How do you interrogate a headless being?
Throughout this episode, I couldn’t help but think of the Mouth of Sauron scene from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Of course, John Cho isn’t as creepy as the Mouth was, but he did a great job of disturbing me through his performance when channeling the Horseman. But let’s go back a bit.
The gang (they need an awesome name, like the Scooby Gang or the Ghostbusters or something) has Headless locked in a dungeon, trapped by UV lights and Masonic spells. (They also managed to get a police glass in there…) Headless refuses to speak (maybe because he hasn’t got a mouth), but Ichabod taunts him throughout the episode anyway. They decide to find Andy Brooks, who has shown an ability to communicate with him before. Once found, Andy becomes the Mouth, taunting Ichabod right back about his relationship with his best friend Abraham Van Brunt–who is the friend in the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
According to the Wikipedia page (an excellent source of information, I know): “Although the nature of the Headless Horseman is left open to interpretation, the story implies that the ghost was really Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt.” The show sticks with this interpretation of the tale and maintains the love triangle being the reason for the Horseman’s existence. I am fine with this turn of events, but others on Twitter seemed to disagree with the path the show has taken. For a show that delves into history and the supernatural, it perhaps does seems kind of simple for the origin story to merely be about revenge over a girl, but I have faith that there is something deeper to Katrina, her relationship with Abraham and the Hessians’ choice of Abraham as their leader.
Other moments from this episode
Jenny teaching Ichabod to fist bump. Maybe my favorite moment between them all season.
Jenny has been released from the asylum and immediately teams up with Captain Irving to prevent the modern day Hessians from aiding the Horseman’s escape. Jenny proves she should probably be a supernatural detective and ignores all of Irving’s orders (to his endless dismay) but kind of disappears towards the end of the episode. Hopefully they find a better use for her than merely the encyclopedia who rolls her eyes at her sister before disappearing. She’s a great character and a great asset once the team really becomes a full team.
The Horseman is about to end Crane’s life once and for all, but Brooks says “The Master forbids his death.” Then all the demons Brooks summoned, Brooks, and the Horseman disappear into thin air. What? Who is the Master and why does he spare Crane’s life? Does Crane’s continued existence actually help the other Horsemen arrive?
Random thought: Will one of the remaining Horsemen we haven’t met yet (War and Famine) be a woman (a la Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens)?
With just 5 episodes left in season 1, do you think the Horseman’s origin story came too early in the season? Do you think the romantic subplot tied to his beginnings is too much or perfectly tied in with the original Legend? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Connie (@ConStar24, ConStar Studies TV) loves television more than most things and aspires be a TV writer. You can find her in the Hufflepuff basement watching Disney movies and getting lost on the internet well into the night.
