My expectations for Sleepy Hollow's second season were incredibly high after the mind-blowing, jaw-dropping Season 1 finale revealed Henry to be Ichabod and Katrina's son as well as the Horseman of War. But following a strong opening and the introduction of the badass Kindred—who sadly never returned after he disappeared into the night—Season 2 never reached the same heights as its predecessor. Did Sleepy Hollow's increased Season 2 episode order slow the show's momentum? Did the series spend too much time focusing on characters no one really cared about? Or did the writers simply lose sight of what viewers were most invested in? I'd say it was a combination of all three things.
Sleepy Hollow is a classic example of a TV show falling victim to its own ambition and success. Like Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives, Friday Night Lights (ugh, Landry!), and many other shows before it, Sleepy Hollow assumed more was better and spent a lot of this season trying to do too many different things. However, based onwhat transpired in last week's "The Awakening" and in this week's "Tempus Fugit"—namely, the deaths of both Henry and Katrina—the show's slate has essentially been wiped clean and I think it stands a chance of regaining its former glory, provided Fox grants it the opportunity to do so by renewing the show for Season 3.
The finale wasn't that eventful overall; most of the hour was set in 1781 and dedicated to Future Abbie attempting to convince a skeptical Past Ichabod that his future self was in danger from the Horseman and his new "ally" (Abbie was hesitant to name Katrina for obvious reasons) and offering her services to help save his life. She eventually persuaded him to take her to see Benjamin Franklin, who believed her story immediately and suggested they seek out Abbie's ancestor Grace Dixon for help reversing Katrina' spell. But even if "Tempus Fugit" wasn't as exciting as Season 1's epic "Bad Blood," what it accomplished was important and even enjoyable. The episode did a great job of setting up Sleepy Hollow to get itself back on track (assuming it returns), and I fully believe the show is capable of turning itself around as long as it maintains the momentum of this finale. And based on what we've seen as of late, here's what I think the show needs to do going forward:
Focus on Ichabod and Abbie
So much of what made Sleepy Hollow thrilling in Season 1 was the show's focus on the destined partnership and subsequent friendship between Ichabod and Abbie, two resilient characters with the tenacity to do what needed to be done in the face of evil. In Season 2, the writers introduced new characters like Hawley and attempted to flesh out supporting characters like Henry and Katrina, which meant it had less time to devote to the bond between Ichabod and Abbie as Witnesses, colleagues, and pals.
If "Tempus Fugit" proved anything, it's that the chemistry between Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie is still the glue that's holding this wacky supernatural adventure together. Their spark was never brighter than it was in the scenes where Abbie tried to convince 1781-era Ichabod that they were friends 200 years in the future. The situation offered a nice contrast to the show's pilot, when everyone thought Ichabod was nuts for saying he was from the past (if only he'd had a cell phone with photographic evidence!). But it doesn't matter what time period Ike and Abbie are in; they're more successful together than they are apart. And Sleepy Hollow benefits greatly from their deep, platonic relationship.
Mine the humor that's already there
Season 2 got away from itself in several ways, like abandoning Sleepy Hollow's inherent humor to explore—unsuccessfully, I might add—the various relationships between superfluous characters. As far as the show's side stories are concerned, Katrina's love for Henry was never going to be as compelling as Ichabod's loathing of the narcissistic nature of modern society.
Some of the finale's best moments were the product of Ichabod not understanding present-day technology. Shaking Abbie's phone in an effort to make it work and and then sliding it across the table to try to unlock it could've been pulled straight out of Season 1. The longer Ichabod spends in present day, the more acclimated he becomes to popular culture, which naturally means there won't be as many fish-out-of-water scenes. But there are still ways to incorporate funny moments—Ichabod's rant against the banking industry early in Season 2 is one example that comes to mind—and they're necessary to balance out the, "Oh God, we're all gonna die" aspects of the show. The writers might have to get more creative in the future, but humor is a key element to Sleepy Hollow's success.
Find a way to tie in the one-and-done plots with a season-long Big Bad
When the news broke that Fox wanted to retool Sleepy Hollow to scale back on the series' serialized elements and focus more on the episodic exploits of Ichabod and Abbie, many fans—including myself—were rightfully concerned. I still worry about the show's ability to succeed in that goal; the standalone hours that followed Moloch's death built a strong case for making the technology of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a real thing. But it IS possible to craft exciting single-episode villains who connect to an overarching plot, and to tell one-off stories without losing momentum. The way that Henry was expertly woven into Sleepy Hollow's first season is an example of this, so I know it can work as long the writers have a long-term plan.
Bring back the Headless Horseman
Just like Henry's death last week, Katrina's death in the finale was a necessary development that will allow Sleepy Hollow to move forward. From the moment Ike rescued her from Purgatory and she was asked to play a larger role in the war against the apocalypse, it was clear that Katrina was not only holding Ichabod back, but that she was dragging the show down, too. It was interesting, if nothing else, to see how she brought out a more human side of the Headless Horseman during the first half of Season 2, but it ultimately didn't pan out. Even her status as Sleepy Hollow's resident witch couldn't make her engaging. Her death can be catalyst for the series that allows it to bring back the Headless Horseman.
Brom's love for Katrina and her betrayal of him is what kickstarted his journey as the Horseman of Death, and his few appearances in "Tempus Fugit"—even with a head—were enough to remind me of how much better Sleepy Hollow is when he's around. Katrina was going to search for a way to restore his humanity, and now that she's gone—and by Ichabod's hand no less—the anger and resentment toward his former best friend should be greater than ever. The door is wide open for Headless to become the show's most frightening villain, and the writers should use the hatred he has for Ichabod to their advantage. Grace told Abbie that the biggest battles are yet to come; while we don't know what that means, more encounters between Ichabod and Headless can only be a good thing.
Together, Ichabod and Abbie can defeat any evil they come up against, whether it's Headless, Katrina, the Wicked Witch of the West, or pushy bank managers. Focusing on their partnership in the back half of the second season was absolutely the right call, and it should remain Sleepy Hollow's primary focus from here on out. Jenny and Captain Irving—who's once again a full-time member of Team Save the World now that Henry's death released his soul—are excellent supporting characters, and should be used as such, but the show should concentrate on our heroes.
No matter your opinions of Katrina, Henry, and the actors who portrayed them, the fact remains that going forward, Sleepy Hollow will be better off without them. How Ichabod grieves their deaths will be important—his comment about everyone having a choice was telling—but both characters were dead weight in Sleepy Hollow's bigger picture. I didn't always enjoy the show in Season 2, but I do believe the writers have righted their ship as best as they can and have set themselves up for an exciting third season if Fox grants it to them. Assuming that happens, I'll be back. Will you?
SHERIFF CORBIN'S FILES
– The magic-reversal spell was totally lame, right? It didn't matter that Ichabod didn't fight the Horseman on the battlefield, or that Benjamin Franklin was decapitated in the splintered timeline of the past. To be honest, I'd like to see some consequences from Abbie's trip to 1781 play out in Sleepy Hollow's hypothetical third season. Hitting the undo button was just too easy.
– Was anyone else concerned when Abbie, Ichabod, Jenny, and Irving just left all the candles burning and walked away from the old Town Hall? That's a fire hazard, man!
– "We hug it out."
– "Oh good. You made a plan."
– "The seeds must have been there. How did I not see it?" Good question, Ichabod.
What did you think of Sleepy Hollow's Season 2 finale? Assuming the show gets renewed, what's on your wishlist for Season 3?
