Time for a road trip to Sleepy Hollow which means lots of complex memories about Abbie and
all their memories.
Which would be time for lots of explorations of Abbie an
what she meant and how important she was and how she could never be replaced
and how this show is just a thin, desperate shadow of what it could be with her
absence.
But instead it seems to be another episode focusing on
solidifying the new team. And I get that that’s necessary to go forwards – but this
is how this whole series has dealt with the desperate absence of Abbie. There
has been little mourning for Abbie – it’s the general feel of reboot that
consumes this season – this really unseemly feeling that the show is trying to
draw a line under Abbie, trying to move as fast away from Abbie as it can. Yes,
it needs to move forwards (if it must continue) but it can do that by treating
its past and Abbie’s memory with respect, rather than as something briefly
referenced only to emphasise this as a distant past.
In Sleepy Hollow
they are determined to find the last shard of the Philosopher’s Stone before
Dryfuss. We also drop the knowledge that the Philosopher’s stone one person
immortal by killing a thousand or so others – just to make sure we don’t all
just let Dryfuss get on with it. Dryfuss has also got his Demon Jobe back – I still
don’t know why Jobe is supporting him in this? I mean, isn’t he literally
letting Dryfuss find a big loop hole in his soul contract?
In Sleepy Hollow they show off Ichabod’s archives as well
as some letters from Washington that conveniently contain info that Ichabod
missed before. Basically it confirms that Banneker also knew that Ichabod was
the Witness – and he was the one who planned to divide the stone. Ichabod tries
to put a brave, good-soldier face on things but he’s clearly bothered by the
fact that just about everyone in colonial times knew he was a witness but
no-one told him. That’s definitely something he doesn’t want to happen with
Molly
They go looking for the Stone using one of Jenny’s
Artefacts after Alex does some technical tinkering to enhance it (see the roles
all being drawn on again. It’s trite but it’s nice that everyone is being involved
on some level) and run right into the guardian of the Philosopher’s stone. Well
damn, shame the others didn’t have one of them. It’s apparently a sphinx but
basically an archer.
Deciding that going through the archer is a bad idea they
split up – Ichabod and Diana can get to the stone through the many many many
tunnels while Jenny, Alex and Jake distract the archer
And this comes to one of the team-building moments I
mentioned. Jenny would rather go it alone because she has lost so many people
and because Alex and Jake are so shiny and new. They’re so enthusiastic and
haven’t spent the best part of their lives training and fighting the supernatural.
Jenny has all kinds of issues about putting them in danger and it takes Alex
and Jake calling her out on that, that they are capable, informed adults able
to make their own decisions – and Jenny having a really awesome response to
being called out (thanking them and acknowledging she has an issue)
While they do their thing Ichabod and Diana manage to get
the last piece of the philosopher’s stone and banish the guardian.
And then things fall apart because Jobe arrives to take
the stone and Ichabod
With the stone reassembled they plan to make Dryfuss
immortal (again, why does Jobe want this?). And have some more information for
Ichabod – while Washington and Banneker did, indeed, destroy the stone, first
Washington insisted it be used to kill the Horseman –much to Banneker’s
disgust. How? By having Ichabod and the horseman fight on the stone
Apparently the horseman is vulnerable on the stone? But
only to Ichabod? Or Ichabod needed to be sacrificed? Or his witnessnyness
needed to be part of it (or why not just use anyone in the army)? And on the
shifting battlefield Washington managed to ensure Ichabod and the horseman ran
into each other on the stone by… what? How? Naaaaah, Sleepy Hollow this has waaaay too many holes. I’m going to need
some of this explaining, a whole lot more. At the moment it isn’t making a lot
of sense (why is the philosopher’s stone a horseman killy thing? Now I thought
they were going to say they used it to make Ichabod immortal – that would have
made sense) and it relied on vast coincidences
Of course, this means Ichabod is doing the whole “I believe
what the bad guys tell me for REASONS” thing that heroes do all the freaking time.
Honestly why would you believe Dryfuss?
Still, Dryfuss now intends to use the blood of Ichabod,
the blood of the horseman (who is onside) and a few thousand Sleepy Hollow
residents to become immortal
Which is when Jenny and crew interrupt, with a nifty magical artefact to take out Jobe and a lot of explosives to take out the stone. Ichabod uses the stone’s specialness to shoot the horseman and take him out of the picture. They leave, with Dryfuss left behind on the Stone trying to absorb the woo-woo when the gang escapes and blows it all up
Druyfus and the horseman are nowhere to be found and the
stone is shattered again. Sounds like a victory for team Witness and for
Ichabod for having a touching moment with Abbie’s grave. It’s nice – but it
should have happened earlier and more often. As it is, with Ichabod ending
talking about his move to DC, it feels like a firm goodbye and thorough burying
of the Abbie era as anything.
And Dryfuss is still alive. Of course he is. And
immortal.
So that whole thousand people have to die for immortality
thing was wrong?
And is this automatically bad? I mean Dryfuss was evil
but he was evil in pursuit of ambition and to save himself – that doesn’t
follow he’ll be demonic and evil now he’s achieved his goals.
