Sleepy Hollow – Delaware

By: Stacy Miller

With two episodes remaining until the season finale, “Sleepy Hollow” upped the ante with an episode that played out like a Greek tragedy containing a quest, immortality, battle with a God and (sadly) the death of a hero.

In the opening scene, viewers were treated with a light, fun moment courtesy of Ichabod (Tom Mison) who is making a cappuccino for Abbie (Nicole Beharie). When Abbie arrives, she tells Ichabod that she gave up coffee, but Ichabod reminds, “You were forced to abandon the pleasures of the caffeinated bean during your stay in the catacombs.” Abbie has a treat for Ichabod too, a tasty donut deemed “Mana from Heaven,” as Ichabod states happily before eating it. Ichabod’s caffeinated creation is a thing of beauty with a portrait of his face decorating the top no less. Almost too masterful to drink, Abbie doesn’t have a problem taking a sip and remarks how good it is. These are the moments of “Sleepy Hollow” I love because they make the characters normal despite their battle for humanity.

Next, we see Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) expressing her disapproval of working with Pandora (Shannyn Sossamon). Sophie (Jessica Camacho) backs Jenny, agreeing Pandora can’t be trusted. But Ichabod reminds that with time being of the essence they need to let bygones be bygones and work with Pandora, using all of their resources. Enter Daniel Reynolds (Lance Gross) all ready to join Team Witness and offer his help. As they are driving to the Delaware River, Ichabod comments that after the mission, Betsy Ross (Nikki Reed) was different.

Pandora explains that they only have eight hours until the sands of the hour glass run out and The Hidden One (Peter Mensah) will be all powerful. He will be taking the hour glass to Bear Mountain, which sits upon a focal point of ancient energy that he will use to amplify the forces held within the hour glass. When the sands run out, the forces will run with the greatest purity, making The Hidden One all powerful.

Meanwhile, Abbie and Ichabod arrive at the Delaware River and board their boat. “You do realize that if this doesn’t work we’re just two people sitting on a boat singing the anthem?” Abbie lines up the flag and proceeds to sing. Dawn’s early light hits the flag just right and they are now on the River Styx. Abbie and Ichabod talk about all the loss and death they’ve endured. When Abbie and Ichabod touch down on shore, they see the dead bodies of Washington’s crew.

In order to not confuse them with Team Witness and since she is providing information, I’m going to refer to the Pandora group of Jenny, Joe (Zach Appelman) Sophie and Reynolds as Team Pandora. So, Pandora tells Team Pandora that they will need to lay down spikes across the entire Bear Mountain with haste in order to create a disruption to The Hidden One and the hour glass.

Ichabod realizes that Washington crew was sabotaged from an insurgent aboard the boat who slaughtered the entire regiment, except Betsy and Washington. But Ichabod keeps remembering that Betsy was different and continues to wonder whether the Betsy who went on Washington’s mission to the catacombs was the same Betsy who came back. Abbie and Ichabod search the dead soldiers for a compass or map. “Dead men really do tell no tales,” Ichabod remarks. Suddenly, one of the dead soldier attacks him. “Zombies again,” Abbie realizes. It seems the zombie soldier was wearing a dark magic charm that helped him to become something non-human.

The Hidden One senses Team Pandora and creates a natural ambush. Pandora’s compass is destroyed, but Jenny remembers Ichabod’s gift to her of Washington’s old maps that indicate all the location of lay lines in which to place the spikes. Joe volunteers to go to Jenny’s motor home to retrieve the map and then text the information back. However, Joe is sidetracked at the motor home by the arrival of Ezra Mills (James McDaniel).

Reynolds orders Jenny to keep an eye on The Hidden One. Excuse me, when did Daniel Reynolds become in charge? And Pandora goes to the top of Bear Mountain to The Hidden One to give Team Pandora time. Anyway, Jenny is caught by The Hidden One and he punishes her. Cryptically, he says, “I know well the value mortals place on love. Let me take yours and turn it into pain.” Joe begins to experience a stabbing pain in his chest and orders Mr. Mills to run.

“The man you love is now and will remain forever more a beast,” The Hidden One tells Jenny. And with that, back at the motor home, Joe turns into the Wendigo! Ezra Mills tries to escape via his car, but Wendigo Joe trashes it. Fortunately, Jenny arrives. She tries quietly talking to Joe inside the beast. When that doesn’t work, Jenny shoots the Wendigo with a tracking bullet. Later, Ezra Mills admits that Abbie and Jenny weren’t the only ones keeping secrets. He knows about the supernatural. Another person that has been keeping secrets is Daniel Reynolds, who admits to Sophie that he was charged by his superiors to keep an eye on Abbie. Cut to Ichabod and Abbie entering a secret chamber in the catacombs where they find a dead Betsy Ross.

Ezra Mills tells Jenny he has known about the supernatural since before Abbie and Jenny were born. He also knew August Corbin and Nevins. Great show! And props to the brilliant writers for tying all these characters together. Ezra gives Jenny a special blade to use, but she’ll need to get Joe’s blood on it. She’ll also need to recite an incantation. Fortunately, Jenny knows it. And if that fails, Ezra gives Jenny and weapon that can bring anything supernatural down, but warns it packs a punch.

Back with Team Witness, Ichabod wants to say some words for the dearly departed Betsy, but Abbie tells him that won’t work. Betsy is not dead!

When the Wendigo finds them, Jenny slices it with the knife and says the incantation. But that doesn’t work and the Wendigo proceeds to attack her and then Ezra. To save her father from the Wendigo, Jenny shoots it! Joe reverts back to human form. “It’s okay, you had to,” he says. Then, Joe dies!

The Hidden One stops the spikes from working and gets the power of the hour glass. Now, humanity will die he tells Pandora.

Betsy explains to Ichabod and Abbie that she and Washington retrieved the Eye of Provenance, but she became trapped when she got greedy for more of the chambers’ marvels. When she couldn’t get out, Pandora accepted her fate, but the magic in the chamber must have kept her alive. She wants to hear news of the war. “We must be well into the new year,” Betsy says. “What new year?” Abbie asks. “1776,” Betsy replies.

Betsy is now a female Ichabod, how will she adapt to being in the future? Will The Hidden One destroy humanity or being defeated by Team Witness? Will Jenny survive Joe’s death? The season finale is next week and I can’t wait!