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Sleepy Hollow: Blood Moon

Ichabod: "Mind the rats."
Abbie: "Yes, I do."

What I mostly wanted was for this one to be as good as the pilot. And maybe it wasn't.

I still got a kick out of it, though. Although I'll amend that to say, I mostly got a kick out of Tom Mison's Ichabod Crane, on whom I already have a power crush. I especially loved him with the crib post-its for all of the gadgets he didn't yet understand. Loved his artfully tousled and clubbed back hair, too, and it didn't change, even though he now has a shower and a blow dryer.

Ichabod and Abbie already have the will-they-won't-they romantic banter about the outrageous tax on donut holes down pat, too. They make a fun couple already, and that's a good thing to say about the leads in a new series.

I like the way the show looks, too. The cinematography is terrific, and so are the effects. It may be going a little heavy on the misty horror movie vibe and the Revolutionary War flashbacks, though, and I'm a little worried that this show is going to turn into a supernatural procedural. Serilda the witch rises, the Serilda the witch kills someone (but not the kid, because they never kill the kid), and Serilda the witch is defeated. It would have been a little more interesting if she had gotten away and become a much bigger problem.

One thing they did right was retain the services of the wonderful Clancy Brown, who did indeed return as I had hoped — both in a touching flashback where he and Abbie met for the first time, and as a ghost, which was even better. The wonderful John Cho returned as well as a risen-from-the-dead agent of evil. I absolutely loved the wrinkles around his previously broken neck. Great shuddery but funny detail.

I also liked the introduction of Abbie's bad ass sister Jenny, who was outwitting her keepers in a Sarah Connor sort of way and seeing all sorts of disappearing scary stuff. And Abbie works with her ex, Luke. Could be interesting. The idea that Ichabod's wife might still exist, that she's trapped on another plane of existence, adds some relationship interest, too. Maybe that was the point of Serilda, who also came back from the dead. And is now dead again. Maybe.

Just keep the Ichabod/Abbie stuff going. Keep bringing back Clancy Brown, too. And John Noble and James Frain are a'coming. I'll keep watching.

Bits and pieces:

-- The credit sequence did not thrill me. I thought the music wasn't very good. Maybe it will grow on me.

-- Ichabod now has a "cover" as a history professor at Oxford who is consulting for the sheriff's department, of course.

-- And Ichabod has an eidetic memory. That could be fun. He probably won't need post-its for long. And he now knows that guns carry more than one bullet now.

-- In this week's hair report, did you notice that Ichabod and Abbie had pretty much the same hair style?

Quotes:

Abbie: "He's my ex. We weren't 'betrothed.' There was no 'betrothing.'"

Ichabod: "Then theoretically, you could rekindle the relationship?"
Abbie: "I will literally pay you to stop talking."
Ichabod: "I would happily accept because I am in need of currency."

What do you think? Two out of four rats? Is Sleepy Hollow a keeper, or is it too soon to tell?

Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

6 comments:

  1. I agree it wasn't as strong as the premiere, but it was still good fun.

    Clancy Brown's return was most welcome. Though it's still a bit odd seeing the guy who's played the Kurgan and voiced Lex Luthor as the kindly father figure. :)

    Did NOT expect to see John Cho again, that was a nice surprise. The wrinkles around his neck were very effective, when he stopped that motorist he looked like a cross between the T-1000 and the bug in the "Edgar Suit" in Men In Black.

    Serilda was a creepy enough character, and it's always nice to see Monique Ganderton in actual role. She's an accomplished stuntwoman, and boy howdy is she stunning. But I agree, she was dispatched a bit too easily.

    Dangling the possibility of Ichabod reuniting with his wife makes sense, though it reminds me a bit of the tv series they made based on The Crow(aka "The Crow: Stairway To Heaven"). Eric's true love, trapped between worlds, conveniently appearing to him to lead him into the plot of the current episode.

    Hopefully they won't fall into a formulaic rut with the storytelling. Thankfully the character beats have all been wonderful. Tom Mison continues to own the screen as Ichabod. And the "Man Out Of Time" gags were well-handled once again, thankfully.

    I noticed they now firmly declared that the Headless Horseman is Death(#4), which conflicts with the first scripture passage quoted in the premiere, and with the bow brand on his hand, and with him being on a white horse(#4's horse is "pale" which should be more like "pallid" than "white"). Bone up on your source material, writing team. I also wonder why Horseman #4 showed up first, but whatever.

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  2. I thought "Edgar Suit" too, Patrick!

    I agree that the Ichabod doesn't know what stuff is antics are being handled well. Enough to be funny, but not so many it gets grating.

    I thought the Post-Its Abbie left around the motel room were very thoughtful.

    So far, I'm not digging the mythology on this one, it seems vague and confusing. But as of now I will keep coming back for Abbie/Crane and Tom Mison's yummy goodness. :)

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  3. Sunbunny, that's what I thought about the post-its, Abbie would realize that Ichabod didn't need to be babied, but he would need a "cheat sheet" of sorts for how stuff worked until he got settled. I thought the bit with the gun was a nice touch, and very appropriate. And the rant about Sales Tax was just brilliant. Tom Mison really does righteous indignation well, doesn't he?

    I wonder if Ichabod is ever gonna get outfitted with a modern wardrobe? Please, no Pretty Woman montage scene at Mens Wearhouse. I'm sure you ladies would love it, but it's been DONE.

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  4. Oh Billie, I have a massive crush as well. I like the character of Crane a lot and I think the friendship with Abbie is fun to watch, but the story is getting a bit dense for me. I wouldn't mind if next week's story were just a tad lighter.

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  5. I'm sitting here re-watching this episode just before the next one airs, and something struck me. Am I weird to think the dynamic between Ichabod & Abbie feels similar to what we like seeing between Doctor Who and his recent companions? Aaaaaaand now I'm picturing Tom Mison as The Doctor, and thinking this would not be a terrible idea.

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  6. I liked the second episode just as much as the first. Good humor, good developing partnership banter --- the sales tax rant! --- and more fun mythology. Of course, I watched them back to back, so they kind of flowed into one another and felt of a piece to me.

    John Cho really is wonderful, isn't he? I could have done without that horrifying bent back neck effect, but once he "righted" himself he was great. Stretched neck folds and all. And I agree with Patrick re: the T-1000. I had that thought while watching; it was the glasses.

    Re: Abbie's badass sister (definitely a Sarah Connor vibe there) --- The nurse wouldn't check under her tongue to make sure she swallowed the meds? Really? I can suspend disbelief for the crazy Rip Van Winkle and Headless Horseman of the Apocalypse stuff, but not that. It's just a step too far! :)

    I like that the Orlando Jones character is named Captain Irving. Just a fun little nod, or something more significant? TBD.

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