‘Sleepy Hollow’ Season 2 Finale recap: Ichabbie stands the test of time

Huzzah! “Sleepy Hollow” delivered the kind of game-changing episode we’ve been hoping for. Season 2 has been a bit of a bumpy ride, but the last few episodes have restored our beloved show to its Season One glory. Outspoken, critical and passionate fans demanded change, so the Sleepy Writers gave it to us. “Tempus Fugit” exemplifies everything we love about “Sleepy Hollow.” Mark Goffman and Team Sleepy created an excellent hour of television that left us screaming for more.

The “Sleepy Hollow” finale contained a level of self-awareness which can be interpreted as a love letter to Sleepy Heads. Every callback was a little wink saying that we still have more magical moments in store. Each squee, sigh, and gasp inducing Ichabbie moment was a carefully crafted gift in which Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie demonstrate how much of this show’s success hinges on their palpable chemistry. The shocking twistory shows how much more fun there is to be had with America’s Founding Fathers and emphasizes the importance of Abbie’s ancestry. Last, but not least, Sleepy Writers tackle this season’s greatest challenge: How do you solve a problem like Katrina? You accelerate her storyline, instantly awaken her dark side and then kill her off. Now the original Fantastic Four are back in action, ready to take on new evil forces in Season 3. Hot damn! This was such a fun ride. Time to gush over all the deliciousness.

The episode picks up from where we left off. Abbie is imprisoned and awaits Captain Crane’s arrival. He appears in a huff after being summoned from the throws of battle. Ichabod was locked and loaded, all ready to go. What is the meaning of this disruption? The revered Captain has men to lead, lives to save, and a Hessian he must behead out on the battlefield. There’s no time for tomfoolery. As Abbie tries explaining the situation, she impulsively addresses him as Crane and he immediately asserts his authority. Such informality will not do. And we thought future Crane was uptight, the Captain is in a constant state of clenching, not that we can fault him for it. The weight of the world is on his shoulders and still doesn’t even know the half of it. Despite Abbie’s irreverence, she makes some surprisingly good points and her accurate description of the damage the Hessian caused scores Abbie a trip onto the battlefield, where she continues to impress Ichabod and peak his interest.

Drawing more parallels to the pilot, the following sequence is another delightful role reversal. Ichabod wants to question the unusual prisoner. Unfortunately, his superior, Sutton, orders him to send her to a runaway slave encampment. If Crane wants her, he’ll have to buy her. (Whoa! Easy buddy, you’re lucky Abbie didn’t punch you in the face for that.) Left with no other choice, Ichabod pulls an Abbie and asks to be the one who transports her. Sutton allows him to do so, but warns that deserters will be executed, so Ichabod better not abandon his post again. Okay meanie, message received. Now lay off of our sweet Ichie, he has a world to save and a bond to rekindle. Cue the bumpy carriage ride!

Abbie continues to keep it real, remarking on the discomfort of their archaic mode of transportation. As they roll along the dirt road, Abbie tries convincing Ichabod of the truth. She pulls out all the stops and rehashes all the secret details she’s learned about his past during the course of their friendship. Ichabod’s love triangle with Katrina and Abraham, the necklace he picked out, the importance of the Founding Fathers’ journals, etc. Crane says Washington and Jefferson are in D.C., but Franklin may be of some assistance. He takes a detour from the camp and heads to see Benjamin “Air Bath” Franklin.

Again, the look on Abbie and Ichabod’s faces are priceless. Mison and Beharie are magic and they play off of each other so perfectly. They speak volumes with a single glance and we can’t get enough of them. Sigh, so much to love! Unfortunately, everyone does not feel the same about Ichabbie.

When Katrina realizes that Abbie came back with her and saved Ichabod’s life, she seeks out the Horseman. Katrina tells Abraham to kill Ichabod and Abbie. Now our Witnesses have the Horseman of Death hot on their trail. Yikes!

Ichabod and Abbie meet with Ben and their encounter is awesome. Timothy Busfield is a treat as Franklin. We all have become aware of Ben’s quirks by now, but Busfield delightfully plays the ingenious inventor with a glimmering twinkle ever-present in his eyes. Franklin marvels at Abbie and says she represents everything they’re fighting for. Of course, he also relishes the magnitude of his influence on the future. Ben is familiar with the Grimoire and says that even evil-doers fear the time travel spell. He is eager to hear more about the future, but he wants to speak candidly with Abbie, so he sends Ichabod out to retrieve something for a moment. After a bit of chit chat, they get down to business.

Abbie spots the Kindred, still a work in progress, and she tells Ben that it comes in handy in the future. Franklin is glad to hear it and offers Abbie some hope. The time travel spell can still be reversed. It seems that for a brief period of time most spells can be undone. Grace Dixon will have the answers Abbie seeks. Sweet! Another Mills family reunion. Franklin cautions Abbie, he says that Ichabod is still not ready to hear the truth, so she must keep their role as Witnesses a secret. Suddenly, the Horseman charges the manor and decapitates Benjamin Franklin. What?! How can something so wrong, be so awesome?

Given that America just lost a Founding Father and Ichabod is down a mentor, the Captain takes Abbie back to her cell. Again she pleads for some understanding and benefit of the doubt. In the future they are partners. She warns him about Katrina’s lies: his wife is pregnant and a witch. If he wants proof, he can check Abbie’s cell phone for images of them together in the future. Unfortunately, before he has a chance to take a peek, Crane is scolded for his disobediance and dismissed from his duties.

Ichabod returns home and finds Katrina. She plays her part while magically levitating a blade behind his back, ready to strike him at any given moment. Ichabod examines the room with his beautiful baby blues. The table is covered in herbs used to treat pregnancy and the Grimoire rests beside them. It looks like Abbie is telling truth. Crane is called away before Katrina has the chance to kill him and he immediately returns to the prison.

In a new Ichabod vs technology fan-favorite moment, Crane finds Abbie’s cell phone and tries to figure out how to use it. Serious kudos to future Ichabod for getting the hang of technology so quickly. This spectacle is laugh out loud hilarious. Mison never disappoints in these ridiculously funny scenes. When the phone instructs “slide to unlock,” he sweeps the cell itself across the table. Too cute! Once Ichabod gets it working, he sees himself in the future. Luckily, Crane took a video when he was trying to take a selfie and captured some Ichabbie goodness. Sigh! (Also, how awesome is it that Abbie’s password is Ichabod’s birthday?! What is the significance of August 18?) While Ichabod finds a concrete reason to believe Abbie, she’s taking care of business as usual.

Abbie pulls a nail out of the bench and unlocks her handcuffs. When Sutton attacks, she wrestles him down with a choke hold. Hell yeah! That’s why Abbie Mills is bad ass. Then Ichabod enters right on cue: “I’m here to save you.” How adorable! That’s sweet, Ichabod, but Miss Mills can save erself. Still, we love it! Now for the punch that hits us righ the feels.

Ichabod realizes now that they are indeed partners. Abbie corrects him: “We are more than partners. We are friends.” Squee! We are drowning in a sea of Ichabbie cuteness. They are finally on the same page again.

Katrina is no longer Good. It is so kind of Abbie to hihglight some of Katrina’s better moments, like the time she used her powers to save Abbie’s life. Sadly, those days are gone. Ichabod laments that the seed of darkness must have been there all along. (cough Is this Sleepy Writers covert way of justifying Katrina’s abrupt and instant spiral down the path of Darkness? It is okay, guys. We get why you had to go there like this and we forgive you. Let’s just avoid a similar mishap in Season 3.) Onward to Frederick’s Manor!

Hearts melt as Abbie greets her ancestor. Grace is even more excited to meet the prophesized Witness. Crane is still catching on to what’s really going down since his Witness status is supposed to be a secret. Grace can help them undo the spell. She can draw upon the energy in the shield cast to protect the house. Weakening the shield will open them up to attack, but they have no other choice. Once Grace casts the spell, Abbie will be sent back to the future. We grow uneasy as the Horseman and Katrina arrive at the manor. Will they be able to break through the shield? Will Grace be able to complete the spell in time?

Before Grace casts the spell, Ichabod prepares to fight off the Hessian and Katrina. Abbie wants to back him up, but Grace cannot complete the spell without her. So Abbie takes a moment with Ichabod. When he bids her farewell as Miss Mills, she asks him to call her Leftenant. Awww! Then she throws her arms around him in one of Ichabbie’s sweetest, most adorable hugs yet. Ichabod is rattled by the informality. Is this behavior common amongst them? In perfect Beharie delivery Abbie quips, “We hug it out.” Oh my God, this is too wonderful! We are dying from joy.

Grace tells Abbie that she must continue the journal and fill the remaining pages with all of her experiences during this battle against Evil. Suddenly, Katrina strikes. She magically starts bringing down the walls of Frederick’s Manor. Grace and Abbie enact the spell as Ichabod combats Abraham. Just as the Horseman’s blade is about to strike Ichabod’s neck, Abbie and Katrina are hurled into the future. Phew! The filming of this entire sequence is phenomenal. Kudos to Sleepy Cuts and director, Paul Edwards!

As they spiral into the future, the past flashes before their eyes. Once they’ve returned to the present, Katrina is livid and attacks Abbie. She pins the Witness against the wall. Abbie shot their son and she must pay for it. Katrina’s eyes turn white with wrath and dark magic courses through her veins. Ichabod rushes to stop Katrina. He knocks the Grimoire out of her hand and they tussle.

During their struggle, Crane stabs Katrina. GASP! As she lay dying, Jeremy’s spirit returns and reaches out to hold Katrina’s hand. It is chilling, morbid and oddly touching all at once. Mother and son are finally together. It may not be the kind of reunion they had planned, but if they end up being damned for eternity, at least they’ll have each other this time around. Bravo to John Noble and Katie Winter for their stellar performances. Goosebumps!

Ichabod Crane was forced to choose one over the other and he chose Abbie. Of course! Like there was ever any doubt. We knew this day would come, we just didn’t think it would happen like this. Wow! This will weigh very heavily on Ichabod’s soul. Despite Katrina’s downfall, she was his wife and he loved her. They spent their entire courtship and marriage fighting to be together. However, once they reunited, they spent most of their time fighting with each other. Katrina’s loyalty to Abraham and Henry caused a colossal rift in their relationship. Ichabod desperately tried to salvage their marriage, but it was in vain. Katrina made her choice. By choosing Darkness over Ichabod, she left him with no other choice.

Ichabod is shaken, stunned, and distraught. He weeps over Katrina, until her body morphs into ash, as Henry’s did. Abbie knows it will take her partner time to recover from this. Suddenly, Jenny and Irving stumble onto this intense scene.

Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. BAMF! Orlando Jones and Lyndie Greenwood are like dynamite together. After killing his wife, Crane wants to be sure all immediate threats have been eliminated. Is Jenny sure Irving can be trusted? Frank says Evil Irving exited when Henry died. Their bond is officially severed. And with that confirmation, Abbie gives her dear friend a tight hug. Abbie also says she wishes Jenny could have been there to have met Grace. Aww.

The Fantastic Four is back in action! They have won this battle. Moloch, Henry, and Katrina have all been defeated. However, they still have more foes out there. Abraham will surely be out for blood once he learns of Katrina’s death, by Ichabod’s hand, no less! Orion is flying around with his own vengeful agenda. And God knows where the Kindred ran off to. We still have loose ends dangling out there and we won’t forget them.

As the season concludes, we are assured that there is still a lot more evil left to fight ahead. Abbie asks, “You ready, Captain?” Crane replies, “Ready, Leftenant.” Our hearts melt and we pray this is not the end of Ichabbie’s adventures.

“Sleepy Hollow” is far from over. FOX, please don’t let this riveting story end here. Renew “Sleepy Hollow”!

Bravo to the creators, cast, producers, writers, directors, special effects department, make-up, wardrobe…the whole crew! We truly hope to see another season of “Sleepy Hollow” and hopefully our twitter parties will help make FOX realize how dedicated Sleepy Heads truly are. Special shout-out to John Noble and Katia Winter for their extraordinary work. We can never say never when it comes to supernatural shows, so we hope this is not the last we’ve seen of them.

What did you think of “Tempus Fugit”? Were you surprised to see Katrina killed-off? Did you love all the Ichabbie goodness? What were your favorite moments? Did you squeal when Franklin lost his head? Did you notice any easter eggs hidden in his work room? Did you swoon at the sight of Ichabod and Abbie bonding all over again? Was there something you hoped to see that was missing? Did you like the clean resolution to the chaos of time-travel? Did all of those callbacks make you fall in love with “Sleepy Hollow” all over again? Did you relish Abbie’s interaction with Grace? Share your thoughts below!

Afterthoughts:

By now, we all have accepted that Season 2 was not perfect. It did not quite capture the magic of Season One. The first season of “Sleepy Hollow” was one of the most thoughtfully structured, carefully crafted and excellently executed seasons of television we have ever seen. This year, the Sleepy Writers took a few risks. Katrina’s character was not as flushed out as we hoped, which was surprising and disappointing. The seed was planted for Katrina to turn dark and she’s been walking a fine line all season. However, her downfall into darkness happened very quickly. Henry extended an olive branch and she clung to it for dear life. It feels like the writers listened to the fans’ outcry and simply cut their losses. Perhaps they killed Katrina off before it was her time to go. Sadly, outspoken fans made it sound like her dead weight was dragging the show down. Which really isn’t fair to Katia Winter, who always delivered an exceptional performance. But in the end, writers have to do what is right for the story. Hawley also caused troubled. He drew too much attention and was all over the place. He started off hitting on Abbie, then longed for Jenny. He was a bit of a hot mess, so they shipped him out on a mission. Will he ever come back? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Despite this season’s flubs, “Sleepy Hollow” is a show that continues to bear gifts. It could be that Sleepy Heads are hard on “Sleepy Hollow” because we’ve witnessed perfection. “Sleepy Hollow” raised the bar in Season One. When every episode feels like an awesome cinematic adventure, it sets a remarkably high standard. Sleepy Heads became spoiled by that level of excellence. There were still several episodes in Season 2 which captured everything that makes this show work, especially in the last batch of episodes.

Sleepy Writers gave fans everything we’ve always loved about this show. They can take risks and make mistakes, but they will never lose sight of the show’s core. The second we lose a bit of that Ichabbie charm, things will start to fall apart. This finale proves that from now on Sleepy Writers will get every single episode right, just like they did in Season One.

Once more, this finale truly was a love letter to Sleepy Heads and the show itself. “Sleepy Hollow” is pure magic and we all need more magic in our lives.

Bonus scoop:

Naturally, we are all in need of some answers after that intense finale. Luckily, TVLine‘s Kimberly Roots asked executive producer/finale writer, Mark Goffman, some of the questions that have been on our minds. Read the insightful interview HERE.

Roots also had the pleasure of chatting with Tom Mison about Ichabod Crane’s future, if “Sleepy Hollow” returns for a third season. Enjoy his entertaining responses HERE.

Now for a parting gift from the Season 2 finale! SleepyCast host and Nerdist.com contributor, Clarke Wolfe, has an exclusive look at Ichabbie’s cell phone selfie scene in its entirety. Prepare to gush and relish the video HERE.

Share your thoughts on the Season 2 finale below and stay tuned for more “Sleepy Hollow” scoop.