Episode Report Card Kelsea Stahler: B+ | 94 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Sealed with a Hex
By Kelsea Stahler | Season 1 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.18.2013
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.With Sleepy Hollow's big bad sealed up in a cell built by Thomas Jefferson himself, it would seem that all of Abbie's and Ichabod's troubles are at a standstill. Of course, that would be very, very wrong. Our duo knows that since they can't kill the Horseman, the other evils will keep on coming, so Ichabod has the harebrained idea to interrogate the man with no head (and thus no mouth from which to speak). Irving sees the issue, but Ichabod is fixated.
Luckily, they determine that Andy Brooks' guilt and feelings for Abbie will make him an ally, then they learn that Andy can act as the Horseman's voice (hence the necromancer episode title). Well, isn't that handy. Andy warns them this will only bring madness – which is perfect because that's exactly what they need to do after last week's epic victory.
When the Horseman makes use of Handy Andy as his voice, he taps into Ichabod's weakness: Katrina. The Horseman carries Katrina's necklace – the one that the fiancé her parents arranged gave her. Ichabod, who's always incredibly fond of telling tales of the Revolution, resists telling Abbie about Abraham, his best friend and the fiancé in question. As it turns out, Katrina fell in love with the handsome, sensitive Ichabod while she was engaged to Abe. Of course, Katrina is also passionate about making sure that the ideals of freedom driving the Revolution apply to her romantic choices as well. Clearly, this is why Ichabod is so enraptured by her.
Meanwhile, Irving has made contact with Jenny, who's just been released from the mental hospital. He wants to make sure she's worthy of helping Abbie and Ichabod, and when she visits a crime scene with him and proves her worth, they immediately launch into their own side mission. At a break-in, Jenny sees that a precious artifact is missing and notes that it lifts hexes. Thank God Irving was suspicious of her because this triggers his puzzle piece of knowledge: there's a hex keeping the Horseman in his cell. It takes them a minute, but they make the connection: the Hessians are planning to free the Horseman, which means they'll go after the power grid so they can take down the U.V. lights before they take down the hex.
Dressed like cast members in a SWAT team movie, Jenny and Irving stakeout the power plant with plenty of police backup. The only problem is that the artifact isn't on site and there are already explosives set to take down the power plant. The power goes out, and phase one of the Free the Horseman plan is complete.
Meanwhile, Ichabod is stewing. The Horseman has accused him of killing Abraham and stealing Katrina, when the truth is that while delivering the Declaration of Resolves, Abraham accused Ichabod of deliberately wooing Katrina and then tried to duel him. When they finished their fair fight, a Hessian soldier shot Abraham, forcing Ichabod to continue on alone and deliver the document. The Horseman's false accusation riles Ichabod more than ever – he literally screams that he's keeping his cool – but Abbie still agrees to leave him alone with the prisoner.
When that happens, Andy rips open his own stomach to retrieve the missing artifact. He recites a chant as the artifact undulates and demons begin to jump out of the tunnels where Abbie, Jenny, and Irving are searching (don't worry, they disintegrate with bullets, people). The real problem is that Ichabod is in the chamber taunting the free Horseman as he figures out that he's actually Abraham, who sold his soul to the devil after Ichabod left him. Luckily, Moloch won't let the Horseman kill Ichabod, yet. So he's safe for now. (But it was pretty obvious something would save him.)
But he does walk away with valuable information: Moloch promised Abraham Katrina's soul when he completed his mission (bringing back the other horsemen), so they now know his weakness. The only problem is that, as Ichabod pointed out last week, it's not as if he hasn't been wracking his brain to find a way to bring her back since the day he awoke. They've certainly got their work cut out for them – which is all we've been asking for all season. So, thank you for listening, Sleepy Hollow.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Now that Abbie and Ichabod have captured the main villain of Sleepy Hollow, it’s a little difficult to see where they could go next. So after Abbie teaches Ichabod a fist-bump (to commemorate the capture) they deduce that since they can’t kill the Horseman, because Ichabod did behead the guy, after all. They decide to interrogate him -- you know, the guy with no head or mouth from which to speak. Irving sees the issue, but Ichabod is dead set. They decide they’ll seek help from the Horseman’s minion: crooked Andy Brooks. Andy regrets his past actions and Ichabod suspects that he’s got feelings for Abbie. (Is there a young cop on the force who doesn’t?).
While our heroes are setting up a plan, one drops right into the Hessian cell’s lap. While hunting in the forest, two hunters come across the Horseman’s rider-less demon horse. While one of the hunters looks confused, the other makes a call in German, demanding a team assembles, and shoots his confused hunting buddy.
Back in the tunnels, Ichabod and Abbie are searching for Andy, who’s been living in what amounts to a cave. While they ransack his "home," they realize that Andy must be the Horseman’s necromancer (a.k.a. his mouth piece) and that’s when Andy waltzes in to confirm their suspicions. They hit him with the plan: Andy speaks for the Horseman and Abbie and Ichabod get a road map for all the evil that’s on its way. But Andy doesn’t want to act as a translator because how knows the Horseman will make him do something he doesn’t want to do, but Abbie begs him with her best googly eyes and he gives in. Hellfire, be damned… or something.
At that exact moment, an alternate duo is forming. Upon Abbie’s mention of Jenny’s release from the mental hospital, Irving calls in the younger Mills sister to bully her into helping out with their secret mission. (He doesn’t know that she’s already willing since she and Abbie made up, but good game face, Irving). As he’s wagging his finger at Jenny, he gets a call to respond to a break-in. Jenny knows the owner of the shop because he hired her to find special artifacts once, so Irving insists she start that helpful streak of hers now.
On the scene, it’s obvious that the break-in was staged because they didn’t take any valuable jewels. (If you’re going to be a criminal, can’t you at least put some effort into it, dudes?). This leads Jenny and Irving to the super-secret back room, where the owner is lying on the floor with a gunshot wound. He directs them to a particular box, which they find is empty. The missing item is a relic that lifts hexes; Irving realizes the Hessians are out to lift the curse on the hexed Mason cell holding the Horseman. And while it takes them a while, the second string duo also realizes the Hessians will aim to take out the power grid too, in order to take out the U.V. lights.