Sleepy Hollow - S2E11 - The Akeda

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Previously on Sleepy Hollow, ‘Magnum Opus’

After hearing the trumpet sound in last week’s episode, our heroes careen down the street in Abbie’s car through the electrical storm. Crane is dubious of their GPS, for good reason: lightning strikes nearby and shorts out the GPS… and the car… and the filling station. So they jack a motorcycle, which, let’s be honest, is pretty hot. Ichabod agrees, gasping, “I WANT one of these! As soon as this is over!” Please make this happen, kthx.

Seems like the enchantment is back on at the empty Fredericks Manor where they finally see Henry’s model of the city. Sorry guys, he already won this round of Apocalyptic Monopoly, which they discover by running a string from black flag to black flag. A pentagram! Surprise, said nobody ever. Guess what else isn’t surprising? Katrina’s in peril!

Abe’s got that lying liar strung up for the binding ritual and Ichabod engages him with Methuselah’s sword, striking his axe in two. While Abbie saves Katrina’s ass AGAIN, Ichabod demands information from the heaving Headless, which is amusing in several ways. Katrina extends the amulet’s enchantment so we can all see Abraham’s ready to spit nails. I’d just like to take a time out for a little feature called Hate Face by Abraham Von Brunt. Observe:

Work that jaw, Abe! Anyway, Abraham says not to get so eager with the sword because using it has a price: a life for the life of the wielder. Katrina semi-confirms based on the Erelim angel runes on it, which would’ve been nice to know before this moment, but… useless. So they lock Abe up in the Mason cell, where Mistress Katrina takes her sweet time chanting over those chains niiiice and tight. These two like it rough, amiright? While they’re being kinky, Ichabod admits to Abbie that their marriage has been under strain, but she reminds him Katrina saved Abe to save Ichabod. Why you gotta be nice like that?

Back at the cabin, Jenny confirms that indeed the sword will consume the user’s soul in fire. Abbie wonders if it’s their destiny to die using the sword given the current word problem: Moloch plus 2 headmen minus 2 witnesses equals… Hmm. That still equals Moloch, which Crane points out. Fortunately Jenny finds another loophole: What if the wielder’s soul has already been claimed? Booyah.

Meanwhile, Team Evil is at the White Trees, where Henry is all about the glorious rise of evil until Moloch lights one of the trees, summoning the first stage of the apocalypse, and then I’m pretty sure he pissed his Grandpa Corduroys.

Second theme of this episode? Everyone argues with Katrina. Abe is all “Spare me, WITCH” about her spying ways until she assures him that she’s seen the real him and cares for him… which Ichabod overhears. Awkward. She agrees  using Frank Irving would be a great solution, totally blowing off the idea of going through their son YET AGAIN.  Then she offers to stay and “guard Abraham.” Girl. You just crossed the line.

Sure enough, the Alexandrian version of the Bible mentions the sword, conveniently next to a painting of the Akeda, the legend of Abraham and Isaac. Crane gets emotional about possibly needing to sacrifice his son, but Abbie reminds him that their loved ones have already sacrificed time and again to save their lives, so it’s time to stop looking for reasonable solutions. Jenny wonders what was up with those numbers at the end of Frank’s message—9, 23, 17, 80. Ichabod recognizes them as the date one of their agents, John Andre, was imprisoned in Sleepy Hollow, so that must be where Frank is hiding. He bogarts Jenny and leaves Abbie to his lying wife.

Jenny and Ichabod convince Frank to join their fight, promising to protect his wife and daughter should anything happen. Abe finally starts sweating when he realizes Frank’s soul is missing and admits Moloch is at the White Trees. With the blackening of each tree, a new stage begins: first lightning, then blood, then the Purgatory demon army, then hell on earth. Katrina once again intervenes for his life before they leave.

Jenny advises, “We’ve all gotta weapon up,” like the BAMF she is. So they retrieve Hawley from Mabie’s Tavern. “I didn’t know you guys liked to party!” he roars, then sees her face. “I’m about to do something a lot less fun, aren’t I?” How about a demon hunting party? We’re totally into parties like that. He’s less than impressed with their doomsday prophecy considering doomsdayers are zero for 10000 years except… Oopsies, it’s hailing blood. “I’ll load up my truck,” he squeaks.

Hawley busts out the armory: Blackbeard’s flintlocks that sunk the Leviathan, a Highlander katana that wields the power of all the slain samurai, and that crossbow they’ve borrowed before. Katrina starts chanting over them to revive their power and Jenny tells Hawley, “It’s ok, she’s a witch.” Hawley practically fist bumps Ichabod. Hee.

PS? They need Hawley to babysit Abraham. He’s all, wait, the A Team is going to take on Moloch and I’m babysitting this dude? She’s like, don’t worry, demons might come after him. I think his hair fluffed up a little higher at that. “It’s not a party. You cannot have any friends over,” Abbie reminds him. Did anyone check his Red Cross babysitting certification for headless expertise? Irresponsible.

Remember that second theme? Ichabod picks a fight with Katrina over… you guessed it: her lying lies. You know all that stuff he overlooked before? Totally didn’t overlook it. After she doesn’t exactly admit that her affection for Abraham is Stockholm syndrome, homeboy inventories her list of sins ending with questioning the “very idea of our marriage.” BURN. Those are words you can never come back from, pal. But I am ok with that, because, Ichabbie. They agree to just play their parts as soldiers in the war, as the well-armed BAMF team arrives, looking like, “I know you petty-ass white people are not fussing at a time like this.” Yep, they are.

You know what Moloch is tired of? FAILURE. Namely both of his lazy sons. He raises the demon army and they lurch across the battle field as our team arrives. One clips Abbie pretty quickly so as Jenny hauls her off, the rest engage.

Frank Irving takes on War’s avatar, getting in a few hits that the black-eyed Henry feels. But Irving gets fancy and takes a hit before finishing War off, who melts into lava. Pretty awesome.

Ichabod catches the collapsing Frank and summons Katrina to help the bleeding. But as we know: useless. “All is well,” Ichabod assures him touchingly. “You’re a captain. You fight….” But his eyes go dead, the couple bending over his broken body.

Back at the church where Jenny is patching up Abbie’s arm, Ichabod shakes his head in silent eulogy, restraining Abbie as she cries.

After bringing his body inside, they argue over who should be the next to sacrifice themselves, determining that Abbie will go first, then each in succession. “Don’t thank me yet, you haven’t heard my plan,” she tells Ichabod. Meanwhile Moloch tells Henry to go slow them down by, you know, getting killed, answering a major question: “There were horsemen before you, and there will be after.” The befuddled Henry stumbles off through Dem Woods in his Grandpa Sweater to do his cruel father’s bidding.

“War is hell,” Abbie greets him, before getting entangled with roots, then Jenny. Henry is momentarily tricked by a fake sword and Katrina’s reasoning, but he’s more interested in making Ichabod go through him. Ichabod recites the Akeda once again, drawing parallel between Moloch and the sacrificial ram that God sent instead of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Henry pretends to break at hearing that his parents have never given up on him and never will, but he’s really just amused because SUCKAHS.

Let’s all go to the White Trees and see the world’s glorious end, shall we? Let’s.

Moloch commands Henry to sacrifice his mother and bring about the fourth stage. Henry once again stumbles… Isn’t Katrina Abraham’s payment? This is what I’ve been saying. Moloch couldn’t care less about Abraham or Henry—this is about Moloch’s plans, and everyone else can go hang. Which triggers some of Henry’s infamous monologuing. You know what’s interesting about the Akeda? He asks Ichabod after Ichabod volunteers to die in Katrina’s place. The fact that Isaac never spoke to his father again. Because any father who asks his son to die for him deserves to die himself. As should any god. Henry stabs Moloch and sends him back to hell. YASSSSSSS.

Welp, there’ll be no living with Katrina after this.