“This is merely the opening salvo,” says Ichabod Crane at the end of this second season premiere. Sleepy Hollow returned to our TV screens in grand fashion, acting as more of a wrap up to last season’s cliffhangers than anything else. That’s not a knock, mind you, it turned out to be more of a necessity.
At the end of season one, all of our favorite characters were waist deep in it. Frank Irving was arrested for a crime he’s innocent of; Jenny was in a car crash that left her looking like she could be dead; Katrina was in the clutches of the Horseman of Death now revealed to be Ichabod’s former BFF, Abraham; Abbie was stuck in Purgatory; and Ichabod had been buried alive by his son, Henry Parrish (John Noble dining delectably on all the scenery), who was also revealed to be the second Horseman of Death. Whew! Got it? Good! Go! And off we went in this premiere.
Sleepy Hollow is a show that succeeds on a couple of key ingredients: The bromantic chemistry between Ichabod (Tom Mison) and his leftenant companion, Abbie (Nicole Beharie); writers who are self-aware enough to poke fun at their own tropes but not parody themselves (Ichabod’s using the term “leftenant” serving a major plot moment, the hugging that actually turns out to be a duplicitous ruse); and sheer momentum of the plot (how many other shows would have left Abbie in Purgatory for at least three episodes?). This episode resolved three out of five plot threads from last season’s finale, making it feel like a continuation rather than leaping over a break. Even the illusion/dream beginning few minutes (which went just long enough to make you think they might actually jump ahead a full year and deprive you of all the good payoff) felt, on the one hand, like a way to tell you, “we know what you think of us but we’re really going to be better than that” and served a bigger purpose: Catching up any new audience members while introducing this episode’s MacGuffin, the Gehenna Key.
The writers have the structure of this show well oiled. There’s a thing that Ichabod and Abbie need to get. The thing ties into Ichabod’s past. We get to know something new about him (please, for the love of Pete, let there be a lot more scenes this season between Ichabod and the man he served as an apprentice to, Benjamin Franklin!), they get the thing that resolves an immediate crisis and hints as a bigger season long threat. A beginning, middle, and end for each episode that leaves the audience feeling like ground was gained but still leaving room for the overarching serialized effect. And they’ll do it while Ichabod learns of the madness that is a surprise birthday party.
Could you quibble about jumps in logic according to the laws of the world we live in? Sure. What’s a little harder to argue with is the fact that the show adheres to logic it has established. It’s a logic and a tone that they respect, exploit, and continue to evolve. Hence, Ichabod’s battle with the smartphone that can’t get reception in his coffin, can’t record his last words because it’s memory is full (“And none of that recorded. Wonderful.”) and crashing in to rescue Jenny in an ambulance that he can’t actually drive properly. When Jenny saw him in that front seat, gave him that “WTF?” look and Ichabod shrugged, I could not help smiling. This is what surprisingly charmed and outwitted the cynics who pride themselves on plot nitpicking last season. “The impossible is our reality,” says Ichabod, and that’s really the motto of this show. You either accept it on its terms or you don’t, but either way the show has no time or interest in apologizing for itself. Moloch’s trying to get out of Purgatory with an army of undead redcoats and Abbie and Ichabod have to stop him at every turn! Let’s roll out!
It wasn’t a season premiere without its faults. The cuts to Katrina’s predicament felt like the least important part of the episode. I couldn’t figure out what those scenes provided that this episode really needed. If they felt comfortable leaving Frank and his wrongfully accused storyline out of the premiere then they could have done the same with Katrina. Save it all for the next episode. “This is War” had its hands full already. While the momentum is fantastic it does rob us of the emotional impact of the more dramatic and character-driven moments of the show. Also, because of such a big plot to has out this season it was never really in doubt whether Abbie was going to make it out of Purgatory or not. This show’s more about the journey than the destination.
Honestly though, that’s minor quibbling on an otherwise extremely enjoyable return for this genre darling. Sleepy Hollow retains the surprisingly clever story building, fantastic chemistry of its leads, well timed laughs, and adds a new layer to its mythos in Benjamin Franklin and The Hellfire Club. Welcome back, we’ve missed you! Is it Monday night again, yet?
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
-Shirtless Headless Horseman for those of you with a decapitation fetish.
-Did Moloch just create his own version of The Destroyer from the “Thor” comics? And if he did, does that kind of make Henry the Loki of this show? ‘Cause I’m cool with that.
-Jenny needs to start pulling her weight on the team. Teach Ichabod how to drive!
-Will all that “training” Ichabod claims to remember from the missing year be retained?
-Anybody else want a t-shirt with the Headless Horseman holding a hand grenade on it?
-Moloch really doesn’t sweat when his plans fall through. Got to hand it to him, he’s not a sore loser.
[Lead image via]
The Dude Recaps "Sleepy Hollow": Season 2, Episode 1
