When I first saw advertisements for the FOX show Sleepy Hollow I admit I had my doubts. However, when I saw the Pilot I was intrigued. Then after a few more I was hooked. How they did the story line, the characters of Ichabod Crane and Katrina, and intertwining the Apocalypse with the epic history of the American Revolution is brilliant.
Screw the King! America rules!
Awww so happy… when's the other shoe gonna drop?
First off having Ichabod Crane be an English man and a teacher from Oxford fight on the side of George Washington is an excellent idea. He not only is smart but has photographic memory making him essential in past and present investigations with Abby Mills. With Crane's talent for observation an echo of a Sherlock Holmes matched with Abby's cop instincts they are a crime fighting dream team. Also Crane's bafflement about our modern slang and rituals is fun to watch.
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| He looks good for 200. |
His first meeting with the skeptical yet dedicated officer of the law Abby Mills was not exactly a good first impression. He was unaware that slavery had been abolished for over 150 years, which caused an embarrassing yet funny faux pas. Good thing Abby wasn't too insulted.
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| Ahhh a great American Past time... |
Abby and Crane make a great team and their chemistry is electric. They work together as great investigators with Crane filling in the blanks of the past and Abby with her modern law cop savvy. Another spark is the rapier wit and rapport that they bounce off each other. There are some light moments when times seem their darkest. Like when they were setting up a trap for Death, Abby and Captain Frank Irving had to break the news to Crane that his friend Thomas Jefferson had one of his slaves as his mistress and on top of that, Jefferson stole Crane's quote. Then there was the time they went to see a baseball game. And also when Abby explains how the modern USA operates where Crane is outraged by what America has become. What Crane raves against is sometimes what we as Americans feel and although it has little to do with the show it does reflect some of our irritations. The wardrobe choices for Crane are also interesting. Despite him being in the modern age, Ichabod holds on to his Revolutionary wardrobe. No one has suggested he go to the GAP but we would be angry if he did. Crane stands out in the crowd and that's what we want.
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| One of these is not like the other... |
Tying the Book of Revelations with events of the American Revolution was a clever story device. Also making Katrina, Crane's love interest from the novel and wife in the show, a witch makes the story much more fascinating. Skeptics like Crane and Abby (another reason they are a great team) being turned into believers in the supernatural is a plot device that makes it great for horror stories. While they believe they still have reason on their side.
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| This guy rides a horse because he couldn't pass the DMV eye test. |
Then making the Headless Horseman the Horseman of Death sounded right to me. Not only because he rides a white horse and even though his head was cut off he's still alive but because I feel like it's perfect poetry. What really blew me away was that Death isn't really Death but someone who became Death like it was a job you could give to anyone. Making him Ichabod's old friend that he stole Katrina from (Ichabod you old dog!) was amazing symmetry. It kind of plays into the Cain and Abel theme. No they're not brothers but they were close enough to be brothers and close enough for Abraham to take his break up and Ichabod's "betrayal" so hard. Perhaps they'll patch things up because like real brothers who fight they still love each other and will find a way to make up.
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| I think I left my keys in here. |
The horror genre plays really well here. It encompasses not only our modern fears but resurrects our primal fears. Everyone fears the unknown especially the dark. Moloch's evil roots itself in not only our minds but in nature. In "Sanctuary" Ichabod came face to face with a creature that had embedded itself into the earth as well as the house. The roots were like veins as when he chopped them up, blood splattered everywhere. That's a horror movie if I ever saw one.
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| Where's Freddy Kruger when you need him? |
My pet peeve though is the short storyline of Crane's son. I really would have liked to see Crane interact with his descendants. It would have been really awesome if one of Crane's descendants was working for Moloch. I think that would be an interesting conflict for Ichabod. I hope they find a way to resurrect the Crane son storyline. It was too good to cut short.
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| Umm I thought we ordered a one way glass. |
Bottom line, Sleepy Hollow is a classic American Gothic Horror story that has been reinvented into a modern horror thriller. The chemistry of the cast, the thrilling storyline, and the supernatural elements makes it a very engaging show. The highlights of Abby and Crane's personal talks in the records room are so revealing in their emotional intimacy. Here are these two lonely souls who have been broken down by life and had their normal lives turned upside down. They take comfort in each other's doubts and like two recovering minds they rely on each other for support. I hope FOX gives this show a chance. There are so few good TV shows out there I'd hate to lose this one.
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| That's severe whip lash! |
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| I'll drink to that. |
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