SLEEPY HOLLOW Recap: ‘The Kindred’

After a warm SLEEPY HOLLOW reunion, Abbie and Crane are officially out of purgatory, above ground, and back in business. There’s no taking it easy for our witnesses, or for this show, which somehow delivered more twists this week than it did in the premiere. I’d expect nothing less. Let’s get to it.

The War

Crane wakes from a nightmare about Katrina, who is still being held by the Headless Horseman. In the dream, Henry chains Katrina’s arms to two posts, surrounded by a circle of fire, and bonds her blood with the Horseman’s before swinging an axe at her head. It’s a marriage between a human bride and a harbinger of the apocalypse, and Crane read about it in the Codex Tchacos, a lost gospel of the Bible. He’s worried that they don’t have much time, but Abbie promises that they’re close. They’ll find Katrina.

The Horseman could only travel so far before sunrise, so Crane researches hideouts in the area while Abbie tries to get in good with Sheriff Reyes, a former Border Patrol officer who has returned to Sleepy Hollow to take over for Captain Irving. Reyes knew Abbie’s mother (who was “a little bit totally crazy,” according to Abbie) and is concerned by Abbie’s decision to turn down Quantico after Sheriff Corbin died. This could be an uphill battle. Crane is having better luck; he remembers that Abraham proposed to Katrina at his estate in Willow Point, which is close enough to reach in a night.

A quick creep through the bushes confirms that Katrina is inside, but Abbie thinks it’s too soon to attempt a rescue. They don’t have a plan, they don’t have weapons, and they don’t have Jenny. Back at the archives, Crane proposes an idea from the Codex, which he also saw in Ben Franklin’s journals. Franklin joined with Katrina’s coven to build the Kindred, a creature assembled from the parts of deceased soldiers, thought to be a match for the Horseman of Death. The monster requires a part of the Horseman himself, which Franklin didn’t have — but our team has his head, and Crane wants to finish the job.

Abbie and Jenny worry that the Kindred will be beyond their control, but they don’t have many other options. While Jenny gathers more weapons, Abbie and Crane retrieve the head from Sleepy Hollow Savings and Loan. What are banks for, if not disembodied heads and exasperating pen chains? Irving picked a secure hiding place. He’s not doing well in jail, since being a cop makes him a target, so Abbie suggests trying to get moved to the psych hospital on an insanity deal. Irving takes a lie detector test and tells the absolute truth, which in Sleepy Hollow is the best way to get called crazy. (It always ends in prison or the psych ward for our team.)

Reyes finds Jenny in the archives with a duffel full of weapons, and since Jenny can’t exactly plead that she needs them to fight the Horseman of Death, she’s arrested. Abbie and Crane take to the tunnels, where Franklin hid his creation (“Franklinstein’s monster,” says Abbie, fulfilling her wordplay requirement for at least a year). They find the body, but not before being attacked by a swarm of bats, which reminds Abbie of her time in Moloch’s lair.

Abbie admits that purgatory shook her, never more so than when demon Ichabod almost convinced her to have some water. She worries that Crane is her greatest weakness; purgatory preyed on her faith in him. Abraham does the opposite, making Katrina doubt her husband’s devotion. She convinces Abraham to hold off on performing the marriage ceremony, promising that she could learn to love him on her own. She also says that she only ran off with Ichabod because Abraham wanted to marry right away.

Outside the old estate, Crane recites the incantation to bring the Kindred to life. It takes two tries (“I’m not the witch in the family!”), but the monster comes alive just as the Headless Horseman gallops toward them. When Henry’s War armor chases after Abbie, the Kindred saves her rather than defeat the Horseman. Crane sneaks inside to rescue Katrina, but she doesn’t want to go. If she leaves with Ichabod, the Horseman will follow, but here, she can be a spy.

Meanwhile, Irving’s lie detector stunt worked, but not exactly the way he or Abbie planned: the psych hospital is keeping him in restraints. He also has a new lawyer, at his wife’s request: Henry. Henry needs Irving’s signature on a document, but his pen — which we saw him tamper with earlier — pricks Irving’s finger, drawing blood as he signs his name. Captain Frank Irving just signed a blood contract with the Horseman of War.

The Key Players

My fear for Irving knows no bounds right now. Is there any coming back from this? Will the signature change the way he thinks, or will it only force him to obey? Andy seems able to resist Moloch in some ways, but he’s not in quite the same position as Irving, since he signed up willingly. This twist is brilliant, but it’s also devastating. Irving is such a force for good. Reyes seems to play things much more by the book, so we won’t really know her character until we see how she responds to Sleepy Hollow’s dark side. She’s not the most original foil, but there’s time.

Jenny’s imprisonment was probably inevitable, and it could help clear the air if she’s actually released legally this time. Still, the Mills sisters are best as allies, so hopefully Abbie can get Jenny out of jail before this drives another wedge between them. Katrina wins for most enigmatic prisoner this week. Even setting aside the fact that she’s a witch, she was given an easy way out of Abraham’s captivity, and she chose not to take it. Has Abraham convinced her that Crane prefers Abbie? She’s seen them hug, so it’s a good card to play.

The Witnesses

For her part, Abbie definitely seems insecure about Katrina. She worries that Crane is losing focus in the fight against Moloch, while he insists that Katrina is part of that fight. I like that Abbie is just slightly possessive of Crane; she’s bonded with him, and it’s natural for her to feel that his wife would disrupt that bond, but she’s never a jealous caricature. She goes to great lengths to help Crane get his wife back. When Katrina decides not to come, Abbie looks at her like she can’t believe she raised a monster for this.

Crane and Abbie’s disagreement over the Kindred leads to a nice moment of mutual understanding; he realizes that he might have gone too far, and that fighting monsters with monsters defeats the purpose. They work as a pair because they tell each other the truth, even when it’s difficult, which is why Crane looks devastated when Abbie says that he’s her weakness. It’s sweet that he’s her point of vulnerability, but Crane would rather not be so flattered. He’d rather flatter her. Abbie is strong enough to know when to trust him and when to challenge him. Also, their banter at the bank is adorable. (“You founded a country. Figure it out.”)

What did you think of the episode?

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