I’m going to talk about the latest episode of Sleepy Hollow, Mama. This is your spoiler warning in case you haven’t seen the episode before reading this post. I WILL RUIN IT FOR YOU!
I’m sweet like that.
Is the episode title supposed to be underlined, in italics or just in quotation marks? I’m never really sure. I was using quotation marks but, this week, I’m putting it in italics. I wonder if it should actually be Sleepy Hollow, “Mama” instead?
This week Henry tries to who-do (?) his mother, Katrina, by scolding her about her unmotherly instincts only, he flips that table on himself after watching her interact with Baby Moloch. Turns out she has great motherly instinct, a discovery that hurts Henry. Why did she abandon him if she had the will and fortitude to be a mother, his mother? He didn’t say any of that, mind you, that’s just my interpretation of his reaction to seeing Katrina cuddle Baby Moloch. I felt for him.
I didn’t get the significance of Baby Moloch turning Katrina’s skin that hellish green/black color but I’m assuming it was just a telltale sign for Katrina to know she was being tricked into nurturing Baby Moloch. She may be the oldest woman alive but she’s not only incredibly smart, she’s quick! Can she go through with ending Toddler Moloch’s life here on Earth with her homemade poison? I’m guessing from the previews for next week, seeing what appeared to be a Teenaged Moloch, the answer isn’t an immediate ‘yes’. Who could blame her?
Sick Ichabod is funny Ichabod. He may have fought through dysentery to fight in the war but we all know, the common cold is a mighty and formidable opponent! Abbie calling Hawley to come help save the day did feel a bit more fitting this time OR the dude is growing on me. I dunno, but he’s here and does add an interesting dynamic to the show. Maybe we should start calling him Mr. Soup.
This episode dealt with the darkest side of Tarrytown, the local mental hospital. Abbie and Jenny’s mother died there. Jenny spent many a year living there. Irving is currently calling the hospital home. Henry wheels and deals in the soul business there. Tarrytown, for all intents, is almost a character of the show just as Abbie and Ichabod are. A series of unexplained suicides brings Abbie back to the hospital this week, having earned the trust of Sheriff Reyes following her part in bringing down a cult. Abbie and Jenny are thrown for a loop when they recognize their mother, back from the dead, in the rooms when the suicides take place.
Seeing their emotions twist and turn throughout the episode touched a chord in me. For a moment I forgot I was watching a scripted drama and just … watched. I felt this episode could have easily been a two-parter to allow a bit more time for the story to unfold rather than rushing it in spots to fit within the time slot. Still, this one felt more than just your generic monster of the week. This was not only Abbie’s mama but an understanding of and connection to their past which, for me, rolls easily into the present to explain the drive and determination both Abbie and Jenny possess in spades.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … I want to see MORE CAPTAIN IRVING! His scenes with the ghastly nurse just weren’t enough. He should be featured just as much, if not more, than Mr. Soup (Hawley)!!!
Anyway, Abbie and Jenny’s mom wasn’t crazy. She was trying to fight for her daughter’s lives, to protect them from Moloch. She saved Abbie from Nurse Crazy and helped them to understand why she ‘went crazy’ when the kids were little. I hope this will go a long way in helping to heal the hurt between Abbie and Jenny. Things were stacked against them and well beyond their control long before they could grasp the concept. Fated. This episode, the ending with the séance and Irving’s ‘break out’ felt like the end of a chapter. New escapades ahead!
Could you feel the emotion when Abbie and Jenny were crying, talking to their mother? What would you do in Katrina’s shoes? Team Irving? Let me know in the comments!