ConStar Watches Sleepy Hollow "The Midnight Ride"

This week’s Sleepy Hollow was a solid episode with lots of forward movement. We’re just over halfway through the season and they’ve already caught the Horseman. I know there are three more horseman on the way, but it makes me wonder where they can go the rest of the season. I’m anxious with anticipation!
First, check out my recap here: Can Sleepy Hollow Cover Your Favorite Moments of American History?
Favorite Quotes

“You paid? For water. […] the extent to which your generation has defiled this earth is truly mind boggling.”
The entirety of Ichabod’s voicemail, styled as a formal letter.
“I will not leave this earth with him still on it!”
“It was a mere inquiry.”
“The warning all the riders gave, as discretely as possible, was “the regulars are coming” NOT “the British are coming!” See, we too were british at the time, so that would have been most unhelpful.”
“Highly acclaimed dentist. The man was a silversmith. That’s the last person you’d want poking around in your mouth.”
“There’s good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” “Is this a riddle?”
“My cousin Steve forgot to take his medication this morning.”

I loved this line because of the obvious. He’s white and she’s black. And while there was no real time to deal with that simple throw-away line, it doesn’t get a response. They could be cousins. We know they’re not, but they could be. No questions that the two of them are together, in any fashion And the fact that she (and the writer’s) throw it out there with no regards to their difference in races is what I love. Because we don’t get opportunities for black characters and white characters to interact the way these two do. I don’t know. I just really liked that they threw that in there.
When Ichabod was trying to figure out the cypher, he gets really snippy with Abbie. I think this was really interesting because, in the promo for next week, it seems Ichabod is cracking under all the pressure. Introducing it in this episode is a great way to lead up to it organically rather than having us wonder next week where his outbursts come from. He’s been so cool under the “adjustment” (as he put it) so far, but he clearly feels out of place (as per his conversation with Abbie) and all of the craziness is beginning to get to him. I don’t think it helped that that website popped up and Abbie reminded him of his wife. Being without Katrina and knowing that she’s just out of place, trapped in that limbo, must also really frustrate him.

“Hey sexy. Wanna chat?” “I’m flattered but I’m afraid I am currently espoused to another.”

Do you mean Katrina? Or Abbie? lol

“Too bad we can’t summon your wife.” “Yes the thought had crossed my mind, thank you. Though not as a means to defeat our present enemy.”

As I said above, I’m sure this… pop-up… didn’t help with his frustrations… Careful Abbie, touchy subject. Though I wonder. Does Crane have any descendants we don’t know about yet? Could Katrina have gotten pregnant after his suspension in death?
The conversation Crane has with Abbie and Captain Irving are other reasons I appreciate this show and what it’s doing. They recognized that Crane supported abolition in the pilot, but it seems he thought everyone else did too. He must have had a desire to see the best in his comrades. He didn’t know about Jefferson’s infidelity with his slaves or the many descendants he has. (Watch this Key and Peele Acenstry.com sketch RIGHT NOW) Poor Ichabod also had to deal with dropping one of his mentors off a pedestal. I hope there is more of that. So far, we’ve have Ichabod schooling the moderners on how it really was in the Revolutionary Era, but there are things history teaches us that he wouldn’t know about his own people. More scenes like this would be great for the contrast and to disavow him of some of his hero worship.
I really loved the cinematography/direction of the horse-chase. The swivel of the camera when the Horseman stalks Ichabod down the tunnel was fantastic.
What episodes of American History would you like to see featured on Sleepy Hollow? If they could go to any time in our nation’s history, what incidents lend best to this show’s themes? Obviously some National Treasure/Lincoln Assassination stuff would be applicable. Maybe some Columbus era stuff that really reveals his awful character. Actually, they could definitely bring Pestilence back for that one! The two were teamed up! (Maybe I just planned my first Sleepy Hollow spec script?!)

Related articles

• ConStar Watches Sleepy Hollow “The Sin Eater” (constarstudiestv.wordpress.com)
• “Why is Sleepy Hollow a Hit?” (forbes.com) I might actually do a post on this one, as it ignores one of the main reasons why Sleepy Hollow is actually such a big hit–its diversity.