When Freemasons kidnap Ichabod, Abbie recruits a mysterious Sin Eater to sever Ichabod’s blood tie with the Headless Horseman before his return to Sleepy Hollow. Here is a recap and review of “The Sin Eater.”
Recap:
Abbie introduces Ichabod to the national pastime, explaining baseball’s values as tradition, teamwork, inclusion. Also, she teaches him to heckle the umps. Taking a stroll afterwards, Ichabod arrives at Katrina’s tombstone, only to receive a tranq dart in the neck. Abbie’s drive home includes a visitation from Katrina since Ichabod’s abductors blocked their link. She directs Abbie to find a Sin Eater to reverse Ichabod’s tie with Headless before he rises at sundown.
Ichabod profiles one of his captors as Mr. Rutledge, a Freemason. Also a Mason, Ichabod reasons that they’re on the same side, but Rutledge, possessing a true account of Ichabod’s life written by Katrina, asks Ichabod to verify his identity by telling of the first time he heard “ordo ab chao” (order from chaos).
Flashback to pre-Revolutionary War. Ichabod and a team of Redcoats interrogate Arthur Bernard to reveals the identity of the traitor Cicero. Upon meeting Ichabod, Katrina, the house nurse, chides him for these actions, although she recognizes good in him. Later in the woods, Katrina informs Ichabod that he’s valuable in the war between man and demons.
Missing a partner, Abbie receives a release for Jenny to help find the Sin Eater. After a struggle to track him down, the Sin Eater, Henry Parrish, refuses to help until they mention the blood tie with Headless. Using Abbie’s strong connection to Ichabod, Henry sees that Ichabod is behind a door with a Freemason symbol — about as helpful as Katrina’s clues.
Days later in the flashback, Ichabod is ordered to execute Bernard, but Katrina got into his head, so he lets Bernard go. Bernard gives him the phrase “ordo ab chao” to relay to Katrina, who will lead him to Washington. Then Tarleton, a Redcoat watching from nearby, kills Bernard. Skirmishing with Ichabod, Tarleton transforms into a demon, but riders scare him off. A wounded Ichabod goes to Katrina for help.
Upon finding Ichabod in the underground tunnels, Abbie attempt to sway him to hold out on dying until the Sin Eater can work his magic, but Ichabod agrees with Rutledge that he must die so Headless will too. Hand in hand with Abbie, Ichabod downs the potion. Just then, Henry barges in to save the day. He punctures Ichabod’s hand and takes a taste, ordering Ichabod to call forth the sin binding him to Headless — it’s his guilt over Bernard. Ichabod envisions Bernard and repeats a prayer. The blood tie severs and materializes into two pools of blood. Henry consumes one. It’s all over … or is it? In the cave where Ichabod was buried, Headless grabs himself a handful of dirt.
Review:
Coming back from the World Series break, Sleepy Hollow gave another solid outing with an hour that displayed just how strong the series can be when focusing on how the perils directly pertain to the main characters. “The Sin Eater” played on the strength of the various relationships in the series to amplify the emotional response to the threat. As mentioned in a previous review, that’s what makes this show work. Like baseball, this episode centered on three standards: tradition, teamwork, inclusion.
In Sleepy Hollow tradition (as much tradition as can be established in six episodes), the monster of the week, Headless again, posed a very real threat of death and destruction. But unlike what has come before, he was an antagonist from afar, absent for most of the episode though it never made him feel less imposing. The antagonists present alongside Ichabod, Rutledge and his Freemason buddies, were compelling enough to hold interest, but didn’t hold up to Headless. His existence, rather than his actions, posed the threat. It’s interesting to consider how he’s viewed in this manner – as an unwavering negative force, which makes his essence transcend his situation. He was, is, and will always be bad. (To avoid starting a debate on whether there are not negative deaths, let’s remember that in the context of the show, death is always bad.)
This idea of absolutism is mirrored in Ichabod, with his honorable nature rising through in both of the storylines explored in this episode. With Katrina’s guidance, he finds that his loyalty to his country and his superiors is less important than the innate loyalty to humankind. Also, he is willing to voluntarily sacrifice himself for all of the residents in danger in Sleepy Hollow that he’s never even met. He’s a guy all about the importance of saving the innocents. Whereas Headless embodies death, Ichabod embodies life.
Throughout time, what has made a more compelling story than two equally matched forces fighting for life and death? Not much. That’s exactly what we have in Sleepy Hollow. In the television age filled with the morally ambiguous antihero, a show with clear-cut sides of good and evil stands out. It doesn’t make you think about what’s right and wrong, what’s acceptable to get away with in different situations, or what’s the definition of a “good person,” but that’s not to say it doesn’t make you think. Despite its supernatural flare, Sleepy Hollow is practical. How reliable is perception? Who is safe to trust? What beliefs can be changed?
On to the second topic: teamwork. Abbie found herself working with multiple partners, including Katrina, Jenny, and the Sin Eater, each bringing a different aspect to the table, and each leaving more to be desired.
Anytime you have two women circling one man, there’s potential for catty drama. With these two, that wouldn’t be fitting. Finally sharing screen time, Katrina and Abbie’s scene served mostly as a plot impetus, cluing Abbie into the problem and providing enough information to get her investigation rolling. The amount of respect between these women from two very different cultures was perfectly mastered. Considering Katrina said she could reach both the witnesses through that doorway, this creates expectations for another shared scene that will hopefully come to fruition in dreamland or in reality.
Like her encounter with Katrina, Abbie and Jenny’s teamwork revolved around the greater plot. Jenny as this week’s sidekick provided a nice opportunity to escape the police station and the typical manner of going about investigating a case. Jenny’s spunk seemed to be toned down slightly this week, but nevertheless, she’s still a useful and compelling character. For now, the Mills are building up a working relationship before rebuilding the sibling one, which creates all the more desire to see them bond further.
John Noble as the haunted Sin Eater was an odd, intriguing, but slightly underdeveloped, addition to the team. He did a wonderful job playing the character with a mix of disdain towards his burden and of acknowledgement that it’s a gift. However, he exited the episode without having the opportunity to emerge as a memorable character. Luckily, he’s coming back. For this particular episode, his power to consume sins fit in well, making one wonder how he’ll fit in later in the season. (Disclaimer: With me going through Walter Bishop withdraws, I’d enjoyed seeing Noble on my television in whatever capacity.)
Inclusion: the third and final topic. One of the most powerful aspects of Sleepy Hollow is that it doesn’t discriminate. Regardless of gender and race, these characters are strong, realistic, lovable, loyal, and adept, all in their own way. The moments Ichabod has between Katrina and Abbie in this episode alone show their strength of character. How beautiful was that scene between Katrina and Ichabod in the forest. And the one between him and Abbie as he drank the potion. Even with Katrina being a female during the 1700s and in a position not at the top of the social ladder, she doesn’t hesitate to speak out for what she holds dear. Her connection with Ichabod is not a distraction, but an inspiration for him. She leads him to find where he belongs. Similarly, Ichabod leads Abbie to find a sense of belonging and acceptance to augment her already admirable spirit.
