Sleepy Hollow S1E08 Necromancer

How exactly do you make a headless man talk? Spoilers ahead....

This week: Abby and Ichabod enlist the help of very dead Andy Brooks to interrogate the Horseman who reveals who he really is and just what he wants with Ichabod. Meanwhile, Irving and Jenny investigate a break in at an antique shop lead them to a Hessian plot to free the Horseman. They’ve stolen an ancient relic that can break the hex surrounding his cell. But while Irving and Jenny follow their trail to the local power company. The true rescuer turns out to be Brooks, who has no ownership over his own decisions since selling his soul to the demon and can’t help but betray Abby. And I may be shipping Irving/Jenny now. I think Orlando Jones definitely  is.

We start right where we left off last week, with the horseman in some sort of devil’s trap prison built by Thomas Jefferson (obviously) and surrounded by the wonders of modern UV light technology. Abby and Ichabod fistbump over their victory and proceed to shop talk about Moloch and the horseman in front of an incredulous Irving and I draw more hearts in my Sleepy Hollow notebook.

“A dead guy. A mental patient. And a time traveller from the Revolution.”

I’m way happy that Irving is in on the whole apocalypse truth now. A season of Abby and Ichabod skirting the issues and him sort of on it and sort of clueless would’ve been draining. Plus, now we get an awesome sub plot with Jenny and Irving on special ops investigation into the Hessians. And these two need way more screen time together. Another thing I need is a flashback or spin off episode of Jenny’s adventures for the past 12 years. These little hints at her past are killing me! She’s Indiana Jones! I need to see it.

“My soul doesn’t belong to me anymore.”

We spend most of our dramatic moments this episode examining decisions and guilt and culpability for bad decisions. Ichabod’s douchebro friend (Abraham) made a bad deal out of pride, not heartbreak. But Ichabod’s anger about it is the opposite. Its breaking his heart that Katrina is trapped and it broke his heart that Abraham wanted to fight him and ended up dead. But Abby is right that fault is not with him. It was fun to see Ichabod unravel just a little bit. He’s been through a lot. I think he’s allowed a couple of moments of rage.

Andy Brooks is trying to make up for his terrible decision to sell his soul out to Moloch. Such a horrible fate to be trapped in one’s own rotting body with no control over yourself.  That decision will control the rest of his un-life and despite his best intentions to reverse it, he still was the one to set the horseman free.

Now, if there was a decision that someone maaaaaybe was at fault for, it was Ichabod’s timing for telling douchebro about Katrina’s feelings for him. Dood. You should have delivered the letter. Completed your mission. And then very gently broken the news to Abraham while y’all were far away from Hessian soldiers and demon deals.

Meanwhile, back at the power station. Jenny and Irving capture the Hessians who manage to blow the power anyway. Then they discover the Hessians don’t even have the relic because Brooks is playing out his part for Moloch.

The last act of the episode is great action. The demons sent in to help rescue the horseman are creepy and cool. Everyone got some fight action in. And then Moloch calls off the freed Abraham/horseman, keeping him from killing Ichabod? For why? Clearly, Ichabod must have a larger purpose.  And Moloch isn’t down with the petty revenges of his minions.  

So, what exactly is Moloch’s end game? Aside from the very generic “apocalypse?” We know what he’s promised the demons. But, really, there’s got to be a deeper reveal, yes?

Next week: The Scooby gang in a haunted house!