Who doesn’t have Crane on the brain at this point? “Sleepy Hollow” is continuing its stellar streak in Season 2. As the show-runners promised over the summer, each monster reveals something new about these characters and reflects the crazy situation they are in. Monday’s “The Weeping Lady” shed more light on the Cranes’ past.
We discover that Katrina kept a dark secret in order to protect her beloved Ichabod. That secret comes back to haunt them in the form of the Weeping Lady when Henry maliciously conjures the vengeful spirit of Ichabod’s spiteful former fiancée, Mary Wells. Unlike the Weeping Women of lore, Mary’s spirit isn’t just the troubled ghost of a scorned lover who eerily relives her consequential death in the afterlife. Mary is obsessed with Ichabod and she’s hell-bent on killing any woman who dares to get close to her man.
Ichabod Crane (and Tom Mison) is the gift that keeps on giving. It was a delight to see this episode open with two back-to-back iconic and Crantastic moments. Remember sweet Caroline? Ichabod met her at a Revolutionary War reenactment and she’s been custom making his updated old-fashioned wardrobe. During this particular home delivery, Caroline makes a bold gesture. She finds Ichabod attractive. Even if Crane wanted to, his face cannot lie. His shocked expression is immediately accompanied with an explanation. He is happily married and apologizes for any confusion. What makes this moment even more delicious is that Abbie walks through the door and Caroline thinks she is Mrs. Crane. Seriously, if this is pandering, then we’ll take more of it. Please and thank you.
Caroline scurries off in anguishing embarrassment and Abbie teases her friend. It was so obvious that Caroline had “a case of Crane on the brain.” There is a reason why the sneak peek was buzzed about so much and kudos to Sleepy Heads for getting #Craneonthebrain trending on Twitter Monday night. Ichabod feels terrible that he never picked up on the clues. His thoughts have been preoccupied by the idea of Katrina being in peril. As we soon see, Katrina is more than capable of holding her own against Abraham.
Henry has cast an enchantment on Abraham’s house so that Katrina cannot practice witchcraft. However, she can conjure just enough mojo within the confines of the spell. She sends a message via carrier crow to her beloved husband. The raven flies away seconds before Abraham enters the room. The Horseman breathes down Katrina’s neck. He would like her to join him willingly, but if push comes to shove, he will do as he must in order to have her by his side as his Queen of Death. It’s a chilling conversation that leaves Katrina unsettled. After threatening Katrina, Abraham has a mirror chat with Henry.
Using Moloch’s method of communication, Abraham tells Henry that he fears the enchantment is fading and Katrina is able to use witchcraft. Henry says not to worry, he will make sure the enchantment holds strong. He also claims that Abraham should not fret over Katrina’s affections. If all else fails, they can use the binding ritual. Plus, Henry is already working on a way to sever her bond with Ichabod. He really relishes in causing his parents pain.
Henry flips through the pages of Katrina’s old copy of “Gulliver’s Travels” and finds a sin to use. His eyes turn black as he sees a vision of the past in which Ichabod is speaking with Mary. Uh oh!
Night has fallen upon a Sleepy Hollow and a couple of teenagers are making out in their car by the ravine. Suddenly the car is covered in water, as though it has been submerged in the river. Creepy! They speed out of there before things get worse. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to escape Mary’s wrath.
An insolent text will not suffice as a proper apology. Ichabod wishes to apologize to Caroline face-to-face as a true gentlemen should. Ah chivalry. Why is it so rare nowadays? We could use more Icahbod’s in this world. Crane sweetly explains how Caroline is one of his most valued and few friends. He treasures their friendship and hopes this awkward encounter has not changed that. Caroline is happy to call Crane her friend. He bids her adieu with a bow. Be still our hearts! Thank you M. Raven Metzner for all of this Crane-y goodness. Ichabod returns to Abbie and Caroline goes back inside.
Caroline’s living has turned into an aqua tank and the Weeping Lady chillingly attacks her. The next morning, Caroline’s body is discovered in the ravine. She was found at 5 a.m. but she died shortly after Ichabod left her around 9 p.m. Crane is heartbroken to have lost his friend. Even worse, he feels responsible. Ichabod follows a hunch and sees Caroline’s “I heart Founding Fathers” mug on the beach. Then he spots a rope from which she climbed down. Abbie and Ichabod follow the clues and reach Lovers’ Lane. (Crane’s version of Lovers’ Lane is hilarious. You know if Hawley ever asks Abbie out, Ichabod will insist on chaperoning her date.) The scared couple from the start of the episode left tire marks behind when they screeched away. It turns out they are from a local High School, so Abbie and Ichabod head over there to get some answers.
The teenagers tell them the legend of the Weeping Lady, a woman was jilted by her lover or husband, so she kills herself and spends eternity in tears. Abbie and Ichabod hit the library where they divide and conquer in a quest for details on the Weeping Lady’s woeful tale.
During his alone time, Ichabod receives the message Katrina sent him. (Poor Tom Mison suffered several bites from that nasty crow for a mere moment of TV time. The crow deserved that disgruntled look from Crane.) Katrina assures Ichabod that he is always in her thoughts and her love for him is steadfast. Elsewhere in the library, Nick Hawley makes some assurances of his own.
Abbie gives Nick the cold shoulder after he bailed on them during the Pied Piper case. Nick doesn’t makes apologies for the way he works. Sure he deals with artifacts tied to the supernatural, but he’s never faced anything like that head on. He promises that next time he will help Abbie and the Englishman out. If she ever needs him, he’s living down by Pier #44. Suddenly, Abbie hears weeping.
Abbie follows the sound and finds the Weeping Lady. She instructs the woman to turn around and put her hands up. Surprisingly, the Weeping Lady follows her orders. Abbie shoots as the Weeping Lady attacks and she starts drowning Abbie. She gets sucked into a black hole that leads to the ravine. Well now she knows how Caroline got there. Crane sees what happens and painstakingly calls out, “Abbie!” Our hearts skip a beat. Ichabod pulls Abbie out of the water, but then he freezes. Nick rushes in, snaps at Crane and starts giving Abbie CPR. Once Abbie is breathing again, Nick quips at Crane, “You’re welcome.” In Ichabod’s defense, he probably never learned CPR. Things were different back then. Either that or he was paralyzed by the thought of actually losing Abbie. What do you think, Sleepy Heads? Were surprised that Crane froze after retrieving Miss Mills out of the liquid black hole?
Once Abbie is cleared by the paramedics, Ichabod informs her about his research. In 1779 Obadiah Saunders wrote a short story about a rejected woman who drowned herself. Abbie believes this is different than the standard tale. This Weeping Lady is not sorrowful. Ichabod agrees. She is vengeful and she’s attacking those for whom he cares the most deeply. Luckily, Abbie’s traumatic encounter provides them with another clue. She grabbed a piece of lace from the Weeping Lady. Ichabod recognizes the unique fabric. This lace was hand woven from Scottish cotton and only one woman from his past always wore it. Flashback time!
Ichabod and Katrina are respectfully smitten with one another, even though she’s still engaged to his best friend Abraham. Mary Wells unexpectedly arrives from London and introduces herself as Crane’s fiancée. Katrina is clearly troubled by this, so Ichabod quickly explains that he and Mary have been promised to each other since childhood. He leaves Katrina and has a walk with Mary to see why she has come to see him.
Delusional Mary wants Ichabod to leave America, recant and return to London so they can get married. Ichabod gently and politely sets her straight. They agreed to break-off their engagement before he left for America. He cares for Mary like a brother and nothing more. Mary blames Katrina for Ichabod’s feeling, saying the witch has enchanted him. She believes Ichabod is too kind and noble to bring shame to their families by causing such a scandal. Basically, Mary isn’t taking “No” as an answer.
However, it appears as though something changes throughout the course of the day. That night Ichabod receives a letter from Mary. She apologizes for her intense emotions. She loves him deeply, but releases Ichabod from their engagement. She decided to return to London, so Ichabod didn’t think any more of it.
Abbie and Ichabod discuss how irrationally possessive Mary was of him. She has literally turned into a green-eyed monster. This creature is definitely different from the Weeping Lady of legend. When Ichabod realizes that Mary picked Katrina’s letter out of his pocket while he was rescuing Abbie, they know who the Weeping Lady will be going after next. They head down to the pier to see if Nick knows of a way to take her down.
Nick saved Abbie’s life, so that gives him a little more merit. But he still peeves the hell out of Ichabod. This dynamic isn’t growing tiresome yet, so keep up the banter. Nick has just the weapon they need to destroy a restless spirit. It is a supped up crossbow, originally owned by Van Helsing (cool!), which is loaded with iron arrows and other supernatural fighting bells and whistles. Armed with the presumably proper weapon, Abbie and Ichabod head out to save his wife.
They see the Headless Horseman urgently riding away and know that Katrina must already be in danger. They enter Abraham’s home and the Weeping Lady has sucked Katrina into her watery portal. They also realize that Abraham read Katrina’s letter to Ichabod (so much for her grand plan of manipulating Abe with mind games.) Abbie remembers that the portal took her to the river, so they go there to find Katrina.
Katrina struggles to fight off Mary underwater. Outside of Abe’s anti-magic enchanted house, Katrina is able to use her powers. Light shoots out of her hands and pushes Mary away. Once she reaches land, Katrina is met by Ichabod and Abbie. She quickly explains how Mary was conjured with dark magic, so it will take dark magic to defeat her. Unfortunately, she needs another witch’s help to cast a spell that can stop Mary. Abbie asks if a Witness will do the trick and Ichabod’s lovely ladies unite in their effort to stop his crazy ex-girlfriend.
As Katrina and Abbie cast the spell, Ichabod tries to distract Mary. He implores her to cease this violent behavior and begs her not to make him use the crossbow. But it is no use. Mary is too far gone. She is fueled by anger and jealousy. Ichabod can think of only one way to free her from such torment. He shoots her with the crossbow, but it doesn’t work. She charges through Crane and heads straight towards Abbie and Katrina. They complete the enchantment and make a run for it as Mary approaches.
Once the enchantment takes effect, Mary’s spirit will leave the earthly plain. Oddly enough, during this frightening encounter, Ichabod realizes that Mary won’t harm him. Ichabod sincerely and sympathetically asks Mary what happened to make her like this. She simply points at Katrina and her spirit leaves. Ichabod is stunned. He demands to know the truth. So Katrina reveals her secret.
In another flashback, Mary confronts Katrina and accuses her of bewitching Ichabod. She angrily runs towards Katrina and ends up falling off the edge of the cliff. Mary died in a moment of rage, but her death was an accident. Katrina did not want Ichabod to worry or carry the burden of Mary’s death. He had too much to do as a Witness and spy. Katrina wanted to protect him, so she enchanted her handwriting and wrote him that letter from Mary. Ichabod is appalled and disappointed. Katrina has kept so many secrets from him: working for Washington, being a witch, her pregnancy, and now this. Ichabod is heartbroken by her betrayal. Unfortunately, their lovers’ quarrel is abruptly interrupted when Abraham attacks.
The Headless Horseman is ready to kill Ichabod, but Katrina convinces him not to. She pleads with Abe saying that Crane saved her life. If Abraham cares for her at all, he will repay Ichabod by sparing his life. Knowing that her beloved husband will live, Katrina tells Abe that she is ready to go “home.”
This is seriously gut-wrenching for the Cranes. Ichabod has a right to be upset after all they have been through. The more he learns about Katrina, he begins to question how well he truly knows his wife. Nonetheless, she has always proven her love for him. Every lie was out of love and protection. Unless there is some twist down the road. Was Katrina instructed to guide Ichabod on his fated journey as Witness? Did she truly fall in love with him or is she just performing her duties as a member of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart? We know she told him about his fate, but they also seemed to genuinely fall in love. Until there’s anything to prove otherwise, Katrina’s love for Ichabod seems sincere. Abbie may have her suspicions, but it would seem so nonsensical for Katrina to turn on her husband after two centuries. What do you think, Sleepy Heads? Are you suspicious of Katrina? What other secrets is she keeping from Ichabod? Will the Cranes move past this hurdle? Will Ichabod’s feelings towards Katrina begin to change? The episode isn’t even over and we already have so many questions! Moving on…
The next day, Jenny returns the crossbow to Nick on Abbie’s behalf. He seems disappointed that Abbie didn’t bring it back herself. Jenny gets a little flirty and suggests they mix business with pleasure the way they used to. (Oh yeah! There’s the confirmation we’ve been waiting for.) Nick doesn’t think it’ll be smart, so she gives him a little taste of what he’ll be missing. Jenny kisses Nick. Although he liked the kiss, he’s still hesitant. Maybe that’s because he’s developed feelings for the other Miss Mills in Sleepy Hollow. Since Abbie is blind to Jenny’s history with Nick, he really shouldn’t be sending any flirty signals her way. Looks like he’s bound to stir up some trouble. One thing is for sure, Ichabod is really not going to be pleased with any of this. Will he end up defending both Jenny and Abbie’s honor by calling Nick out for being a cad? Perhaps, but right now he has more troubling matters weighing on his mind.
Abbie sets up an old-fashioned memorial service for Caroline (so sweet!) and Ichabod is very grateful for it. As they share a drink, Ichabod confides in Abbie. He hates how their mission as Witnesses put those they care for at risk. Once again, they reiterate that their duty to one another is most important. These two will always have each other’s backs. Although his partnership with Abbie is rock solid, Ichabod is troubled by Katrina’s behavior. Marriage can be difficult on a good day, let alone during the Apocalypse. Without a strong foundation of trust and honesty, how can any union survive? Poor Ichabod. He doesn’t seem like the type who will give up on Katrina and his marital vows, but this does reveal his concerns. Abbie is in better standing than his own wife. Ichabbie’s partnership is totally grounded in trust, honesty and loyalty. Maybe Abbie isn’t the only Witness weary of Katrina. How will Mrs. Crane be able to regain his trust? How far is she willing to go to stop Abraham and Henry’s plan?
Once Katrina is back “home” with Abraham, he admits to her, “I am never happy to see you unhappy.” Well that is a romantic sentiment for the Horseman of Death. He assures Katrina that he had nothing to do with the Weeping Lady. That much we know is true, but if there were any doubts, the episode’s final scene explains even more than what we are ready to understand.
Moloch once again chastises Henry for straying from their plan. This is not the time for Henry’s vendetta against his parents. Moloch says that Katrina is vital. She is one of the Hellfire Shards, she’s a chosen vessel, and she cannot die. What the…who…what?!? Way to unload all of that on us. If Katrina is destined to be the vessel for an even greater evil, then there is reason to be weary of her…and scared, very scared.
Moloch yells at Henry, reminding him that he is a soldier and it is his duty to obey orders. The episode leaves us with the image of Henry sobbing like a scolded little boy alone in his room. Yeah, that’s not haunting at all.
Afterthoughts:
Another phenomenal episode filled with brilliant performances. It was wonderful to see more of Katia Winter and so much fun to see Katrina use magic. Her power as a witch might be what makes her a Hellfire Shard or the chosen vessel. This major revelation leaves us with a few big questions:
What is a Hellfire Shard? (Google isn’t providing any clues this time around.)
For whom is Katrina the chosen vessel? (Is there a Mrs. Moloch? Satan? Another Horseman?)
Will Ichabod be able to sacrifice his wife for the greater good?
Abbie has kept Ichabod on his toes when it comes to Katrina. No matter what happens they have a duty as Witnesses. If Katrina ever poses a threat, Abbie has made her priorities clear. Ichabod has been struggling and chooses to have faith in his wife. But what if it is out of her control? If Katrina discovers the truth, she would probably be willing to die in order to save Ichabod and the world.
On the other hand, Katrina has lied a lot. Could she know what role she will serve in the Apocalypse? Was she destined to protect and nurture Ichabod as a Witness, only to eventually die at his hands? That would be heartbreaking, but it would make for another epic twist. Of course, we’re talking about Ichabod. He will swear to find a way to save his wife before jumping to the last resort. What if Abbie takes matters into her own hands and kills Katrina to save the world? Would Ichabod ever be able to forgive her? Moloch’s bombshell opens up a Pandora’s Box of horrible scenarios.
What do you think, Sleepy Heads? Do you have any theories? Hopefully, these upcoming episodes will give us a better idea of where this troubling new mythology might be headed.
“Sleepy Hollow” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX.
