'Tempus Fugit' -- SH 2x18

Warning: Spoiler Alert

So, that's what "Fuck you, it's magic" looks like where time travel is concerned. I had hoped that they would have done something intelligent where the paradoxes of Abbie being the past were concerned, instead of giving them the magical assist that would have undone every bit of damage that she and Katrina possibly could have done. And rather convenient that we weren't given a timeframe where using the Traveler spell would have not been effective in stopping the paradoxes was concerned. I have a feeling that no matter what might have happened, the writers still would have given themselves enough time to get Abbie and Katrina back before things couldn't have been undone. And I will admit that I feel completely cheated in that regard; I wanted there to be some ripples of badness that came out of the two of them going back in time, instead of having everything getting retconed, and Abbie still retaining her memory about what happened (complete with the nudge from Grace). I wish I could say that I think that there could be some kind of fallout later on from Abbie and Katrina going back in time (maybe with Abraham, or something that may have seemed insignificant at one point, but which has snowballed into something that is near impossible for them to solve now ... and maybe they don't even really notice that it's something that has changed), but I have a feeling that the whole thing was a way for the writers to give us a visual that starting with next season we are going to have a new beginning (with Abbie meeting Captain Skinnyjeans in the past while in a prison cell and not believing anything that she said, much like what happened in the pilot), and to give us some sort of plausible reason for killing of Katrina.

However, I will say that I am not sad to see Katrina go (and that we were given a most definite nod to the fact that we will not have to worry about the writers bringing her back). The things that the writers could have done with her character are astounding, but they botched the whole thing up, and I'm glad that we won't have to worry about them continuing to drag out that storyline (while continuing to lose viewers like whoa).

But since they have now officially gotten rid of Katrina, and we have had a bit of guidance from Grace to Abbie, I have a feeling that we may see a bit more of Abbie and Jenny using their magic (and using Grace's journal as their Book of Shadows, adding to the things that Grace had put in there with the things that they have learned and faced in the battle against whatever is coming next ... maybe something more about the angels? or the demons who escaped Purgatory trying to make Abraham the new Big Bad?). And maybe the comment from Franklin means that we are going to meet some more modern witches, and some of them might be able to train Abbie and Jenny in the Craft.

And since we have now gotten rid of Katrina and the awful soap opera that was her relationship with Ichabod, I am leaning toward hoping that we don't find out that they never left Purgatory (even if I still think that it makes complete sense that they are still there and only think that they're not), and we never have to hear anything more about Henry and marriage woes.

'Awakening' -- SH 2x17

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I have the feeling that no matter what else happens in this show, we're never really going to see the end of Henry. We've already seen him come back once after he was supposedly dead, and with Katrina and Abbie now in the past, I have the feeling that Katrina is going to do something incredibly stupid to make sure that Henry doesn't die by Greek Fire ... and in doing so, I don't have any faith that she's going to stop him from being the git that he is; she will only ensure that he will become even more evil than he was before, Moloch will somehow come back to life, and there will now be a coven of evil witches with her at their head.

I really don't see there being any chance that Abbie going into the past with Katrina is going to turn out well. Ichabod may figure out a way to return her to the present day, but when she gets there, I have the feeling that everything is going to be so much worse than it was before that we will all wish (even more strenuously than before) that someone had either killed Katrina, or left her in Purgatory. At least, I hope that everything turns out horribly for everyone (even while Abbie does make it back to present day). There is way too much of a chance with time travel that the writers could use it to retcon everything that has been happening with Ichabod and Katrina, and get the show back into a place where they aren't hemorrhaging fans.

While I can see sending Abbie back with Katrina may have been the way to go, since having two Ichabods in the past might prove to be problematic, the writers were a bit heavy handed with their "fish out of water" imagery in the beginning of the episode. It felt a little too much like they were trying to drive the whole idea of someone being outside of their time home so that they could go, "Oh, look, we're doing it to Abbie now, too." However, I will say that I appreciate the aesthetic of having Abbie and Ichabod meet in the pilot in a jail cell, and then, having past!Ichabod meet her in a jail cell again.

And no matter what else was going on with the episode, I keep coming back to the idea that no matter what happens with Katrina, or Abbie and Ichabod, the future is going to be completely messed up (even while Team Witness may be trying to do what they think is the best for the future ... and they may have a better idea of what the "best" is when you compare them to Katrina). Everything good that Team Witness may conceivably be undone, since they are now creating a new timeline where Ichabod never made it to the future (cuz Katrina never put the spell on him while he was dying) ... but I have the feeling that the writers may not even want to open that can of worms, and will choose to ignore it instead, sending her back to a future where Ichabod is there, and he remembers how things originally were (while also, perhaps, remembering how things are now that they have been changed).

'What Lies Beneath' -- SH 2x16

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Frank's explanation of what's been going on with him, the reason for the marks on his arm, and the reason why he was looking for the Hellfire stuffs ... I wish that I could trust that he was just trying to figure out some way to make sure that his family is taken care of with everything that is happening with Henry, but I don't. I'm highly suspicious of what is going on with him, and suspect that there is something on that flashdrive that shouldn't be out in the world. I have the feeling that Evil!Frank is very much in control and has learned how to make people think that he's just regular!Frank; if Evil!Frank is so much in control most of the time, I don't see how regular!Frank would be able to take enough control to realize that there was a way to keep the evilness away, look around for a way to make sure that he could stay in control for a while, and hatch a plan to make sure the wife and kid are taken care of. It seems like the evilness would realize there was something going on and would reassert its control ... but then, with his "rebirth," I'm not entirely convinced that there would be anything but the evilness in him anyway, what with his soul belonging to Henry.

I'm kind of glad that they were forced to blow up the Chamber of Secrets without having a chance to roam around and read everything that was in there. It would probably be helpful for them to have a better idea of what they need to do in the fight against evil, but I like the idea of the having to figure things out as they go long much more than having everything spelled out for them; besides which, having everything spelled out for them that way would mean that they were getting what Jefferson and Washington thought were important, and not necessarily what really was important (and their actions might have been colored negatively by that, making them possibly do something other than what their guts told them was the right thing to do). Even if there are times when they could really use some more information in a hurry about what they're dealing with, going with their guts when it comes to saving people (hunting things) has done them pretty well ... at least as far as when Katrina isn't involved.

And I'm not going to get into the fact that Jefferson was a hologram, Captain Skinnyjeans was able to run his hand through the hologram, and yet, the hologram was able to pick up things and carry them around (without giving us any kind of explanation about how that was possible; not even OMG!Magic!).

I'm so glad that it didn't turn out that the visit from Henry to Katrina didn't turn out to just be a dream, but I hate it when that sort of thing happens. It seems far too much like a giant FU to the audience (unless it's done very tongue-in-cheek like on "Newhart" or the last episode of "The Late, Late Show" that Craig Ferguson was on, where it's something self-aware ... where the writers and actors/performers are giving a giant wink to the people watching). And I'm also glad that it looks like Katrina is going to go all Dark Side, cuz it seems like it would be kind of awesome ... and maybe her character won't suck as much as it does right now.

'Spellcaster' -- SH 2x15

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Well, look at that ... Henry isn't really dead, and Irving is playing Team Witness, cuz he's turned evil. Color me mock surprised; yeah, totes didn't see that one coming. Ptsh. I really wish that I could say that I didn't see that one coming ... at least as far as Henry being alive (cuz I figured that he really was). I really did hope that Irving was going to turn out to be on Team Witness (and not be colored by evil cuz of what Henry had done to him), but after Katrina was hit in the face by Henry's magic, I can't say that it isn't surprising that he's been playing them. And even though Henry said that he was trying to turn over a new leaf and not be a "wolf," I get the feeling that he and Irving had been together for at least a part of the time that Irving was supposed to have been dead, and the two of them were coming up with some sort of plan for ... something. They probably didn't have any idea of the grimoire being something that the needed to keep an eye out for until Homeboy Warlock tried to go after it (or maybe a little bit before that), so they may not have been looking for that specifically; Iriving was interacting with Team Witness again before the grimoire went to the auction house, so unless Irving and Henry are able to communicate telepathically, there probably isn't much of a chance that they were looking for it. Irving probably grabbed it cuz it seemed like something that Henry would have wanted, and he had the opportunity to get it without suspicion.

So, Katrina is turning evil? I am hoping that this is something that turns out to stay though the duration of the show ... or at least for a while. Maybe now we will be able to see her be the badass that we were promised that she was, and I can fully appreciate that. What I would kind of love to see is her teaming up with Henry and Irving, be completely evil, and Abbie and Jenny have to tap into their family magic to stop Katrina from doing something completely awful (while Captain Skinnyjeans went after Henry ... I am starting to get the impression that Ichabod is the only one who will be able to stop Henry. His comment about "who needs a father anyway" made me kind of suspicious, and I think there is more significance to it than just his daddy issues). And since Death is supposed to be important with some of those who were following Moloch thinking that he is the new Power, I wonder what that's going to mean for Henry trying to become the new Power. If the writers do it correctly, it might be kind of interesting to see Bram become an ally of convenience with Team Witness.

Also, since when does Abbie call Katrina "Kat"? I didn't know that Katrina liked having a nickname, or that the two of them were cool enough that a nickname would have been given (or received).

I really like the idea that Katrina's powers are used by tapping into nature, and that others might also tap into nature the way that she does, or that they may tap into the phases of the moon, or fire, or something else specific. It kin of reminds me of the witches that are in the Jane Yellowrock books, but I'm sure that it's something that's more common than just "Sleepy Hollow" and that serious of books (I'm just not familiar enough with Wicca to know if that's the case, especially since my interest leans more toward Germanic neo-paganism), and I think that it's a pretty cool idea that a person's natural talents will pull magic more easily from a certain source (like nature, or water, or the moon, or fire, or the earth).

'Kali Yuga' -- SH 2x14

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Why does anyone trust Katrina at this point? Almost everything she does seems to be shady now. Her actions may have come from the desire to save her son, but they've morphed now so that it seems like she would be willing to do other people harm if it meant that Henry would be saved. And at a certain point, it would seem as though she should realize that the things that he's done have been awful, and maybe she should walk away from her effort to try and redeem him (since the lives of everyone else on the planet might be spared if she didn't try so very hard to make sure that she keeps trying to remind him that she's his mother). Yes, it would have to be a hard thing for her to do ... but she has to realize that in all likelihood the chances of him not eventually doing something so horrible that it wipes out a huge amount of people might make it worth it to not try so hard to save him at the expense of everyone else. Sure, he ended up killing Moloch, but we don't know what happened to him, or if he's becoming the new Power for the dark side now.

I don't believe her for a second when she says that Henry's influence can't be felt on Irving anymore. It's not just the flashes that she got when she was doing the whole "let's give you an aura cleanse" thing ... it was also the expression that she had when she said it (and when she was looking at Irving getting happy about it), and let's not forget the fact that Irving doesn't have a reflection now. No good is going to come from that. None. It makes me think too much that he might be the new Horseman of War (and that Henry may becoming the new Power). I may be reading that all wrong, but that's the impression that I'm getting.

I can't say too much that I'll be sad to see Hawley go. I've enjoyed him in the episodes that he's been in, but sometimes too much of a good thing and all that. Maybe we'll see him some more later on, when there's a big fight or something, but I'm not going to be holding my breath on that one. And even if I kind of like the idea (right now) of Jenny and Hawley getting together, I think that if there was too much of that in the show, it would end up annoying me to no ends, and I would end up wishing that the writers had never put it in there.

Good on Captain Skinnyjeans and Abbie finally having a real talk with each other and airing things out between them ... and it only took nearly dying for the two of them finally went, "you know ... maybe we should fix this before things get so bad that we never are able to make peace with each other." Stupids. Makes you want to smack their heads together, no? But hopefully the two of them will be stronger for this, and we will see them be the ultimate tag team that they are supposed to be ... provided that the show can get back on track and give us Team Witness Fighting the Good Fight ... instead of Population Family Dramaville.

'Pittura Infamante' -- SH 2x13

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Yeah, I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to last much longer on this show. There's too much that's kind of predictable, and I'm not concerned enough with what may, or may not happen to the characters. For the most part, I do enjoy the characters, which makes it a bit hard to walk away, despite the lack of dynamic storytelling in this season. The glaring exception continues to be Katrina, and I'm still not completely sure if my dislike of her has more to do with the fact that she seems to be someone who hasn't been completely fleshed out (and relies too heavily on the "I'm a pretty girl" factor, or if it's the fact that we were given a promise of her being a Powerful Witch ... and she still hasn't given us anything to really prove that she ever earned that title.

I'm sure that I was supposed to care about the fact that we had a ghosty inside of a painting, who had escaped, and was now trying to make sure that he could walk around murdering people, but I really couldn't bring myself to care about the fact that it might happen. Instead, I was kind of leaning toward the idea that it might be a good thing if he escaped and started eluding the gang and killing people (cuz it might bring some excitement to the show). And I was not worried in the slightest about whether or not Katrina and Captain Skinnyjeans survived going into the painting. The writers have done enough over the past season and a half to prove that they aren't going to put any of the characters into any danger that they aren't going to come back from (especially those who are on the first tier when it comes to importance). It seems much more like the writers have taken a page from the SPN writers' handbook, where you kill characters off, only to bring them back, because supernatural.

It's starting to get to the point where I'm having to handwave anything that's happening in the show and tell myself that the whole thing is happening in Purgatory. I still like the idea that Abbie and Captain Skinnyjeans never made it out after they went to get Katrina out, and this whole thing has been a fever dream given to them by Moloch to make them think that they've succeeded in fighting against him. And when Ichabod went to get Abbie out, I still don't understand why the writers thought that the fist bump would prove anything, and it only proved a little more to me that none of this is really happening. If Purgatory could mess with their minds enough to make him think that he was being brow-beaten by his father, and she was having pie with Corbin, it could make them think that they made it out ... and it certainly would have gotten into their brains enough to know what she was talking about when she asked him to give her the fist bump to prove that it was him (no matter how cryptic she was about how she asked him). This is probably the one instance when I would be all about the "it was all a dream" psych out; since it would make my brain want to explode a little less when it comes to this particular show.

I also am getting rather exhausted of the idea that practically everyone that Ichabod and Katrina knew from their original time either was part of the conspiracy to stop the Apocalypse, or else they were making their own attempts to save the world outside of the greater conspiracy. Not everyone who was important in their adult lives was a part of it in some way. Well, ok, it's not every single person, but the amount of people who were are way past what the odds say should be logical or likely. There had to be other people in their lives who were important and had nothing to do with his future as a Witness.

Just the whole A plot of this episode ... bleck. The two plots should have been switched around. The whole thing with the painting should have been the B plot (since it wasn't dynamic enough to carry the episode, and not just cuz I don't know that anyone cares about whether or not Katrina and Ichabod are able to save their marriage at this point), but also cuz the whole WTF with Irving is much more interesting.

Dearest Dork Gods,

Please have an intervention with the writers of this show so that I don't have another show that I want to walk away from.

♥,
Me

'Paradise Lost' -- SH 2x12

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Was that really all it took to finally kill Moloch? I was expecting for there to be something ... more. I'm not saying that I'm not glad to be done with all the emo drama that they had surrounding Henry, since that stuff was getting old fast, but I was expecting there to be a little bit more when it came to killing Moloch ... that it would have come at a season finale after a few seasons (at least), instead of the season two mid-season finale. After building him up to be something completely huge, it just seemed like a bit of a let down.

And it seems as though the writers are trying to build it up so that we have Death and Orion as the new Big Bads of the series. Death has now lost all of the umph that he may have once had (as far as I see it), and has joined the emo drama that is now the Crane family. So, I'm not sure that I can really take him seriously as a bad guy anymore. And Orion ... I'm not entirely sure about him at this point. I'm kind of on the fence when it comes to whether or not bringing in an angel is a good idea or not. I'll admit that my brain has gone over to SPN, and just how much of a disappointment the whole angel thing is over there (to me anyway). But if it's done correctly, I suppose that having Orion could turn into something kind of cool ... but I'm really not going to hold my breath on that one at this point. Wait and see, and all that.

Zombie!Irving is back, and I'm glad of that. I didn't like the idea that he just died so stupidly, and didn't get a chance to really do all of the things that he could have done. But since he's back, and Henry is supposedly dead, it makes me wonder about the magics that might possibly be on him. Is he the new War now? Or is it just that the residual magic from Henry is still on him (and that's what brought him back)? I would love to have some answers on that. Also, I would love it if he became the new Big Bad for the series. If it's done correctly, there could be all sorts of torment for Team Witness if they are forced to kill him in an effort to stop the Horsemen from rising again. This doesn't mean that I want him to turn into one of the Horsemen, cuz it seems far too unlikely that there have already been two Horsemen that have connections to Captain Skinnyjeans, and to create a new one that has ties to Team Witness seems astronomical. Not everything has ties to them.

Also, I'm still really curious as to the other two Horsemen ... you know, the two that the writers have pretty much been ignoring this whole time. Who are they? Where are they? What is there deal? Are they still roaming around and causing strife? They would have to be, since we only have been told that War (in the form of Henry) is gone. SOMEONE GET TABS ON THEM! SOMEONE ACTUALLY BE WORRIED ABOUT THEM! Sure, Death and War are the ones that seem like you should be worried about them, but that doesn't mean that the other two should just be ignored.

'The Akeda' -- SH 2x11

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I know that it's probably not something that I should be tripping out over, but I want to know what happened with Irving's body. It was laying on the bench when everyone in Team Witness was having their little "I am Spartacus!!!eleventy!!!" moment, but when Henry came into the church, it was nowhere to be found. It could very well have been that the gang did hasty burial, but the fact is that I can't see where they would have found the time to such a thing while they were planning on how they were going get stuff done when it came to Henry and Moloch. It makes me wonder if he somehow rose from the dead during the commercial break. It's possible that the writers may have really killed him off, since they haven't really been using him all that much this season, but I don't see them doing that. The character seems like he's pretty popular, and I don't see writers of a show that want to keep their popularity would want to kill off a popular character and possibly alienate a section of the fandom. If they were DeNight (who was the show runner of "Spartacus") that might be different, but he's a far better writer and show runner than any that I've come across in some time ... and certainly better than those who are working on "Sleepy Hollow". I think that he's going to come walking out of the shadows later on this season, and we're going to be expected to be completely surprised that he's there.

So ... Moloch speaks English when he's fully in our realm? What? Are we supposed to believe that the only reason that we couldn't understand him, or see him clearly, was cuz he couldn't come into our realm completely? If that were the case, why wouldn't Abbie and Captain Skinnyjeans have understood him, or seen him clearly, when they were in Purgatory? It would have made much more sense if his blurry visage and demon speak were only used when he was trying to communicate with someone on Earth, while he was still stuck in Purgatory. To have the sudden change doesn't make sense to me, unless the writers are going to say something about how the magic that he used to bring himself into our realm somehow changed him enough that we no longer get the blurry figure and the demon talk (and that those in his service didn't have it once they became his servants). But maybe I'm expecting too much logic from genre television.

And we're expected to believe that this isn't the first time that Moloch has tried to start the Apocalypse. I want to know just how far he's gotten with his previous attempts, and if Team Witness is able to stop him this time, if he will be capable of trying again (if he survives). If he has made attempts before, have there been other Witnesses (since there have been other Horsemen)? And if he tries again, will there be more Witnesses after this? Or are Abbie and Ichabod the only Witness that there have ever been? There would have to've been someone around that would have stopped him and his previous Horsemen, since he is still trying to get his stuff done ... but the way that the lore is being used, it sounds as though Abbie and Ichabod are the only Witness that there have been. Dear writers: Clarify!!

Henry using the sword on Moloch ... of course Moloch isn't going to be dead when we come back from winter break, and I don't think that Henry is going to end up joining Team Witness (and I don't think that Henry is going to die from using the sword, either). Perhaps that is what's going to happen with Irving. Since his soul was claimed by Henry, he will become the new War when Moloch gets his power back while he's in Purgatory ... I completely think that using the sword on him on Earth will only send him back to Purgatory and that the only way to really get rid of him is to use the sword on him while he's down there. Just watch, I'll bet anyone that that's what's going to happen.

Captain Skinnyjeans and Katrina are on a "trial separation" ... yeah, just one more reason for me to think that Katrina is going to get killed before the end of the season. And I can just imagine that she'll get killed, and the writers will have Ichabod holding her as she does so, telling her that he forgives her for everything that's happened between them. I would almost hope that she would have come back as a super powerful ghost, but the way that we were promised that she was Katrina, Super Witch ... but she turned out to not be in any way, shape, or form, would make me think that it's pretty much impossible for her to be Super Witch Ghost either.

'Magnum Opus' -- SH 2x10

Warning: Spoiler Alert

The use of a Gorgon as what protects the sword ... ok, so they were using a supernatural creature to protect it. A few things about the use of a Gorgon for this:

1) This may be just me, but it felt a little too much like cross-contamination or the mixing of genres that don't belong together to have a Gorgon be what was used to stop people from getting the sword. The Gorgons were from Classical Mythology (specifically Greek, as apposed to Roman), but the rest of what is used in the show relies heavily on American folklore, fairytales, American Literature, and Christian lore (with some Wiccan and Hoodoo thrown in). Sure, it could be said that folklore, mythology, and religious lore are kissing cousins, but it just felt a bit jarring to have the feel of the lore used be (in so many cases) kind of American (or at least, have some kind of roots here in some way), and then, suddenly have something from ancient Greek mythology shoot up. Maybe it shouldn't, with the use of the Templars (since they aren't exactly as current a legend as most of the things that are used in the show), but it still does (I've kind of handwaved the used of the Templars as an extension of the use of the Christian lore and the Freemason lore, since they can be tied to both of those).

2) I did also have a slight problem with the look of the Gorogn, since they are supposed to look human (but with snakes for hair) and not like giant snakes themselves. They are also all female, but this one looked male to me. Maybe I missed something about it that would have triggered "female," and I am kind of hoping that it was me and not something to do with the effects.

3) At this point, the addition of a Gorgon doesn't really make sense for what would be used to protect the sword ... unless they were going for something that they didn't explain well enough for me to understand. From where I was sitting, it seemed a bit too much like they were reaching for something that might be snake related so that they could use Franklin's "Join or Die" cartoon. Unless they were going for something with the origins of the Freemasons, which (if they were), they should have made that a little more clear than they did ... but then, if I remember what little I know about their origins, they are associated with Egypt and not Greece.

Part of my problem, I know, is the fact that I have a tendency to overthink what's going on, and as Andreth used to have to remind me all the time, it's only genre television (and I shouldn't try to overthink it or bring logic to such things).

I was kind of hoping to find that there wasn't really a sword for Abbie and Captain Skinnyjeans to find. My thought kept going back to season five of SPN, and finding out that Dean was supposed to be the Michael Sword (in that he was Michael's perfect vessel). I was kind of hoping that they would do something akin to that. I didn't want them to have to need some sort of super magical weapon to be able to do things that they needed to do, and kind of wanted them to be able to find out that they could do the stuff themselves. I think part of my desire have them not find a super weapon may go back to SPN and the fact that they find a new one every other season (when, at first, the weapons were mythically huge when it came to the things that they could do, and now the super weapons seem like they're kind of run of the mill ... which takes away the super from the weapon and makes them just another weapon to find and use).

At least now we have an acknowledgement by Abbie (at least) that Katrina is a prisoner of the Horsemen, and not the super spy and super witch that the writers have been trying to force down our throats. Maybe this means that we're just a little bit closer to getting rid of what has essentially become a pointless character, and perhaps turning Abbie and/or Jenny into the resident badass witch.

I have a feeling that Irving should have gone to Canada with Jenny. I think that his natural inclination to have to do something to help is going to turn out to be his downfall ... and I think that Henry may be using that to his own advantage when it comes to making the vision of Irving in the middle of a war come true.

Was I completely missing something at the end of the episode? Cuz it looked to me like there were only three Horsemen there. I saw Henry (War) in the middle, Abraham (Death) on the right, and (I think) Pestilence on the left. So, where was Famine? Since the writers can't be bothered to get the order of the appearance of the Horsemen correctly, or the color of their horses, or the weapons that they are supposed to be using (Pestilence/Conquest is supposed to be first, and he is supposed to be the one on the white horse and the one using the bow, not Death), I wouldn't be at all surprised if they didn't use Famine at all. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't use the correct Horsemen ... like if they used Conquest instead of Famine and turned Irving into Conquest (somehow using him as an extension of War). I have a feeling that I would be greatly annoyed by that, and so I'm sure that it'll happen.

'Mama' -- SH 2x09

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm not going to lie, with the name of this episode, my first thought was of that horror movie by Del Toro. That's probably not what the writers of this show were going for, but it colored the entire viewing of the episode for me. I kept expecting for the mom to kill Abbie and Jenny. But then again, with the flashback that Jenny had (where their mom tried to kill her by running the car in the garage), maybe that movie was in the back of the writers' minds (seeing as how that film ended with the ghost "mama" killing the younger of the two sisters).

I suppose, in a way, it was good to get a bit of backstory when it came to the early lives of Abbie and Jenny (and being able to see how Moloch was already messing about with their lives at that time ... perhaps he already understood that Abbie was going to be one of the Witnesses, and he figured that Jenny was going to be a pain in his ass, even if she wasn't the one in the family who was the Witness). But even getting to see how things were for them with their relationship with their mom, I can't say that I was really all that interested in what was going on with the episode. The only thing that I found relatively interesting was the fact that the writers seem to be going ahead with the "let's turn Abbie (or possibly Jenny) into a witch" thing that they started in the last episode. If their mom hadn't been so very tormented when she was still alive, I have the feeling that the Book of Shadows witchy book that she had inherited would have been pasted down to the two of them, and the two of them would have learned how to tap into their family power and kick all kinds of ass by using that power. Perhaps the writers think that this may be a way of writing off Katrina (who had so much promise when the show started, but who has fallen completely flat, since she hasn't lived up to any of the hype that has been lain at her door, she is in constant need of rescue, and she has turned into a bitchy teenage girl), or perhaps it may be a way of giving Jenny a more active role with the Witnesses that has less to do with her proficiency with a weapon, or her sometimes knowledge of secret stuffs (since we now have Han Solo Hawley to serve that function when Captain Skinnyjeans doesn't know what's going on).

I think that the writers may also be trying to insert a bit of humanity into Henry's character. First, they had Ichabod get a flash of memory from when he was a frightened child, and now, they have given us a flash of emotion when Katrina picked up baby!Moloch. Perhaps we are supposed to be feeling sympathy for him and the rough life that he's had ... the lack of choices that were given to him, and how he did the best that he could under the circumstances ... but I kind of still want to keep poking him in the eye. Hard. I'm more interested in how being a sin eater ties with him being a Horseman, or if it does at all. Either it is an ability he naturally has from being the son of a powerful witch (sense my roll of the eyes right here, since Katrina hasn't proven herself in my eyes), and it is something that is being twisted to serve a purpose by Moloch; or it is something that Moloch gave to him to help turn him, or make him more powerful as a Horseman. I'd be interested to get an answer on what may be going on there, rather than this theme of "let's forgive and feel sorry for the poor Horseman of War" that has been going on this season.

I don't trust Irving to be with the gang. He doesn't want to betray them, but I have a feeling that at a certain point, he won't be able to control himself ... that he'll be to warped by the evil that Henry has been working on him, he won't be able to stop himself from doing something harmful to one or more of them. This doesn't mean that I don't like Irving, cuz I really dig him, but the fact that Henry has possession of his soul is going to prove problematic when it comes to him being with those who are trying to stop the people who are ultimately in control of him. I do hope that now that the sisters have their family's Book of Shadows witchy book in their possession, they will be able to find something in there that will counteract the contract that Irving signed, and which will give him back control of his soul ... but I don't see that happening for a while yet, if it happens at all.

'Heartless' SH -- 2x08

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Oh, the clusterfuck that was this episode.

I thought that we had gotten past the whole love triangle/let's have Abbie and Katrina bitchfight over Ichabod thing that the writers seemed to be gearing up to do, but it would appear that it may be back (at least somewhat). That whole scene with the two of them fighting over him, and trying to prove who was more important to him (his fellow witness, or his wife), was insulting and infuriating. It wasn't just horrible writing (in a very 1950s, let's have the women fight over the man, since that's the only thing that they would have running through their pretty, little heads anyway sort of way), and as someone who is female bodied (even if I don't necessarily identify female (I ID agendered, if you're curious)), I couldn't help wanting to shake the fuck out of whoever wrote this episode (and specifically that scene). They both have such potential to be really awesomely strong female characters (which we could use a lot more of, especially in genre television), and to have them revert to such cliché trops for how cisgendered females are supposed to act was beyond lazy when it comes to storytelling. My fury about their characterizations may be more focused to that one, particular scene, but that doesn't mean that the entire episode wasn't lacking when it comes to how they were written.

Katrina is not at all living up to the promise that we were given of her when the series first started. We were promised that she was some kind of awesome witch that had almost no equal (and the writers keep telling us how she is still totes awesome), but all we are given is a bit of witchy power and a whole lot of clichés. At this point, the only thing that she really provides is something for Captain Skinnyjeans to focus in on ... a goal to work toward if he starts to doubt his abilities or the need to keep fighting, and to be real, that doesn't give her much of a reason to keep living on the show. She would work just as well as a ghost of love lost if all she is, is motivation for him; his grief-rage would surely keep him going to at least continue the fight against Morloch.

And her going back to Henry and Abraham ... how incredibly tired. At this point, it doesn't seem at all like she is working as a spy, or that her abilities as one are all that great (much like her abilities as a witch, it's another of those things that we hear secondhand about how amazing she is, but we don't have any firsthand proof). What with the way that the necklace was glowing when she was looking down at the baby, it came across much more like she was there cuz she was being mindfucked into being there (and doesn't have any will of her own). Before, I might have been willing to look over the fact that she kept fighting for them to forgive Henry, since a mother's love will forgive a lot of things, but now ... everything that comes from her is going to be suspect in my eyes, no matter what it is.

In a way, I'm kind of hoping that with Abbie finishing the spell that Katrina had started, it might mean that Abbie will turn out to have some witchy powers, and the writers will get rid of Katrina once and for all. It might mean introducing a new minor character that will be able to give Abbie a bit of instruction, and who she will be able to ask questions of, but that is ok (provided that the character is somewhat competent, and not a complete waste of space ... I'm thinking something along the lines of Darius to Duncan in "Highlander: The Series"). But the writers may not go that way. They may, instead, continue to have a completely useless Katrina, and have the women of the show continue to fight like a couple of teenagers.

'Deliverance' -- SH 2x7

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Moloch is going to be pissed.

Henry is going to be boned the next time that Moloch calls him into Purgatory.

Haha.

Is it just me, or is it rather convenient that Franklin just happened to get that key out of the Hellfire Club ... and Jefferson figuring out that whole thing about the Aurora Borealis (and hiding a Borealis creating deus ex machine in a tablet that the Hellfire Club had) ... and that Abbie and Captain Skinnyjeans were able to figure all this out (and get all the way across town) just in time to save Katrina. Convenient.

I really don't believe that the new sheriff would have been so ok with going into that place without knowing a little bit more about what was going on. She came across as a little too willing to go in there without as much evidence of wrongdoing as she might have been in previous episodes. Sure, the way that the episode was written would have made that hard, but it seems like she should have needed a little more convincing to join in, and should have been more suspicious of Abbie and Ichabod trying to sneak out after they had gotten what they wanted.

Also, I don't understand the wardrobe choices that were made on behalf of Katrina's character this episode. Maybe they were trying to keep one foot in the past, while still getting her something to wear, but I don't know why she would have needed to wear a corset. The tank she was wearing underneath it would have been perfectly fine ... especially since those things are freaking uncomfortable, and she was already feeling ill as it was (without adding idiotic wardrobe choices on top of it) ... but while we're at it, I'm sure that the jeans that were almost a size too small wouldn't have helped either.

I'm really hoping now that Katrina and Captain Skinnyjeans are now lovey dovey again, we won't have to deal with the stupid love triangle that the writers were trying to shoehorn into the show. That thing was idiotic (mostly cuz it made absolutely no sense per the way that they've written the characters, but also cuz it was obnoxiously cliché, and was completely unnecessary for the plot), and I will be glad to see it go.

I am wondering what the lightning in the bottle that Henry got ahold of was for, and if it was something that Moloch wanted him to get ... or if it's something that he's doing on his own (some sort of personal revenge on Ichabod for somehow getting inside of his head and seeing him as a scared little boy). But whatever it is, I don't want it to come into play for a while, since the thing with the bone flute came to fruition in only a couple of episodes, and that was pretty fast; if the writers have another plan come into plan and become foiled in a couple of episodes, that would seem even faster, since it would come about on the heels of a victory for Team Skinnyjeans that took far less time than it should have. I'm really ready for them to do an episode or two that is a MOTW type of episode ... ones where we might not find out the true extent of the badness until later on (if ever).

Whatever the writers do, I'm hoping that it's better than what's been going on this season, cuz I'm not digging it nearly as much as I did last season.

'And the Abyss Gazes Back' -- SH 2x06

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Ahh, so that's what Henry wanted the Piped Piper's bone flute for ... blackmailing Joe Corbin into giving him the jar of stuff that would allow him to get his mom pregnant with a demon baby. I was kind of expecting that it would end up being something ... bigger? ... maybe, but as far as the mythos of the show goes, getting a way for Moloch to enter into our world is pretty huge a thing (it's pretty much the thing right now).

I don't know why I would have been kind of surprised to find out that Corbin had a family, but I was. The way that Jenny and Abbie seemed to take up all of his time (in kind of an obsessive sort of way) made me imagine that he didn't have any family, and that the two of them were it. But knowing that there was at least one son and (possibly) a wife/baby mom in the picture puts a new spin on things. Now, we've got to add neglectful dad/husband to the picture (along with manipulator and super secret keeper). And now it makes me wonder just how much of what was going on Joe and his mom knew about ... and if Joe's mom was still with Corbin when he died (or if she got sick of all of the secrets and bailed, cuz I don't get the feeling that Corbin would have shared everything with her, and she may have had the feeling that he had gotten slightly obsessed over something that she may not have thought was real).

I get the feeling that Irving is completely boned and that no matter what anyone does, he is going to be under the thumb of Henry for the rest of his life (and beyond). At this point, I kind of want Irving to just turn and start doing War's bidding, since it doesn't seem like there is going to be any chance for anyone to free him from the contract that he signed; dragging out the possibility of him getting free kind of seems pointless and slightly boring (not to mention that it would be someone that the writers of SPN would do, and they typically turn things like that into a complete yawnfest).

Speaking of SPN, I know that since I watch a lot of shows that have kind of the same themes running around in them, I'm going to see some overlap, but the fact that SPN had a Wendigo episode early in season one, I felt like that kid in "South Park" that kept saying "Simpsons did it" through the whole episode. There have got to be more things that they can branch out into that won't give me flashbacks to episodes of other shows.

'The Weeping Lady' -- SH 2x05

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm starting to become rather suspicious over the fact that all of these weird occurrences, and ghosts, and Horsemen, and whatever seem to have some sort of origins that lead back to Ichabod (doesn't seem that there are that many in the way of having a connection with Abbie, but we have at least two Horsemen and a ghost that has been haunting Sleepy Hollow for two hundred years that are connected to Captain Skinnyjeans in some way). That is far too many in the way of coincidences ... more than I think should be all that normal even if he is one of the Witnesses.

I won't lie that it was kind of awesome to see Henry get dressed down by Morloch, cuz it's sometimes fun to see the bad guys get kicked in the ribs for trying to overreach ... well, at least when it's a baddie that isn't completely awesome and someone that you would love to win. I have a feeling that Morloch is going to be super pissed when he realizes that Henry has something else going on with the Pied Piper's bone flute (cuz I really don't think that he has any idea of what Henry is doing with that ... something awesomely evil, I'm sure). I have the feeling that all of this overreaching, and desire to get personal revenge on his parents, is going to be the ultimate downfall of War (since he's making their suffering a little too personal and seems to be forgetting the larger plan that he's supposed to be working toward).

The fact that Katrina has been lying to Ichabod about pretty much everything is certainly going to put a damper in their relationship, and I really feel bad for him. It's gotta be a blow to think that you know someone, be completely in love with them, think you can trust them ... and then, find out at pretty much every turn that they've been keeping huge secrets from you the entire time. I'm not sure how he's going to be able to trust her from now on. I don't see him just leaving her to remain in danger by staying with Abraham/Death, cuz he's a stand up guy, but I don't see him ever having the same amount of trust in her that he had before. Maybe this is part of the plan of the writers to bring in the love triangle aspect a little more strongly, since Ichabod and Abbie have a very solid relationship, and neither of them has done anything to make the other doubt any motivations.

Should it make me more suspicious of Hawley now that we know that he's also had (what appears to have been) a sexual relationship with Jenny? The fact that he knows both of them, and he seems to have been working angles on both of them, makes me think that there might be something more going on with this one. I really hope that it turns out that he's the Han Solo of the group (where you aren't completely sure about him in the beginning, but in the end, he turns out to be a valued member of the Scooby Gang).

'Go Where I Send Thee ...' -- SH 2x04

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I really liked the idea of the Pied Piper being some sort of crazy ninja and loved them showing him going all Nightcrawler all over the place. But I'll also admit that the use of the Pied Piper made me want season four of "Grimm" to hurry up and come on (and only partly cuz I want to know how Nick is going to get his Grimm powers back (cuz let's be real, we all know that he's going to ... you can't have a show about a Grimm when the main character isn't a Grimm anymore)).

The thing that I really found interesting about this episode wasn't even in the A storyline ... it was the stuff in the B line ... the stuff with Irving. Of course someone who is completely evil is going to try and trick people into serving him, or doing stuff for him, but there has to be some sort of loophole that the gang can use since Irving was tricked into becoming one of War's bros. It may turn out to be something rather tricky, since he signed that contract in blood ... and did do it willingly (even if he really should have read the thing before he signed it). I don't get the impression from the way that the writers have been writing his character that they don't like him (I get rather the complete opposite impression, in fact), or that they want him to turn into one of War's lackies. So, there has to be some kind of loophole that the gang will find later on (and I'm kind of hoping that it's Jenny that finds it, since it's always awesome when she is able to get one up on Captain Skinnyjeans and her sister).

I'm also wondering what is going on with that bone that Henry wanted, what sort of spell he has in mind for it, and if that spell has anything to do with the house that he was born in. I almost get the impression that we might be supposed to think that it has something to do with Abbie and Ichabod directly, but I think that it will end up being used against them in a more roundabout way. The fact that the bone had something to do with the Piper and family (it being what the Piper used to perpetuate his revenge against this one family through the generations), I wonder if Henry isn't doing something with it that has to do with the house that he was born in. He quite obviously has something planned when it comes to that house, and I almost have the feeling that it might be something familial. It still might be that he is using the house as some sort of base of operations to heighten his power (what with the connection that it has to his birth), but with the addition of the bone ... it makes me wonder if he might have plans for Ichabod and Katrina (something more than just that one is a Witness, and they are both working for the forces of Good).

And with the way that the writers are focusing in on War and Death, it makes me think that Conquest/Pestilence and Famine may not show up all that much in Show. It would awesome if they showed up more than those couple of times that they have (and having Conquest/Pestilence in more than just the showrunners showing the four of them riding together). What would be kind of cool (if the writers could pull it off) would be if they kind of dealt with the riders in turn ... once they were able to defeat/push back War or Death, one of the others came forward to pick up some of the evil slack. But granted, War and Death are the two that seem like they would be more interesting from a writing (and viewing) standpoint ... unless they built up the whole Anti-Christ theme that is associated with Conquest. That could turn out to bring some really interesting TV.

'Root of All Evil' -- SH 2x03

Warning: Spoiler Alert

If they hadn't had the whole thing with the Coins of Zakynthos on "Grimm," I think that I may have enjoyed the whole addition of the 30 pieces of silver subplot that's been added to this show. But since "Grimm" already did it two seasons ago, I couldn't help thinking "'Grimm' already did this." Sure, the 30 pieces of silver (and its reference to Judas isn't exactly the same thing (and the addition of it being about Judas did make me think of Dracula 2000), but the fact that there are multiple coins, and that they're kind of important kept making me think of the other show. Not what the writers were hoping for, I'm sure.

I kind of hope that they never find anymore of the coins, cuz I would find that intensely satisfying as someone who enjoys some things to be up in the air (especially when they are things of folklore and mythology). I have the feeling that if all of the coins were brought together at any point, something terrible would end up happening, and even if I would enjoy them remaining somewhat of a mystery, I have the feeling that the writers are going to end up bringing all of the coins together at some point in the future ... maybe in the last season of the show (where they will be the lynchpin for the victory that either side is trying to attain). I really hope that isn't what ends up happening, but I have the horrible feeling that that's exactly what's going to happen.

I did enjoy the addition of the lovable rogue into the show, since I think it'll bring about a fun dynamic into what's going on ... and part of what will make it so very fun will be that it will probably be so very, very annoying to Ichabod and Abbie. Can't you just see Ichabod continually getting flustered by someone who is so blasé about rules and such, and Abbie wanting to shoot him in the face? I can, and it makes me want to giggle uncontrollably.

Henry going to the house where he was born ... there has to be some sort of significance to that ... more than just that it feels somewhat circular to use the house you were born in as a kind of base of operations for mass murder. There has to be some kind of power that he is expecting that he will be able to get from the place; it may partially come from the fact that he was born there, but it may also partially come from the fact that the ground, and the walls, and everything about the house itself is probably used to having magic preformed there (and soaking in the effects of what's going on). The place already seems like it might have started to go bad, but it also still seems like it at least has a bit of residual magic going on in there, so it may not be that hard for Henry to get things going in a bad way from there.

'The Kindred' -- SH 2x02

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I wasn't as impressed with this episode as I might have been. I think that part of it is that I've started to grow kind of tired of the captive trope that Katrina has been living in since the very beginning of the series. They have now saved her from Purgatory, and they very really had the chance of saving her again this time. I can understand her talking Ichabod into leaving without her, as having a mole within the Horsemen's Hideout would be dead useful, but at the same time, I'd like to have something a little bit more come from her. She's supposed to be this super powerful witch, and I'd really like to see the proof of that (besides just hearing about it from other characters, cuz at a certain point, it just doesn't seem all that believable. And besides that, I would love to see another female character on the show who doesn't only skirt the edges of being cliché with needing someone (like her husband) come and save her ... even though she's supposedly powerful enough to do it herself. Yes, we have Abbie and Jenny kicking ass in all manner of ways, but I'd still like to see Katrina go all Willow from season six of "Buffy" on some demons. It would make me all kinds of happy on the inside.

I'm really hoping that I'm misreading what's going on, and they're not gearing up for a love triangle, since that would be all kinds of ... what's the opposite of awesome? Yeah, that. The whole thing of this is that Abbie and Ichabod are besties (in the best sense of the word, where they really do get each other, and they genuinely care about each other and have each other's backs), but that's not the same as being compatible when it comes to a romantic relationship. Ichabod + Katrina =/= Ichabod + Abbie.

I'm also wanting to find out more about the other two Horsemen, as we haven't spent nearly enough time exploring either of them ... in that there pretty much hasn't been any exploration at all. I'm really hoping that we don't find out that the two of them are also connected to Ichabod (or Abbie) in some way, since we're already pushing it with two Horsemen tied up with Ichabod. Sure, the two of them are important as being Witnesses, but that doesn't mean that everything is going to be tied up with them that way.

The new sheriff ... I'm still not entirely sure what I think about her. I kind of want to see her eventually join Team Witnesses, whether she starts off as a non-believer, or she starts of on Team Moloch. At this point, either way they paint her in the beginning is going to be kind of tired (whether it's Team Moloch, or he being the one blinders on, since both of those things have already been done within the police force in season one). But then, her joining Team Witnesses might be kind of cliché, too, since that's kind of what's happened before as well with both the people who didn't believe, and those who were Team Moloch.

I'm also still not completely convinced that they're not still in Purgatory, especially after the comment Abbie made about trusting Ichabod so completely that she very nearly drank some water, even while knowing that she shouldn't. Sure, it just could have been a comment that the writers threw in there that is supposed to get us ready for the possible coming of a love triangle, but I'm really wanting to read it as a possibility that we're misreading everything that is happening.

'This is War' -- SH 2x01

Warning: Spoiler Alert

It's so good to have Captain Skinny Jeans back. Oh, how I have missed this show ... even if it was only a few months.

I am really happy that they didn't go the way of jumping ahead a year and having the characters explain what had happened during that year in flashbacks that are peppered through the rest of the season. SPN did that in season 6, and it was stupid and annoying, and I didn't like it. So, hizzah! that the writers of SH decided to fake us out and only pretend that they were going to jump ahead a year and tell us what happened later on. Even if I have more affection for the writers of SH than I do for those of SPN (at any point in its history ... with the possible exception of season 1), I have a feeling that I would still be annoyed by it (regardless of how well they presented the jump), cuz I still feel it's a cheap cheat.

I still don't completely trust that Abbie is out of Purgatory ... or really that Ichabod or Katrina are out either. The fact is that the place has shown that it will mess with your mind like no one's business; as such, wouldn't it pretend to give you what you wanted (in this case, showing them that they have escaped, and they are stopping the End of Days)? And I'm having a hard time believing that the fake Captain Skinny Jeans would have said "lieutenant" wrong. If that place can get into your head the way that it can, and make you think that things are real that really aren't, why wouldn't it have been able to get into Abbie's brain enough to realize how he should have said that word? It seems a little too much like a stupid slip-up on Evil's part, especially when Abby and Ichabod are the two that they are trying to fight most strenuously (since the two of them are the ones that are the most dangerous to Evil). In the end, I don't think that we're going to find out that they never actually left, and that they're still in there, since the writers seem to be playing this straight forward that they did (and that they are going to stop the end of the world), but that doesn't mean that it doesn't bother me that they can so easily get in and out of someplace that they really shouldn't be able to (and which the writers want us to believe is so very good at messing with people's minds).

I really don't trust what that necklace that Abraham put onto Katrina is doing to her. Sure, we're being let to believe that it's been enchanted in such a way that it's only allowing the two of them to communicate, but the fact that he's a freaking Horsemen means that there has to be something more sinister going on ... even if, maybe, he isn't even aware of it. He may only think that he's trying to get her to love him, but someone would have had to've put some sort of spell on the necklace so that she would be able to see him with a head, and we don't know who it was that put that enchantment on it. All we could say with any kind of certainty is that it was likely someone with some bad intentions when it came to the world as a whole. So, there may be some underlying mind voodoo on the necklace to try and make sure that she thinks that she's in love with Abraham, which would mess with Ichabod's mind, and may help Evil's chances to get rid of Ichabod and Abby (and accomplish what they want).

Even though I still love this show, I'm starting to find it rather suspicious that Ichabod was homies with all manner of Founding Fathers, and they completely trusted him with their secrets. Ok, we may be expected to believe that there was a bit of Hand of Fate going on here, but still ... it just seems kind of odd that he knows all these guys and kept getting secret info from them.