Feelings start getting the best of Team Witness in “The Art of War.” Abbie, Ichabod, Jenny and Joe have a lot on their plates this season. They can’t just focus strictly on the supernatural because they have covers to uphold and “normal” lives to lead. Still, near death experiences tend to shed light light on what really matters in life. Ironically, our heroes aren’t the only ones fighting for love. Pandora is basically unleashing Hell in Sleepy Hollow, in order to resurrect her beloved mystery man from the Underworld. Hope you all are in for another crazy ride!
Reynolds dashes off to Washington D.C. to request an extension on the Nevins case and take care of some business, so he leaves Abbie in charge because, hey, she’s earned it. Crane has been watching Abbie very closely as she interacts with Reynolds. They’ve also had more than a few conversations about their dating lives. Sleepy Writers are seriously toying with Ichabbie hopefuls this season. Stop messing with our emotions! We’re a vulnerable lot. Witty banter and googly eyes aside, Team Witness has some major concerns. Pandora remains an enigma and Ichabod is afraid that what they don’t know will end up hurting them. Sadly, at this point, Ichabbie’s in the dark about a few things.
Nevins proves to be a greater threat than we imagined. He’s actually working for Pandora! Which we discover when he summons her and carries out her will by raising a pack of demonic creatures that start tracking down the Shard of Anubis like hellish hunting dogs. Roh-roh! As you recall, the shard they’re after has been absorbed into Jenny’s body. So technically…Jenny, you in danger girl.
Joe and Jenny are sparing, Kensi and Deeks style (can’t you just feel all that sexual tension?) when the shard’s power kicks in mid-match. Suddenly, she knocks Joe down. He sees her eyes turn white and skin glow red. It’s time to bring in reinforcements because Jenny’s condition has gotten out of hand. Of course, Abbie is especially livid when she hears about their continued interaction with Nevins. She told them to steer clear for a good reason. But the damage is done, so Crane tries to figure out how he can help cure Jenny. He asks for a detailed description of the shard and explains how such binding stones transfer mystical energy. Naturally, humans are not meant to absorb that much energy. Bottom line: the shard is going to kill her.
They need to conduct a shardectomy, STAT! But first, they have to deal with Pandora’s creepy minions. Thanks to the shard’s mojo, Jenny takes them all down with some badass knife action. Hello Mrs. BAMF! Team Witness quickly heads into the tunnels to regroup, figure out what they are dealing with, and take care of Jenny before it is too late.
Abbie and Ichabod put the pieces of the puzzle together. They realize Nevins is working for Pandora, gather that the creatures are after Jenny and that they are feeding off of her energy. Abbie is frustrated and worried. The more she tries to compartmentalize her life, the more they merge together. Despite her greatest efforts, the supernatural always permeates into her professional life. Sigh. Such is the hero’s curse. Jenny is getting woozy, so they need to act fast. They scour through the archives for clues on a cure. Get ready for a bromantic heart-to-heart.
Joe is worried about Jenny and can’t focus. He openly tells Crane that he doesn’t know how Team Witness does it. The burden is just too much to bare. They’re lives are always in danger. They are always in fear of losing the people they care about the most. Crane sees Joe is smitten and encourages his new friend to simply talk to Jenny. In return, Joe tells Ichabod to listen to his own advice and chat with Abbie. Will you get a load of these mushy and sensitive chaps? Look at them gabbing away about their emotions. Ichabod admits that he feels helpless in many ways. It’s not just his concern for Abbie that is weighing him down. He’s worried about bureaucrats, developers, supernatural foes, and many other obstacles they will need to overcome. Then his gaze falls upon Abbie…again. Joe tells Crane to just talk to her already. Ha! If only it were that easy.
What are you doing to us, Sleepy Writers?! You can’t have Crane court Zoe and then longingly stare at Abbie like this. You are torturing us with these Ichabbie teasers. Sigh! After all the sentimental chatter, both men confess that they miss the purity of the military. Everything was so much simpler and more straightforward when they were focused on a single mission. Speaking of which, Crane makes some progress and identifies the creatures.
Team Witness is hunting for Norse Berserkers. These demonic creatures are engineered with a single-minded focus on any given mission, in this case, they are tracking the shard. Luckily, they have a weakness: mistletoe. Well, that’s unexpected! Can we get Ichabbie underneath some of that, please? Sorry, sorry, back to the mission at hand….
Jenny’s condition is getting worse. Her eyes whiten, her skin glows, and she has another vision of that ominous cloaked figure saying, “Behold my glory for I am coming.” Jenny remembers feeling someone powerful and tells Abbie about it. Before Crane and Joe head out to kill the berserkers with mistletoe tipped arrows, they all make sure to set up some mystical protection to stave off the berserkers. Jenny is instructed to rest, while Abbie stays on babysitter duty, just like old times. Awww. Don’t we just love these sweet Sister Mills moments? With the Mills on lockdown, the military men hunt down the berserkers, who are hiding out in a dark metal cave (aka an auto body shop).
Unfortunately, the mistletoe arrows do nothing to the berserkers. Crane needs Nevins’ source material to see how he can undo this hot mess. He needs to search Nevins’ house, which is under surveillance. Abbie disagrees at first because this could blow the case for Reynolds and get them all into a heap of trouble. Crane understands being torn between two worlds, but there is no other way. So Ichabod breaks-in using modern theft tools, while Abbie craftily sends the surveillance team away. We get a scare when Sophie catches him, but he coolly covers by explaining that he’s come for some fish bait. Phew!
Crane got Nevins’ spell, which originally calls upon power of Odin. However, Pandora has made some changes. Ichabod deduces that the only way to take out the berserkers is by forcing them to beat themselves. Cue the flashback! He recalls how Daniel Boone used this method during the war by making the Hessians and British army turn against each other. As a result, both forces defeated themselves and several American lives were saved. Since the berserkers are after Jenny, they can use her blood as bait. Sounds like a solid plan!
Before taking off, Joe shares an intimate moment with Jenny. They observe how unique and special Ichabbie’s partnership is. They get all swept up in talk of magic, supernatural dangers, etc. We all know what happens when lives are seriously at stake, right? You guessed it…Jenny and Joe smooch! Okay, so it is a super cliché moment. And we totally saw it coming with all the conversational build-up between Crane and Joe, the puppy-dog eyes, flirty sparring and whatnot. But we won’t let all that spoil it. After all the nonsense with Hawley last season, Jenny deserves to have a steady and loyal guy like Joe by her side. So cheesiness aside, it’s all sweet and good. Now, let’s get to the ass-kicking!
Abbie, Crane, and Joe use Jenny’s blood to lure berserkers out of hiding in the woods. Then they propel down from a tree like total badasses. They pour Jenny’s blood on the berserkers and the crazy hyenas from hell kill each other as planned. With another battle won, the gang walks away with a little more pep in their step. Crane and Abbie branch aside for a little honest chat. He admits that he’s afraid of losing Abbie to her job. Awww, poor Crane. She assures her partner that no matter what happens, Team Witness will always be there for him. Yeah, we know Ichabod is worried about losing Abbie to more than just her job, but this is a step in the right direction, so we’ll take it!
Suddenly, Nevins and Sophie appear. He takes Joe hostage and wants Jenny. He needs the energy from the shard. It seems that there is someone even above Pandora that is pulling the strings in the crazy puppet show. He puts his gun to Joe’s head and that’s when we’re in for an even bigger surprise. Sophie identifies herself as a FBI agent, shoots Nevins in the shoulder, and reveals that she’s been working with Reynolds on this case for six months. What?! So she’s the turncoat that the Sleepy Writers were talking about.
Why did Reynolds keep this important information from Abbie? This is so not cool! Reynolds is clearly up to something and his DC trip makes us even more nervous about it. His superior asks about Abbie and says they are keeping an eye on her and Reynolds, so everything must be by the book. Seriously, what is going on with the FBI? Why are they after Abbie? Who is Reynolds working for? Does he have any idea about the supernatural stuff? Now we have so many more questions. Oh Abbie is going to be so pissed at Reynolds for keeping this secret. How much does Sophie know? Is she aware of Pandora and the supernatural? Or is she just after the “antiques” smuggling ring? In either case, this is only one of Team Witness’ many worries.
When the gang returns to home base, we see that Jenny is gone. Drawings are scrawled all over the wall and her condition is worsening. As the episode closes, Jenny is at Pandora’s. She puts her hands in water, smoke rises and then Pandora and her hooded mystery man appear. Jenny kneels as he declares, “I have arrived.” Gulp!
What did you think of “The Art of War”? Were you surprised by Joe and Jenny’s kiss? Are you relieved to see it happen? Did you think it was a little too clichéd? Do the Ichabbie teasers feel like torture? Do you think Sleepy Writers will go there this season? Are you worried about Reynolds? Should Abbe still trust him? Were you shocked by the Sophie twist? Are you scared of Pandora and her boo’s next move? Share your thoughts below and on twitter (@TalkTVwTiffany)!
“Sleepy Hollow” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX.
