I was on the
fence about “Sleepy Hollow” after the first season, but the second season
knocked me right off and onto the side against the supernatural series. What
began as a creative fish-out-of-water narrative has quickly turned into a show
that is more witchcraft and magic than historical or literary connections. Gone
are the mysterious four horsemen of the apocalypse, in favor of endless demonic
resurrections and familial connections. Even worse, it feels as though this
season loses steam at the mid-season finale, wrapping up the narrative from the
first season until there is nowhere else to go.
The show follows
Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), who has been resurrected after the arrival of the
headless horseman in modern times. Forced to learn the ways of modern society
though he was last alive during the American Civil War, Crane is paired up with
Police Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie). With the discovery that the headless
horseman is actual a scorned lover and the third party to a love triangle
between Crane and his witch wife, Katrina (Katia Winter), I began to lose
interest in the show. What began as something of a horror series quickly
devolved into the sappy supernatural soap operas I am accustomed to seeing on
“The Vampire Diaries.” Season two makes this even worse when Katrina is
involved in nearly every episode, along with her and Ichabod’s evil warlock son
(John Noble).
If the
continuing storyline of witchcraft and demons was not tiresome enough, the
remainder of the series relies on the ‘freak-of-the-week’ formula, bringing new
creatures with each episode. It quickly becomes dull and rarely advances the
plot. While the first season was about the supernatural intruding on the real
world, there hardly seems any reality taken into consideration with the second
season. Even when a new hardnosed police captain enters the narrative, they
rarely address the fact that a majority of the population is completely unaware
that this supernatural war is taking place. Logic is thrown out the window, and
the characters have become tedious with no real advancement in the plot.
If you enjoy
shows that are all about magic and mysticism, “Sleepy Hollow” may still carry
some charms, though it no longer resembles anything close to the source
material. There is a reboot in the narrative a little more than halfway through
the season, removing the horsemen from the story entirely. It is my
understanding that the headless horseman will not be returning for season
three, which will distance this show even further from what I originally hoped
it might be. Occasionally there are episodes with a creative monster for them
to battle, but the charms of the Crane in a different time period have passed
along with any successful elements of horror. This is a fantasy series now,
through and through, and only fans of that genre are likely to remain
interested in where the story is going next.
While there were
only 13 episodes in season one, the second increased the amount to 18, which
may be one of the reasons that this season feels a bit aimless. All 18 episodes
are included on 4 discs in the Blu-ray release, along with a number of bonus
features. The extras include commentary tracks on select episodes, bonus
material, and a handful of featurettes. Bonus footage is comprised of deleted
scenes as well as a gag reel, while the featurettes are focused on both the
historical aspects of the show and the variety of creatures that are featured
in this season. There is also a featurette for the fanbase of the series, known
as ‘Sleepyheads.’ Personally, I wasn’t aware that this show was already popular
enough to warrant a following.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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