Sleepy Hollow - "The Sin Eater" - Review

Intro

Again, sorry very much for the long delays. I've honestly been too tired to even think about doing anything writing related. It's really not good and I should do something about it, but I doubt that will happen. For now, you'll just have to deal with my horribly late reviews for things.

SPOILER WARNING

The following review is for Sleepy Hollow, Season 1, Episode 6: "The Sin Eater." If you haven't seen this episode, I would recommend doing so before reading this review. There are spoilers.

Sleepy Hollow - "The Sin Eater" - Review

Characters:

• Lieutenant Abigail "Abbie" Mills - Played by Nicole Beharie. The "Second Witness." Saw the Four Trees as a child with her sister.
• Ichabod Crane - Played by Tom Mison. The "First Witness." Sort of time traveled from the Revolutionary War to the present because of his magical blood connection with the Headless Horseman.
• Captain Frank Irving - Played by Orlando Jones. Sleepy Hollow's Police Captain.
• Katrina Crane - Played by Katia Winter. Ichabod's wife. Trapped in a purgatory run by Moloch.
• The Headless Horseman - Played by Richard Cetrone. Death incarnate.
• Jennifer "Jenny" Mills - Played by Lyndie Greenwood. Abbie's sister. Saw the Four Trees as a child with her sister.
• J. Rutledge - Played by James Frain. Member of the Free Masons.
• Arthur Bernard - Played by Tongayi Chirisa. Member of the Colonial Resistance.
• Colonel Tarleton - Played by Craig Parker. Demon. Ichabod's former commander.
• Henry Parrish - Played by John Noble. The Sin Eater

Review:

I'm probably in the minority on this episode. I didn't enjoy it as much as I have the others. I'm not sure what cause it, but it probably had something to do with too much exposition and the inclusion of the Freemasons.

Most of Ichabod's story was told to us and not shown satisfactorily. Mind you, a lot of what was going on was going on in his head, but still. I think the looks on his face and his conversations with Bernard and Katrina along with the fact that he saw Tarleton's demonic face should have been enough without all the voice over. Also, I was confused by Katrina in the flashbacks. Considering we know she's a witch, I'm assuming she was posing as a Quaker nurse, but I'm not entirely sure so... that was weird. The reveal of Colonel Tarleton as a demon was pretty cool. I especially liked that Ichabod saw his demonic face and was really disturbed by it. The flashback story was important in explaining what guilt ("sin") Ichabod was carrying around with him, but I think it could have been done better.

Abbie's section of the story should have been more interesting than it was, especially with the inclusion of Jenny. Don't get me wrong, I found Abbie's vision to be cool and her dedication to find Ichabod endearing, but I wasn't blow away by it. There was also a serious lack of anything for Jenny to do. She essentially turned into a version of first Season Giles from Buffy in this episode, except without the Britishness or demonology books. For all there was to do, she probably could have done it from her cell/hospital room.

As for the Freemason stuff, I'm tired of them popping up everywhere. Their role in shaping the US is constantly scrutinized by everyone and their mother, especially on the History and Discovery channels. Which I watch a lot of. Their inclusion here served only to get background on Ichabod. They didn't do anything but stand around making idle threats and being ineffective. The whole thing reminded me, retrospectively, of The Order of the Dragon from Dracula.

Lastly, I can't wait to see what John Noble does with the Sin Eater character. I loved him in Fringe and he was awesome in his limited role here. The rest of the episode clearly annoyed me so... sorry for the largely negative review, I guess. I can't be Sally Sunshine all the time.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Oh joy, baseball = America. Not impressed.
• Katrina-Bird is back.
• The Sin Eater is a cool concept.
• Okay, but seriously, they weren't going to kill off Ichabod. Get real.
• What was the significance of Ol' Headless finding Ichabod's grave?

Favorite Lines:

"What is the point of baseball?
"Please. Enlighten me." - Abbie and Ichabod

"You know, there are two things in life I believe a person should hold onto for as long as possible: virginity and skepticism." - Captain Irving

Housekeeping

Let me know what you thought of the episode, what your thoughts are on the Freemasons, or even what you've thought of the series so far in the comments. Please and thank you.

Again, sorry for the long delays in getting these reviews up. It's probably going to keep happening, especially as I'm now working and the holidays are fast approaching. Glad my Christmas shopping is already done.

Love ya, Jessie