SLEEPY HOLLOW Recap: ‘Heartless’

SLEEPY HOLLOW fans, Katrina is in the building. Specifically, she’s in Ichabod’s cabin, and whether you’re glad to see her or would like her to go away, you can take comfort in this: modern society now has twice as many people to confuse. Ichabod and Katrina are using THE BACHELOR as a vehicle to discuss their own feelings (colonial Americans: they’re just like us!), and it’s clear that they still have some differences to work through.

The War

The biggest source of tension among Katrina, Ichabod, and Abbie continues to be Henry’s redemption. As Abbie points out, there might be good somewhere inside him, but that doesn’t mean much if he never acts on it. As Henry holds a heart in his hand and chants, summoning a woman to the room, he doesn’t seem like a man who wants to be saved. The woman goes out to a club and picks up a guy by imitating a girl he likes. Once she has him in his car, she turns into a red, horned demon and sucks the life out of him.

Henry is so focused on this demon that he doesn’t care at all about getting Katrina back, no matter how much Abraham complains. They have a new friend now, and she’s helping Henry fill up that jar of red light that he started last week. The demon gives Henry the life force of the guy from the club; something stirs in the jar, but Henry says that Moloch needs more sustenance, so the demon kills again.

Abbie and Ichabod head to the archives for research, with Katrina in tow. Katrina notices that the marks on the first victim’s body are concentrated in an area of particularly strong life force. Her brainstorm is interrupted by a sudden vision of Henry, who holds the heart over a crib while a baby cries. She tells Ichabod that she’s not feeling well, and he escorts her home while Abbie looks on, rejected.

To his credit, Ichabod continues to think about the case; over the phone, he suggests to Abbie that an artifact might be responsible, so Abbie calls on Hawley for his expertise. Hawley meets her at the bar, but he doesn’t want to help. He’s not interested in another close encounter with a demon. He just wants to hook up with Abbie. Abbie shoots him down (“Sorry you got your signals crossed, but I’m sure you’ve misread women before”), so he moves on to the other women at the bar.

At the cabin, Abbie tells Ichabod all about Hawley’s night, which gives her an idea. The first victim was found in the back seat of his own car. Why would he be back there if not to get lucky with someone? The demon must be a succubus; she’s drawn to desire, especially secret desire. She appears to Hawley as a kind of Abbie Mills lookalike, and he responds. Abbie figures it out when Katrina enchants a map to lead them to the succubus, and all signs point to the harbor.

The succubus almost sucks the life out of Hawley, but he stuns her with a jolt from a crystal. Abbie shoots, and the succubus runs off. Ichabod brings Hawley up to speed on everything they know; when he gets to the part about secret desire, Hawley sneaks a glance at Abbie. Ichabod can’t hide his surprise.

In the car, Ichabod apologizes for being distracted by Katrina lately. He admits that they’re both different people now, and their relationship needs to allow for change. He adds that his opinion of Hawley might have to evolve too. Abbie catches his meaning. She doesn’t try to deny that she’s thought about it, but there’s no room for complication in the life of a witness. Ichabod wants to know when “opening our hearts to new possibilities” became a complication, and Abbie looks right at him as she says that it always has been.

Speaking of complications, Katrina has another vision. She actually tells Ichabod and Abbie this time, and they ask her to channel another one. This is their only glimpse into Henry’s actions. Katrina flashes to Henry and the succubus as they pour the red light into a crib, where it begins to take the form of a baby. Even after what she’s seen, Katrina insists that Henry is only acting under Moloch’s influence. She and Abbie start to fight, but Ichabod puts a stop to it. They’re more powerful together than they are apart. If they fracture, they’ll be giving Moloch what he wants.

Katrina and Abbie set aside their differences to do more research, and Abbie identifies the succubus as the Incordata — the heartless. Her heart is kept outside of her body; only when the heart is extinguished can the body be killed. Katrina suggests that the heart would have to be kept on consecrated ground, and Abbie, who’s been monitoring Henry’s internet activity, recalls that he recently purchased a plot at a cemetery. Ichabod asks Abbie to go with Katrina to the cemetery and keep her safe as she finds a way to destroy the heart. Meanwhile, he and Hawley can track the succubus at the club.

Abbie takes advantage of her time alone with Katrina to remind her that a mother’s love is not a miracle worker. Abbie should know. They find the heart inside a jar in a tomb, masked by some kind of perception spell that makes Abbie see maggots; she digs in there and casually comments, “This is nasty,” as she sets the heart on the table. Katrina gets to work reciting her incantation just as Ichabod catches up with the succubus.

The succubus appears to Ichabod dressed as Katrina; in a British accent, she tells him that she can taste the doubt in his desire. He stabs her, which ignites a protection spell on the jar and knocks Katrina to the floor. She’s unconscious, so Abbie shoots the jar and finishes the spell while Hawley and Ichabod fight the succubus. Her heart burns, and, after Ichabod shoots her, so does she. Hawley and Ichabod celebrate their win; they might make peace with each other after all.

As Abbie helps her out of the tomb, Katrina acknowledges that they have to stop Moloch by any means necessary, even if they have to go through Henry. She wants to go back undercover and return to Abraham in order to get access to the newborn Moloch; Abbie notes that Katrina must have a lot of faith in Abraham’s love for her, but Katrina also has a lot of faith in Abbie and Ichabod’s bond, which has to be strong in order to sell her return. (“I will tell him how Ichabod has moved on and how he’s found his life here with you by his side.”) Ichabod is fine with Katrina’s choice, because he’s trying to do better with change in his relationships.

Abraham accepts Katrina’s return without question, and even Henry seems pleased to have her back, especially after he confirms that she’s still wearing her necklace. He invites his mother to look inside the crib, and we see what Katrina sees: a normal, human baby. Her necklace glows.

The Key Players

Just as soon as Katrina escapes Frederick’s Manor — again — she again chooses to go back. The emotional whiplash of it all isn’t doing her character any favors, as it makes both Katrina and her story feel directionless. That being said, the fact that she sees baby Moloch as a human baby is a twist I didn’t see coming, and it might lend some exciting complication to her loyalties. She also seems to have a genuinely soft spot for Abraham, which should add to her confusion. I still think that the ticket to an interesting, empowered Katrina lies in keeping her single, but maybe she needs another messy relationship in order to get there, especially if it severs her marriage ties in the process.

SLEEPY HOLLOW isn’t even a love triangle. It’s more like some kind of three-dimensional love cube. Everyone has feelings for at least two people at all times. Abbie is definitely softening toward Hawley — she’s downright flirtatious as she wraps his wounds — but I don’t see any need for this relationship to happen. It can only cause trouble with Jenny, and the Mills sisters have to be better than boy trouble. They can’t let some guy come between them.

The Witnesses

When Ichabod realizes how Hawley feels about Abbie, he looks immediately bereft, like he doesn’t want to lose his closeness with her. He seems determined not to let Hawley affect his relationship with Abbie. It’s sweet that when he picks up on the vibe between them, his first thought is not to object, but to adjust his opinion of Hawley. Then again, he does ask Hawley what his intentions are, and though it’s gallant of him to want the best for her, there’s a vaguely patronizing undertone to the idea that he has to approve of Abbie’s relationships. Hawley, shallow though he can be, is right when he tells Ichabod that it isn’t really his business.

Abbie experiences her share of jealousy in this episode, too, and it’s more overt than it has been. Katrina is taking up more of Ichabod’s time, and she’s feeling left out. I like the way Abbie tries to bring him back to her by reminding him that she knows his favorite Chinese food. Abbie is familiar with the details of Ichabod’s life in a way that Katrina can’t be. I also like that Ichabod apologizes for his distance. Even when their relationship is in flux, they still find time to flirt about dancing.

What did you think of the episode?