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Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.
I have to admit, most of the TV shows that I have come to love and cherish, I did not view when they first aired. “Friends,” “Dexter,” “Orphan Black,” and now “Sleepy Hollow,” they are all shows I became aware of after they had already been on a couple of seasons. With “Sleepy Hollow,” one of the first aspects that hit me right away, was the magnetism between Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie, the show’s two leads. Like “Bones” and “The X-Files,” the success of “Sleepy Hollow” lies with both characters and the actors portraying them and the authentic and believable screen chemistry they share. That’s why for many die-hard fans of the series, they were more than a little upset with the conclusion of this season when a central character sacrificed themselves for the greater good but don’t worry, for those who don’t know, I won’t be revealing that information here, just a critique of the season overall.
After traveling back in time at the end of the second season to save Ichabod from certain death, months have passed since our duo have seen each other. Having spent time in England looking up his family ancestry, Ichabod is held up at U.S. customs while trying to bring a family heirloom into the country. He enlists the help of Abbie, who is now with the FBI and no sooner have they returned to Sleepy Hollow, than strange deaths begin happening all over again. With Katrina, Henry, and the headless horseman out of the picture, Ichabod and Abbie soon discover that none other than Pandora herself, and her box, which legend says contained all the evils of the world, has descended on their quaint little town. Pandora quickly unleashes all sorts of monsters, from a ghoulish female demon called Abyzou, who acts as a sort of tooth fairy but takes more than just children’s teeth, a specter that takes on the mantle of Jack the Ripper, and an ancient Sumerian god, season three is filled with seemingly unstoppable foes and it is up to Ichabod, Abbie, Jenny and their ever-growing army of supporters, to keep the monsters at bay so the rest of the town can get on with their discernibly normal lives.
One of the truly great elements of “Sleepy Hollow,” is that no matter how many new enemies our heroes must face, they are somehow connected to Ichabod’s past and with his photographic memory, he can always be counted on to help save the day. While there has always been an underlying romantic angle between Ichabod and Abbie from the beginning, here, the tension grows as a face from Abbie’s past appears and memories of her own past, begin to surface, including that of the father who abandoned both her and Jenny when they were young. By the time some TV shows get to season three, they begin to get convoluted and bogged down with overly labyrinthine exposition but thankfully, the writers stay on track, slowly introducing new characters whose intentions, in the beginning, are never made clear, and in a show like “Sleepy Hollow,” a constant, mysterious thriller, that is always a good thing. Watch the season four premiere on Friday, January 6th.
Now available on DVD
