“Sleepy Hollow” is one of those rare TV shows that leaves viewers feeling elated and fulfilled at the end of an episode. “Go Where I Send Thee” was phenomenal! It was an excellent hour of television that delivered on all levels. If you haven’t realized it by now, then Monday’s episode made it clear. “Sleepy Hollow” is bringing it’s A game every time. Fantastic fun mixed with deep emotion. This show goes big and hits home.
The Pied Piper’s tale is a troubling one and working this case stirs up Abbie’s past. Ichabod proves he has his partner’s back under any circumstance. Nick shows his true colors. A desperate parent nearly does the unthinkable. And Henry enforces his ownership of Irving’s soul. Get ready for another glorious and wild ride, Sleepy Heads!
The Pied Piper lures his new victim like a cobra charmer coaxes his snake out of a basket. A blonde little girl follows an enchanting tune out into the woods. What horrors will the child face?
Abbie takes Ichabod on a driving lesson. Franklin’s bloody odometer has given away Crane’s secret, he’s been joyriding with Jenny. But Abbie still hadn’t braced herself for Ichabod’s fast and furious driving skills. The dude even wants to add turbocharge to her jeep. Crane is badass behind the wheel. Seriously, we will never tire of watching this clip. After Crane has proven to be one with his steel steed, the partners have a moving chat.
Ichabod realizes why she is teaching him the ways of her world. He needs to know how to take care of himself just in case the unspeakable happens. Ichabod sets her straight. Their fate is not to bury each other. In victory or defeat, they will always be together. Sigh. That is why we love Ichabbie. What an impassioned speech from Crane. Tears! Their sweet moment is interrupted by an Amber alert for the Pied Piper’s prey, Sara Lancaster. They leave immediately to see her parents.
At the Lancaster residence, Ichabod is forced to keep his distance while Abbie works the case inside. The Lancasters adopted two boys and Sara’s birth was a “happy accident.” Beth, Sara’s mom, can’t forgive herself for falling asleep at her desk and forgetting to set the alarm. Beth leaves the room and Abbie follows.
Abbie has a heart to heart with Beth in the yard. She was young but she still remembers. Beth was her case worker and tried to help the Mills. Abbie reciprocates the advice Beth had given her years ago. This storm will pass and everything will be fine. Abbie promises to find Sara. When she’s finished speaking with the family, Abbie finds Crane sneakily snooping around the property.
He gazes in through the window and sees all of their family heirlooms and portraits. Crane recalls their ancestor, Daniel Lancaster. The man was a scoundrel. Daniel switched sides during the war and joined the patriots only after it was clear that America was winning. Crane is frustrated that he has to lag behind and idle wait, but at least he can help out when cops aren’t lurking around who can fink on him to Madame Sheriff.
Crane and Abbie follow Sara’s trail into the woods and quickly find a big clue. They see blood on trees, signs of a struggle and discover a hollowed out bone flute. This pipe is the oldest known instrument that originated in China. Ichabod plays the pipe. Abbie really shouldn’t be surprised by this sort of thing anymore because he is awesome and knows how to do all sorts of random things. Abbie suddenly enters a trance and starts wandering off as Crane plays. He shakes her out of it and realizes who the culprit is. They go back to the archives to do some research.
After a quip about how Betsy Ross was relentless in pursuing the ever so charming Crane, he explains how this piccolo flute has been pitched up half a key. This jogs Ichabod’s memory. Cue the flashback!
During the heart of the war a mysterious man lured a garrison out with music and killed them all. This must be the same assassin, but why is he taking little girls? The song he plays acts as a summoning spell. Abbie was immediately entranced. Since it worked on her once, she wants to be the Pied Piper’s bait. Abbie sympathizes with Sara. She knows what it’s like to be lured into the woods by a demonic presence. Ichabod won’t put her in danger, so they come up with a clever plan.
Ichabod records the song, so Abbie can play it on loop. He vows to stay with her every moment and says he can see for miles, so she has nothing to fear. As she listens to the beautiful music, he vigilantly watches her. They are guided through the woods by her trance and Crane suddenly stops her. He sees something ahead. Much to Ichabod’s chagrin, they’ve stumbled upon an injured Nick Hawley.
Nick was searching for a high valued flute for a buyer when he saw someone take Sara. He was attacked by the Piper during her abduction. He knows how the legend goes, but he doesn’t believe it’s real. The Lancaster family has been cursed since 1778 and on her tenth birthday, a Lancaster daughter disappears. Then we learn the details of Daniel Lancaster’s story.
Daniel allowed the garrison to stay in his home. When they messed with his daughters, Daniel hired an assassin to kill them. The Piper’s speedy skills were unparalleled. That kind of skill can only come from selling your soul to a demon. After the mercenary massacred the garrison, Daniel killed the Piper. His betrayal began the curse. Each new girl provides the Pied Piper with his new flute. Creepy!!!
Nick thinks this is all folklore and some guy is using it to bait the family. He swears he tried to save Sara. Abbie believes they still have time to save Sara. Crane is still skeptical of Nick, but they could use his help so Abbie strikes a deal. If he helps them track and rescue Sara, she will give him the flute. So they venture deeper into the woods as the Piper’s trance guides Abbie.
Ichabod finds a hidden stairwell. They go underground and find bones, flutes and carcasses hanging all over the place. Ew! Luckily Sara is still alive, so Abbie quickly gets her out of there. Crane senses the Piper’s presence, then Nick sees the monster. “Damn” is an understatement. The Pied Piper wields his long pipe-like weapon and it emits a crazy paralyzing sound during this kick-ass fight. Crane saves Nick and they set up explosives before joining Abbie above ground. They successfully blow-up the Piper’s lair and manage to slow him down, but he’s still a threat.
Ichabod swoops Sara up in his arms, Abbie puts her vest on the frightened girl who can’t remember how she even made it that far into the woods. The course of action is clear to Ichabod and Abbie. Take Sara home, load up on ammo and come back to kill the Piper for good. Nick is out. He did as he promised and is owed the flute. Wow. Poor form, Nick. Ichabod explains how the evil they face is real. They’re in the middle of a war. He can’t just bail. Nick says he will be haunted by what he witnessed, but that’s “why God invented the shot glass.” Ok that may be a funny line, but still…What a douche! (Sidenote: #SleepyMerch shot glasses are a new must-have. Make it happen, FOX.) Abbie point blank says this is the End of Days and Nick doesn’t care.
Now for one highlight of this brilliant episode. Ichabod shames Nick for being a “privateer.” Nick still just wants his flute. So Abbie gives it to him after snapping it half over her knee. Go Abbie! No way was she going to give Nick and his “buyer” a weapon that powerful. Ha! Suck it, Nick. Then Ichabod gives Nick an epic side-eye glare of shame. Hell yeah! (Excellent GIF-able moment). That look would pierce through anyone’s soul….except Nick’s, apparently.
Ichabod and Abbie take Sara home. They set up a perimeter of cops around the house, so that the family remains protected. The Lancasters are grateful, although the father seems more appreciative than Beth. There is something fishy about Mama Lancanster. Abbie tells the Lancasters that her promise will be fulfilled once they get rid of the Piper for good. With that said, Ichabod and Abbie return to the archives.
Abbie gives Ichabod a pair of awesome noise cancelling ear buds. He is pleasantly amused and impressed by their effectiveness. He asks Abbie to perform the “log-in ceremony” (adorable!) on the computer so that they can access the Lancaster Family’s history dating back to the birth of this legend. The records show that every generation of Lancasters lost a child on her tenth birthday. In 1936 one child was recovered. But the curse later claimed the lives of all the children with a fever. Creepy! The Lancasters adopted the boy in hopes of avoiding this curse. Now Beth’s strange behavior is starting to make sense.
Ichabod and Abbie discover that the Lancaster’s adopted sons have suddenly fallen ill. So much for escaping the curse. When Beth and Sara are missing, Abbie fears the worst. Beth is going to sacrifice Sara to save the others. They must stop her before it is too late. This time Ichabod hops into the house and grabs a cutlass, so that he can attack the Piper with a proper weapon. As Crane says, “honor demands a rematch.” Yay! It’s about time for another old-fashioned duel.
“In the interest of haste,” Ichabod also drives them to the woods. Again, Ichabod behind the wheel is awesome! They find Beth and Sara very close to the Piper’s lair. Out of desperation, Beth pulls a gun on Abbie. Beth explains how helpless she felt when the Piper took her sister. Beth was only seven. She knows that if the Piper doesn’t take a child, then the curse will take them all. She says she couldn’t possibly understand the suffering her family has endured. Has Abbie ever prayed so hard for help? Has she ever tried to forget something so horrible in her past? Abbie completely understands how Beth feels. Everything she says opens up Abbie’s old wounds and finally pushes her to tears. Such beautiful, heartfelt work from Nicole Beharie. All of Abbie’s suppressed pain boils to the surface for a brief moment before she switches back into action mode. Abbie can sympathize with Beth, but she crossed the line by choosing to sacrifice Sara. There is a better way to handle this.
Crane steps in to help Abbie. He acknowledges that a great evil has taken control of the Lancaster legacy, but there is still hope. Abbie and Ichabod ask for Beth’s trust. They promise they can set things right. Beth comes to her senses and apologizes to Sara. That poor girl is never going to get over this trauma. Let’s hope she doesn’t end up in Tarrytown someday. Suddenly, the Pied Piper strikes.
Ichabod fights him off with his cutlass while Abbie shoots at him. He jumps down the pit into his lair. Abbie yells at Crane, “Finish it!” So down the hatch he goes. Crane puts the blue pulsating earbuds in. All we hear is his heartbeat, which becomes the score for his epic throw-down with the Pied Piper.
This fight sequence is seriously badass and stunning (@abaiers shared details on how this was filmed during the live-tweet.) In the course of the fight, his earbuds are knocked out. The Piper’s violent weapon-pipe music causes Crane’s ears to bleed. Ichabod grabs a rock, smashes the Piper’s foot and then chops off his hand. Abbie impales the Piper’s long-ass pipe through his chest, finishing the monster off before he has a chance to attack Crane again. As Ichabod rises to his feet, he cheekily quips with a smile, “I had him.”
And that is why we love Ichabbie so much. Phenomenal performances from Beharie and Tom Mison. In the midst of all the laughter and suspense, they share some really deep, emotional and moving moments. Ichabod and Abbie continually prove to have each other’s backs, no matter what. Whatever fate they face in the future, they will face it together as a team. Loyalty and trust are the foundation of any successful relationship. As long as that remains, Ichabbie’s partnership and friendship will not waver. However, everyone may not be able to remain so devoutly loyal to their cause.
During Ichabbie’s Pied Piper case, Irving has a scary experience of his own. While reading the Bible, the Book of Ezekiel to be exact, Irving has a vision. Frank is in an apocalyptic war zone. Guns blazing. He’s in full BAMF mode. But he has black demon eyes (#SuperSleepy!). Uh oh! Flames rise around him as he spots the Horseman of War. Suddenly, the Bible catches on fire. Super chilling! Later that day, Henry visits Irving and spells it all out for him.
Henry threatens to cuts off funding for Irving’s wife and daughter, including her medical bills. His court hearing will be delayed and he won’t see his family for a very long time. Is that what Irving wants? Well of course not, but he doesn’t want to serve Satan either. Henry puts a spin on the situation. He describes war as an “instrument of justice.” Still Irving doesn’t want to serve a demon. Henry emphasizes how Ichabod and Abbie have brought him nothing but misery and suffering. Irving isn’t falling for it. He asks what Henry has done to him. Henry tells him to read Ezekiel 18:4, so Irving digs up his burned Bible and realizes what he has done.
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Irving signed the contract in blood, his soul now belongs to Henry. How can his soul be saved? Will Ichabod and Abbie be able to help him? After all, they’re on a winning streak.
Ichabod and Abbie decompress over coffee. Crane scoffs at the thimble of espresso buried beneath all that foam and for such a ridiculous price. But then he tastes his cappuccino and understands why it is worth it. This whole moment is too cute. (So glad Orlando Jones GIFed it. Enjoy!) The way Abbie smiles at Crane as he wipes off the excess foam on his mustache, you can’t help but wonder if she is starting to crush on him. But then again, she could just be happy that they won this battle. Ichabod calls her out on gloating, but hey, she has a right. They saved lives and ended the curse of the Pied Piper. They can at least enjoy a sweet break before getting back to work. Ichabod and Abbie still have War to win. And it looks like things are about to get a way worse.
Nick meets his buyer at the Tavern. If only Nick knew what kind of trouble his transaction will cause. The Hessian middle-man takes the pipe back to his boss, Henry. Ok that’s expected, but what happens next makes thing extra weird and gross.
Henry crushes the bones into dust and then tastes it. “It’s perfect,” he says. Ew! Perfect for what? What kind of spell is he conjuring up? Does this have something to do with next week’s episode? Is Henry conjuring the Weeping Lady?
This episode was so good. We can’t stop gushing over it. Kudos to Damian Kindler for penning such a gripping and moving script and to Douglas Aarniokoski for his phenomenal direction and cinematography. “Go Where I Send Thee” is another example of why “Sleepy Hollow” is worthy of so many accolades from the industry.
What do you think, Sleepy Heads? Are you loving this season so far? What have been some of your favorite moments? “Sleepy Hollow” continues to impress and we can’t wait to see what happens next!
Share your thoughts below and stay tuned for more scoop!
“Sleepy Hollow” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX.
