Last night’s episode of FOX’s Sleepy Hollow, “And the Abyss Gazes Back”, is up for discussion here so if you haven’t seen it, this is your spoiler warning. I’m enjoying the show and look forward to watching it every Monday evening but, well, I have some complaints.
Ever wonder what the bullet list for an episode of Sleepy Hollow looks like? I imagine it looks something like this:
- Abbie introduces another modern thing to Ichabod. He complains.
- Demonic creature
- Curse and or incantation. Bonus for both.
- Historical figure
- Religious reference
- Henry tries to hurt mom and or dad. Bonus for both.
- Townsperson that is connected to Abbie
- Abbie saves the day
That pretty much sums up most every episode of Sleepy Hollow, no? Don’t get me wrong, it works I suppose, given that I’m still tuning in every week. Something’s missing, I think, and that something is depth. One of the most fascinating characters on the show, for me, is Henry. So many facets, so much to draw from and yet here lately he’s coming across as an angry little boy playing tricks on his mean ole’ parents. Henry is SO MUCH MORE than that! Was it last week that Moloch got on to him for being to one-sighted when it comes to Ichabod and Katrina when he’s just a soldier of Moloch? I’m hoping we see that fester in Henry, that he’ll resent Moloch in a very tangible way that leaves everyone reeling in its wake! Then he can get back to punishing his parents.
Last night we met Corbin’s son, Joe, who’d recently been honorably discharged from the Marines for eating his platoon. Basically. Henry used the bone flute to curse poor Joe into becoming a Wendigo, telling him he could cure the curse for a price. The price was a rare and evil poison Joe’s father had buried in a box somewhere in or around Sleepy Hollow. The poison was needed so he could get a poisonous spider down Katrina’s throat while she slept. I wonder if the spider was Moloch-sanctioned or another ‘Henry is mad at his parents’ thing.
Speaking of Henry, when he burst into the archives to get Joe to give him the poison, why did he bring to men with guns? Why does Henry need body guards? Dude can barely wag his finger at a bed and cause it to erupt into flames. Why were the gunmen even there??
Back to the Wendigo …
Daniel I-wear-a-rodent-on-my-head Boone had a brother, Squire, who was thought to be suffering from PTSD (Ichabod had a different term for this condition). He was actually afflicted with the Algonquian (?) curse that caused him to morph into a wendigo and eat human organs in order to turn back. Hawley, the morally corrupt dealer of all things old and powerful, was brought in, again, to help find a cure for the curse. I see where Hawley is going, why he’s there. Jenny has the hots for Hawley who, in turn, has the hots for Abbie, thereby causing more contention between the two sisters. Right?
Sigh.
This episode had its moments. Seeing Ichabod giving yoga a try wasn’t as funny as watching him rage out over a video game or mixing up Spider Man and Super Man. Jealous Jenny was there. Frank was, too and the phone call to Abbie, telling her she better do something fast (so to speak) could lead to serious awesomeness in the future. Unless they continue to write episodes from a bullet list rather than going for depth. I want more depth! Ichabod realizing that he loves Henry and Joe telling him to tell his son just that, that could lead to the depth I’m missing!
Last week when Katrina and Abbie were holding hands and trying to break the curse on Ichabod’s former fiance’, it felt like they were in danger, that the curse broke just in time. Tonight, breaking the wendigo curse … I felt no danger there at all. Mr. Wendigo Beast just stood there and waited for it to happen, basically. Wasted potential.
Thoughts on the show? Am I being overly critical of a show that takes pride in not taking itself too seriously? That is what makes this show work, really. Let me know in the comments!