Sleepy Hollow Season 2 Episode 1 Review: This is War

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What a mind frak!

If you were confused at the start of Sleepy Hollow Season 2 Episode 1 about how Abbie and Ichabod were together fighting evil one year after the events of Sleepy Hollow Season 1 Episode 13, then you haven't been paying attention. {{{Gulp}}} Guilty.

There are two things we can count on while watching Sleepy Hollow:

  1. Ichabod will always tickle us with his Ichabodisms (his brilliant quips about his time and place).
  2. The writers will find any way they can to throw us off course and keep our minds sharp.

We were given quite a jumble to unravel for the premiere! Ichabod's son Henry had messed with the minds of Ichabod and Abbie so that they thought they had lost people the loved (Jenny and Katrina) a year past, but it was all a brilliant setup to prod them into revealing where the key to Purgatory was hidden.

To be honest, I was wondering if we might be experiencing the same type of scenario as we did with Outlander this past weekend, and would slowly unravel the events of the last year via flashbacks. Nope. I was also a little confused if, while encased in the coffin, Ichabod was in communication with Abbie in Purgatory. 

Was he able to communicate with her merely because of their unique connection as Witnesses or did he really have a secret door he could enter as his mind saw fit? It's really no matter; but it's also fun to ascertain what your eyes saw that mine did not.

Henry knows that it doesn't take much for Ichabod to share tales of his life, so he used his daddy to learn a thing or two about where the key to Ghenna (Purgatory) was hidden. Is there anyone Ichabod didn't know or work alongside during the era in which he originated?

This week we learned Ichabod was an apprentice to Ben Franklin (against his will and at that of George Washington) when Ben was conducting his experiments about electricity. It turns out electricity was merely the byproduct of fighting evil!

The key Ben used was the key to Purgatory. The Founding Fathers were really in it up to their eyeballs in the apocalypse, right? The inventive nature of the writing team and their willingness to use things we have taken for granted for centuries to build their tale is to be commended.

If Ben hadn't been hell-bent (pun intended!) on keeping evil at bay, we'd all still be reading by candlelight. I never did read the ginormous biography I bought on Ben Franklin; Ichabod sure made him seem unpleasant and a bit whacked. Maybe I should pop it out after all. Did he really experiment in the nude a la air baths?

I hope nobody gets upset at the revisionist history created to craft Ichabod's life story, because one of the brilliant things about it is that the stories pique your interest in historical figures. If it sends someone to the net to learn more or provokes them to pick up a book, bravo. Job well done!

While Abbie and Ichabod were otherwise occupied, Jenny was being held by Henry Parrish; Katrina was in the clutches of Abraham AKA The Headless Horseman AKA the Horseman of Death; Brooks was in Purgatory still retaining his humanity and being inspired by Abbie to grasp onto life (so he'll likely be back) and Abbie was in full control of her ability to determine the true identity of her friend, even when faced with two Ichabods.

Did anyone truly catch what went down with the two Ichys before Abbie lopped one of their heads off? I was so busy taking notes that I most certainly did not. I feel somehow ashamed and also happy that it's Abbie who is tasked with saving the world and not me. I cannot see the forest through the trees!

Henry's abilities as a sineater essentially make him a mind reader. That wasn't as clear as it was when he announced he could read sins of omission in the palms of his subjects. Hell, anything he asks that you choose not to tell is a lie, and therefore a sin of omission that he can read. That makes him a lot more powerful than I thought.

The lesson: Keep your hands palms down when walking around Henry Parrish.

With his new War suit of armor, his mortal body is protected and he'll be able to run around Sleepy Hollow and wreak havoc. It will be interesting to see his limitations, i.e., can he see through the armor well enough to read sins? I wonder if our team will be able to determine straight away that he's commanding the suit. Who am I kidding. Of course.

It was a fun romp and a wonderful reintroduction to the characters we learned to love last year. Welcome back to Sleepy Hollow!  

Be sure to tell us what you thought about the premiere, where you hope it goes from here and remember, if you missed it or need a primer on past installments, you can watch Sleepy Hollow online via TV Fanatic!

This is War Review

Editor Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0 (56 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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Sleepy Hollow Season 2 Episode 1 Quotes

[to his cell phone] If I do not survive, Lieutenant, I want you to know that I never stopped
fighting. [error - memory full] And, none of that recorded. Wonderful!

Ichabod

Is there no end to this birthday madness?

Ichabod