So time travel… this could be so messy
And we open with a fight, Ichabod fighting in the
Revolutionary war, doing lots of killing and leading his men and looking for
magical Hessians when he gets a report that the imprisoned Abbie wants to speak
to him. She’s been smart enough to seed her demand with some clues on his
mission so he would know it’s important.
Awkward meeting time in which Abbie confuses Crane with
slang and tries to convince him she’s right (see, a little time travel doesn’t
change that much!) She wants to get out, he quotes the law at him to which she
snaps back that she’s been held without any legal principles because, at this
time, she has no legal rights. Crane starts to leave so Abbie adds that the
Horseman has an ally – and predicts a note that he was just handed
Meanwhile evil Katrina is in the infirmary looking for
Ichabod – when she hears that Abbie has called him away from the battle.
Ichabod takes Abbie to the aftermath where Abbie
continues to tell him all about the obvious signs of the horseman (in between
handing out some basic medical knowledge). She continues to slam him with
knowledge and then hits him with the time travel whammy and realising that, by
taking Ichabod from the battlefield and his confrontation with the horseman,
she’s just changed history.
Of course, Ichabod can’t just abandon the battlefield on
his own whim and is duly dressed down for it. Ichabod wonders what will happen
to Abbie and is told to “buy” her, Abbie’s expressive eyes speak volumes. Ichabod
suggests he can interrogate her, inferring she’s an enemy agent - but his
commanding officer wants to throw her in an encampment for runaway slaves and
has Ichabod escort her. Ichabod also gets a warning that he’ll be shot next
time he deserts. I don’t think his commander likes him much
To the carriage (which Abbie does not approve of) and
Abbie thanking Ichabod for going out on a limb for her with wants-to-shoot-him
commander. Time for Ichabod to ask questions and see if Abbie can prove she’s
from 2015, alas she tells the story of Ichabod and Katrina. Bah. She finally
decides she needs back up of people who know more about the infernal forces –
the founding fathers. The only one nearby is Franklin. Ichabod has never liked
Franklin
Over to evil Katrina finding the not-yet-headless
horseman who is looking for Ichabod to slice and dice. She wants to recruit him
in her quest to kill Ichabod and Abbie, yes she’s gone full on evil. I do hope
Abbie kills her. She kills a random soldier with magic to ensure they’re not
overheard. Yes she has competent magic while evil too; if she were still good
that much power would make her faint and Abbie eye-roll at least once.
Back to our protagonists with Abbie pointing out which
historic buildings will become Starbucks (all of them). And she scandalises the
locals by wearing trousers.
Thankfully, Franklin is very eager to receive them – as Ichabod said before, he’s a shameless self-promoter and horribly vain and Abbie can tell him lots of things about how remembered he is and how many of his ideas are implemented. It also helps that he has heard of the grand grimoire and the power it had, including time travel.
When she and Franklin are alone, she reveals that the witch out to kill them is Katrina and Franklin reveals the plan they must have – reverse the time travel spell which, in turn, will reverse everything Abbie did. For that they need to consult an expert; Grace Dixon, Abbie’s ancestor. She also wants to tell Ichabod the truth, because she and Ichabod have learned the cost of secrets, but Franklin vetoes it.
Before they can set off the Horseman arrives – and beheads
Franklin. Now they have to change the timeline back, they just got a founding
father killed. At least he dropped a bomb first
In the aftermath of the exploded building dead founding
father and lots of fire, Abbie is back in a jail cell. Ichabod is also blaming
Abbie, horrified with what Franklin’s death would mean and seeing her as an
enemy agent again. She appeals to him, insist they’re partners – but he
challenges her about planning with Franklin in secret. So Abbie tells him the
truth about Katrina
It doesn’t go down well. He walks away and Abbie
remembers her phone – Ichabod has to look through the photos in it (also the
password to Abbie’s phone is Ichabod’s birthday?) Shooty-Commander is also
blaming everything on Ichabod and relieves him of duty. Which, I guess, isn’t
exactly unreasonable given the givens and the dead founding father
Ichabod goes home to his wife who greets him with smiles
and telekinesis knives. Oh and an open magic book on the table. He’s saved from
being stabbed (Katrina has forgotten her death bolts, apparently) by troops
arriving to summon him to see Washington.
Before going to Washington he checks through Abbie’s things (the quality of the printing on her cards alone should have raised eyebrows) and finds her phone. Revolutionary Ichabod and a phone will never not be hilarious. He finds his way to Abbie’s pictures and a video of himself with her.
Meanwhile Ichabod’s commander interrupts Abbie’s picking
her cell lock and decides to beat her. Abbie decides to demonstrate modern
combat techniques. Ichabod arrives after the commander is unconscious to save
her – which is almost as funny as Ichabod and a phone
They travel to Abbie’s ancestor while on the way Abbie is
nice enough to say that Katrina was once a good person (and she resists SO MUCH
SNARK) but new Katrina is evil.
Speaking of, Katrina uses magic to track where Abbie and
Ichabod are going, then kills the commander.
To Frederick’s Manor and Abbie greeting her ancestor with
lots of nerves and a little awe. Grace recognises Abbie as a Witness. She does
have a spell to reverse the time travel – but it will take down the wards that
protect the house at the same time. They cast it while Abbie praises her
ancestor for the legacy she left for them.
Katrina and the Horseman arrive and Ichabod goes to delay
them – reasoning if they reset time it won’t matter if he dies. After hugging
Abbie which Ichabod finds most odd. Grace also takes the chance before spell
casting to show Abbie the empty pages in her journal – and urge Abbie to fill
them
The horseman almost beheads Ichabod – as Abbie finishes
the spell (which is glorious – even evil and powerful Katrina is out-magicked
by Abbie)
They return to before the portal opened. Katrina rants
and raves and magically attacks Abbie. Ichabod fights her and her magic,
knocking her book aside and stabbing her
Ichabod kills Katrina to save Abbie.
Of course, Ichabod still tearfully holds her dying body
as Henry’s ghost arrives to collect her (and take them both to purgatory I
hope). When she dies, Katrina dissolves to ash.
They’re joined by Jenny and Frank – and Frank isn’t evil
any more after Henry’s death. Our main four characters are back. Abbie adds
that Grace told her that major battles are still ahead – and again makes a
pledge of unity of the four of them.
Ichabod kills Katrina to save Abbie. I think an entire
season of Abbie being sidelined and Katrina being so endlessly annoying and
Ichabod constantly being out into a position to choose and so often choosing
Katrina just led up to this moment and made it so much more powerful
That was an epic finale and it really pressed home the
unity of Abbie and Ichabod and did so much to repair the
Time travel, especially with marginalised people was
always fraught. Abbie faced racism and assumptions of her being a slave which I
would expect from the time but it did feel very… sanitised. The most overt
racists were also cast as villains, but Franklin and Ichabod didn’t even pause
nor take any issue to how she spoke.
This is a season finale and it is no secret that we don’t
think this has been great for Sleepy
Hollow. As we’ve discussed, the treatment of the POC
on this show has gone so downhill in a way that would be questionable on
any show, but is downright tragic on a show that established itself by having
so many prominent POC leads in the first season. It is a #cranewreck and it is
damn sad – the only heartening moment was the ferocious reaction of fandom. The
more recent attempts to try and pull that back were just… far too little, far
too late.
On top of that we had Katrina… a character so awful her
name may actually become a new curse word. We have
spoken at length and with great fury about this character, inept, weak,
constantly forcing ridiculous decisions on the rest of the cast and generally
being almost comically awful. Her prominence, coupled with the reduction of the
presence of Abbie and Jenny meant this season wasn’t great for female characters
either.
The season did introduce the show’s very first gay
character – a nameless lesbian who died minutes after her arrival. Ok, back to
erasure, please. Macey, a disabled character, has also been absent.
The one shining light is that the season finale seems to
have out us back on track
Even aside from the terrible inclusion of this series,
the plot has been bad even by Sleepy
Hollow’s genuinely ridiculous plot line. It has been overwhelmed by
ridiculous amount of Crane romance drama that torpedoed any attempt at plot.
But there wasn’t much attempt. We started with Henry as the horseman of war,
but while he threw random things at the Witnesses they didn’t do a whole lot to
stop him, just reacting and, in the end, Henry wasn’t defeated by them but by
his own epic daddy issues which was singularly unsatisfactory. After that we’ve
had a series of just plain odd plotettes – and what’s most frustrating about
them is some of them could have developed into some serious storylines or good
new characters (as opposed to Hawley). Disgruntled hot angel who was going to judge
everyone for not reaching his hot high standards while also being exceedingly
hot (not that I’m shallow)? Yes, go with that… but no it ended. Or the reported
who was trying to find the truth? Nope, all done. The secret library of hidden
knowledge and holographic founding fathers? Nope, exploded. Why are we scattering
these little plot hooks all over the place without following any of them up? Even
the escaping horseman of death just went on holiday or something!
Please let this season finale be a sign that this show is
going to turn around again.,
