Abbie and Ichabod race to save Katrina’s life before she dies while birthing the demon that Henry impregnated her with. Here is a recap of the Sleepy Hollow episode “Deliverance.”
Recap:
Flashback to pre-war Ichabod and Katrina lying in bed together chatting about their future children. Adorable. Cut to Katrina coughing and sweating after last week’s spider swallowing. Appalling. Henry and his henchmen arrive. When Abraham tries to stop them from taking Katrina, Henry throws the shades open, causing Headless to sizzle. Having escaped in the fight, Katrina collapses near a gas station. At the polls, Ichabod disapproves of the low percentage of people who vote and fondly remembers the good ole days, which Abbie quickly tears apart. They then learn that a woman matching Katrina’s description was just brought into the hospital. She has a fever, an abdominal wall infection, and black veins on her stomach. Totally normal for this town.
When Henry’s henchies show up, Abbie breaks out Katrina, now wearing jeans and a corset. Abbie sends Katrina to the records room with Ichabod, while she trails the men to a warehouse, where she snaps photos, sees black veins on a cadaver, and steals their notebook. With Katrina’s help, Ichabod links Henry’s men to the Hellfire Club and discovers their past vessel expired ten to twelve hours after inception and delivery. Katrina’s pregnant. Ichabod questions her relations, but she knows it’s not human. Through more research, they connect the dots to the jenkin, a centuries-old way to grow demons. The henchies invade, so they relocate to St. Henry’s Parish. The Cranes still have faith in Henry’s goodness, but Abbie’s less convinced since Henry impregnated her with the Horrid King, AKA Moloch!
Ichabod joins Henry’s meeting with Irving and fails to tap into Henry’s emotions. Ichabod reminds Henry that he has a choice. Without having to consider, Henry chooses Moloch. Returning to the church, Ichabod browses through the warehouse pictures and spots the Aurora Borealis radiating from a stone tablet. Benjamin Franklin once theorized that the Aurora could banish demons, so Abbie and Ichabod brave dialup Internet to find the paper. Ichabod cracks the code to learn a prism is hidden in the tablet. He leaves Katrina with a radio, while he and Abbie gather an army. Abbie decides to tell Reyes the truth – there’s a doomsday cult threatening the town. Reyes bites at the chance to clean up Sleepy Hollow.
The police team invades the warehouse. Abbie and Ichabod break off and find the chest holding the tablet. After several failed attempts to crack the code amidst a firefight, Abbie suggests they use the classic 666. Of course, it works. Katrina, screaming in pain, radios Ichabod, so they have to cut their bonding moment with a thankful and complimentary Reyes short.
Back at the church, doors fly open. Wind blows. Moloch is coming! Ichabod hops onto the window sill, rips off the boards, and holds the prism up to the light. As Abbie squeeze Katrina’s hand, the prism’s rays defeat the demon, but Katrina stops breathing as well. Ichabod performs CPR … and she’s back. While Katrina rests, Abbie and Ichabod fist bump to a job well done and chat outside about Abraham’s and Moloch’s eventual returns. Meanwhile, Henry captures lightning in a bottle.
Comments:
– “Deliverance” was a simple and focused episode of Sleepy Hollow that tapped into our main characters’ emotions while delivering an interesting, personal dilemma for them to solve. This is when the series is at its best, and this episode was the best since the season premier.
– While there is undeniable poetry in choosing Katrina as the vessel to bring another piece of the apocalypse to Earth, you would think that Moloch would be smart enough not to use someone who had a capable duo fighting on her side. Sure, her escape was completely unexpected, but when dealing with the Cranes, no one should be underestimated. The episode did not seem to indicate that Moloch is gone for good, and Moloch would not have used his only means to get to Earth on something that was not a surefire success, so perhaps this risky attempt to kill Katrina was indented as just that – an attempt to kill Katrina with the possible side effect of Moloch being born.
– It has been intriguing to see the distinction this season between Abraham and Headless in Katrina’s story. Oddly enough, they have managed to humanize a vicious, monstrous killer in a way that almost makes you sympathetic toward him.
– One thing I have yet to comment on that I feel is necessary at this point is the beauty of the colonial wardrobe. I hadn’t really appreciated it until the beginning scenes with Katrina running from Henry’s men in her dress and the stark contrast of her in modern day clothes. You know you have established a character’s world well and successfully embodied her attitude when it’s a little jarring to see a woman in jeans.
– On a similar note, Katia Winter has been so underrated as an actress on this series. She had multiple wonderful scenes in “Deliverance.” Her chemistry with Ichabod was just as believable as if they had never been apart, and her deep friendship with Abbie despite their lack of prolonged interactions was moving. Now that she’s temporarily free of Abraham, here’s hoping we see more of this fascinating woman.
– Ichabod and Katrina’s faith in their son is a heartwarming and dangerous gesture. It’s understandable and illogical at the same time, but goes to show the depth and innate goodness of these characters.
– Abbie telling Reyes the “truth” about a Doomsday cult was such a brilliant move by both her and the writers since it essentially wasn’t a lie and it was a way to gain Reyes’ trust in a natural but still very guarded way.
– The scene of Moloch’s almost birth was such a beautiful cinematic piece. From the slow, exaggerated actions to the minimal dialogue but very present screaming to the music, it rose above what the scene needed to be to tell the story and created a visually stunning interpretation. Props to director Nick Copus, who we should always expect this type of excellence from because of his work on Arrow.
– Given how well the last cliffhanger of Henry doing something ominous turned out, this one comes with high expectations.
– This conversation was so timely and hilarious.
Abbie: So, colonial America was a golden age because everybody voted in those days. Oh wait, black people couldn’t vote. Neither could women. So, I would have been turned away at the door. Twice over.
Ichabod: Actually, you don’t own significant tracts of property, so thrice over.
Abbie: Well, maybe I could afford property if I weren’t paying all your bills.
– “They’re a freaking evil club. Try 666.” – Abbie
