On the latest episode of Sleepy Hollow we learned that Ichabod and Abbie’s fate as Witnesses date back to the beginning of their family lines. Hah! Told you! …kind of.
Families and runes
Remember how a couple of weeks ago I had said that Abbie’s dad had to have something to do with this whole supernatural thing? Well, it looks like my theory is proving to be right. This week The Hidden One has informed us that the line of Witnesses dates back millennia, before the world even existed, and it’s connected to not only Abbie’s lineage but also Ichabod’s as well.
This is a major reveal, especially considering that we know virtually nothing about Crane’s lineage. We know a ton, almost too much, about his own failed attempt at a family, but when it comes to his father and who that even is, we know nothing. That’s my favorite part of this reveal: It hints that, if the show continues, we’re going to be getting a ton more information about where Ichabod Crane comes from — something that has always been lacking in all versions of the Sleepy Hollow tale.
In this episode we also learned the name of the rune that Ichabod could use to communicate with Abbie: The Emblem of Thura. This emblem feeds on the power of the being it imprisons, and so when The Hidden One tried to attack Ichabod, he actually ended up being imprisoned by it — again. Yep, that emblem is the thing that caused him to stay trapped in Purgatory for so long.
It was refreshing to get a clear and concise explanation of the emblem and what it does, since I’ve been guessing about it for about a month now. It’s a powerful tool that not only allows communication between the Witnesses but allows them to use it as a sort of prison. I have a feeling this is going to come into play again later this season.
Friendships and betrayals
Other than the mythology of the Emblem of Thura, one other huge arc this episode was the alliance between Ichabod and The Hidden One as well as Pandora and Abbie. Because The Hidden One and Ichabod were trapped in a force field that would explode and destroy everything in its wake, including the entire town of Sleepy Hollow, Abbie and Pandora both wanted to save the men they loved. They had to work together.
Pandora ended up playing Abbie so she could get pieces of her box put back together, but in the end she did help Ichabod and The Hidden One. Pandora’s motives are entirely confusing. Here she is with a man who clearly doesn’t appreciate her, and yet she’s still working to save him. I thought she may see the errors of her ways in this episode, but apparently not.
However, it looks like she will soon. While trapped with Ichabod in the archives, The Hidden One was able to spy on Pandora as she revealed that it was she who gave the humans the Emblem in the first place and she knew the Witnesses had it way before he did. Now that he’s free, The Hidden One will want to punish her for her misbehavior, and I feel like Pandora is not going to take that lying down. I’m sincerely hoping she sees what’s coming and takes him out, otherwise our Witnesses are essentially screwed.
Wendigo no more
Last of all, the Joe/Jenny arc really came into full play with this episode and it made me so happy! I was seriously scared for Joe’s life when Pandora said she could use him as a monster to help and lower the Emblem of Thura’s power because it didn’t seem likely that the show would let Jenny and Joe be happy for so long.
Yet I was proven wrong! Not only was Joe able to use his dark side to help Ichabod get free, but the process had stripped him of his darkness entirely and now he’s Wendigo-free. Considering how much he couldn’t trust himself when he was part Wendigo, this was a great character development for him. Now he can be himself without worrying about accidentally harming Jenny.
Oh, and they’ve officially admitted their love for each other! Ayyy! In a show so lacking in ships, this is one ship I have to root for through and through. But I’m still going to stand by my original prognosis and say that I’m betting either Jenny or Joe will die at the end of the season. If they were too happy before all of this, then they’re definitely too happy now.