Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

Sleepy Hollow: The Golem

"It's like a magical attack dog."

Mayhap this episode was a bit too full of exposition for me. I mean, I scribbled down a bunch of stuff as I was watching it, and then I thought, why am I doing this? Will there be a test later?

Let's see. Ugliest handmade doll ever? (A la Supernatural.) Ominous foreboding prophecies that both our heroes will die? (a la Buffy.) Four witches in desperate need of a dentist? (a la Witches of East End.) Okay, so the Beauchamps don't need dentists, but hey, four powerful witches in one family! Okay, so they don't speak as one. Moving right along.

Actually, the extreme makeup and black outfits on the four witches made me think of this.




So the two witnesses — and their followers — will be martyrs. This does not make me happy. Of course, we're talking about pretty much the entire cast, so maybe it won't happen for awhile. I was mostly worried about Frank, because after the little talk in the church, Frank sounded fatalistic. I've grown to like Frank a lot. I don't want to lose him. (I liked the little scene between Frank and the minister. Nice work by Orlando Jones. His realization that he was going to die could have been maudlin, and it wasn't.)

Much of this episode was about the unfortunate Jeremy Crane the firestarter, who had supernatural powers and inadvertently activated a creepy golem to protect himself. It was sad that Jeremy unintentionally killed Grace Dixon and her husband Joseph; the connections between Ichabod and Abbie continue to increase, although this wasn't a particularly pleasant one. But if Abbie and Jenny are descended from Grace (and Joseph?) what happened to Grace's child or children? Did I miss something?

Was anyone else expecting the episode to end with Jeremy waking up in his grave? The witches did say that their hex stopped his heart, not that they killed him, so I'm betting it will happen. I'm also actually intrigued now by the possibility of Katrina joining the cast in present day. Will the Ichabod/Katrina marriage survive the 21st century, the loss of their son, and Ichabod's close relationship with Abbie?

The golem itself was indeed creepy, but I don't need a monster of the week on this show. What I liked most about it was Ichabod holding its hand as it died. The golem was the protector of his abused son, and Ichabod treated it with love and respect, even though he had to destroy it.

I spend too much time talking about Tom Mison's wonderful Ichabod, but I love Abbie, too. I particularly loved the way she wouldn't leave Ichabod when Henry told her she should go, and the look that passed between them when she talked Henry into staying. And it was nice to have John Noble back, because they can certainly use someone who is both a walking lie detector and a conduit between realities. I love John Noble; he was the best thing about Fringe. But while I like the idea of the character, I'm not sure he's working for me. Not yet, anyway. We shall see.

The ending was like exposition soup. The saint's name is a sign? Your death is assured? Moloch is coming for Abbie's soul, and Ichabod will deliver it to him? This can't be good.

Bits and pieces:

-- I could watch Tom Mison chopping wood for quite awhile. I bet he got tired of it after a few takes, though.

-- They found a baby and a young boy with Tom Mison's striking eyes. Good casting there.

-- Katrina's coven was called "The Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart" and it had a crest and everything. It seems petty that they turned against Katrina just because she screwed with fate.

-- 6,000 Ichabodian descendants? That is, if Jeremy managed to reproduce before he was deep sixed. I doubt it. That golem would probably have put off any girl that was interested in a supernatural homeless fugitive, don't you think? Even if he did have gorgeous eyes.

-- Macey's disability was indeed caused by a car accident.

-- So much for Miss Hudson, the librarian witch at the Historical Society. I thought the hand sticking out of the smooshed car was a nice touch. Wait, I meant "disturbing."

-- Most old Bibles are worth very little because they're so common. Washington's Bible, however, would be worth a ton.

-- At least the mistletoe tradition hasn't changed. I don't know if I'm pleased or disappointed that there weren't romantic sparks. I'm definitely shipping Ichabbie. Can't help it.

Quotes:

Abbie: "Chopping down a Christmas tree?"
Ichabod: "An altogether nonsensical concept, celebrating Yuletide with a titular display of lumber."

Abbie: "Santa Claus… snowmen… egg nog…"
Ichabod: "In my era, the term was 'egg and grog'. A draft made of rum that inevitably led to an aching head. Ergo 'noggin', abbreviated to 'nog'."

Ichabod: "You strangled me."
Abbie: "He means 'thank you'."

Ichabod: "Without books, we have neither a past nor a future. I would have thought a librarian above all would comprehend that."
This librarian does.

Henry: "You don't perhaps know an usual word for 'fidgety' and 'restless, do you'?"
Ichabod: "Gumplefik."
Abbie: "Gumplefik?"
Henry: "A perfect fit."
Ichabod: "I'm still reconciling today's language and its advancements. For example, in my era, a 'toilet' was a vanity cabinet. 'Intercourse' was simply social conversation, 'awful' meant awe inspiring…"
Abbie: "So if I went out with a guy and we had awful intercourse, we'd be going on a second date?"
Ichabod: "Disconcerting, yet accurate."

Henry: "It seems we've been relegated to the part of 'gongoozler', you and I."
So 'gongoozler' means 'idle spectator'. Live and learn.

Ichabod: "What hellish form of torment is this?"
Henry: "Funhouse mirrors."
Ichabod: "When did irony become a national pastime?"

Ichabod: "You embroidered my name on some oversized hosiery. How odd."
I loved how Tom Mison pronounced the word "hosiery." It was a thing of beauty.

Not my favorite episode and way too heavy on the exposition, so two and a half out of four magical attack dogs,

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

7 comments:

  1. Agree that this wasn't the strongest of episodes, but I loved some of the Christmas exchanges. Egg nog, indeed. That description made me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Call me a sucker for hideous magical attack dogs and witches with disconcertingly bad teeth but I loved this episode.

    Prediction: Not only will Jeremy come back he will be working for Moloch and that will play into why Ichabod will hand Abbey's soul over to Moloch

    ReplyDelete
  3. I bet you're right, tricksterson. It would have to be Jeremy or possibly Katrina to make Ichabod sacrifice Abbie.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What was the point of Jeremy just for him to be killed off? My guess is he should be back in some form...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I liked the humor although the dentally challenged witches left me "meh." But this should make us happy:

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-sleepy-hollow-gets-expanded-finale-while-the-following-moves-20131206,0,4806668.story#axzz2nDO1qwEd

    And "Ichabbie." Yes but what a word for two such gorgeous people.

    ReplyDelete
  6. They had better not hurt Abbie or Irving in the finale is all I'm saying. Ichabbie needs its Abbie to work. Katrina is just such a nonentity I'm afraid. Oh well..creepy witches and golem at least.
    Anna

    ReplyDelete
  7. A solid episode, with some good emotional stuff for Ichabod. And a big return for the world's ugliest doll! Just what we wanted, right? It definitely brought to mind the Supernatural golem episode for me, particularly with the way the golem was so gentle and caring towards young Jeremy and in his final interactions with Ichabod. All surprisingly touching.

    Knowing a few things about what's to come, there were definitely some small moments in this one that really caught my attention. It's nice to see how some of the groundwork for later reveals is being seeded along the way through very subtle beats.

    I liked the assorted scenes with Captain Irving wrestling with his role in all this and his commitment to his child. But his comments about the reward for a lifetime of public service being death made me go "Duh." That's your "reward" no matter what you do with your life. Death is inevitable. All you get to choose is what you do with the time you have. (Man, I sound like Hershel from The Walking Dead). Dedicating yourself to public service, family, or fighting apocalyptic evil are all good options.

    Other bits: I was wondering about Grace and Joseph's offspring, too. What happened to them after they were orphaned? Loved the oversized hosiery moment. Ichabod seemed so perplexed and yet really touched. :)

    On the perils of binge-watching a supernatural show: it invariably leads to seriously whacked out dreams. I'm so looking forward to visits from the treeroot monster and the golem tonight. Erg.

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.