Let's get something out of the way right now: It's ridiculous to think that Ichabod didn't grab a single thing from the fenestella before setting the charge to destroy it in "What Lies Beneath." The underground chamber, built by Ichabod's former BFF Thomas Jefferson beneath the tunnels that already ran under Sleepy Hollow, contained years worth of research pertaining to Ichabod and Abbie's roles as Witnesses in the apocalypse. There were books upon books of knowledge contained within its walls and now they're lost for reasons that I understand but don't accept or even recognize as being valid.
The fact that Ichabod and Abbie chose to save the two remaining members of the survey team (R.I.P. Other Guy) who were trapped in a cave below even that chamber made sense based on what we know about them as a team. Ike and Abbie are heroes who risk their lives on a daily basis to ensure the safety of human beings everywhere, but the stakes that should have accompanied their choice to save the two men but lose all of that important research simply didn't exist.
If Ichabod, a former scholar and history professor, had attempted to save even a few volumes, or if he'd attempted to convince Abbie to save at least some of the research (the dude had a freaking satchel on his back which would have fit a few books), I'd feel better about this particular development in Sleepy Hollow's narrative. But Ichabod blew it all up because the reavers who guarded the information were deemed too dangerous to human kind and couldn't exist a single second longer. To make matters worse, Ichabod didn't even look conflicted when he did it.
The reavers, who are supernaturally twisted soldiers of George Washington's, existed below the city of Sleepy Hollow for centuries without incident. Now, Ichabod and Abbie have lost everything Jefferson and Washington knew about Witnesses because of a perceived risk that they pose? It didn't look like they could open the hatch from below (or that they even had the mental know how to do such a thing) which only further proves to me that this was a poorly constructed episode from start to finish.
The idea that fenestella had to be destroyed, coupled with a few other inconsistencies, including the fact that Ichabod couldn't touch Jefferson's incorporeal form, but Jefferson could carry a chest that contained information, really hurt the episode for me. The writers could have avoided all of this if the chamber had just been compromised in the rescue of the two men and it collapsed in on itself without Ichabod having to return to it to blow it up. But the fact remains that the chamber didn't collapse on its own and Ichabod did have to go back to set the charge. This return visit served little purpose other than to gave Ichabod time to chat with the hologram of his former almost-mentor where it was revealed that Jefferson always knew Ichabod would be a witness but could not tell him until the time was right. At least Ichabod now knows that Jefferson didn't unfriend him for no reason? I'm not sure that's much of an excuse, though.
The bungling of this storyline is really a shame, because a library of this magnitude existing is actually a really clever idea. Them stumbling upon a chamber full of research and not being able to use any of it is also an obstacle that, given the proper care and dedication, could have led to interesting developments for our heroes. I've complained before about how easy it's become for Ichabod, Abbie, and even Katrina to pull connections out of nowhere or recall specific memories that provide immediate answers to their problems, so there's actually an argument to burn the entire thing to the ground, but the flimsy excuse the show employed just doesn't hold up under scrutiny.
But enough complaining about old books, because when "What Lies Beneath" wasn't busy focusing on Ichabod and Abbie's underground adventures, it was focused on answering our questions about Irving. He tricked Jenny into helping him break into the police department's evidence room, claiming he needed to retrieve his personal effects. In reality, Irving was stealing information that reportedly belonged to the Hellfire Club, information that included access to their offshore bank accounts which he claimed he wanted to use to ensure that his wife and daughter would be set without him.
Apparently Irving is currently living a very Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde existence, wherein he's both good and bad. His soul, he told Jenny, is tarnished, and Evil Irving is aiding Henry in his mysterious plans, while Good Irving still exists inside him, but is getting weaker. Right now Good Irving is aided by a rune embedded in the palm of his hand that allows his human side to prevail, but the rune is losing its power. This could be yet another scam, but I believe Irving is fighting for his humanity, because it's a far more compelling story than if he's completely evil. Plus, fighting for one's humanity is an ongoing theme in Sleepy Hollow.
Speaking of, Henry briefly appeared to visit Katrina this week as she napped on her couch (turning flowers to dust is really hard work, OK?). He told her that he'd destroyed Moloch for her, handed her black roses which cut her hands, and then she awoke. Only it wasn't really a dream, because her hands were still bleeding and the roses lay on a table nearby. What does it mean? What is Henry planning? I wish—and I can't believe I'm going to say this—that the episode had included a bit more Katrina. The prospect of her having to choose between good and evil is still interesting to me. At the very least, it's more interesting than introducing a library full of research and completely destroying it within the same hour.
