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Last week I commented on how this season of Sleepy Hollow made the mistake of focusing too much on Katrina and Henry. Well this week, I’m going to focus on them! Oh the irony! I chose to write about them for the episode “Spellcaster” because I really liked the surprising behavior from both characters. I wish we had gotten this side of them sooner. They were both given a layer or two, making them more into the complex characters they should be rather than simple plot points.
Heart of Darkness
“Spellcaster’s” monster was an evil warlock from the Salem witch trial era named Solomon Kent (Johnathon Schaech). Solomon uses a dark magic that gets its power from blood. He’s goal was to travel back in time to prevent the death of woman he loved. Of course this would set off a butterfly effect and thus needed to be stopped. The logical thing to do was fight magic with magic but unfortunately Katrina, who gets her power from nature, isn’t strong enough to defeat him.
The warlock points out to Katrina that the reason her powers aren’t that strong is because she isn’t tapping into her darkside. He explains to her that she has dark magic in her. Katrina spends the rest of the episode in quiet self-seclusion as the truth sinks in. Though she has spent her entire existence preparing to stop the apocalypse, she is a sinner not a saint.
Henry’s Cruel Act of Kindness
This week we had the return of Henry, but he wasn’t there to create next week’s big bad. He has been quietly hauled up in a dumpy hotel, watching television and probably doing a lot of thinking.
The hotel is owned and operated by a good-natured single mother and her teenage son. Unfortunately, not all the guests at the hotel are as low maintenance as Henry. After the former Horseman of War witnesses the family being bullied by a group of young punks, he decides to go a little Equalizer. Henry’s violence is not exactly herioc, but it has an anti-hero vibe to it. He did what he did for just reason though his actions were wrong.
But just when I thought that Henry was going to start a new life as an unlikely vigilante, it’s revealed that he has pulling Irving puppet strings. What’s that all about?
Can They Be Saved?
Having Irving, Katrina and Henry all battling their inner demons is a good way to set them apart from Ichabod and Abbie. Ichabod and Abbie will need to trust each other now more than ever with all the unknown evil lurking about.They are the heroes, the witnesses. I’m curious where all this will lead. The show has questioned freewill vs. destiny before. Katrina may have darkness inside but does that mean she can’t continue to fight for good? Henry may have almost brought about the Apocalypse but does that mean that he can’t choose to be better? Does having predetermined roles of good an evil make a difference? Or is it the choices that are made?
This episode also got me thinking a lot about violence and heroism. Ichabod and Abbie use weaponry and their mad fighting skills all the time when they are saving the world. When dealing with unreasonable hell spawn though, violence can be a bit of a necessity especially when innocent lives are at stake. It’s a sacrifice made for the greater good. But is it much different from what Henry did to those hoodlums?
I’ve seen a lot of #RenewSleepyHollow tweets in my twitter timeline. Sleepy Hollow’s fate has yet to be determined, but I hope that despite its sophomore slump Fox will show some faith by renewing it for another season. This season hasn’t been as good as the first season, but it hasn’t been dreadful by any means. I’m still entertained by it. Plus story line is picking up now. Those who tuned out may want to start watching again.
What did you think of the episode? Is Katrina going to go dark? What’s up with Irving? Will Ichabod buy a new house? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!
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