In Which I Review Sleepy Hollow (3x3)

Can a weapon in the hands of just anyone--a regular and random Joe or Jane--still be a weapon? Or is it the person that makes the difference? See, I would argue the latter more than the former. A knife in the hand of a sociopath is a weapon; a knife in the hand of someone who does not revel in bloodlust and destruction is just a tool that can be easily placed aside and not cause any sort of malevolent harm. Sleepy Hollow went a decidedly different route--almost a bit too Once Upon a Time, if we're drawing parallels--this week as the show pulled out a Byzantine dagger that has the power to turn anyone into a Ripper. Yes, as in Jack the. Turns out, Jack was just a victim of the devious cutlery. In this week's episode, "Blood and Fear," a terror from Ichabod's past came back to haunt the little sleepy town (pun!) and our show began to open up the Pandora mystery and reveal what lies beneath the dark eyed witch. Oh and Ichabod wants to become an American citizen so grab your American flag and place your hand over your heart as Mr. Crane prepares to tangle with the United States government--good luck with that, Ichy dear. 

As expected, Pandora isn't just here to stir up trouble for the sake of having trouble stirred up. She-of-the-black-dress has an agenda and it appears to be rather personal in nature; specifically, Pandora knows all about Ichabod's past and is going to use that against Team Witnesses to achieve her goal, whatever that may be. Let's pause here and think about whether or not Pandora is succeeding as a villain thus far. Granted, it's only three episodes into the season so it's hard to get a solid read, but it doesn't hurt to start exploring if the narrative is a success. On the whole, I find that Pandora is more present than Moloch (season one's villain) was. Molcoh may have been locked away in Purgatory, but the season in question was largely about the idea of evil seeping into Sleepy Hollow much to the surprise of a time traveler colonial and a pragmatic cop. Season two's villain was obviously Jeremy and while the narrative admittedly went slightly off the rails in the second half of the season, Jeremy/Henry was openly scary and very present in the first half of the story; moreover, his familial connection to Ichabod made for a deliciously meaty father versus son storyline. Katrina was the final villain and that particular menace was brief, expected, and driven more by the character's total lack of connection and chemistry with her co-characters and the modern world in which she found herself. In other words, Moloch was a minor success; Jeremy a larger one; Katrina both a success and not. Where does that leave us with Pandora? I like that she's got a personal bent; the second tribulation isn't just about bringing about the Apocalypse or having Death roam around the countryside (remember she sucked Headless up into her handy dandy box) but it seems to be a lot more mano a mano. It's directly against the Witnesses instead of being against the world with Team Witnesses getting caught in the cross hairs. With that said, I still don't know what Pandora wants. Yes, it's clearly personal (a plus) but it's so vague at present that it makes it a little more than frustrating. Thus far, every week has had the same pattern: Pandora, hidden in the shadows, calls forth some sort of great evil from her box. The evil goes after Ichabod and Abbie with the intent of taking down Team Witnesses only to fail. Meanwhile, Pandora scopes out the scene in her modern wear and stalks Ichabbie. What is intriguing (let us say) is that Pandora's failures don't upset her; there are no hissy fits when her henchman are taken down. She just pulls out another monster from her box of toys and tries again. Pandora is either infinitely patient or is just playing with the Witnesses and has something bigger and badder planned. At any rate, hint at it a bit faster Sleepy Hollow because while I like patterns, it won't be long before it feels a bit rote.

Speaking of, how are Team Witnesses fairing this week? Well, they are breaking my heart so there's that. Abbie cradling Ichabod's bleeding and broken body and begging him to stay with her? Yeah, right in the heart and feels, y'all. There was some sad whimpering going on during that particular scene. These two really have hit their proper stride, right? They now move seamlessly as they work together. The handling of the case of the week is like a well oiled machine at this point. Look at how they instantly know how to tackle a situation--from Ichabod's research skills to Abbie's technological savvy and her connections within the FBI, there is no hesitation. They spring into action whenever Team Witnesses are needed. Where Ichabod goes, Abbie follows. Where Abbie goes, Ichabod follows. But more than that, they are truly best friends, connecting in a way that is more than cosmic and Biblical. Ichabod and Abbie rely on each other and have each others back no matter the cost. Abbie now knows that Pandora will target her because of how close Abbie is her to co-Witness but she's willing to face that, head on. Abbie will sit by his bedside and watch over a Malaria infected Ichabod (get better soon, Sunshine!) because to do otherwise is be alone and that is just not how Team Witnesses roll. In other words, Team Witnesses: Represent! And as for Ichabod, well, he's just "most grateful that you and I have found one another once again." Yup. Right in the feelings.

Miscellaneous Notes on Blood and Fear

--What is up with Pandora and her rose bush? What does each rose signify?

--Okay, while I'm sure that the subplot of Jenny and Joe is going to be brought to the A plot sooner rather than later, I'm content to just let this pass under my eyes without thinking it through too much right now. I do really love Miss Jenny standing on her own, though.

--Ichabod grandstanding at the top of the episode was pretty awesome. Love when Ichabod rails against the modern American systems.

--"Ichabod Crane, American. I like the sound of that." Me too, Abbie. Me too.

--Very nice fight sequence between Ichabod and the Ripper.

--I will never say no to an Ichabbie fist bump!