Abbie and Ichabod must stop Henry and Katrina before they create a new coven in Sleepy Hollow. Meanwhile, Jenny, prepared to take drastic measures, faces off with Irving. Here is a recap of the Sleepy Hollow episode “Awakening.”
Recap:
Around a bell in the town square, a man tells his wife that he gambled everything away. With white eyes, she strangles him without even touching him. Close by, other white eyed madmen attack their wrongdoers. Of course, Henry’s behind it. Realizing what happened, Ichabod explains that this bell was cast from the same mold as the Liberty Bell. Flashback to 1773. Washington ordered Ichabod to destroy a weapon that could awaken witchcraft in people. The weapon just so happened to be the Liberty Bell. Ichabod’s explosion left a mark on history by cracking the Bell. End flashback. Since they’re dealing with a witch problem, Abbie suggests calling Katrina, because, you know, she’s a witch, but Ichabod doesn’t really want to, so they settle on cracking this bell too.
Surrounded by chalk drawings, Katrina performs a spell to lead her to Henry. Henry walks in claiming it’s their destiny to ring the bell to awaken power in those with witch heritage. People of a powerful coven, meet your new leaders. Henry brings Katrina to Frederick’s Manor, where plants thrive and so do her suspicions, but she longs for a coven family. He’s not a pure-blood witch, so he cannot perform the spell. That’s where Katrina comes in.
(Not so) inconspicuously, Abbie and Ichabod purchase the ingredients for his homemade bomb, which they’ll detonate inside the tunnels. Jenny meets them at the entrance, but an irate Irving slows them down. Jenny pops him in the chest a few times, not killing him because his black eyes mean he’s an evil immortal. RUN! Team Witness has the bell, but Henry has Kat, all dressed in black, and she’s furious that Washington reneged on his promise to reintegrate witches into society when they won the war. Katrina says she doesn’t belong in the present, amongst humans, or beside Ichabod. Ouch.
Abbie and Ichabod race to the town hall where Katrina’s coven used to gather and find Henry and Katrina starting the ritual. Meeting on the street, Henry stops Ichabod’s bullet, and Katrina blows up Abbie’s car as it barrels toward Henry, but Abbie wasn’t inside. Henry returns to the tower and swipes Abbie away from the bell too late. The explosive’s in place.
Irving chases Jenny through the tunnels until she locks herself in the room with the Gorgon’s head, planning to temporarily turn Irving to stone until they figure something out. He threatens her and derides her, but she hesitates to use her weapon.
After tying Abbie and Ichabod to a wooden post, Henry and Katrina continue the spell. RING RING. White eyes. Ichabod has a plan, believing Henry is mortal because he bleeds. With hidden weapons, Ichabod and Abbie cut themselves free. Ichabod shoots at Henry again, but Henry stops it … again, allowing Abbie the chance to shoot Henry in the chest. His wound oozes blue flames. He disintegrates. At the same time, Irving vomits up his black soul and goes back to being his normal self. Near catatonic, Katrina blames Ichabod for all her sorrow and vows to let him die this time. Double ouch. She performs an angry spell that Abbie jumps into. POOF. They both disappear.
Katrina wakes in a makeshift military hospital, while Abbie wakes in a forest with no cell reception. Welcome to 1781. Abbie wanders into town, only to be arrested for not having her papers. She demands to see Captain Ichabod Crane.
Comments:
– “Awakening” was a mediocre episode up until the final two acts when it skyrocketed to intense and amazing. It seems that they have been holding out on us because there were great emotional scenes for both Henry and Katrina, two characters that have otherwise been tabled the second half of this season. Overall, “Awakening” served as a solid lead up to the season finale and left us on quite an unexpected note.
– Starting off with a “previously on” is always a good sign that the episode is going to focus more on the core group of characters and the threats that have been plaguing them all season. After so many stand alones this second half, it was time for a change.
– The cats in the background of the library scene were an odd and amusing addition.
– At first, the fact that Ichabod was present at several historical events was a cool idea to make the audience think about history in a different (albeit more fictional) way, but now it has become something added more for the sake of convenience and fun instead of it being a natural, believable part of the story.
– Also on the topic of Ichabod’s character, this episode especially made it appear as if he has lost much of the intelligence and composure he started out with. His integration into modern society has been a fascinating and generally humorous storyline, but now he’s branched into goofy. His encounters with modern society, like his time at the hardware store, are forced gags that have lost their novelty. This, along with his pompous attitude concerning Katrina have taken away from his likability. Ichabod was “off” this episode.
– The image of Henry standing in front of his racks of plants in Frederick’s Manor was a nice callback to when we first met him in his apartment in “Sin Eater.”
– Katia Winter was the star of this episode. The scenes in which she turned against Ichabod demonstrated so much of what she and the character are capable of and have been prevented from doing. Even though she has gone a bit dark, Katrina is finally fighting for something other than Ichabod and found a purpose apart from wife-hood. It’s hard to blame her for wanting her own family in a coven given that her magic has been repressed so much over the course of her life.
– In second comes John Noble. Henry’s face off with Ichabod in the street and the bonding scene with his mother where he confesses that she’s helped bring his soul back were two very different, but equally as impressive scenes. Unfortunately, this episode looks to be the end of the road for Henry, and his other appearances (or lack thereof) the second half of this season have been underwhelming.
– Speaking of Henry’s demise, this character was the (former) Horseman of War who was responsible for killing the demon bringing about the apocalypse and they killed him with a single bullet?!!
– Irving’s hint that his wife and daughter may possess witch blood is too good of a set up not to come back to, hopefully next week since a season three is not certain.
– Having the two witches tie the two humans to a stake was such a poignant role reversal.
– The ending completely turns the tables on these characters. Not only is Abbie now the fish out of water, but also she’s now fighting a battle against a known entity: Katrina. Upon his arrival in the present, Ichabod finding paved roads and his run-in with a tractor-trailer was nicely paralleled with Abbie finding dirt roads and a carriage. The violin version of “Sympathy for the Devil” added a wonderfully ominous flare.
– Also, Ichabod, you’re part of the odd couple trope.
Ichabod: I had no idea that a man out of time was itself such a time-worn literary trope.
Abbie: Oh, sure. Dr. Who. Connecticut Yankee. Marty McFly. The list goes on.
Ichabod: Here I thought I was rather unique.
Abbie: Don’t worry. You’re the only one in the non-fiction section.
– “Right, because everyone just has a head storage jar lying around.” – Jenny
– “I appreciate the modern world, but sometimes old school is the best school.” – Ichabod
