S04.E01: Columbia

[CooperTV]

Quote

Crane and Jenny begin to navigate life following the unexpected death of Abbie Mills. When he finds himself in a the nation’s capital, Crane must forge unlikely partnerships in his quest to find the next Witness, as he discovers that there is more evil at play than he realized was possible.

 

Edited December 25, 2016 by CooperTV

[Primetimer]

Will a semi-reboot in the capital give the show new life?

View the full article

[janeta]

Yeah, i'm not feeling the new peeps. Was glad when Jenny showed up.

Will be watching, saying, "no, that's not right--that's not where that street goes--that's not what's under the lincoln memorial--JW Booth is actually in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore--oh look, there's my office..."

[Writing Wrongs]

Why is it still called Sleepy Hollow?

As soon as I saw the girl in the opening credits, I knew she was the new witness.

Hey, skeptical girl is Chelsea Brady from Days of Our Lives.

Tom Mison's hotness is the only saving grace for me.

[Yolapukka]

I skipped the premiere. Last year this show got a season's worth of undeserved chances to get back on track to the delight it was with sorry-ass mediocre results. This time it gets one and I am sufficiently sensible that I know an episode with a lot of clunky introductions of new characters will irk more than it entertains. Especially the intro of that magical unicorn precocious messiah-child who is likely to be the new witness in a twist that surprises NO ONE. Interesting writing would definitively debunk that possibility and go somewhere else with it. 

Edited January 7, 2017 by yuggapukka

[Court]

I forgot this show was on until it showed up on my DVR. Then I got all pissed off because Abbie isn't here anymore. I can't decide if I should watch or delete it.

[Rachel RSL]

I feel a little guilty because I was determined to hate this season but I actually kind of enjoyed some of the new characters. I think Nerdy Black Dude is all kinds of adorable. *hangs head in shame*

The clunky intro with Ichabod answering all the questions just served as a reminder that the show basically hit the re-set button, which was annoying, but this season may have potential after all. (Magical unicorn precocious messiah-child aside. Ugh!)

[catrice2]

I promised to give it an honest chance, but I was really bored.  Not surprised by the child and I didn't even see her at the beginning.  What happened to Papa Mills? 

Somewhere in the episode I started having the same feelings that I had about the newbies on Arrow....and that's not a good feeling. 

[shanndee]

I have it on the background right now, and that is only because my husband refuses to believe that I am finished with this show. He knows how much I loved season one, and since he didn't watch it himself he doesn't understand just how badly TPTB screwed it up. They had lightning in a bottle, and they threw it away to replace it with total garbage. I'm done. Done. Done. Done.

Maybe if I spend enough time here he'll change the channel...

[Sparkling Beth]

I liked it.  I liked the new characters.  That's all I'm going to say because we will all feel what we feel and no one can talk us out of our feelings.  But I find I'm okay with moving on.  And Tom Mison is still the hottest tidbit on two legs so there's that.

[Free]

49 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

I promised to give it an honest chance, but I was really bored.  Not surprised by the child and I didn't even see her at the beginning.  What happened to Papa Mills? 

Somewhere in the episode I started having the same feelings that I had about the newbies on Arrow....and that's not a good feeling. 

Glossed over for the new team and baddies.

It's the same with the Arrow newbies, generic and dull restart after messy seasons.

[Mysteyman]

What can I say?

I enjoyed it and to me, that is not a bad thing.

[calibabe]

I actually thought based on preconceived notions of others that I might not like the S4 premier. I can now honestly say I was pleasantly surprised. I like Jake who is just all kinds of enamoured with Ichabod as he keeps tabs on Sleepy Hollow from "The Vault". Alex seems to be the brains on how to make things go "boom" in dispatching evil. Dreyfuss is creepy by virtue of having enough money to be creepy. It was good to see Jenny back from Tibet and her discussing her meal of yak cheese? I read where others have said they think Molly may be the new Witness and that may or may not be accurate but I'm not convinced. Clairvoyance does not make one a Witness. Diana I believe will partner with Ichabod to find the new Witness  but I don't think Molly will be it. 

All in all I think as a starting point I was pleased and will continue to watch. It almost had a "Hellboy" feel to it with "The Vault". Even my husband who did not like SH S1,2 or 3 was interested and was asking questions about what the glimpses for the 2nd episode meant. 

Edited January 7, 2017 by calibabe

[TrininisaScorp]

I walked into this episode bracing for a different show. I think that preconception was helpful. I miss Abby & I miss the Crane/Abby dynamic. As a poster above said, that was the lightning in a bottle, luck of the draw that no one can recreate. But as a new show, it was ok. I'm willing to give the newbies a try & none of them bothered me too much. Crane is still endearing & Tom continues to be a compelling actor (and damn, if he didn't get finer). It wasn't until Jenny came on the scene and we saw just Crane & Jenny that I felt sad for what the  show that was.  And I'm not sure how I feel about child witness.

I'll watch next week bc, sure why not, but this used to  be appointment tv or me.

[CooperTV]

Janina Gavankar is a gorgeous woman. And Tom Mison has really beautiful eyes.

Eh, the Bad Hair Evil Guy was cartoonishly evil, I couldn't take him seriously. In fact, everything about the villain and the special effects reminded me a lot of Charmed. But, good job at making Mrs. Lincoln the original vampire demon hunter. The assassination of Lincoln looked cheesy as hell but I hope we'll see her again!

The New Archives Guy is a nerd and I like him. I fully expect Ichabod and the ND bonding over their historic nerdiness. The New Archives Lady cannot act. Glad Jenny is back, she and Ichabod are adorable together.

And Diana's daughter is the Witness. What a surprise.

[Proteus]

I loved it. I like all three newbies and am interested in seeing the dynamics between them Ichabod, and Jenny.

[chaifan]

4 hours ago, CooperTV said:

In fact, everything about the villain and the special effects reminded me a lot of Charmed.

Totally agree.  At this point, if you can't do decent special effects just go another direction.  It's really distracting from a show like this. 

I mostly liked this, but the credit all goes to Tom Mison and his infinite ability to charm the pants off anyone.  I like the premise of the new characters, but they come off a bit Scooby Squad to me.  They really need another fully grown adult to balance out the newbieness of the newbies.  They could have easily made the archives guy older, more seasoned.  The lets-blow-things-up chick is just a duplicate of Happy from Scorpion.  Again, could have made her older, maybe a Iraq/Afghanistan war vet munitions expert. 

[CooperTV]

31 minutes ago, chaifan said:

The lets-blow-things-up chick is just a duplicate of Happy from Scorpion.  Again, could have made her older, maybe a Iraq/Afghanistan war vet munitions expert. 

I had strange vibes from Alex because it seems like they wanted for her to seem younger than, say, Jenny. But the actress is 30-years-old and I thought she looked even older than that.

[janeta]

I can always do without shows throwing kids in; Trixie in 'Lucifer' just annoys, especially in her capacity to render her otherwise intelligent, competent mother completely useless; it only works for me because they use her quite sparingly. (Yay for child labor laws!) Hopefully we won't see too much of Molly here.

This ep was quite rushed; i would have preferred more about Crane being stuck in a basement for two weeks (!) before they jumped into the DOTW.

Edited January 7, 2017 by janeta

[TiredMe]

Not familiar with Jeremy Davies but to me he was throwing a total Corey Feldman vibe. 

I am willing to give the show a chance because I absolutely adore Tom Mison. I liked the new goofy Jake and I'm glad Jenny is back.  So that's enough for me for now to be all in. I thought it was a decent set up episode for the season. Lots of introductions and explanations. 

[NJRadioGuy]

I mostly enjoyed the reboot. They Dreyfuss nonsense was just too over the top but the rest worked for me and I got a bit of the S1 feel to it. The problem is, they've got a huge ratings mountain to overcome in order to get a renewal, and they can't take their time to leisurely rebuild the world with all the new characters, which I think is unfortunate. If they'd had a full 22 episode run starting last October I'd be a little more optimistic.

What works best for me in any supernatural or SF/fantasy plot in modern-day is when the mundanes get let in on the Big Secret and how they react to the new reality. Then the inevitable building of the Scooby Team and cases of the week. That's why S1 here was so enjoyable (and, well, Orlando Jones!), why I loved Chuck, Once Upon a Time and others. When they get into a Big Dramatic Arc, layers upon layers of BigBads, that's when I start yawning. SH was still enjoyable in S2 but the further it went the less fun it became. S3 really lacked any forward movement in the characters and the showrunners were focusing everything they had on a plot nobody gave a crap about. Abbie's death was a serious Screw You to everybody and I didn't think it was recoverable. Well, after this, I think it is, but the question will be, can they either win back the audience they lost the last 1.5 seasons, keep the lighthearted fun, and bring back the sense of otherworldly wonder?

I like Trixie on Lucifer but wouldn't want to see her role expanded. It's perfect as it is. Molly being the new vessel for Abbie's soul/Witness-force/katra/whatever might not be quite a good thing. I like the premise, but having a precocious 10 YO in a lead role, and participating in all the new capers might collapse the house of cards. If they can strike the right balance, then maybe, but it could be a big problem.

The one thing they must do correctly is breaking Ichibod's true history to the new agent. I hope they can write this well, believably, and that the actress has the chops to pull it off convincingly. That's news you just can't absorb and process in 10 minutes of screen time, and it seems with the whole demon plot this week, she got on board far too fast for that. She should have been having the inevitable divide-by-zero moments far longer and only come around at the very end, after Abbie saved the day.

One idle thought, since Abbie and Ichy were both Witnesses, they could never be romantically involved, and that was probably a Good Thing. Depending on how the Molly thing plays out, having Ichy and Thomas in a Cranian Courtship might actually be fun. Heaven knows, Mission could so pull this off if the chemistry is right.

[Enigma X]

I will say that I miss Abbie dearly. but I can't say I totally hated this episode either. 

I feel that I should add that having a modern black female as a lead and co-witness to an ancient white male lead and co-witness brought a certain contrast that I think the stories going forward will miss. I know this show has never been a serious drama but that dynamic and the light way they effectively touched opon that was good, imo.

With that said, this was not as bad as I thought it would be. I just hope that Crane does not forget Abbie as the episodes/series moves on.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Enigma X

[Terrafamilia]

Uhhhh...I wonder if Emerald City was any good.

[NJRadioGuy]

Maybe I'm a heretic, but Abbie just wasn't All That to me. Yes she was important as a Witness and as the fish-out-of-water's anchor to modern reality and foil, but she was replaceable. Crane was, and is, the focus of the show and so long as he and his modern day female co-star have chemistry together (romantic or platonic, doesn't matter) I'm good.

In fact, the more I think about it, I'd be happy if Crane and Thomas would stay colleagues and friends, but bring Betsy Ross into the 21st century as an ongoing romantic interest. I'd watch the hell out of that.

[thuganomics85]

Despite the bullshit that happened last season, this wasn't too bad.  It's basically a big ass reset, but it did what it needed to do which was introduce the new characters and new setting.  Although, it really isn't Sleepy Hollow anymore, since it seems like it's going to remain in D.C. for the time being.  But I guess you can't really rename a show in it's fourth season.

I'm glad they're at least not trying to make Diana be another Abbie, although it instead felt like they were making her more like Chloe from Lucifer, with the child (who I can already tell is no Trixie.  Trixie is awesome) and not knowing the full truth about Ichabod.  But, hey, it's Janina Gavanker, and if I was able to enjoy her on True Blood; despite basically playing a useless character; I'm sure I'll enjoy her here.

Jury is out on the other two.  A bit too geeky and over-the-top at times.  I hope they where will be more to them then just fanboying over Ichabod and wanting to blow stuff up.

So, John Wilkes Booth was actually a demon, and didn't shoot Lincoln, but stabbed him through the head with his magical finger.  Makes sense!

Dreyfuss was.... well, it basically felt Jeremy Davis was just playing Dickie Bennett as a business suit.

They are so making Diana's daughter the new Witness, right?

I guess I'll keep watching, but I heard this (and Rosewood) already premiered to extremely low ratings.  I guess fan excuse bingo can be used to say maybe some where checking out Emerald City live, but I'm not sure how long this show will last, unless it's just extremely cheap to produce.

[Teitr Styrr]

Just got done with this. I liked it just fine. It was fine! Honestly, this was a supernatural type show with a charming (very charming) couple of leads, that I kinda adored. Half that couple is still here, so I'm definitely giving him a chance. I also liked the new folks well enough, and will give them time to grow on me. I like Jeremy Davies too, but he was certainly different than anything I've ever seen him in. A bit over the top, but that ain't always bad. Looking forward to see where this goes.

[cynic]

Welp, I thought that was better than season 3 at least. The new partner seemed fine, though I didn't think she had any chemistry with Crane. I think I would've preferred Sophie. I liked Jake, but hated poor man's Happy. She grated on me, plus I just didn't buy her as a federal employee. I think maybe this crew could grow on me, but considering this premiered to a 0.6 rating, I don't know if I want to invest in new characters. I feel like this show has asked me to do this too many times already and I've given the show enough chances to revamp and improve. Why bother if it's just getting cancelled anyway. This renewal was basically because Fox had little else and it's just a place holder. While I love Crane and Mison is fine, he was never the main draw for me, so just throwing him into a generic monster of the week procedural isn't enough for me. I think I may watch if I have nothing else to do, but this show will never be appointment television for me ever again.

[Enigma X]

Just now, cynic said:

Welp, I thought that was better than season 3 at least. The new partner seemed fine, though I didn't think she had any chemistry with Crane. I think I would've preferred Sophie. I liked Jake, but hated poor man's Happy. She grated on me, plus I just didn't buy her as a federal employee. I think maybe this crew could grow on me, but considering this premiered to a 0.6 rating, I don't know if I want to invest in new characters. I feel like this show has asked me to do this too many times already and I've given the show enough chances to revamp and improve. Why bother if it's just getting cancelled anyway. This renewal was basically because Fox had little else and it's just a place holder. While I love Crane and Mison is fine, he was never the main draw for me, so just throwing him into a generic monster of the week procedural isn't enough for me. I think I may watch if I have nothing else to do, but this show will never be appointment television for me ever again.

I am a huge Davies fan too. Have you seen him in Justified? I saw him first in Lost, but his character in Justified was totally different. With that said and with how much I love him, his character was the weakest of the new ones for me. I have a thing about over the top villains where they irk.

[mjc570]

Quote

Love the casting of Jeremy Davies as the evil man's Richard Branson, especially the eccentric hair. Could have done without his licking a gaping wound on his hand.

Ha ha!  How true!  Sorry, show, you LOST me,  and I think I'm JUSTIFIED in taking this show off my DVR list. 

Much as I love Tom M., the poor writing is just too much for me.  I realize that there is a certain amount of latitude that has to  be accepted in watching fantasy shows such as this, especially with the exposition required by the first episode after a reset, but I think the writers are just trying too hard.  The hand licking, Diana's oh-so- hip coffeehouse discussion with her partner ("His name was Eric!") are just examples.  I found my mind seeking escape from the show, such as pondering whether there is any actual purpose for those hideous belt things at the end of Diana's coat sleeves, they look totally impractical especially for a person who might have to engage in physical activities.   Jeremy's character was just so cartoonishly evil ( and trust me, I am NOT expecting reality on this show) that all I could do was lauugh, which I don't think was the intended result.

I watched really because I liked Season 1 so much.  I liked the charm, the humor, the diversity of the cast, the awesome headless, the chemistry between Abby and Ichabod.  Fox should have just let it die.  I mean no disrespect to any one who liked it, just my opinion.

[Blackhoney]

This idea that Ichabod is irreplaceable while Abbie is expendable, is why the show has suffered so. I said back in season one I thought the amount of attention Tom received for his portrayal of Ichabod is what led writers to downplay the second Witness (Abbie) and instead focus on Crane and his personal life. It’s why they claimed Hawley was a love interest for Abbie when in actuality he was really brought in to have a bromance with Crane. Writers thought Crane would be their JR Ewing and lead them to the ratings promise land. But HAHA, that has not come to pass.

Instead ratings have tanked thanks to that horrible season one finale which started what became known as Crane Family Drama. Season two sunk even deeper into the abyss of Crane, until now the show is a shell of its former self.

2.2 million viewers watched last night’s episode. The demo was a SERIES LOW of 0.6. I predict next week’s episode will draw 1.8 million viewers and a 0.4 demo. This is what making the story all about Crane has done. While some of you may gladly think Crane is the be all to end all of the Sleepy Hollow universe, many viewers do not and have tuned out in droves.

As for Betsy, I’d like to see her return too. The actress who played her had massive teeth. She could gnaw the demons to death with those chompers. Save Crane and Jenny a lot of time.

[catrox14]

So, I caved and watched on demand because Tom Mison. I didnt hate but its just not MY Sleepy Hollow.Like I said at the end of the season, just rename the damn thing Ichabod Crane: Colonial Time Cop. Take the cool credits down. Change the theme. Because seeing it just hurts my soul.

Mison is delightful as always but man I was actively offended they tried the same bit with the opening shot from the Pilot with Ichabod on the runway. I was like "Nah, man, fuck you for that'. I will say that I did laugh out loud at the  gag with trust and then Agent Diana handcuffed him. But I have zero interest in Diana and her child.

 I want to see Ichabod grieving Abbie and trying to move Heaven and Hell to get her back. I cant help it. I know she wont be back but I expected more grief from Ichabod even in flashback. 

Im just fucking sad all over again :(

[Yolapukka]

A description of Sleepy Hollow before it aired was not something that drew me in. Ichabod Crane? really? That Ichabod Crane? I thought he would either be a largely unappealing  wimpy bit of comic relief or a  hack re-imagining that bore no relation to the original aside from cannibalizing the name . And yet between the writing and Tom Mison's portrayal something that really worked beautifully showed up on our screens. In fact, it was the idea that he was going to be partnered with a strong modern woman and have to acclimate to her world that drew me in. Partnered, with neither of them as sidekick. Maybe it would have worked without Abbie, maybe,  but the dynamic between the two of them was magical and it was an excellent decision to have so much of their world-building depend on her presence. It is baffling to me that so much has been purged from the show from season to season till the only holdovers are Ichabod and Jenny and both have been on the receiving end of reductive treatment. Sleepy Hollow isn't even set in Sleepy Hollow. I don't think the presence of Abbie is crucial anymore,  she was vital to the show's early success, She was important to grounding all the crazy especially Ichabod himself and she was a well written character with considerable backstory but if last season was a predictor of this one, they don't need any of that. They don't require any real spark in the writing. It's now a formulaic procedural time-waster. It doesn't require characters with that kind of gravity to exist, though I would have thought Fox would prefer a return to the success of season one, rather than merely having a property to fill in a time-slot.

Edited January 8, 2017 by yuggapukka

[catrice2]

Well, my reasons for not liking it had nothing to do with Abbie.  I grew up with Soap Operas.....Major, well liked characters were always leaving, either for another soap or to move on to prime time or movies ( I'm looking at you Meg Ryan, and Julianne Moore, and Kevin Bacon, and Morgan Freeman, Fishburne, and gosh Ray Liotta was the SWEETEST in his soap role for all the crazy he plays so well) and the show went on!   You just get used to people moving on.  I can honestly not think of one that I stopped watching because one of my "favorites" left.  What kept me going on was the writing, or another story, or another good actress that came to fill their place. 

So far, the story just does not seem like it will be compelling.  Right, there are all these tunnels in WASHINGTON, DC that no one knows of.....and obviously Abbie and Icabod's exploits were not so "secret"in Sleepy Hollow.   I get this is fantasy and I don't expect total realism, but be somewhat realistic.   I will give it a chance for a while..nothing else is on Friday

To be fair, not many shows are holding my attention these days and I feel like the writing has fallen off in most of them  (Flash, Arrow, Elementary) that I watch.  They all, just like Sleepy Hollow, had pretty good first years and the ones after that the writing and casting decisions were poor.   I also actually don't like all of the history they try to integrate.  Benjamin Franklin and a few others were ok..but then it was Betsy Ross and now the Lincolns...just too much. 

I am generally a fan of kids just being kids and really don't like shows where the kids are too involved in "grown up" things.  I don't think giving anyone who is out facing demons, etc. a child was wise...it is just an added liability because they have to try to protect the child and it is a weakness for an enemy to exploit. Even if she is not the witness, I just don't think a child fits into this type of ensemble for what they do. 

The acting was always weak to me on Sleepy Hollow, and that continues with the new characters.   I always felt they could have done more to build the Jenny/Icabod relationship and felt it was a better choice than Abbie/Icabod, which I think would hurt the show. They were better off as friends.  

[Frozendiva]

I watched it this evening. Didn't love it; didn't hate it. It was an okay hour's worth of entertainment.

The demons go to Washington. Kinda er, meta, in a way. And especially on Fox.

I too recognized Rachel Melvin as Chelsea from Days of Our Lives. The newbies do remind me of the 'fresh' folks for 'Arrow'. The season for that show has been very weak. Don't care for the new vigilantes/backup. But this is not 'Arrow'. A lot of exposition, but that's about it.

Found the blue-ish lighting for Dreyfuss distracting.

The Vault reminded me of Fox Mulder and the X Files basement. Home of the FBI's Most Unwanted. Lacking the charm.

Crane only has so much history to work with - George Washington basically being the head of the Founding Fathers version of the X Files was interesting.

Not hugely interested in Diana and her daughter. It really is too easy and obvious for the girl to be the new Witness - she does have some interesting abilities. But the show isn't one for subtlety.

What was inside the Lincoln Memorial head?

Might give it another shot next week. Still do like the character of Ichabod Crane.

[FiveByFive]

9 hours ago, Blackhoney said:

This idea that Ichabod is irreplaceable while Abbie is expendable, is why the show has suffered so.

Exactly. It's at the point where I watched out of curiousity but I simply don't trust the writers to handle anything in a way that makes sense while honoring the characters. 

I didn't entirely hate it but I realized that while I love Tom Mison and Lyndie Greenwood this show has been through so much from the beginning with so many changes that I have far too much baggage to continue on with it.

Jenny and Crane are the only two long running members of the cast at this point and I would have liked it they would have just had her become a witness upon Abby's death but I wouldn't be surprised at this point if they just killed her off to completely axe all ties with the previous iteration of the series. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was mentally preparing myself when I saw two of the old regulars in the opening credits and five new people. The episode wasn't horrible but they are clearly hitting a gigantic reset button and hoping that Crane and Jenny are enough to keep their viewers.

The writing on this show has been uneven for a long time. They've had funny moments and touching moments, but they've also had lame dialogue before now so I can't pretend that some of the crap ass writing in this episode is new. But I was able to tolerate more in the past because I was invested in the characters. Giving poorly written lines to a new character like Alex (especially when the actress is not particularly good) does not encourage me to keep watching.

My other issue is how unoriginal this all feels. Diana is pretty but uninteresting. The guy in the vault reminds me of Curtis on Arrow, fangirling over Crane and getting carried away when he geeks out. Alex is the cynical unbeliever who wants to blow things up (Hodgins on Bones, maybe?). The Vault reminded me of Warehouse 13. Jeremy Davies was so fun to watch on Justified but so far his character is just the stereotypical mwahaha bad guy.

Honestly, if this had been a pilot and I didn't already love Crane and Jenny, I probably wouldn't keep watching. I hope that Crane and Jenny's relationship will eventually stop being focused on how much they miss Abbie. Don't get me wrong - I think that Abbie's absence definitely needs to be addressed because it would be ridiculous if they never mentioned her again. She was a huge part of both of their lives and her death has left a gaping hole for both of them. But I always loved how respectful and gentle Crane is towards Jenny so somewhere down the line I would love to see some happy moments in their friendship instead of their shared mourning.

[Zipper]

At the end of last season, a poster predicted that the show would hire an Asian, Indian, or Pakistani woman in a lead role to counter accusations of a lack of diversity. Congrats on the accuracy.

I abandoned S3 about 8 episodes in because Pandora and THO bored me to tears. I just watched Ragnarok, and I think the number of months that passed, along with my ability to sit with Abbie's death allowed me to not hate it with a blinding fury.

But, this? This is BS. Goodbye, Sleepy Hollow. 

[TaurusRose]

Just curious...what is Lyndie Greenwood's placement in the credits?

[catrox14]

3rd

[Blackhoney]

In the past, I have praised Jenny’s ability to fit in with Ichabod and Abbie together and individually. But in the premiere, I was like this is ‘no bueno.’ Jenny and Crane have had good scenes in the past, like in “This is War” and “The Vessel,” but I believe these two together long term will be about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Sleepy Hollow’s writers are not interested in exploring characters now, only the demons. Moments of “just being” are routinely interrupted by ringing phones and text messages alerting them to another big bad. Don’t expect Jenny and Ichabod’s so called friendship to be explored, not in 13 episodes at least. Plus, from what I’ve read, Jenny and Diana will butt heads before eventually falling into a torrid lesbian relationship. (Haha, just kidding about the lesbian part) But basically, Diana will be Abbie 2.0 to Crane and Jenny. Just as Jenny and Abbie butted heads before making up, so will Jenn and Diane. Just as Abbie was originally unbelieving before she and Ichabod became besties, so will it be with Diana and Crane.

Expect personal stories to be put on the back burner. Folks who don’t want Jenny and Crane mourning will not get it. At best, Abbie will be mentioned in passing, just as she was in episode one. Demons, demons, demons. That’s what SH is about now… demons.

And yuck at the kid. Clifton Campbell said we’d see Ichabod’s paternal side explored with the child, and that was why Noble was bought back in, and to that, again, I say, YUCK. Like the above poster, kids all up in grown folks business is a huge turn off for me. I don’t care about Crane’s daddy issues. Hell, I don’t even care about Crane at this point. SH has just become the train wreck I can’t turn away from and don’t want to. lol

Edited January 8, 2017 by Blackhoney

[shanndee]

I look forward to reading your commentary Blackhoney! I have finally taken the show off of my PVR [for good this time! ;)].  I knew I was finished with the show when they sidelined the character of Abbie. Then TPTB made even more horrible decisions that resulted in the co-lead moving on.  However, in addition, the poor quality of the bits of the premiere that I paid attention to while it played as background noise convinced me that I really can turn way. Quite easily. Without regret.

But that first season was special to me, so, if you don't mind, I will keep vicarious tabs on the train wreck through all of you. :)

[cynic]

1 hour ago, Blackhoney said:

...

And yuck at the kid. Clifton Campbell said we’d see Ichabod’s paternal side explored with the child, and that was why Noble was bought back in, and to that, again, I say, YUCK. ....

Ugh. Focusing on the Crane Family Drama the first time was the worst choice the show ever made ( and there are a ton of bad choices competing for that title). I cannot believe they think this is a good idea. They are so incredibly out of touch with the show's viewers. That just shows that still, after everything's that happened, they believe that  Crane is the end all be all of Sleepy Hollow. They have no conception that he was one of many factors that all worked together to become greater than its constituent parts. So, over the seasons, they've gotten rid of Abbie, the Ichabbie chemistry and partnership, most of the mythology, the masons, Orlando Jones, Andy, Katrina in a proper tertiary role, Moloch, Headless, and even the atmospheric town of Sleepy Hollow itself with the juxtaposition of the quaint, the historic, and the batshit crazy that set the show apart. But sure, let's bring back the CFD. That's what people want!

[Blackhoney]

1 hour ago, shanndee said:

I look forward to reading your commentary Blackhoney! I have finally taken the show off of my PVR [for good this time! ;)].  I knew I was finished with the show when they sidelined the character of Abbie. Then TPTB made even more horrible decisions that resulted in the co-lead moving on.  However, in addition, the poor quality of the bits of the premiere that I paid attention to while it played as background noise convinced me that I really can turn way. Quite easily. Without regret.

But that first season was special to me, so, if you don't mind, I will keep vicarious tabs on the train wreck through all of you. :)

I don’t plan on watching Sleepy Hollow live on television. If they don’t make the episodes available for press viewing in advance, I won’t be reviewing anything, because I have no interest in actually watching the show. I only reviewed Columbia after reading the bogus review TVLine posted claiming Abbie would be making an appearance. I wanted to put that lie to rest so her fans would not be tricked into watching.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the ratings though because I’m just petty like that. LOL

56 minutes ago, cynic said:

Ugh. Focusing on the Crane Family Drama the first time was the worst choice the show ever made ( and there are a ton of bad choices competing for that title). I cannot believe they think this is a good idea. They are so incredibly out of touch with the show's viewers. That just shows that still, after everything's that happened, they believe that  Crane is the end all be all of Sleepy Hollow. They have no conception that he was one of many factors that all worked together to become greater than its constituent parts. So, over the seasons, they've gotten rid of Abbie, the Ichabbie chemistry and partnership, most of the mythology, the masons, Orlando Jones, Andy, Katrina in a proper tertiary role, Moloch, Headless, and even the atmospheric town of Sleepy Hollow itself with the juxtaposition of the quaint, the historic, and the batshit crazy that set the show apart. But sure, let's bring back the CFD. That's what people want!

In another post, I stated that I believe one of the reasons writers started focusing so heavily on Ichabod’s personal life in S1 is because of all the attention TM was getting for his excellent, and yes, well written portrayal of Ichabod Crane. I think TPTB thought the character would be their JR Ewing and that if they focused everything on him, they’d eventually be led to the ratings promise land. They forgot however what happened to Dallas after Bobby Ewing was killed (Google it).

Yes, Crane is/was an awesome character, but so was the supporting cast, and especially Abbie. They were the Bobby Ewing’s, and like JR, I don’t think Crane will be as interesting, endearing or tolerable without them.

But Sleepy’s biggest problem is that no one cares about the new ppl or want to. Does anyone even care about Crane anymore? Crane was a part of a family that consisted of Abbie, Jenny and Irving. They were his new family. These were the ppl who took in him and made him one of them. Hell, Abbie paid this broke-ass man’s bills for three years and never not once asked him to cough up so much as gas money.

The family has been gutted. They were linked via Abbie. She’s gone. Irving’s gone. At one point I thought Henry would become a part of the family, but he’s gone too, at least in the real world. Jenny and Crane have no link other than Abbie and with her gone, these two are practically strangers.

[mythoughtis]

I actually liked a good deal of this episode.   I really liked everyone except for the Dreyfuss Industries (or Company or INC) side.  I got  more of a season1 vibe out of this than I have the last couple of seasons.  I do wish that Jenny  was the second witness - would be much more logical to me.   Not sure how Molly is supposed to be one of Abbie and Jenny's relatives.  But I think I will like the Agent Thomas with a pre-teen witness angle.   

I like the vault - it reminds me of the underground area they were in for Season 1.  Now if we can just not have anyone like Katrina, Henry, Pandora and THO.  That's what bothers me about Dreyfuss - are we going to get stuck with that for the entire season? 

[bethy]

I had sworn to myself that I wouldn't watch the new season, but I caved and watched this episode. I actually enjoyed it. I liked the people, Jeremy Davies as crazy-guy aside. Jake was adorable and quirky girl didn't bother me too much. I was very glad to see Jenny, though. "I prefer Miss Badass."

I got a kick out of Crane trying to hide his origins from the new team - "I, uh, don't like musicals." And I loved this:

Jake: Oh! Because copper is the demon's kryptonite.

Crane: Or. because copper is the demon's weakness.

Jake: ...

Crane: Agent Thomas... Oh! 

Jake: It's... the same meaning.

Crane: Yeah, for Superman.

It cracked me up that Crane pronounced it Super-mun. (I reminded me of the Friends episode - Phoebe: Hey. Why isn't it Spiderman? You know, like Goldman, Silverman. Chandler: Because, it... it's not his last name.)

And actually I kind of like little pre-teen girl as new witness/Abbie.

[bros402]

I watched this on Saturday with my parents.

Today (Sunday), we were like "Huh, what did we watch yesterday?"

"I dunno, do you remember?"

"Nope."

"Huh."

After looking through the DVR to see what we deleted, we saw Sleepy Hollow.

Super forgetful is better than last season with all of its... head-scratching moments.

[Eneya]

I felt like watching Buffy... or Angel. In the sense of the overall campyness.
I cringed. I am out.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Eneya
typos

[proserpina65]

There were things I liked (the X-Files-ish office, Crane on the runway at the beginning mirroring the very first episode of SH, the Hamilton exchange) and things I didn't (the likelihood of a kid being the new witness).  And I'm not sold on the hair, either.  But overall, I enjoyed it enough to stick with it for another week at least.

[cynic]

I actually liked the hair. They should have taken this opportunity to update his wardrobe as well. Not one person in the new scooby gang thought his outfit was odd? Okay.

[Zipper]

I've thought this over, and my negative reaction to the episode is not so much about what transpired in it or even the reframing in location, focus, or co-stars.  My primary objection is:  they took away a full-grown woman, who had analytic, investigative, and intellectual skills; developed senses of compassion, empathy, and trust (with a healthy dose of skepticism); as well as wit, charm, and cunning; and in her capable stead, they gave us a 10-year old child. 

We spent three years hearing all about the witness bond, the importance of that above all else.  How is a parent/child relationship supposed to work in this dynamic?  Molly is a cute kid, but unless she has super powers (which would irk the shit out of me), what can she possibly add to the witness duo?  She's got mad drawing skills?

I get that there may be many reasons, with or without NB's desire to leave the show, to do a reset.  Maybe they honestly believe that TM is the center of the show, and they didn't know how to work around the incredible chemistry he had with NB.  True, TM would have some chemistry with a broom, but NB was a powerhouse as his partner.  So perhaps she took light from him that the Show wanted more focused.  I have no idea, and I'm done trying to read between the lines of their ridiculous interviews.  But the consequence of this change is a fundamental shift in what made this show so great for me-- a team, facing otherworldly challenges, where success or failure hung on their partnership and the strength they drew from it.

I like kids on TV.  Some much more than others (Trixie on Lucifer rocks).  But I am not the slightest bit interested in any further examination of IC's parental side.  The Jeremy story line was interesting, and could have been amazing had the Show not automatically proceeded from there to the disaster that was StruggleWitch and the CFD.  But that was certainly enough-- now IC has a partner that likely requires protection from all manner of things, risks that Abbie could handle alone or with her team.  We now apparently have a witness that, as an ordinary 10-year old, has a bedtime; should not watch PG-13 movies; and likely has an insufficient exposure to literature, history, or religion to assist in the kind of riddle/logic problem the witnesses routinely confront.  Gross, Show.