WARNING: THESE SPOILERS ARE BEWITCHING!!
Just when I was worried about source material to keep Sleepy Hollow fresh, I was thrown a curve ball. Even though it’s the second episode, things are getting interesting. Again, I call the ball on the show tapping into the Salem Witch trials. This episode has a witch, who was burned at the stake, come back to life to begin the dark designs that will bring about the Apocalypse. She hunts down the descendants of the Mastery who called for her execution. As Ichabod and Mills look for a way to stop, they find files in Sheriff Corbin’s desk that refers to two separate witch covens that existed in Sleepy Hollow. This finding is accompanied by the fact that Ichabod points out that the remains of convicted witches were buried in an underground passage. This also opens up the potential of looking into other urban legends, both known and forgotten. And we might a get a little history lesson along the way as this point also pulls back the sheets on what can only be undiscovered territory regarding the Salem Witch Trials.
Ichabod, as expected, is still trying to assimilate into the 21st century. With help from Abbie Mills via post-it notes, he learns about the strange devices of the modern world. It was interesting to see him get spooked when he turned on the shower when last he remembers he bathed in a metal basin, or pick up an object such as a hair dryer and look at it with the curiosity of a child. One moment is when he throws a fit for the price of a sandwich and then goes into how things were in his day, reminding us of grandpa’s ‘back-in-my-day’ stories. And as if dealing with modern devices weren’t bad enough, Crane might now have to contend with Abbie’s ex-lover, who has it out for Crane as it appears that jealous may be playing a role in this. I see more altercations between these two as the series progresses.
You just can’t keep a good man down…even if you killed him already. The Dark Master resurrects Adam Dunn and tasks him with awakening the witch Sarilda. Why did I have this feeling that this was going to happen? For the show, it makes sense. The Dark Master needs a gopher to gather the Dark Ones and what better person than someone who is already dead. No one would suspect a dead man which will definitely complicate things should he have a run in with Ichabod or Abbie. That almost happened while Abbie and Ichabod were on the hunt for the witch. I’m curious to see how much Dunn’s role as the Dark Master’s servant plays out.
Just as Ichabod Crane is having trouble adjusting to the modern world, Abbie Mills is struggling to make sense of the supernatural world that is slowly starting to encompass Sleepy Hollow. It starts with Captain Irving telling her that Adam Dunn committed suicide by ramming his head into the cell wall thus breaking his neck. Mills is forced to ignore her belief of what she saw, being forced to choose her job over what she feels. This brings back the doubts she has about Crane when they first met and what they have uncovered so far. Even Crane’s subtlety is not enough to get her back on track with the case and her destiny. When asked by Crane, Mills, hesitantly, tells him more about her and her sister’s strange encounter in the woods and her relationship with Sheriff Corbin who set on the path to become a police officer. Still, she cannot grasp the matter at hand despite all the evidence left by George Washington. As the episode progresses, it seems that Mills is slowly coming but she is still having trouble near the show’s end. She is visited by the spirit of Sheriff Corbin who advises her to accept her destiny and herself, to stop denying who she is. Following her otherworldly experience, Sheriff Corbin became a father figure for Abbie when she went astray and got into trouble. It was natural for her to look to him for advice, even in death. Abbie will continue to have a hard time with the supernatural happenings around her even more now that the one person she can find comfort in is now longer at her side. I also see her perhaps at some point beginning to lean on Crane. Not a whole lot but it’s a start.
