This time last year, we would be about halfway through the season of Sleepy Hollow. Where does the time go? What’s most impressive about “And the Abyss Gazes Back” regarding that season structure is that it follows the precedent set by previous episodes in not glossing over important events. In last week’s excellent, creepy “The Weeping Lady,” Ichabod found out that Katrina has not exactly been upfront with him in many ways and instances. This week’s episode begins by immediately addressing that in a humorous-yet-serious sequence involving yoga. As Ichabod continues to harbor doubt and admit, at Abbie’s persistence, that he is disappointed in Katrina, the ties that bind Abbie and Ichabod grow stronger as a result. That shouldn’t be upsetting in any way for viewers, but the core group of protagonists is made of people we want to see succeed, including Katrina. By ostracizing her to some extent, there’s an added layer of conflict that is being developed throughout the season in a way that feels like smart build-up to something bigger in the season’s future.
In the meantime, the monster of the week in “And the Abyss Gazes Back” is a little less impressive than last week’s if not because of being less scary then because of how familiar it is. This episode airs after two seasons of NBC’s Hannibal, which is another series that features a cannibalistic Wendigo of sorts. Even without those similarities, the Wendigo in Sleepy Hollow is almost werewolf-like in its presentation and design, whereas most of the other monsters in the series thus far have been less animalistic and more demonic. There’s something to be said for variety, I suppose, but the differences here feel more like a shift in tone for the series, which is not the best of ideas when Sleepy Hollow has such an effective and well-defined tone and aesthetic. That said, the story that goes along with the Wendigo provides an excuse to revisit former Sheriff Corbin by having the Wendigo be his son, Joe.
Joe’s presence could be considered re-treading, but I like the series’ memory, which has turned Sheriff Corbin into a vital part of the series even in the aftermath of his death. And then there’s the added dimension of hearing from another character that Abbie received all the attention he wanted. Abbie (and Jenny) has been a character whose past is full of negativity. No one believed what happened to her and her sister until Corbin took Abbie under his wing. He has always been a bright spot in an otherwise murky past. To have that bright spot be dimmed by Joe’s perspective and story of a negligent father makes the prior information we have more complicated. And that’s always something to be praised in writing–nothing is sacred, even if it turns out that Corbin was still a really great guy and Joe simply misunderstood the situation. We receive a very biased point of view through which we see these characters; to call into question some of the good in them is a smart decision.
Following on from that is another smart decision in pursuing the idea of Henry also having some good in him. I’m not exactly sure how you convince the audience of this completely, but if Katrina and Ichabod genuinely believe Henry is redeemable, the future of Sleepy Hollow is tantalizing. We’ve seen Henry do nothing but horrific things (including transforming the deadly poison in this episode into a spider that infiltrates Katrina). And yet we’ve also seen Henry punished and chastised by his master. Progeny and servants can only take so much of that kind of treatment before being open to different ways of thinking. I love John Noble in this role as the antagonist, but his first few episodes in which he was helping Ichabod and Abbie were just as compelling.
Other things work less well in “And the Abyss Gazes Back,” such as a lazy check-in with Frank, who gets thrown into a weird, contrived plot with the person who paralyzed his daughter. When it comes to juggling parallel stories, shows tend to tell them at the same time. After all, Orlando Jones’ name is in the credits as a series regular. But so is Katia Winter’s, and we get no Katrina in this episode. What would probably be more effective for the season is if it held off on Frank until it was ready to really dive into his predicament and take that plot a few steps forward in one episode. This episode shows the effects of Frank’s soul no longer belonging to him, sure, but this could have been done in a much more condensed fashion or, as suggested, been moved to another episode in which we could spend meaningful time with his character.
Thoughts from the Horseman’s Head:
– Things That Confuse Ichabod: yoga and the world’s opinion of Daniel Boone. “How is it that the man who settled Kentucky is remembered by the modern world as ‘the guy with the raccoon on his head’?” Turns out he preferred beaver pelts.
– “Yoga doesn’t make you feel better. What will?” I watched a documentary not too long ago that argued beer helped create modern civilization. I’m inclined to think Ichabod would agree.
– Ichabod after using the breathalyzer: “Ah! I do believe I’ve won.”
– There’s some very noticeable jealousy going on as Jenny sees Hawley get closer to Abbie. We can’t all just get along, unfortunately. Also, I’m no longer sold on Hawley as a romantic interest for anyone. I’d prefer him to just be the guy who reluctantly comes along on missions and winds up being useful just at the right time.
– Whatever FPS Ichabod is playing, his opponents are fans of The Simpsons and Halo. Great detail, there.
– The line could come off a bit cheesy for some, but Henry cutting Joe and saying humanity, not being a Wendigo, was his curse really worked for me. That idea of humanity as a curse is something the show could afford to spend more time on through Henry’s perspective.
Photo via CW
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