FOX’s “Bones” and “Sleepy Hollow” united for a fun-filled and haunting Halloween themed crossover extravaganza. This may have been many Sleepy Heads’ first encounter with “Bones” and whether the first hour made you a new fan of the long-running drama or not, we can all agree that “Sleepy Hollow” delivered a stellar second hour that raised the stakes in Team Witness’ fight against evil. Since this is a “Sleepy Hollow” recap, we’ll just cover the Sleepy highlights from the “Bones” hour and jump into all the goodness it leads to.
Bones and Co. discover the remains of a decapitated Redcoat, which is right up Ichabbie’s alley. Once Team Witness arrives, new pairings are formed: quirky smarty-pants, Dr. Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Ichabod Crane, and level-headed FBI agents, Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Abbie Mills. Ichabod remains steadfastly by Brennan’s side as she uncovers this mystery man’s identity. While her high-tech program generates a face for the skull, Brennan makes awkward chit-chat with Crane. She assumes he and Abbie are an item and when he scoffs at the thought of such an inappropriate dalliance, Brennan strongly encourages him to take their partnership into the boudoir. (Come on, even Bones ‘ships Ichabbie. Squee!) The imaging results pop up before Ichabod has a chance to turn beet red and he identifies the Redcoat as his nemesis, General Howe. We knew we hadn’t seen the last of him in “Whispers in the Dark.”
Howe’s skull was used as a murder weapon in Team Bones’ other case. But that’s not the worst of it. Howe’s head enables a witness to summon an army of the dead. Get ready for some fierce Redcoat zombies! These remains cannot fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, if Ichabbie wants to take the General back to Sleepy Hollow, they need to present proper proof that the body belongs under their jurisdiction and Team Bones will have to resolve their other case completely before they can release the remains. There’s no time to waste!
Ichabod uses all the magnificent resources the Jeffersonian (aka Crane’s personal Disneyland) has to offer and discovers a note dictated by George Washington and transcribed by Crane, which states that Howe’s body belongs in Sleepy Hollow. After examining the text, Bones confronts Ichabod and asks why his penmanship is identical to the one on the letter. Clever Crane justifies the similarity as a factor of genetics. He inherited his ancestor’s handwriting. That could be the only logical explanation, of course. Luckily, Bones buys it and signs off on sending the body to Sleepy Hollow.
Meanwhile, Booth and Abbie work on solving the second half of the case. As they close in on the murderer, we discover that Booth worked with Sheriff Corbin. He isn’t surprised by Abbie’s awesomeness because Corbin always spoke so highly of her. Booth is just a little surprised it took Abbie so long to become an agent, since she was on the fast-track to FBI stardom. It’s nice to see another outsider have respect for Abbie’s skills. Once the “Bones” case is all settled, Abbie and Ichabod hit the Founding Fathers Pub. Thanks to the Sleepy Writers, we have a new drink to serve at “Sleepy Hollow” parties: Ben Franklin’s Fondled in the Forrest aka Sex on the Beach. Hilarious! It is so wonderful to end the first hour on such a fun note because the second half of this crossover is crazy intense. Get ready for another wild ride!
“Dead Men Tell No Tales” begins with Pandora hijacking Howe’s corpse while it is in transit to Sleepy Hollow. She resurrects him to serve the King. (We still don’t know who he is, but given the Greek mythological undertones, this evil entity is probably hanging out in the Underworld, he could even be Hades. Whomever he is, this nasty dude gives Moloch a run for his money.) The bonus for Howe is that he gets to exact his revenge on Crane while doing Pandora’s bidding. This situation sucks, but the graphics for Howe’s reanimation are amazing. “Sleepy Hollow’s” special effects and make-up team are phenomenal. Moving on…
Team Witness is having a bit of fun on Halloween, bowling while dressed up in costume. Jenny’s Mountie outfit is an adorable shout-out to Lyndie Greenwood’s homeland, Canada. Abbie sasses it up as Beyonce. Joe puts a dark spin on his day job. Crane appears to be dressed in his usual old-fashioned garb, but he’s really wearing John Adams’ look. Of course, Zoe instantly recognizes the subtleties of his ensemble. But the real kicker is that she’s dressed as sexy Betsy Ross. Hmm, could it be Fate? Ha! Hell no…Right, Ichabbie hopefuls?! Alas, Ichabod and Zoe’s teenage flirtation ceases when Abbie receives an alarming call.
Howe raises an army of zombie Redcoats out of a mausoleum and teenage bystanders become collateral damage. While Ichabbie drives to the scene, Abbie encourages Crane to allow himself to get entangled with Zoe. There’s nothing wrong with having a relationship with his tutor, but he’s still hung up on Katrina. It’s time to get over it, especially since he’s clearly smitten with Zoe. It is amazing how these two always manage to pull off intensely personal and sensitive carversations as they gear up for unknown battles against evil. If only they knew exactly what they’d be up against this time.
Abbie and Ichabod fire away at zombie Redcoats, but the hellion soldiers appear to be indestructible. You shoot off a hand and it grows right back. Creepy! Suddenly, the army turns into dust and seeps into the dirt. Uh-oh! At least the brief recess gives Team Witness a chance to figure out how they defeat Howe’s army of the dead. They know Pandora is behind this and that Howe is hellbent on revenge, which only adds to Crane’s disappointment in his former friend.
Ichabod explains how General Howe used to be an honorable and good man, until he turned dark. Washington sent Crane on a mission to kill Howe when his army invaded Manhattan. Unfortunately, Ichabod failed. After a bit of research, Team Witness learns they are dealing with an army of draugr aka dead men walking, which were conjured from a Norse stone tablet. The draugr is nocturnal and fulfills his military duty in life and death. Talk about dedicated service. In order to defeat the draugr, they need access to Howe’s tomb, so they call up their new “Bones” buddies for help.
As expected, partners are split once more as they set out to examine Washington’s tomb in the Capital building, which is meant to house Howe. Ichabod opens the door to the tomb and a booby-trapped wall separates Brennan and Crane from Mills and Booth. Uh-oh! Greek fire starts shooting out of the ceiling and it can’t be extinguished. On the other side of the wall, Abbie is ready to solve the puzzle on the wall because she’s gotten used to this Masonic routine. However, supernatural newbie Booth takes a different approach and shoots their way through it. Hey, whatever works, right?
As the napalm-like flames roar, Ichabod realizes that Greek fire can kill the draugr. Looks like this near-death experience was a blessing in disguise. Greek fire is unique because it burns until nothing remains. Betsy used it during the war to wipe out the draugr army. Unfortunately, it consequently burned down Manhattan in what became known as the great fire of New York. So Team Witness regroups, weapons-up with Greek fire guns, and safely takes out Howe’s army by containing them in the tunnels. Ichabod and General Howe face-off once more and this time around, Howe takes a suicidal step into the fire. Phew! We can mark that as a victory.
Another foe has been defeated, but Pandora is still up to no good. A new black rose has blossomed on her tree of fears. Even if Team Witness kills every adversary they face, these baddies are still serving Pandora’s purpose by generating fear. But Pandora isn’t the only person they should be worried about.
Atticus Nevins poses a threat to Jenny and Joe in more ways than one. Throughout the hour, we learn that Nevins was August Corbin’s old war buddy and the two of them got into some risky business. Or so he wants Joe to believe. We can’t be sure how deeply Corbin was involved in Nevins’ black market relic ring. All we know now is that Corbin’s shady past is about to catch-up with Joe.
Reynolds tells Abbie that he is taking down an antiques dealer who has stolen items from terrorists and he wants her to head the task force. Woohoo! Abbie is moving on up. But let’s not get too excited. By episode’s end, Reynolds shows Abbie a photo of Jenny and Joe at Nevins’. Talk about a conflict of interest. This is bad news, Sleepy Heads.
Speaking of bad news, Ichabbie fans won’t be happy with this new development. Abbie is persistent in helping Crane move on. She tells him that the ghosts of the past need to take a break. He clearly likes Zoe, so this is the perfect opportunity for Ichabod to finally get over Katrina. With his friend’s encouragement, Ichabod asks Zoe out on a dinner date. Fear not, Ichabbie hopefuls, this is but a baby step in the dating pool for Crane.
What did you think of the “Hollow Bones” crossover? Was it everything you hoped for? Did the first hour make you a new “Bones” fan? Did the two shows merge seamlessly? Are you worried for Jenny and Joe? Will Reynolds cause trouble for Team Witness? How are you handling the thought of Ichabod and Zoe dating? Do you think he may have been hesitating because he has feelings for Abbie? Share your thoughts below.
“Sleepy Hollow” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX.
