Geekscape Recap: Sleepy Hollow:Necromancer
First, apologies for the dearth of Sleepy Hollow recaps here at Geekscape–between ComiKaze, and Blizzcon, and a terrible, terrible flu bug, we got a little behind. But we’re back, just in time for Sleepy Hollow’s best episode of the season, Necromancer.
(AP Photo/Fox)
A Recap in the Recap
So, in the past few weeks, Crane has been cured of his connection to the horseman, found his Freemason brothers (Ep. 6, The Sin Eater), John Cho rejoined the cast, and Crane and Abbie convinced Captain Irving of the existence of all things that go bump in the night while setting a trap for the horseman and then catching said Horseman (Ep. 7, The Midnight Ride). While still suffering from expositional monologues and occasional main-character-making-serious-bad-choice-itis (also known as the-plot-demands-I-forget-everything-I-know-for-a-moment syndrome), Sleepy Hollows is a winner this Fall season, with solid ratings and an ever-growing (and loyal) fan base.
A Hex, A Horseman and a Hit
The latest installment, Necromancer, starts out immediately after The Midnight Ride (still with the double whammy of voice-over introduction, though) which Abbie charmingly introducing Crane to the fist bump as they celebrate capturing the Horseman (using a Devil’s Snare straight out of the Winchester boys’ playbook, and wouldn’t that be a fanfic crossover made in Heaven/Hell…).
The Horseman is being subdued by a combination of hex candles, UV lights and the aforementioned devil’s snare. Irving—and a giant big shout of glee at how wonderful Orlando Jones is and how happy we are that he is getting SO MUCH screen time (especially in the super-sexy bullet-proof vest)—Crane and Abbie have a little discussion about the demons of hell that are coming their way and who they can depend on—namely themselves, Jenny, and the dubious ally in Andy Brooks (Cho).
Irving points out Brooks is dead (and can we point out, hopefully for the last time, that no one EVER noticed Brooks’ body missing from the morgue—not ever?) to which Crane and Abbie explain the whole Moloch connection (leading to the best line of the night, Iriving’s “Moloch, the demon on the top of the org chart?” great line, great delivery).
As Jenny was released from the hospital the day prior (which we didn’t see, which was odd, because what, did Abbie pick her up from the mental hospital, drop her off at home and say ‘don’t worry your super-skilled-soldier self, I’m going headless horseman hunting and there’s no reason you’d want to be involved in that!’??) and is now just hanging out in Sleepy Hollow, not at all interested in Crane or Abbie or what they might be working on.
Abbie asks Irving to go get her because she might be ‘useful’ while she and Crane find Brooks because he’s the Horseman’s voice.
Cut to two hunters in the woods who stumble upon the Horseman’s horse. One of them calls up somebody and speaks in German. Apparently Hessians just hang out in the upstate New York woods dressed up like deer hunters…
Once he finishes his phone call, he shoots the other hunter and takes the Horseman’s horse.
Things Aren’t Going to End Well
Back at the police station (Sheriff’s station?) Jenny comes in unescorted and greets Irving with what would have been a stirring speech against police abuse of power except she came in unescorted and uncuffed and of her own free will.
Irving and Jenny have a little tête-à-tête where they both state obvious things about each other in a level, menacing way so that we know how smart they each are and how much they don’t trust each other before they get interrupted by a ‘situation’ at a local antiques store. One that Jenny knows…because she used to do freelance acquisitions for the owner. So apparently she’s also Lara Croft.
Crane and Abbie wait for Brooks in his liar in the (seemingly endless) tunnels beneath the city; Crane finds an ancient plaque thingy with Egyptian hieroglyphs on it which lead him to believe that Brooks is the Horseman’s necromancer, or in Crane’s world, a speaker for the dead.
Sidenote: Okay, so a necromancer is usually considered someone who raises or speaks to the dead. TO. Not FOR. Usually for purposes of divination or power. A speaker FOR the dead is Ender Wiggan.
So they bundle Brooks up and take him the Horseman’s cell, and even though Brooks tells them that he has no free will and will do horrible things and not be able to stop himself, neither Crane nor Abbie seem daunted (even though he says “this won’t end well.”) and off they go to the Horseman’s cell.
Everyone Needs A Little Druidic Incantation
At the Antique store, Jenny and Irving discover that the place was ransacked by someone (or ones?) who stole a thracian phiale, an ancient relic safely kept in a…wooden box. Well, a wooden box covered in Druidic scripture (16th century, which wasn’t exactly pagan-religion friendly, and written in Norse runes, but okay….). Apparently it can break a hex spell (like the one holding the Horseman) and was taken by men speaking German. Jenny deduces that the Hessians will hit the grid next to take out the power to the UV lights.
Crane and Abbie bring Brooks to the Horseman’s prison (and where did the find time to inlay into the cement the devil’s snare?) and Brooks warns them one more time that it’s a bad idea…but they take him anyway, locking him to a chair and then putting cuffs (with LOTS of slack) on him.
The Horseman doesn’t seem to want to talk, so Crane taunts him, getting up close and personal and finishing with a shove, with dislodges a locket.
Brooks goes all black-eyed and possessed (at this point the Sleepy Hollow producers should really give a shout out to Supernatural…) and, in the Horseman’s voice, says the locket is Katrina’s.
So we all know there’s a flashback coming , and sure enough, Crane explains that the locket was purchased for Katrina by her fiancé, Abraham, who she jilted for Crane (Abraham is apparently Crane’s best friend and partner, though we’ve never, ever, ever met him before and how did he know Abraham and not Katrina??).
In the flashback we see Katrina, who is somehow no longer a simple nurse in homespun, if low-cut wool, but now decked out like a lady in a very expensive gown in a very expensive house. And apparently Abraham is a Loyalist? And Katrina is going to break of the engagement because it’s an arranged marriage and that sort of thing shouldn’t happen in the new country they are both fighting for.
All of that is very interesting but doesn’t explain why the Horseman has the locket. Crane thinks the Horseman might know why Moloch is holding Katrina captive.
Is That a TAC Team or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
Irving and Jenny—in full tactical armor and all SWAT teamed out—are at the power station to foil the Hessian’s plan. They capture three handily and then ambush the others with a full SWAT team. Yay, happy ending and lots of arrests (and supposedly lots of paperwork for somebody).
Crane continues to question the Horseman (a phenomenal performance by Cho as Brooks, by the way) and we find out that killing Crane is the Horseman’s mission from Moloch.
Meanwhile Jenny discovers that the Hessians had time to plant something at the plant, which starts a furious search.
The Horseman brings Crane up short by accusing him of betraying and leaving his previous partner for dead, causing Crane to start to lose control and get personally involved in the interrogation.
Jenny and Irving are too late, and an explosion rocks the power plant—and the UV lights go out (seriously, the Sleepy Hollow police don’t have a generator??). The Horseman is clearly not as powerless as they thought.
A Duel to the Not-Quite-Death
As Abbie and Crane wait for Irving and Jenny to return, Abbie presses for an explanation to the Horseman’s allegations. Cue flashback #2.
Crane and Abraham were entrusted to take the Declaration of Resolves to the first Continental Congress (Abraham is NOT a Loyalist, then) and of course, as people do when on a highly dangerous covert mission, the two talked about Katrina and Crane thought that deep in enemy territory was an ideal place to tell Abraham that Katrina dumped Abraham for Crane. Why would you do that?
Abraham decides that the only logical reaction is to duel. Crane refuses, but is forced to fight to defend himself. Abraham is about to win but Hessians interrupt, shooting Abraham. Crane flees into the forest at Abraham’s insistence.
Crane insists on going back in but Abbie won’t let him as Crane is too emotional and raw—and Irving and Jenny show up just in time to provide a distraction. Abbie is upset that Irving has brought Jenny to see the Horseman, but more importantly, since they didn’t find the thracian phiale, everyone is now in a lot of super-duper-danger. Apparently, says Jenny, if the Hessians break in with the phiale and recite a druidic incantation it will set the Horseman free.
Irving positions men at every entrance to the tunnels and they decide that Abbie, Irving and Jenny will patrol the tunnels to secure them from the Hessians, leaving Crane along with the Horseman.
Brooks (remember all that slack on his handcuffs?) digs out of his own belly (ew) the phiale because apparently Crane can’t see Brooks from the two-way mirror/glass observation room that was so handily built into the ancient tunnels. And, despite being told multiple times not to trust Brooks, no one had bother to gag him either, so Brooks not only has enough slack to dig the phiale out, but no impediment to speaking the druidic incantation, which Crane still doesn’t notice because apparently he’s busy pouting about Katrina and Abraham…
Seriously, these people are really bad at this sometimes.
Abbie, Jenny and Irving explore the tunnels, where super scary demons slither about just out of their sight. Definitely chill worthy moments there.
Crane comes into the Horseman’s cell and still doesn’t notice what Brooks his doing…until Brooks calls his attention to it. And then Crane acts surprised that Brooks, who has said over and over again he has no control over his actions, has released the Horseman.
The Horseman breaks his bonds and gives Crane a sword and the two reenact the duel Abraham and Crane fought in 1774…revealing that the Horseman is Abraham.
Apparently (cue flashback 3), after Crane ran into the woods, the Hessians performed a ritual which bound Abraham to Moloch and turned him into the Horseman. Katrina is being held by Moloch as a reward for Abraham once the four horsemen ride.
The Horseman/Abraham gets the better of Crane, and is about to kill him, when Moloch’s demon minions flash in, grab the Horseman and Brooks. Brooks cries out that the Horseman cannot kill Crane yet, and in a spooky-smokey flash, the demons, Brooks and the Horseman are gone.
So what’s next? It seems Crane and Abbie get trapped in a haunted house—where more than just a ghost’s secrets are revealed.
Join us next week for all the haps in the Hollow!
Sleepy Hollow airs on Fox on Monday at 9 p.m.
