It seems that Sleepy Hollow is in a rush to try to fall into a familiar pattern with their new characters and it all feels so disrespectful to Abbie's memory. #abbiemillsdeservesbetter It's bad enough that the writers thought they could simply replace one WOC with another without toying with our emotions the way that this episode did.
It begins with Ichabod in the D.C. Library, his replacement for the archives. At any rate, it's night and there's a storm. It quickly becomes clear that Ichabod isn't alone in the library. He calls out, "lieutenant", and we watch as feet seem to rush by him. Finally the presence makes itself seen and it's Molly, Diana's daughter. It's enough to startle Ichabod right out of his sleep. It seems that Jenny had been using a Tibetan singing bowl to induce an image of the new witness. Okay, how exactly did Jenny manage to get the bowl given that it's used to reveal who possess the Dalai Lama's spirit? I know that she's good but come on already. This just feels incredibly disrespectful but this is what happens when POC culture's get mined for woo woo.
In the aftermath of the vision both of them are showing signs of being effected. They head outside and Crane thanks Jenny for relocating to Washington for him. Damn right he owes her. Crane reveals what he saw in the dream and then decides to head to the library to do some research.
Jake and Alex are at the library and Jake has gone all fanboy now that he knows that everything in the library has some important meaning. Ichabod is forced to break in because he doesn't have the proper clearance to enter the building and Jake promises him a pass to use from here on in. Alex still seems very reserved when it comes to Crane.
While this is going on, Malcolm is hunting down yet another artifact to add to his collection. He heads to a house which contains three witches and offers them a blood which kills the moment it draws blood, in exchange for a stone. The witches hesitate because they have been charged with guarding the witch stone. When Malcolm reveals that the stone actually has nothing to do with witchcraft, two of the three witches turn on their leader and kill her. Well I guess Malcolm has his deal.
At home Diana has failed at making pancakes for daughter and claims that Molly cannot complain since she is still not speaking. Also, who the hell cannot make pancakes of all things? I do love Diana's relationship with Molly; it's sweet and really humanises her. When her sister shows up, Diana grabs her things and leaves, stopping long enough to tell Molly that she loves her.
Having landed the case of the dead witch, Diana decides to call Crane in for a consult. How and why she thinks he's relevant to the case except for the fact that this is how Crane and Abbie used to work together is beyond me. At any rate, Crane admits to know the dead woman from a long time ago. Can you guess what time it is? Why, it's historical flashback time to Washington and Benedict Arnold. Apparently, it was the witches who aided in shutting down Arnold's attempt to betray the revolution.
Crane heads to the library to do more research while the witches decide to hit the town. It's been three hundred years since they've been outside and so I cannot blame them for wanting to get their drink on. Two men approach the sisters but unfortunately for the men, they are both married. The sisters see the their attempt to break their marriage vows as dishonest and kill them on the spot.
In the car, Diana's curiosity about Crane's expertise in witchcraft leads to his revelation that he was once married to a witch. Yep, the witch that #cranewrecked Sleepy Hollow. Diana isn't nearly as giving when it comes to talking about Molly's father. Diana gets a call to let her know about the witches adventures in 2017 dating and when she puts down on her phone, Ichabod sees Molly's face on the screen. Now he knows who the new witness is.
Upon learning the identity of the new witness, Jenny decides to stake out Molly's school. I get that she misses her sister but that's actually creepy. Also, no adult can simply loiter outside of a public school these days. Jenny witnesses Molly being bullied and hops out of her car to chase away the bullies. Crane and Diana arrive in time to see Jenny walking Molly away from the bullies. Diana goes full on mommy bear at the sight of her baby with Jenny, who she doesn't even really know. Ichabod gets out of his car to see what is going on and for the first time, Ichabod and Molly meet each other. Molly breaks her long silence and speaks for the first time, shocking her mother. Diana takes Molly aside and listens as her daughter explains what happened with the mean girls. The two hug it out and Diana promises to be home soon. In return, Molly promises to still be speaking when her mother returns.
While Diana and Molly talk, Ichabod and Jenny talk about the new witness. Ichabod points out to Jenny that though Molly is the new witness she isn't Abby. Jenny admits to knowing this and adds that because she was Abbie's sister, she knows how damn hard being a witness is and she wants to do her best to help Molly. Both express shock and a tinge of sadness that the burden of being a witness has fallen on a child.
Okay it's witch hunting time and so they head to the witches house. Diana takes the time to snark at Ichabod's crossbow and he makes it clear that he and Jenny have expertise at this kind of thing. They find a clock and aren't sure what it does so Diana decides to touch it which opens a trap door. Ichabod has to ask Jenny to go and help Diana while he fights one of the witches who has shown up. In short order both witches are dealt with and the trio leave the house.
At the library, Alex has run a search and even done genealogy to determine that the only Ichabod Crane lived during the Revolutionary War era. Jake is quick to jump to the conclusion that Ichabod is a time traveler but once again, Alex stomps down on the breaks. The only thing that she's sure of is that Crane is hiding something from them.
That night, Ichabod and Jenny are parked outside of Diana's house and they watch as she interacts happily with her daughter. The purpose of their visit was to inform Diana that her daughter is the new witness but after watching them together, Ichabod decides that both mother and daughter deserve one happy night because of how being a witness is going to change their lives.
Malcolm is full on mustache twisting mode as he looks over his new toy. The problem however is that I really couldn't give a shit. We get a vision of the headless horseman who it seems is going to make a return. I guess when you're desperate you have reach for old hits.
I get that Sleepy Hollow is trying to offer its viewers something familiar by having Ichabod work on a murder case with Diana but it's not working for me. What made Sleepy Hollow work was not the weekly woo woo case but the relationship between Abbie and Ichabod which they so carelessly destroyed. I don't know if I can adjust to Ichabod and Diana and I'm not sure that I have much reason to at this point.
The upside is that Jenny and Ichabod are still together. I like watching them work together and they actually make a good team. Ichabod knows that he can count on Jenny no matter what because of their shared history and their mutual loss. Also, watching Miss. Jenny chase off the mean girls was awesome. For this to work for me, the writers are going to have to step up Jenny's screen time in a major way.
Molly and Jake are the two positive additions to the cast. I love her simple greeting to Ichabod as though it was no big deal that she was speaking for the first time in weeks. Jake's excitement is absolutely contagious and made more so because we know that everything he believes to be true about Ichabod is indeed true. He is the ultimate fan writ large on the small screen. Who hasn't turned into a blathering fool when meeting someone you are a huge fan of. I don't think I could be as composed if I were to meet David Tennant.
