Alright, Sleepy Hollow. This was a much needed step in a better direction. It might be a small step, but I'll take it. After last week's incredibly lackluster and dull affair in which Abbie was shunted to one side and Katrina took up the part of Ichabod's partner, I was starting to worry that the show had forgotten what made it a success in the first place. Make no mistake that it was not the mythology nor the plot nor the campy goodness; it has always been the electric chemistry of Abbie and Ichabod. Not only did the show make an effort to bring that back to the forefront, but in a nice turn of events it had Ichabbie actually talk about their bond and how it was being tested and what it means for them. That was the positive part of this weeks episode, "Kali Yuga." The rest? Well, problematic and a bit too campy in some areas. But then Ichabod and Abbie sang "Proud Mary" so we're all good. Onward!
I hate to be that girl, but I don't particularly care about Hawley. His development since we met the man has been rather one note and one dimensional. He is basically a modern twenty first century Ichabod, a rogue thrill seeker. This is why he rubs Ichabod the wrong way at first. His secondary purpose seems to have been to come between the Mills women as a potential love interest to both, though since the first half of the season ended, Hawley has not been as persistent towards Abbie as he once was. The writers might have been clued in that the fandom was reacting rather negatively toward this and so they thrust Hawley and Jenny back together and let them do the dance of "will they, won't they" except that--as usual--I don't have amnesia, so I can remember when Hawley was blowing Jenny off. In short, getting a sudden expositional back story into Nick Hawley's life isn't exactly something I was yearning for because his character has only ever served minor a minor purpose. Would you believe that he had a rough childhood? I know, shocking. Ichabod had a hard father; Abbie and Jenny were haunted by a demon and Katrina is...well, Katrina. So when it turns out that Hawley was raised by his godmother who was a treasure hunter and attracted to the dark arts, I was not surprised.
Quick aside but, man, was Carmilla annoying. The actress was trying to chew through the scenes but came across as some sort of seductress who was trying to get it on with her stand-in-son. Maybe that's part of the consequence of being dead and selling your soul to Kali, Hindu goddess of death and regeneration, but I could do without the sexual undertones
. As is the norm on this show, the plot was about a million different things at once, but mainly Creepy Carmilla wanted a statue so that she could...what, exactly? Turn Nicky into an undead Vitala along with her other undead man army? I mean, she set up this entire con plot just for that? Oh and we got some lessons on Fort Knox and the Knox Family. Go with it. It's the plot that we don't really care about because there was some delicious Ichabbie happening.
See, this is what I like about Sleepy Hollow. It's like the writers knew what the criticism of last weeks episode would be and chose to address it in the following week. Abbie and Ichabod are having a rough go of it as late. They used to be a well oiled machine; the perfect partners in spite of the fact that one of them is over 200 years old and has a tendency to wax poetically about simpler times when there was no running water. Maybe their bond was easier "back then." Katrina was locked away in Purgatory; Molcoh was the big bad that they knew instead of random big bads popping up every other week. And, first and foremost, they talked about everything. If there was a decision to be made, they made it together. Now there are decisions on both sides that only one person made. Abbie chose to keep Orion's sigil just in case she ever needed him and Ichabod chose to let Abraham go even though Abbie disagreed. As Ichabod says, their bond is being sorely tested. What unites Abbie and Ichabod? It's not love--well, not romantic love. It's friendship, but one that was born out of a common cause to stop the monsters. If that cause is potentially no longer there, given that there is no BIG BAD right now, then what holds them together? It's a friendship that needs to be redefined. They aren't just friends when the demons come knocking at the door; they need to be partners in all things, even when they disagree. Which means sometimes, you gotta put down your hair, do a few shots of whiskey, and sing "Proud Mary" in front of a crowd of strangers. More karaoke, please! Can you imagine Katrina doing this? The answer is no. There's a reason Katrina is absent from both of these moments in the bar--this is not her world, she does not belong. Ichabod made this new world his, thanks to Abbie, but Katrina can't do that. She's stuck in the life she wanted, not the one she got. And I must say after her little seance with Frank tonight, I am even more suspicious that she's got some sort of ulterior motive. Those were some sneaky looks she was giving the Irvings.
Miscellaneous Notes on Kali Yuga
--Both Tom Mison and Nicole Behrie have excellent singing voices.
--"Perhaps I should have done the one about being all about that bass." Sweet mercy, yes.
--There were a hilarious amount of "Sons of Liberty" name drops this episode. It amuses me since the History channel is currently airing "Sons of Liberty" staring Michael Raymond-James (Nealfire)
--Love the teamwork moves of Abbie and Ichabod taking down one Vitala at a time
--Bye-bye Hawley. I'm sure he'll be back, but one can hope not.
--Um. Ending? What?
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