TV Review: ‘Sleepy Hollow’- ‘Weeping Lady’

As SleepyHeads have come to learn, our Sleepy writers are masters at “twistory”: taking an old legend, myth or piece of history and turning it just enough to become part of Sleepy Hollow lore.

“Weeping Lady,” written in 1779, is about a woman jilted by her lover, and who became so distraught, she committed suicide by throwing herself off a cliff.  Now her sobbing can be heard, marking her presence as each sorrowful wail seeps through ones soul like ice!  But what does this tale have to do with Ichabod Crane?

 Meanwhile, Henry (John Noble) and Abraham (Neil Jackson) are hell bent on ensuring Katrina’s (Katia Winter) cooperation.  Henry knows breaking her bond with Ichabod is the key, and with great pleasure, takes it upon himself to personally see his parents’ tie is broken.  After “reading” her sins via her favorite book “Gulliver’s Travels,” Henry finds the perfect pawn–Ichabod’s old flame Mary Wells (Heather Lind, Turn).  Things start to unravel when Miss Caroline’s body is found on the river’s edge the next morning.  But who would kill such a sweet girl, a distraught Ichabod wonders upon arrival at the scene?

Our dynamic duo surmise that based on the current, it is probable she was killed upstream.  After chatting with a couple of high school students who had been parked under the boardwalk the night of the murder, they learn of the “Weeping Lady.”  However, the tale is of a very benign spirit who lost her love.  So what has made her turn homicidal?

While researching the Weeping Lady legend at the library, Abbie crosses paths with our newest Sleepy resident and bounty hunter, Nick Hawley (Matt Barr), who is taken aback at her icy reception.  Can you blame her, after abandoning Ichabbie in hunting down the Pied Piper?  He apologizes and strikes a deal to offer his services at no charge on the next malevolent creature!  As Hawley flirts with Abbie, Ichabod receives message via bird from Katrina, assuring him she’s safe and doing well.

As Abbie continues her research, suddenly she hears sobbing so turns the corner to find a woman crying, enveloped by a sheen of what looks like water. Pulling her gun, she attempts to detain the weeper but things go from bad to worse when she’s suddenly bum-rushed! Although she gets a shot off, it’s ineffective as she’s pulled into a watery portal! Fighting valiantly against the weeper, Ichabod hears the gunshot and after a few moments of struggle is able to yank Abbie from the portal…unconscious!

Clearly panicked, with no knowledge of CPR, all he can do is helplessly watch! Upon hearing Crane call out Abbie’s name, Hawley comes to the rescue, saving our girl!  Later in the archives room, Abbie shows Ichabod a piece of fabric from the woman’s shawl she got during the struggle. Ichabod is flabbergasted to realize it was a one-of-a-kind shawl made for his ex-betrothed!

In a flashback Ichabod and Katrina discuss property purchased for her and Abraham, when they are interrupted by an uninvited guest— Ichabod’s “betrothed” from England, Mary Wells.  Though they had broken off their engagement when Ichabod fled to America, Mary refuses to hear of it, sure that upon reconnecting he’ll return with her.  Though he tries to let her down easily, Mary immediately breaks down, then demands a bewildered Ichie pack his belongings to leave in the morning. Things seemed to be settled when the next day, he receives a letter that she’s gone back to England, wishing him well.

Fast-forward to present day.  As Ichabod and Abbie analyze the situation, it’s clear Mary had killed Caroline because she had designs on Ichabod, then had attacked Abbie due to their close bond. They realize Katrina is next!

They enlist Hawley’s help in providing a magical weapon that might kill the supernatural creature. Ichabod and Hawley have a tense exchange, which Abbie quickly diffuses and the bounty hunter hands over a crossbow with a poisoned arrow.  The two head off to get to Katrina and in a moment of shock, upon arrival they see the Headless Horseman take off in quite a hurry! They soon learn that Katrina is gone, the only thing left is the soggy letter she sent Ichabod!  Ichabbie race to the river praying they’re not too late!

Meanwhile, Katrina is fighting for her life against the Weeping Lady and with a little magic, is able to command seaweed stalks to wrap their talons around the monster!  She finally makes it to shore just as Ichabod and Abbie arrive.  Katrina embraces her husband, grateful to see him and after she learns exactly who the Weeping Lady is, an odd look comes over her face, a flash of recognition mixed with fear.  She quickly turns their attention to the task at hand– stopping Mary by using dark magic! The spell is usually done with two witches, but without another witch handy, Abbie volunteers and the two begin the chant.

Ichabod, with crossbow in hand, tries to hold Mary off long enough for the spell to take effect.  He doesn’t have to go very far before he sees his ex, who lifts her veil to lay eyes on her betrothed.  Then in a split second, though Ichabod tries to reason with the jealous creature, she begins to approach him, her glowing green eyes and horrific scream chilling him to the bone!  He shoots her with the arrow, however it just absorbs into the translucent vapor and suddenly she rushes right through Ichabod leaving him soaking wet!  Katrina and Abbie continue the chant as Mary comes near, when within a few feet of them she abruptly crumbles to the ground! Ichabod cradles her head in his hands, “Why are you still here? What happened to you?”  All Mary can do is point at Katrina before taking her last breath!

Ichabod is at a loss as to what this could possibly mean and Katrina attempts to side-step his questions.  Horrified, Ichabod orders Katrina tell him what happened.  “I will not leave until I hear the truth from your lips! What in God’s name did you do?” He firmly demands with underlying anger bubbling to the surface.  According to Katrina, she received a message from Mary the night they met and she accused her of stealing Ichabod away from her, manipulating him, controlling him.  As she became more enraged, Mary began to approach Katrina and tripped, falling to her death over the cliff!  Ichabod is in shock at the revelation, but remembers the letter he received. Ashamed, Katrina admits to writing the letter, using a spell to make it look like Mary’s handwriting.  But why didn’t she tell Ichabod?  She was afraid he’d return to England to break the news to Mary’s family and she’d never see him again, nor would he fulfill his destiny as a witness.  Ichabod is furious, but there is no time to react– Abraham rides up and Abbie knocks Ichabod out of the way before the slice of his axe!  Then Katrina uses magic to keep him at bay and pleads with him not to kill Ichie.  In the end, she leaves with Abraham, to Ichabod’s dismay. Later, Katrina accuses Abraham of conspiring with Henry to break her bond with Ichabod, however he denies involvement and assures the only reason he went to the river was for her. Grateful, Katrina thanks him.

Meanwhile in Moloch’s (Derek Mears) lair, Henry is reprimanded for his evil deed.  He’s furious that Katrina could have been killed because she’s one of the Hellfire Shards and a vessel!  Henry apologizes but is left alone, having a temper tantrum in his room.

This episode is my favorite thus far this season.  There were sweet, innocent moments, mixed with deep character development and of course, the creep factor!  I absolutely loved the scenes with Miss Caroline and her admission of feelings for Ichabod, who of course was clueless!  “Crane on the brain” was the hashtag heard ’round the world, as SleepyHeads swooned when our Ichie made it a point to see the fair maiden in person to be sure she was okay.  There aren’t too many men out there as noble! It was so heartbreaking to see how distraught he was, blaming himself for causing her death by her association with him.  The memorial service he asked Abbie to help set up at the end of the episode shows how much he cared for Caroline, who made an lasting impression on our hero.

I think Ichabod is slowly seeing things for what they are.  The rose-colored glasses are finally off where Katrina is concerned.  It’s always bugged me how he just ignores or excuses Katrina’s lies, though with always a reason. First he discovers she had been a spy for Washington, then that she’s a witch, was pregnant with Henry and now had a hand in his Mary’s death!

I believe this is the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Not only that, but the look on his face when she willingly returned home with Abraham! He was devastated!  I understand there are Ichatrina fans out there and I truly would like to believe in her loyalty, but I’m wondering how she will factor into the witness’s plans in the coming apocalypse.  I found it interesting she already knew he was one of the two witnesses prophesied in Revelations.  Didn’t he learn of his role upon awaking in this century?  How did she know BEFORE he rose from his grave?

In contrast, Ichabod is clearly panicked, unable to do anything to help Abbie after he pulls her from the watery portal.  He is very vulnerable and would have really fallen to pieces if anything had happened to her. The one person he’s been able to completely trust from the moment they met, is Abbie.  They’re bond is so strong and both are aware that those close to them can be hurt.  This is the burden of being a witness.  So where will Katrina fit in?  At this point the trust Ichabod has had in Katrina is completely decimated! Let’s face it, she certainly hadn’t been loyal to him, agreeing to go back with Abraham.  It was a slap in the face, another kick while he was down!  Why is it necessary for her to keep up this charade?  Is there a bigger picture we’re just not seeing?  No matter what happens, it’ll be a long time before Ichabod and Abbie ever trust her again or believe in her allegiance to them. I’m on the fence where Katrina is concerned and I feel that she’s part of a bigger plan than even Abraham, Henry and Ichabbie know! In the end, I hope she chooses Ichabbie over the dark side of the force.

On another note, since the show began, we’ve been told that Katrina is a powerful witch, with the ability to tip the scales no matter what side she chooses.  Fans have been clamoring to see it and the Sleepy Gods shined upon us!  This week we finally got to see some magic!  It was great to see her compel the bird to be her messenger, use her powers to command the seaweed stalks to attack her assailant and keep Abraham at bay with a zap!  I’m anxious to see much more of this as the series continues!

The Hawley Factor

Nick Hawley is the newest Sleepy Hollow resident, and he has been described by fans as the “Han Solo” of the show. I’d have to agree!  I find it interesting that while he procures ancient artifacts for the highest bidder, he had never come upon a supernatural creature, or believed in them, until his wrestle with the Pied Piper.  Not only that, but he bails on Ichabbie!  Hawley is a very interesting character, charismatic, and has disdain for Ichabod, which is definitely mutual.

He also an attraction to Abbie. Apparently he’d had a thing with Jenny, which could be another layer to play with as we see more unfold. With everything we’ve seen thus far of him, I found it very intriguing that he turns down getting busy with Jenny!  I have to say I was a little bummed that he, and not Ichabod, gives Abbie CPR, though it’s not something our Revolutionary War soldier would have learned in his time.  But the lip lock Jenny gives Hawley is hot! She gets his motor running, and leaves him dry…I loved it!  I’m anxious to see more of the dynamic between Hawley and Jenny, especially when it’s revealed he’s digging our “Lieftenant”. How will Ichabod react?  I’m DYING to see him get jealous!

Let’s talk about Henry for a minute.  He’s dropped one huge bomb on Irving, who now realizes Moloch has his soul. So what now?  He really has no choice but to cooperate with Henry for his family’s well-being, as well as his own but is he strong enough to fight?  I think things are going to get very scary for Irving as we head into the mid-season finale.  Not only does Henry have Irving in his back pocket, but what about the magical mind-controlling flute he’d ground up last week?  What is he planning to do with his little miniature model of the town?  I’m a bit concerned that Henry will use the Pied Piper’s magical powder to corrupt the residents of Sleepy Hollow but more importantly, be able to use mind control on Ichabbie!

They’ve been so front and center this season, their bond gaining strength with every moment they conquer together, what would happen if one of them were turned to the dark side of the force via mind control? Obviously it wouldn’t be their own decision but it could affect the outcome of the apocalypse! With one or both witnesses out of the way, Moloch enters our world and wreaks havoc! Whatever is planned, it’s going to be a mind-blowing cliffhanger!

And what about our new Sheriff (Sakina Jaffrey) in town? Thus far, she appears to have no clue of the epic battle about to begin in her jurisdiction, but is she really that clueless? Before returning to Sleepy Hollow, she’d worked as border patrol at the U.S.-Mexican border.  Is it possible she was stationed there for a reason?  She knows Lori Mills (Anjanue Ellis), had to have known Sheriff Corbin (Clancy Brown), and I have to maintain she’s by-the-book for a good reason–maybe to cover the fact she’s involved somehow?  It all remains to be seen!

I also want to give a shout out to the special effects department, wardrobe, makeup, set designers- this week everything was so well thought out and crafted.  The makeup job on Heather Lind (Mary Wells) was effectively creepy, glowing eyes and all!  According to showrunner Mark Goffman, makeup artist Corey Costallano created our Weeping Lady’s look by using the conceptual art done prior and nailed it.  The underwater elements were incredible to watch, flawlessly executed and blended well.  Goffman indicated those scenes were shot in a tank, as well as at the river, then combined to make it complete.  The continuity was seamless.

So what’s in store for next week?  The episode is titled, “And the Abyss Gazes Back”.  Ever heard of a Wendigo? A little background…

It’s an ancient legend of a demonic half-beast– part man, part beast, who has an affinity for human flesh!  The supernatural creature can mimic characteristics of a person or transform from a person to a monster.  Zach Appleman guest stars as the late Sheriff Corbin’s son, back from fighting in the war overseas.  But is he carrying a secret that will affect the residents of Sleepy Hollow?

Yoga-Bod anyone?  In another self-exploring moment, Ichabod is going to try one of the 21st century’s most popular exercise— Yoga! Question is, did he already know of the ancient practice and learn it from a zen master or is it another lesson in modern-day activities?  Meanwhile, what has Henry got up his sleeve for Irving?  I think it’s safe to say that Irving is between a rock and a hard place, which unfortunately he’s unable to get out of.  It’s another round of Henry the attorney from hell….literally!

Looks like it’s going to be another rollercoaster ride, so tune in October 27 and make sure you’re buckled in!

Watch Sleepy Hollow every Monday at 9:00 p.m. after Gotham. Watching online?  Check in on TV Tag to collect limited edition stickers and be counted in the ratings.  Also watch DVR’d episodes or use HuluPlus, FOX or FOX Now to catch up so your viewership is added to the totals!

Also be sure to join us on Google Hangout every Monday night after the west coast airing of Sleepy Hollow for our fan post-mortem.  Join the chat and tell us what you think of the show!

Sleepy Hollow Addicts is doing a special “Sleepy Halloween” series of four podcasts, starting 10/23 at 10p(ET).  We’ll chat about the season thus far, dissect the latest episodes, and scoop on what’s happening in the ‘World of Sleepy.’

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