For months Sleepy Heads have been waiting for the glorious moment when Ichabod and Abbie take the stage in a delightful karaoke duet. Regardless of what song they sang, we knew it would kick-ass because they would be making beautiful music together. As it wonderfully turns out, their duet is a culmination of several delicious Ichabbie moments, which end up being the highlights of “Kali Yuga” (to be completely honest.) It was interesting to learn more about Nick Hawley’s past, see a dash of fun twistory, get freaked out by Irving’s soul exam and discover “Sleepy Hollow’s” somewhat controversial interpretation of the Hindu goddess Kali and Vetala. However, Ichabbie was once again the heart and soul of this loaded episode.
Let’s begin with Hawley’s blast from the past. Carmilla Pines is Nick’s godmother and she became his caretaker after his parents died in an accident when he was twelve. The strapping bounty hunter learned all of his tricks from Carmilla. They were a family. Albeit a twisted, Mrs. Robinson is making inappropriate moves on her ward, kind of dysfunctional family. Little Nicky was loyal to her until he saw Carmilla murder someone and realized she’s more than a treasure hunter, she’s a cold-blooded killer.
Hawley ran and took his business abroad. She followed and kept tabs on him from afar until her life changed forever. During one of those trips, Carmilla was captured by a cult and turned into a Vetala, a demon that serves the goddess Kali (according to the “Sleepy” spin on Hindu mythology.) Once she was turned, Carmilla left Hawley alone because she didn’t want to burden him with her troubles. But now she needs his help.
Carmilla explains that an artifact in Theodore Knox’s vault can cure her. She manipulates Nicky into helping her by saying he’s the only family she’s got and all she wants is to be human again. She swears this is the last time she will ask him for anything and he agrees: “One and done.” Ha! Like it is ever that easy.
Crane and the Mills sisters get wind of Hawley’s shenanigans when the archive’s security alarm alerts Abbie about an intrusion. During Ichabod and Abbie’s time apart, both parties made some changes and decisions without consulting each other. Abbie installed a security system and Crane is cool with it, although he’s a little offended she didn’t tell him about it. Then again, he slighted Abbie in his own way and knows he has no right to hold a grudge. It is great to see that Ichabod and Abbie share our feelings about their time apart from each other. It’s just plain awkward and disappointing when they aren’t seeing eye-to-eye. Romantic fantasies aside, Team Witness is way better together. Even Jenny says so, which is awesome. Moving on…
The gang rushes into the tunnels and sees Hawley running away with something he stole from the archives. As they try to understand what he is up to, Carmilla attacks and she is looking fierce. Nick warns them that she is dangerous and we soon find out how indestructible she can be, even Crane’s crossbow doesn’t work. Once they’ve got what they need, Hawley and Carmilla bolt. So Crane and Co. put the pieces of Hawley’s puzzle together.
Once they figure out what kind of creature they’re dealing with, they decide to divide and conquer. The Mills track down a local fence, while the Cranes search the archives to see what Hawley stole. While rifling through drawers and files, Ichabod discovers Orion’s sigil hidden in Abbie’s drawer and his feelings are clearly hurt. Awww, poor Ichabod! While Crane feels the sting of her betrayal, Abbie assures Jenny that her relationship with Ichabod is complicated and she’s trying not to “sweat the small stuff.” Oh Ichabbie, you guys are breaking our hearts. Their bond is too sweet!
The Cranes and Mills regroup and share what they’ve learned. Hawley took the blueprints for Fort Knox. Cue Crane’s history lesson! The Sons of Liberty built a vault to contain dangerous items. Henry Knox’s descendant, Theodore, is known to collect and exchange occult artifacts. Jenny says there’s a black-market trading event taking place that night, so this is there one chance to stop Carmilla from getting what she wants. Ichabod gets behind the wheel of Hawley’s mustang and races the Mills over to Knox’s shindig. Yay! We can’t get enough of Ichabod’s wild rides.
As they enter the party, Ichabod and Abbie agree to “stay together at all costs,” while Jenny goes after Nick. Theodore is dazzled by Crane’s extraordinary outfit and badass crossbow. While Knox chats away, Ichabod throws Abbie a little side-eye. Unfortunately, she misunderstands the meaning of his glance and takes off on her own to follow Carmilla.
Jenny tails Hawley to the vault and pleads with him. She says the gang has his back and can help him fight Carmilla, but he won’t hear it. Nick takes her weapon and locks her out of the vault while he decodes the levers. By the time Abbie gets down there, Carmilla already has the gold Kali statue in her hands. She takes Abbie hostage when Crane arrives on the scene and takes aim at Carmilla. To assure their safety, Hawley locks Abbie and Ichabod inside the safe. He’ll tell Theodore they got stuck and promises they won’t stay trapped inside for too long. Then he takes off with Carmilla.
Team Witness takes this time to clear the air and solidify their bond, while breaking out of the vault. Ichabod confronts Abbie about Orion’s sigil and they both are sorry for the way have behaved. They should’ve consulted each other before reaching a decision about Abraham and Orion. However, at the time they each felt that it was easier to act than to have a conversation about it. That makes Abbie worry. She fears they may not be as good partners today as they were in the past. Ichabod admits that their bond has been sorely tested over the past few weeks. Suddenly he gets an idea.
The Sons of Liberty engraved symbols on the levers that can open the vault door. After a rash and wrong guess, Crane pulls the iron lever and the walls start closing in on them. Abbie urges him to focus on Knox’s personal life and think about what he loved most. Knox loved gambling and died in debt, so Ichabod tries the lever marked with the symbol for gold and it works. Woohoo! Team Witness is back in action and going strong.
Ichabod and the Mills rush to rescue Hawley who now realizes he’s been tricked by Carmilla. Her plan has always been to transform Nicky into a Vetala and now she can with the Kali statue. She just wants to reunite their family and assures him that he’s going to love death. Crazy and creepy. Luckily, Abbie and Ichabod deduce how to kill Carmilla by recalling what the Kali statue is holding in her hands. They realize the Vetala can be defeated with fire and iron. (Side-note: Totally agree with Ichabod here, thanks for the hint yoga, but it still isn’t worth the pain.)
Team Witness bursts in with crossbow blazing and they work together, taking turns saving each other from Vetala attacks while Jenny stops Carmilla from completing the ritual. Nick realizes that Carmilla is a lost cause and he’s prepared to take her out. Unfortunately, she stalls him for a second with a manipulative plea and then super-speeds out of there before Nick can kill her. Guess you can’t win them all…or can you?
Everyone regroups at the archives. Nick returns the blueprint and explains to Jenny that this is why he kept his distance. Jenny just wants him to understand that he now has a family he can rely on in Sleepy Hollow. He doesn’t have to keep on running or sabotaging what could be a great relationship. Nick knows that now, but Carmilla is unfinished business and she needs to be taken care of. He’s going to hunt her down and he would ask Jenny to go with him, but he knows what she’d say. They kiss goodbye and just like that, Nick Hawley takes his leave. Will he be back again this season? Will Jenny and Nick ever have the chance at a real relationship? We’ll just have to wait and see.
This week’s escapade made one thing very clear: Ichabbie is stronger than ever before. Team Witness is very self-aware and they don’t want to mess up the great thing they’ve got going on. From now on, they will make a greater effort to “tend to their bond.” Awww! Ichabod and Abbie know they are far greater than sum of their parts and they will not let their partnership waiver again. They demonstrate their devotion with a duet. As always, Abbie has Ichabod’s back as he finds his way through something new…”Proud Mary.” Too cute. Love it!
Of course, this is “Sleepy Hollow” so we can’t leave things on a comforting and cheery note. No. We need to have more threats to worry about and this one is a doozy. All charges are dropped against Frank Irving, so our favorite captain is finally free. Huzzah! But his wife Cynthia still has her reservations. Frank may be cleared in the eyes of the law, but he’s still a supernatural suspect. Everyone just wants to be sure that Henry no longer has any hold over Irving’s soul, so Katrina gives him a magical metaphysical MRI.
Katrina has Irving drink a potion and suddenly his memories come rushing back. Good. At least he remembers everything now. Katrina does a little digging and admits she cannot tell how Irving has returned, but she can confirm that his ties to the Horseman of War are gone. Phew!
Henry has no influence on Irving’s soul. We can all breathe easy now, right?
The perplexing look of disappointment on Katrina’s face makes us feel a little uneasy. She watches Irving hug Cynthia. His wife finally feels kind of safe in her husband’s arms and thinks they can have a new start. As the camera angle spins, we look over Irving’s shoulder and discover that he doesn’t have a reflection. GASP!!!!
What?! How?! What does this mean? Is he still dead? Is he a very strong, life-like ghost? Is he a vampire? Seriously, what other creature doesn’t have a reflection? And what’s with Katrina’s expression? Was she hoping Frank would still be tied to Henry so she could track him down? Did she sneak something fishy into the spell she worked over Irving? Did she lie about him not having ties to Henry? Is that why he doesn’t have a reflection? Was a piece of him left behind in Purgatory or wherever his soul went? Or is she sorry she couldn’t be of more help and she’s keeping what’s really wrong with Irving a secret? We have so many questions!
Do you trust Katrina? What do you think is wrong with Irving? Will he tell Ichabbie about it? Did you love all of those fantastic Ichabbie moments? What did you think about Ichabod and Abbie’s individual song choices, “Crazy” and the melancholy shanty? Are you happy to see them make a conscious effort to keep the Team Witness bond so strong? What did you think about Hawley’s history? Do you hope we’ll see him again? Will Nick and Jenny make a great power couple or can she do better? How did you feel about “Sleepy Hollow’s” spin on the Hindu goddess Kali?
It should be noted that a group of Hindus were offended by “Sleepy Hollow’s” interpretation. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed is asking FOX for an apology for degrading their spiritual beliefs by twisting Hindu scripture. He explains, “Goddess Kali, who personifies Shakti or divine energy and considered the goddess of time and change, is widely worshipped in Hinduism.” Furthermore, she has no connection with Vetala (a demonic spirit). At the very least, Zed was hoping for a disclaimer just to make sure viewers did not confuse fiction with Hindu scripture.
It is understandable for Hindus to be disappointed with the way “Sleepy Hollow” has twisted their scripture. Especially since the details of Hindu scripture and beliefs have not become common knowledge, whereas Judeo-Christian scriptures are more well-known. Most viewers wouldn’t have known the truth about the Goddess Kali and Vetala unless they did a bit of research. Hindu fans may not have agreed with their interpretation, but some still hope to see “Sleepy Hollow” provide a more accurate depiction of their faith in the future. Perhaps a “do-over” could help smooth things over a bit.
As fans of the genre know, we know that when it comes to supernatural series, all faiths and mythologies are twisted to serve the purpose of the show’s story. The Judeo-Christian God has been depicted in shocking ways, Jesus Christ’s image has been taken in vain, and angels have even been characterized as “dicks” (Yes, I love “Supernatural,” but I still think that’s harsh.) Over the years I have been stunned, disturbed and disappointed by what I have seen, but it never made me stop watching a show.
I encourage Hindus and fans of all faiths to share their thoughts on this matter in the comments below. Have you ever been turned off from a show due to an outrageous interpretation of one’s faith? Are you used to seeing scriptures twisted and just go with the flow of the show? Have you ever been offended by “Sleepy Hollow’s” interpretation of something sacred?
‘Sleepy Hollow’ airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX.
