Sleepy Hollow - S3E2 - Whispers in the Dark

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Previously on Sleepy Hollow, ‘I, Witness’

Ichabod’s singing a sea shanty while proving that he is, in fact, the perfect man—cleaning Abbie’s house, doing her dainty laundry, burning dinner… Okay, that last thing isn’t great, but he tried. They resolve to order out instead.

Pandora croons over her blue rose tree (R+L=J!) then summons a dark vapor from her Box o’ Evil and traipses through the woods while magically changing clothes into flirty librarian garb. That will get you everywhere in this town. At the train station, she finds Paul Everett, accountant to the county, calling the FBI to blow the whistle on workplace embezzlement and sends her Secret Reaper to dementor it out of him. Abbie and Crane rush to the murder/death scene.

Enter studly new FBI boss, Agent Daniel Reynolds. Ichabod’s eyebrows practically hit the cupola and he leans all over Abbie marking his territory. Not having it, Abbie sends him home, but on the way out, he spots a shadow crawling up the façade. Ichabod rushes back to look up Evil Shadows, but Abbie is still reeling from “Danny” being her new boss. As academy buddies, they pushed each other through the program at super speed, because it totally works like that, and I’m so sure that was all it was.

Abbie picks up an EVP on Everett’s phone call, a vision of his last conversation with two colleagues deciding to go public with the scandal… and then an uber creepy voice growling “I will kill for secrets.” Ichabod recalls a passage in Grace Dixon’s journal and a personal memory of General Howe raising a wraith, binding it to a human, Marcus Collins. The wraith could draw secrets from people, costing many spies their lives during the Revolutionary War.

Flashback to “spymaster” Betsy Ross at Howe’s formal party. Ichabod invites her to dance and tips her off to Howe and Collins’ duplicity. She points out her fellow spies they must extract and resolve to meet at the barn. While Ichabod does his part, whatever that is, she flirts with Howe and offers to show her appreciation for his help. An hour later, she pops up at the barn in her underclothes and Howe’s jacket, but seems aghast at Ichabod’s conclusion that she is a ho and don’t know. I, also, am confused. At any rate, the other two spies are dead, thanks to the dementor. She calls out Marcus Collins/wraith guy while Crane poaches a getaway coach for them both, leaving the demon behind.

Abbie and Crane hunt down the names of Everett’s conspirators and go to the first man’s home, Williams. Sensing even more tasty secrets, the wraith crawls out of his chimney and draws visions out of them both (Crane being interrogated and Abbie taking photos of a man on a park bench) as it swirls in the front yard like a possessed gnat swarm at dusk. But Williams makes a run for it in the car, so Smoke Demon follows him instead and runs him off the road.

Jenny’s Googling the Second Worst Prop in the World—the Shard of Anubis—when Joe Corbin calls, from her mega-trashed mobile home. He’s a bit jealous of her relationship with his dad and she still hasn’t let him in on the know after 6 months back in town as an EMT. Someone’s watching!

Probably the big dude in a yellow mustang, who stalks Joe through a parking garage and then tosses him in the trunk. Joe… Joe… Never get into the car of a strange man, especially in the trunk! So the guy ties him to a tree out in Dem Woods, where he reveals that he’s Reynolds, one of Jenny’s former compatriots, and hunting for the Shard of Anubis. Speaking of Jenny, she pops up and kicks his ass for calling her soft, then lets him have the Second Worst Prop in favor of rescuing Joe. But she still doesn’t tell him what’s up.

Abbie finds hidden documents in Williams’ house right before Studly Boss pops in and recognizes the look of Abbie Mills on a case. But first, an awkward talk about their Thing at the Academy in vague terms that they will just have to get over. They can just be friends and colleagues and such, right? Magic 8 ball says, “Not looking good.” He gives her instincts a vote of confidence and leaves her to it.

Embarrassed by memories the shadow brought to the surface, Crane recalls being interrogated by Howe for the names of his fellow spies and taking a quill to paper before escaping. Abbie doesn’t admit to her secret, but she does turn up the third comptroller: Susan James. Ichabod notes that maybe she’s next, but now that they know the secret, they’re on the shadow’s hit list too.

Pandora chants the shadow towards her next victim while Crane and Abbie set up a circle of safety lights. Seeing as how they don’t have an arrow blessed by a priest of Ankor, this is the best they can do. If only they had Henley (Hawley)! The shadow wraith blows the electrical box, then comes for Ichabod’s secrets and isn’t super impressed with the rebar he threatens it with. Abbie tosses a flash grenade and they confer on some way to defeat it. He recalls Betsy calling its human name in the barn, so he does the same. Its dementor powers retreat into Marcus Collins’ wizened body, enough for Abbie and Ichabod to stab it through.

Back at home, Ichabod porch swings away his troubled memories, obsessing over the shameful moment he considered giving up his companions, brief though it was, as he recalls declaring that he would not. But he feels relieved confessing it, and offers Abbie the same. She admits to searching the FBI database and finding her father alive in Saratoga. She’s been watching him and taking pictures, but hasn’t said anything yet, to him or to Jenny. She’s just not ready. Ichabod toasts to her first step, telling him.

But hey, why leave on a sweet Ichabbie moment when we can go back to the plot device to drive them apart, er, Danny Reynolds, who smoothly implies that Abbie’s small potatoes life would be much improved if they stuck together and rode the FBI wave to the top. Over with Couple 2, Joe presses Jenny to let him in on the Scooby Gang one more time, but again she tries to blow him off until he wants to go after the Second Worst Prop in the World. Jenny isn’t sure she’s ready to share that life with someone. Oh, girl, you know you are.

Meanwhile Ichabod solicits yet another Caroline replacement for historical status to protect the Archives. Trouble is, he’s a British citizen, and they won’t release funds to non-citizens. He bows elaborately in thanks, then notices that the coffee shop where Everett and his cronies met is now gone, and never was there. Looking back on the security video, Abbie and Ichy spot the pop-up coffee shop, named Café Boite (boite = box, and that is the extent of my 3 years of French) with Sexy Librarian at the door. Abbie remembers meeting Pandora, and suddenly they realize they’re in a world of future hurt.

Pandora’s tree o’ evil grows and grows and grows…

The good and the bad:

Pandora and her box of baddies continues to work, although the threat wasn’t entirely terrifying. Shannyn Sossamon is completely suited to Sleepy Hollow’s vibe and the shadow wraith effects were nicely done, even if the villain didn’t seem very powerful. I’m still unclear as to how General Howe was using the wraith to extract secrets if he interrogated Crane at his desk.

Abbie and Ichabod living together at a nice, bright home was a delightful surprise and will offer some fresh bonding moments going forward, although I do miss the cabin’s earthy feel where Crane didn’t seem completely out of time.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#4A7097″ class=”” size=””]“That’s very astute, Encyclopedia Brown.”  - Jenny[/pullquote]

Joe Corbin should never have left, and I appreciate that they’re matching him with Jenny, rather than Abbie, his former babysitter. Their slightly renegade histories should mesh well. The sexy new boss Reynolds, too, fits the show dynamics, and warms Abbie up a bit from the stiff corner the show wrote her into last season. His presence brought out an amusing jealousy in Ichabod, rather than an uncomfortable pissing match like Katrina vs. Abbie. Much better. If this is the road we’re taking this season, at least it has nice scenery.

On the other hand, Betsy Ross aka Katrina 2 is still very clunky. Flashing back to the past each episode is nothing new, but insisting she was the spymaster and tying her into every intrigue is making it weird. She’s no Benjamin Franklin, so it doesn’t make sense, and every line feels a bit overwrought.

Overall a nice caper designed to introduce three (potentially four if the historical lady sticks around) new characters and add in some needed diversity to what continues to feel like a promising 3^rd season.