When Irving’s daughter becomes possessed by the same demon that once inhabited Jenny, Ichabod and the Mills sisters race to vanquish it for good. Here is a recap and review of the Sleepy Hollow episode “The Vessel.”
What at first appears to be Abbie consoling Ichabod on the devastating changes in his life turns out to be about the changes in his wardrobe. He does not approve of skinny jeans. Meanwhile, the demon transfers himself around the Sleepy Hollow police department and demands that Irving hand over Washington’s Bible or he’ll go after Macey. Enlisting Abbie and Ichabod’s help, they find a recording by Corbin that shows a young possessed woman … it’s Jenny.
Jenny permits them to watch the entire tape, not remembering any of what happened herself. The demon predicted Corbin’s death and vowed to kill Abbie before Corbin exorcised it. Jenny steps out for a breather. Ichabod joins her and learns that she intentionally got locked up to keep herself from hurting Abbie because the evil thoughts didn’t vanish with the demon. They discover the demon is Ancitif, one of Moloch’s minions who was sent into hell centuries ago by nuns with a special lantern that became Benjamin Franklin’s and then Jenny’s former acquaintances’.
Irving takes his family to a safehouse, where a possessed Morales kills his partner and Macey prepares school applications. Cynthia urges Irving to inform her of what’s going on, but it’s too late as Macey becomes hideously possessed.
With Jenny instructing them while on lookout, Abbie and Ichabod swipe the lantern and require Jenny’s help to outsmart the guardians who surround them. Back in the records room, Ichabod traps demon Macey in a salt ring and uses the lantern to pull out the demon. Macey is safe.
While Abbie sulks about the way she has treated Jenny since they encountered Moloch, Ichabod mixes a concoction to make the invisible ink in Washington’s Bible visible. Written inside by Washington himself is the date December 18, 1799, which was four days after he died.
Review:
“The Vessel” was an average episode of television, surprisingly not a stellar return from the holiday hiatus. It started off promising with a classically humorous moment, but turned into a standard horror movie, only with half the screen time. Despite the lack of Sleepy Hollow’s usual pizazz, the episode did seem to set up some interesting points to lead us into next week’s two-hour season finale.
Between the priest and the salt ring, the depiction of demonic possession seemed rather unoriginal – granted it is a topic that has been done innumerable times before – but Sleepy Hollow tends to throw its own spin, its own mythology onto topics of this variety (i.e. horsemen of the apocalypse, time travel, purgatory), and this episode was sadly lacking unless you count body jumping. We knew from the last episode that the demon could transfer itself between bodies, so there was no shock value there. While this kept the characters on their toes, it did not amp up or diminish the drama for the audience.
The date written in Washington’s Bible is no doubt a key piece of information needed for the finale; however, this scene included one suspicious, unbelievable statement. Abbie and Ichabod implying that Washington wrote it after he died is a completely unjustified assumption. Washington was perfectly capable of writing any date in his Bible at any point in his life. Without knowing the full details, the weight that was put onto this assumption made it appear as a mislead, whether it truly is or not.
Macey Irving is becoming a more intriguing character with her increasing screen time and the ever-so-slowly burning backstory of her car accident. Although it initially sounds completely like an act of human error, Captain Irving’s guilt and the fact that he seems to know more than he lets on about many situations makes it all the more suspicious. Knowing that Jenny experienced side effects of possession long after the demon left her does not bode well for young Macey, and this could be an arc worth exploring since we have not been privy to seeing it. Also, Macey’s presence humanizes Irving in a way that no one at the precinct can, so here’s hoping there’s more of this relationship to come.
Jenny’s storyline in this episode was the most interesting aspect. The reveal that she is not the uncontrollable criminal Abbie believes her to be but rather was always acting in the best interest of her sister was a great and heartwarming moment that is sure to change the nature of the relationship between the Mills. Having Abbie, Jenny, and Ichabod as a collaborative team stands to pose a severe threat to the forces of evil. As of now, the thought that Jenny could be one of the two witnesses instead of Abbie slightly befuddles me. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way. It would be an interesting twist in the story, although not too surprising since there’s talk of it now, but without seeing it play out, the idea itself decreases Abbie’s relevance and power as a main character. That being said, I have a lot of faith in the writers.
Morales killing his partner, Devon Jones, fell flat due to the lack of characterization that Detective Jones has had. While it was not presented as a huge moment in the story, any death is bound to make some sort of statement. I would find it surprising if it’s not followed up on because of the numerous potentials it holds. For one, it could be the event that finally allows Morales to be brought into the fold of supernatural knowledge. Or, at the very least, it will allow a chance for his own characterization – an emotional reaction (of anger, guilt, vengeance, depression) to make him a more well-rounded member of the series.
No review of this episode is complete without a brief mention of Tom Mison in skinny jeans. His attire change, albeit brief, was a moment long in the making and just as ridiculous and humorous for Abbie as it was for us. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned numerous times before, these moments in which you know that the writers are making fun of the whole situation grounds the series and somehow manages to make their world all the more believable.
