seem a little more put together as a team as well.

 

I have a feeling that the purgatory dream is the reality, just not the reality of what happened right after Ichabod was put in the box and Abbie in purgatory. When they said they had no memory of how they got to where they were, that was the stepping off point to the season. This would mean no more Katrina but also mean Jenny is gone. It keeps John Noble around but perhaps in a smaller role since he is locked up in the archives. Headless is back to being scary so that would be a plus. No idea about Frank.

 

The only thing throwing me off is the time travel stuff in the finale. 

 

It could very well be they were just foreshadowing upcoming episodes but I wouldn't be surprised if the closing scene is Abbie celebrating Ichabod's birthday with a cupcake. It leaves them with a clean slate regarding a few characters but the witnesses bond seems strong. 

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Interview with Katia Winter (very similar to the indie wire one).

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/31785/20150209/katia-winter-sleepy-hollow-interview.htm

continuing from media thread

KW states in this interview she is producing and acting in a movie and expects to complete filming by the end of the year. If she's acting/filming until the end of the year, she isn't returning to filming SH when it starts back up...........

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continuing from media thread

KW states in this interview she is producing and acting in a movie and expects to complete filming by the end of the year. If she's acting/filming until the end of the year, she isn't returning to filming SH when it starts back up...........

Don't play with me . . . don't get my hopes up

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The promo aired at the end of tonight's episode was really intriguing.

They showed Abbie getting into her jeep and then Ichabod screaming her name and then Katrina blowing the jeep up, presumably with Abbie in it. I'm sure they won't be killing Abbie off - so the Ichabbie hug we keep hearing so much about must be about that?

Guessing.

The promotion actually looked really really good.

Tonight's episode was good and had a S1 vibe.

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continuing from media thread

KW states in this interview she is producing and acting in a movie and expects to complete filming by the end of the year. If she's acting/filming until the end of the year, she isn't returning to filming SH when it starts back up...........

Please please let it have funding.

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John Noble in the MYFOXNY interview this morning that two major characters die.  He said later he is now in rehearsal for an off-Broadway play.

 

Another comment of his is in the media thread.

Edited by DJG1122
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I wish I could, but I don't trust Mison either, since he's gone on record saying Katrina is Ichy's undying true love and that Ichabod doesn't like Abbie as a person (and viceversa). That wasn't long ago, November or December... I'm not blaming him for changing his tune. I think he just says, what he's told to say.

Does anyone have a link to this interview? (I'm assuming "gone on record" means it was in an interview.)

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Does anyone have a link to this interview? (I'm assuming "gone on record" means it was in an interview.)

 

Here

 

 

It's two people who there are lots of things they strongly dislike about each other but also things, despite themselves, they admire about each other. You know, it's the beautiful moments when Clarice Starling admires Lector's intelligence and it's just flashes of it that make them a brilliant double act.

 

Which is a fucked up thing to say if you ask me. Other sites published variations of this interview, some with stronger wording than this one. they didn't mention any admiration between them, for instance. The entire interview is priceless and the main reason I think the "Ichabod is in love with Abbie" thing is bullshit.

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That interview is strange because it doesn't even seem very Mison-like in the answers. Also, the looks that he gives Abbie sure doesn't make it seem like he dislikes her. In fact, they have him want to spent time with Abbie (over the wife) so many times, you've gotta wonder.

 

He also spouted the whole, "this season, we'll see why Ichabod is so in love with Katrina." This is the same stock response we got from Katia Winter. However, we all know it's BS and something we have never seen on screen, just Crane saying empty words.  It's almost like they were schooled to say certain things, lines by the powers that be. Strange interview. But if anything, Abbie should be the one to dislike lots of what Crane is doing,saying, not the other way around. I get what you mean, though.

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I can see how he reached for the Clarice/Lector comparison, those two characters absolutely had an instantaneous, unclassifiable rapport and they most certainly were shipped (as are Will and Hannibal currently). Scully (of MuldernScully4Eva (is my ship showing?)) was inspired by Clarice, and there is definitely a negotiation aspect to their relationship through most of the first seasons, that resembles the way Clarice is negotiating with Lector to catch a killer. I don't think the relationship is similar enough to have landed on that as comparison in a national publication, but you stay weird Tom, especially since the other side of the coin WAS Scully/Mulder. RME.

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Wasn't this interview and the one with Orlando Jones about the time TPTB starting really pushing Katrina? Orlando Jones said in his interview (same website) about that same time that S2 would continue building on Frank and his family. Which didn't happen. That's when TPTB started playing down Ichabbie and promoting Ichatrina. Sounds like Tom Mison was saying exactly what he had been told to say to discourage the Ichabbie shippers.

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Spoilery article scan about the finale.

 

Wow, it turns out it's true that Katrina never had any agency. If she appeared evil or shady, it was because she didn't know better about her true nature. I find it mindboggling that they thought a character like that could be compelling in any way and that they had planned to make her the lead character. How utterly clueless, idiotic and repulsive.

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I can fanwank that Ichabod as  a prideful man gets irritated when Abbie calls him on his shit. 

 

But saying there are things they dislike about each other doesn't negate that they have many things that like about each other and that they still have a bond and a mission.  Plus you don't always like everything about the ones you love :).  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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I read this as Henry is Big Bad for the last two episodes. John Noble said in his interview yesterday that the finale ends S1 and S2 for a major reset as the company prepares to move forward. I interpreted this as TPTB were ending the Katrina/Henry storyline as 2 people die dead-dead, not Sleepy Hollow dead. Jenny and Frank are side-kicks, not a main storyline and killing/not killing either one wouldn't affect a reset.

 

Goffman just can't stop talking about Katrina, can he?

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Goffman just can't stop talking about Katrina, can he?

 

Seriously and nothing he says ever sounds better, every word only makes me hate him and the character more.

Edited by blixie
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