Tv Review Sleepy Hollow Season 2 Episode 6
curse, ichabod, magick 0 Comments »
This week in Sleepy Hollow, Abbie is faced with a blast from the past when the late Sheriff Corbin's son, Joe, returns from war to the town with demons of his own to fight and Ichabod must manage his feelings about the latest revelations from his wife before their relationship is irrevocably damaged.
When Abbie's attempts to teach Ichabod yoga so he can relax amongst the stress of their lives and relationships hilariously fail, the Witnesses head to the bar only to find themselves once more in the heat of battle - this time a bar brawl. Abbie realises the culprit is Joe Corbin and feels responsible for him having considered his father family. Following him outside she discovers there was an incident during the war of which he was the only survivor leading to an honourable discharge. Joe is furious with Abbie blaming her for his father's death, feeling that as his partner she should have been there to protect him. He warns her away and storms into the night.
Abbie is further worried for Joe when he receives a report that his car has been involved in an incident. When she and Ichabod arrive at the scene they are attacked by a giant horned beast that flees into the trees. They stumble across the mauled corpse of a man and nearby is Joe, dazed and confused in the aftermath, who tells Abbie that his father had warned him that something was coming and it would kill them all but later he denies everything and once again blames Abbie for the state of his relationship with the now dead Sheriff.
Doing what they do best Abbie and Ichabod try to get to the bottom of Joe's aggressive and unusual behaviour. They discover that Joe's platoon was killed in action, the description of one soldier's body similar to that of the corpse from the previous night where, again, Joe was the sole survivor. Ichabod begins to make connections about what is happening to Joe and begins to investigate a Native American myth about the Wendigo. The creature is part human, part beast and has a lust for human flesh - the only thing that can return it to its original form.
Seeking out Joe who has now checked himself out of the hospital, Abbie and Ichabod find him in the woods digging up a mysterious box. When Ichabod is injured they realise the smell of blood is what triggers the Wendigo curse as Joe in his monstrous form launches at him only to be cut down by Abbie and a tranquiliser gun before he can do any damage.
With Joe safely chained in the Masonic cell where they once held the horseman, Abbie and Ichabod try to find a way to save him from a further transformation that would render him permanently a beast with the assistance of Hawley and Jenny. Speaking to Joe they discover the curse began after he received a letter in Afghanistan that was covered in a white powder (made from the bone flute Hawley sold one of Henry's minions after they defeated the Pied Piper) and stated he would only be free if he traded something his father left him after his death. Realising Henry is behind the letter and Joe's suffering they open the box Joe acquired in the woods to find out what he is after.
Ichabod recognises the bottle within as being a deadly Chinese poison, Jinkan, created by allowing deadly animals to fight to the death in the bottle and concentrating the remains. Hawley reveals he has some Native American contacts that may be able to help with a cure for the curse that would prevent them having to give Henry what he wants and he and Ichabod seek them out for help before the Second Horseman comes looking for Joe.
Henry however is busy taunting Captain Irving in the psychiatric hospital. Appalled that he allowed himself to be tricked into handing over his soul, Irving is horrified to discover the only way he can earn it back is to take a life but his resolve to find another way is quickly shaken. Henry has engineered for the man who paralysed Irving's daughter to be transferred to the hospital but Irving holds strong and even after attacking the man he is able to prevent himself crossing a line and giving Henry what he wants. With Irving busy battling his feelings, Henry turns his attention to Joe and the Witnesses.
Arriving at the cell where Joe is being kept safe, Henry and his minions demand they hand over the poison. Abbie objects but Joe agrees to give Henry the bottle as long as he leaves Abbie and Jenny unharmed, Henry accepts the offer but turns on Joe, slicing his arm and activating the Wendigo curse.
When Ichabod and Hawley arrive with the cure they fear they are too late but realise as long as they can prevent Joe making another kill there is time to reverse it. Cornering the beast in an alley using the scent of their own blood to lure him there, Abbie distracts him as Ichabod slashes at Joe with an obsidian knife and collects his blood in a skull while reciting a counter curse. When nothing happens Ichabod is ready to kill Abbie's friend but she insists they wait and slowly Joe returns to normal.
As they relax after another battle against evil won, Abbie receives a call from Irving explaining what Henry has done to him. Abbie is ready to do anything it takes to stop Henry but Ichabod is, like Katrina, sure he can still be saved but as Henry uses the Jinkan to concoct a potion to poison his mother, their faith in him is only thrown into further question.
The Abyss gazes back is another solid episode from the Sleepy Hollow team but it does seem as though they are starting to stall on the character development front this week but nonetheless it is a nice interlude before next week will throw us back into that field with a tale of Deliverance.
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"Image courtesy of IMDb."
"Sleepy Hollow Season 1 is available here:"
Credit: i-love-witchcraft.blogspot.com
