Sleepy Hollow: The Indispensable Man / Bad Blood Review

 

Since its premiere Sleepy Hollow has never felt sleepy, instead it took us on a nightmarish ride filled with fantastic fights against evil and plenty of mystery to keep our minds running wild. It's almost a shame it's coming to an end for the year, but we all knew it was coming. The end of the first season has arrived with epic two-part cliffhanger that we won't forget.

Normally, during two-part season finales, it's often difficult to tell when one episode ends and the other begins, but that wasn't the case this time since each episode could easily be aired separately. The first, the Indispensable Man, was completely based on the hunt for the map while the second, Bad Blood, was about stopping War.

I am sure the Indispensable Man will create a flurry of grief from historians, especially since it completely twisted the death of one of the United States of America's most influential men. I can only imagine how much joy this will give to conspiracy theorists, too.

Can you imagine how long it would have taken to build this tomb?

Putting aside the historical twists, the map and grave hunt didn't feel all that exciting. With two major action scenes, I would expect something like this to get my adrenaline pumping. I think the main problem was that there was no feeling of urgency, plus the two main characters were at odds with one another about finding it. The entire time I kept thinking how selfish Ichabod was since he was hunting for something to rescue his wife which could also destroy the world. It made it even worse that just when it looked like he changed his mind, we find out that it was just a misdirection to restore Abby's faith in him. Quite the disappointing lead-up, for sure.

Thankfully Bad Blood made many of those flaws worthwhile. It was still wasn't perfect, but at least it gave us a season finale we will remember.

The threat of War's arrival was the perfect topic to add tension throughout the episode. Ever since Death disappeared it felt like the battle to save the world was easing, but the new horseman provided what they needed to spring into action again. Surprisingly, the tension only increased during slower scenes since we knew they didn't have much time to waste.

What a fantastic way to represent a gateway between dimensions.

Then came the twist that put every single reveal in Sleepy Hollow, so far, to shame. I always suspected that Henry was going to play a huge part in the story to come, and that the lost son would make an entrance, but this was just... wow! The planning it must have taken to keep all this a secret is mind-blowing. I may not understand where all the son's hatred comes from, they were both dead after all when all his pain happened, but it was still a fantastic shift!

The main problem was the prophecy itself. Because they kept referring to it, it was obvious Abby was going to switch places with Katrina, and that it was going to lead to their downfall. I know they felt like they didn't have any choice, but I would hope that they would have been able to figure out that something was wrong with the plan. Just what problems did Katrina need to resolve anyway?

Then there is Frank Irving's dilemma. It seriously pisses me off that so many cops are so friggin' ignorant on TV. Is the entire police force working for Moloch or something? I hope war rips through that precinct leaving nothing but ash for the federal agencies to sift through! I don't ever want to see that station again in season 2!

When it comes to the next season, which we thankfully know is going to happen, I suspect things will get even worse when Abby breaks the barrier to save Ichabod (I can't see it progressing any other way). For now it looks like they are royally screwed and that there is nothing left to stop the Apocalypse, so it is definitely a great place to end the season.

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