By Monique
Let’s have a slow clap for Ichabod finally waking up in “The Weeping Lady.” I thought I’d never see the day when Ichabod would finally wise up and realize that Katrina’s been stringing him along. What a relief.
Before I get into the most important aspects of this episode, here’s quick synopsis of what went down. Ichabod’s reenactment friend, Caroline, has the hots for him. Ichabod tries to tell her he’s a married man (with Caroline thinking Abbie is his wife after she walks in). Still, he still feels bad about what transpired between himself and Caroline and goes to her home in the dead of night to apologize to her. They leave on good terms, but unfortunately, it’s the last night of Caroline’s life. She’s killed by The Weeping Lady, who is actually Mary Wells, Ichabod’s betrothed before he defected to America. Sadly, Ichabod told Mary that he only viewed their relationship in terms of siblinghood. The drama only gets deeper from there.
Now, we switch to the bulleted portion of this recap, because it’s impossible for me to recap this regularly when there’s so much to unpack.
Poor Caroline: In the short time we’ve come to know Caroline, I came to like her character and was extremely sad when she died. It also proved once again that Ichabod has better chemistry with every other woman on this show except for Katrina. Oof.
Did Caroline have to die? I honestly wish she didn’t. Who else is going to make Ichabod’s period-specific clothing and freshly churned butter and preserves? Sigh. I did think it was nice of Abbie to throw poor Caroline a memorial event. If I’m speaking shallowly, I loved seeing what Ichabod’s mourning attire looked like. I’m such a sucker for detailed period clothing.
Abbie nearly drowning: If anything can be learned from this zany show, it’s that knowing proper CPR protocol is necessary, especially if you’re facing demons on a regular basis. I was scared for Abbie when she was unresponsive after being pulled from the Weeping Lady’s pool. But I was also heartbroken for Ichabod, who wanted to help Abbie but couldn’t because he doesn’t know CPR. Thank goodness Hawley was there, otherwise Abbie would have been a goner.
After Abbie was saved, I was a little miffed at how Ichabod didn’t do any big declarations of gratitude for her safety. But I did realize that it was actually a good character moment; I think Ichabod played it cool in front of Abbie because actually entertaining the thought of her dying is a bit too much to bear. They both knew how serious the situation was, so I don’t think either of them wanted to actually entertain the thought of one of them actually knocking on death’s door.
Hawley and Jenny: It had been hinted to us before that Jenny and Hawley had a past, and it was fun to actually see them act off one another in the same scene. It’s also fun to see that Jenny’s just as gung-ho in her relationships as she is with her freedom fighting. I said on Twitter that Hawley’s basically just a terrestrial Han Solo. I would venture to say that Jenny’s his Leia.
Some folks on social media, particularly Tumblr, seem to think that Hawley is going to play both Jenny and Abbie. I don’t think the show will go down that route—if the writers have shown us anything, it’s that they don’t play by many of the TV conventions we’ve grown to know and hate. I had read in one of the many interviews about Sleepy Hollow that Hawley will initially be seen as an interest for Abbie but will have stronger ties to Jenny. Also, the writers have gone to great lengths to show how important it is for Abbie and Ichabod to stick together and be true to each other. Of course, I could be wrong.
Mary Wells: I will say upfront that I love Mary. It seems like I love every bad guy on this show. Although Mary isn’t as much as a “bad guy” as she is a victim of Katrina. More on that later, because I have a lot to say about this development.
Once again, I live for her period clothing. The gothic turn that takes place in the mid-to-late 1700s is something I love, and I was so excited to see so much black and Asian-inspired yellow in her clothing (yellows and gold fabrics from China were really popular in England during the 18th century). I also liked her gumption. She was still under the assumption that she could convince Ichabod to come back home to England and marry her, per the agreement between his and her parents.
Mary traveled months across the ocean just for him, so imagine how horrifying it would have been for her to hear that he only viewed them like brother and sister. According to her, Ichabod’s change was sudden, so naturally, she blames Katrina, a witch who could have put a love spell on Ichabod.
This leads us to the main topic for discussion:
Katrina’s culpability: So, let’s rewind to when Katrina said she was in Purgatory because of the debt she owed Henry as a mother. At first, we thought that was the only thing she was in Purgatory for. But clearly, she went to Purgatory for more than just leaving her son behind. She’s got the blood of the innocent on her hands. An innocent who figured out her game within mere moments of seeing her.
Katrina’s shadiness is already legendary. She lied about Henry. She lied about what it actually took to free her from Purgatory (another soul). She didn’t fill Ichabod in completely on what being a Witness entailed. She lied to her coven and broke protocol by saving Ichabod from death—a death that could have saved everyone from the Apocalypse since the Horseman was still attached to him at the time. She nearly got Abbie run over by a truck when she was pulling her into a vision. I’m sure there’s more I’m missing from this list, but the point is that she has lied and deceived Ichabod and Abbie at every turn. She’s actively kept information from them, information that would have been pertinent to their mission to save the world.
Let’s pile on top of all of that the fact that she wrote a detailed letter in Mary’s handwriting to deceive Ichabod. It’s bad enough that she seems to be telling another half-truth as to how Mary actually died. (Mary called Katrina out as a manipulator who put a hex on Ichabod and somehow she conveniently falls off a cliff?) But it’s made worse that Katrina completed the deception with the letter in Mary’s handwriting stating that she had gone back to England.
I never thought I’d see the episode when Ichabod finally wakes up from his love haze. But not only did we see Ichabod get mad and do a classic “Nuh-uh, girl!” hand/face combo (he must be learning black girl-isms from Abbie), we actually saw him realize that the marriage he thought he had (or could salvage) was irreparable. This was one lie too many.
Let’s also not forget how readily Katrina went back to the house with Abraham, much to Ichabod’s surprise and outrage. You can see on his face that he’s realizing he really doesn’t know the woman he married.
I was also surprised by how Ichabod literally toasted to the end of his marriage and to his renewed commitment to stay true to Abbie and only Abbie. For him to say they have to stick with each other above anything or anyone was astounding to me. Welp, I guess you can stick a fork in this marriage, because it is done.
However, this new change can lead to something I’ve been waiting on since Season One:
Evil Katrina: Abraham wants Katrina to come to the dark side by her own volition. It would seem that we’re well on the path towards that happening. But I was blindsided by Moloch who, after a thorough scolding of kid-like Henry, revealed that Katrina’s one of the Hellfire Shards. She’s a vessel for something.
I’ve been saying all along that Katrina’s a part of the evil side’s plan. Whether or not she knows that is up for debate (but she did feel at ease to just break out dark magic). But I’ve theorized since Season One that she’s either Ishtar (still a lot of evidence for that, what with her consistent use of birds) or some kind of vessel for an Anti-Christ or something. And it would appear that I’m being proven right.
Also, what language was Katrina speaking? That didn’t sound too wholesome, since the only time we’ve seen subtitles, it’s when the Hessians are talking.
Okay, that’s another episode for the books. What did you think of this episode, which was the trillest of the trill thus far? What in the world do you think a Hellfire Shard is? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
Photo credit: Brownie Harris/Fox
Julian 