'The Art of War' -- SH 3x07

Warning: Spoiler Alert

So, Jenny has become a zombie Anubis monster. Ok. But my question is: didn't the writers already kind of do that already with Irving and War? Are they going to go the way of the SPN writers and start rehashing old ideas? Ideas that weren't all that great in the first place? It kind of seems like they are.

And seeing as how we have now had a second mention of Norse mythology (first with the mention of Hel, and now with the mention of berserkers and mistletoe), it makes me wonder even more if Pandora is hiding out in Helhiem. Sure, Jenny has the shard of Anubis inside of her (and in a way, it might make sense for her to go to the Egyptian afterlife place ... sorry, don't know the name), but with the mentions of Norse mythology for no reason, it makes me get suspicious of the things that might end up happening. Plus, the writers of this show have never really tried to make sense with what they have been doing, so they may try to go into left field with some of the stuff that's going on.

I might also be kind of excited to see what was about to happen with Jenny, if it didn't feel like the writers were rehashing stuff from before, and if the acting from the actress who plays Jenny didn't feel completely stiff this entire episode. Usually, I really like her, but with this stuff ... none of it felt like it was real. It felt more like since she was expected to kind of be a zombie (or would the word we should be using be "vessel"), she didn't have to emote at all during this episode.

With the whole thing with Katrina finally being over, I was hoping that the show would pick up on some of the magic (forgive the pun) that it had when it first started, but it hasn't gotten any of that back. Instead, it's continued to stay stiff. For the most part, I don't think that's the problem of the actors, and is (instead) cuz of the writing. And the sad part of that is that the premise is a really good one, but it just hasn't been completely delivered.

'This Red Lady from Caribee' -- SH 3x06

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Sooo ... Jenny is the new Death? If they do it correctly, I guess it could be alright, but I have the horrible feeling that it might turn the way that Irving turned out (where it was something that would have been really awesome, but ended up being a complete let down).

I almost have the feeling that they are going to end up using Jenny to get ahold of Pandora in whatever underworld that she's in. In a way, I kind of hope that she ends up being in Helheim, but that's only cuz of how much I love Norse mythology ... but on the other side, I really hope that it isn't Helheim she's in, cuz of how much I love Norse mythology (and I don't want the writers to mess things up).

But if Jenny turns into the new lieutenant of the Big Bad (the way that Bram was), that would make someone else attached to Team Witness working for a Big Bad. I suppose that it makes a certain amount of sense to come at the people attached to Team Witness, but I'd like to see someone who isn't attached to them be working for the Big Bad. It might make Abbie and Ichabod make stupid mistakes to know that someone that they care about is in danger, and that is smart on the bad guy's part, but ... I just want it to be someone that they don't know ... and for it the Big Bad to feel like more of an unbeatable threat than Pandora seems to be.

Yeah, I don't really think that Pandora is that much of a threat. So far, even though she seems to be a magic user that could actually cause some damage (unlike Katrina), she has been really underwhelming. A part of that might have to do with the fact that I don't care for the actress, and I am really unimpressed with her ability to "act".

'Dead Men Tell No Tales' -- SH 3x05

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I was not terribly keen on this episode. A big part of that may have to do with the fact that I don't watch "Bones," and I have absolutely no desire to pick it up (as it does not interest me in the slightest). So, no, I didn't watch the "companion" episode of "Bones" that may have made some of the dialogue make a bit more sense (like Not!Angel knowing Corbin).

Also, it seems rather weird to me that the show that they picked to do a crossover episode with was "Bones," as the two shows don't really seem like they have much in common. The fact that one seems to rely so heavily on science, and the other is so much about the supernatural made the episode feel a bit jarring to me. It made a bit more sense when there were crossover episodes of "The Pretender" and "The Profiler" (I think that was the name of the show; I watched "The Pretender" but not the show they had the crossover with ... but I do remember it was about an FBI profiler).

It didn't really feel like all that much happened in this episode, other than finding out the reason why New York burned, and that Betsy Ross was a little more badass than we have already found out.

Captain Skinnyjeans starting up a new romance ... God help us. If this turns into Ichabod & Katrina part 2, I think I'm going to lose it. The writers seems to be kind of on point with Abbie and her FBI buddy, and keeping things interesting between the two of them (without getting to the point of making me want to stab someone with an electric pencil), but they've already proven that they don't seem to know what the fuck they're doing when it comes to Ichabod (and they're leaning that way with Jenny as well). What's been going on between Ichabod and his new love interest already has me getting impatient. I almost have the feeling that the writers have the idea that since he's from the past, the romances between him and someone else might be charming (or even a bit funny, in a "man out of time" sort of way), but they have a tendency to lean toward irritating ... at least to me, anyway.

I have a really bad feeling that the writers aren't going to pick things up in such a way that they're going to keep their viewership up. I have the feeling that the show may get the axe pretty soon, and I can't say that I'd be entirely sad about that. The premise is solid, but the execution isn't always what it could be.

'The Sisters Mills' -- SH 3x04

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Well, it looks like there isn't going to be a huge fight between Abbie and Jenny about Abbie knowing about their dad, cuz Jenny already knew all about him. In a way, I'm not really surprised that Jenny went looking for him. I can see her being at least a little bit curious about what he was all about, and what his life was like ... just like I can also see her not wanting to get involved with him. Not ever knowing him, and having heard only bad things about him, I can see where she probably doesn't feel like she's missing anything by continuing to live her life without him. I kind of wish that she had told Abbie about what she had found out, but I supposed it's not really surprising that she didn't (for whatever reason).

I still get the feeling that their dad is going to play a role in something later on. Still not sure what that role may be, but I still feel like it's there.

I was glad that they were both able to be honest with each other about what they had found out about their dad ... finally. It's got to bring them closer together to know that they can trust each other a little bit more (at least, I'm hoping that's what will end up going down). I like it so much better when the members of Team Witness are open with each other, and everybody knows they can trust each other. There will be no more secrets in Team Witness. So it is decreed.

And I cannot be the only one that was wigged out by the MotW. It was more the way that it moved, and the fact that it felt so at ease with being upside down. Kind of thought that it was more creepy than clowns, and I think clowns are just about the creepiest things out there.

I keep getting distracted by how much I don't like the actress who is playing Pandora, and how much she is unable to act. If I were the little girl who she was talking to in the hospital, I would have been suspicious as fuck about her, and would have started screaming "I NEED AN ADULT!! I NEED AN ADULT!!" But maybe she did realize that homegirl was suspicious as fuck, and that's why she agreed to help Team Witness ... or it got her to over the hump to do what she needed to do, and she had already trusted them a bit before that.

'Blood and Fear' -- SH 3x03

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Sooooo, Abbie is still keeping the fact that she's been stalking their dad from Jenny. Yeah, this isn't going to turn out well. Jenny is going to be pissed when she finds out that Abbie didn't tell her what's been going on with that ... and I think that Abbie was right about Jenny when it comes to whether or not Jenny would say anything to him (she will most likely confront him and try to find out why he ran out on them ... even though it may turn out that it wasn't as clear cut as all that ... at least that's what I'm hoping anyway).

Last week's episode was all about secrets (and how secrets are bad), and this week was all about fear. I'm getting the feeling that the writers are going to be leading up to something ... like there will need to be some sort of big reveal at the end of the season to help get rid of Pandora ... that maybe Team Witness will need to use the Shard of Anubis to help focus on doing whatever purging they need to do to get Pandora the hell out of Sleepy Hollow.

Speaking of the Shard ... I'm really hoping that it doesn't turn out that the "new player" that wanted the Shard doesn't turn out to be Papa Mills, but I have a really bad feeling that everything is going to lead back to him. It's the way that his picture is what Ichabod saw when he picked up Abbie's phone, and the way that the whole thing with Jenny and Joe goes back to his father, and Jenny's comment to what's her face about how Corbin was essentially her father. And if it turns out that he's not the one that wants the Shard ... I have a bad feeling that there's going to be something going on with him that the writers are going to try to turn into something Important.

I was kind of disappointed with the writer of this episode. As soon as I saw that the first dart wasn't going to make it into the Ripper's skin, my first thought was that Ichabod could just infect himself and get the Ripper that way. The fact that that was how it ended up going seemed far too easy, even if there was a fight in the process of turning the blade off. As soon as I realized that Ichabod had done exactly what I first thought he would/could do, my immediate reaction was "Oh, come. on." I guess I was just wanting something more than that.

Also, I have a hard time believing that he would have been sent home with an IV of drugs, instead of being kept for observation (at least overnight), when he had been infected with a disease that couldn't be knocked out by over the counter medications, and especially since he had been stabbed. It makes me think that either a lot of really weird things happen in Sleepy Hollow, or the medical community in that town are shit at their jobs.

I get the feeling that Pandora got to Abbie far more than Abbie is willing to admit. That look that she had when Ichabod was saying that he was grateful that they were homies again (and the way that Pandora seemed so triumphant) makes me think that she's far more freaked out by the whole thing than she's willing to admit right now; and I'm sure that Pandora is going to use that to her advantage, cuz why wouldn't she? It would only be the smart thing for her to do.

'Whispers in the Dark' -- SH 3x02

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Oh, this one is a bit late. I meant to do it earlier, but didn't get around to it; so, it'll be done now.

So, it looks like Jenny is now teaming up with Joe. I appreciate Jenny being given a B story line that is her own, instead of her kind of disappearing, since I like her, and I appreciate seeing another female lead that can take charge (except where the script needs her to fall on her face for no reason). And I think that I'm liking the idea of her taking Joe under her wing and showing him the things that Corbin showed to her, even if she realizes that this may not be the kind of life that he probably wants to be a part of. It kind of seems like it might do her some good to pass on what she has learned (and yes, that would completely make her Luke Skywalker in this scenario).

This whole thing with the Shard of Anubis ... who wants to bed that it's going to be the thing that is going to be key in getting rid of Pandora? The fact that it just suddenly became important now, right when Jenny's attention got caught by it, and started looking into it makes me super suspicious about it and what it's possibly used for. And what makes me even more suspicious about it is that as soon as she gets it out of wherever she's been hiding it, that's suddenly when someone else wants it. There's definitely something there.

I don't like the idea that Abbie is keeping the fact that she found their father a secret from Jenny. This doesn't mean that I don't understand her reasoning, cuz I completely do ... but that doesn't mean that I like the secret. If anything that the MoTW should have taught her, it's that secrets will have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass if you don't get them out in the open. Secrets can sometimes be a good thing, but in the broad strokes of a genre show, they are never a good thing ... especially when you have a monster that is essentially a Secret Eating Demon, who is coming after you for a secret that you know, and will not hesitate to also eat the other secrets that you are harboring.

I'm hoping that we end up finding out that there's nothing extraordinary about Abbie and Jenny's dad ... that he's just some normal guy, who couldn't handle their mom going (as it seemed to him) all crazy like. I want to find out that he truly does not believe in any of the supernatural stuff that is just Life for Abbie and Jenny, and he will think that they have inherited some of their mom's crazy if/when they try to explain what's been going on to him. I want the supernatural to come up and bite him in the ass, and for him to try to rationalize it all away. Part of it is that it seems like that would make for some good storytelling, since it will give Team Witness something to work against that is nothing but real world normal; but mostly, I like the idea that there are just normal people walking around the supernatural, who can't see what's right in front of them, and who actively refuse to see it (even when those who do see it are pointing right at it). Besides which, with all of the Destiny type stuff that they have from their mother's side, it seems like a good balance to have someone in their life who is just ordinary, and who thinks the supernatural stuff is bollox (having everybody believe, even if they see some crazy stuff, doesn't seem like it would happen).

'I, Witness' -- SH 3x01

Warning: Spoiler Alert

As I have said before, I am still not at all convinced that Abby and Captain Skinnyjeans are actually anywhere but Purgatory, and I'm also not convinced that they ever found each other while they were there. And nothing in this episode has made me think any differently.

I must give the writers a bit of a high five for have due who is living the thug life quoting "Annie" to Ichabod. Of course, Ichabod didn't understand what was being referenced, but even at this point, him not getting references like that has yet to become old. Him returning with, "Yes, it is, in fact, a hard knock life" (or whatever it was that he actually said) was kind of great.

So, the actress who played my least favorite character in A Knight's Tale is now the Big Bad for (at least) this season. I still don't care for this particular actress, but so far, she's already done more than Katrina did as far as the witchy way. Maybe she'll prove to be something more than a complete bore.

But speaking of her becoming the new Big Bad, I was rather disappointed that she dispatched Abraham so easily. Maybe she is supposed to be the person that the legend of Pandora is based on, and the writers have decided to make her a truly ancient witch who is not only superbly powerful, but also amazingly crafty (see what I did there?). Still, it doesn't feel like Death should be so easily dispatched, even if she is really powerful. It seems like he should have a bit more power at his disposal, seeing as he should have the power of the Apocalypse behind him, adding whatever he does ... plus, the writers seemed to be gearing up to making him the new Big Bad at the end of last season. Seems a bit of a let down that they just completely dropped that.

Speaking of getting dropped ... through a table. What the fuck with Jenny being all capable and ready, and suddenly having the table fall out from underneath her at the very last second? Ok, yeah, Ichabod and Abbie are the team here (not Ichabod and Jenny), and the writers probably wanted to have the Witnesses get their groove back (or should we be calling them "Destroyers" now?), but I did not like the way that they dealt with Jenny in that scene. They keep building her up as being completely awesome, and then, they have something shitty happen so that she gets knocked out in half a second. yes, bad things happen sometimes, but you know what? I'm kind of tired of the trope of the chick getting knocked out and lying there helpless. Yeah, yeah, this show does all sorts of good things with busting tropes normally; so when the writers seem to follow some, it bothers me (especially when the why and how of her getting knocked out was over something so stupid and pedestrian writing wise).

Also, while we're at it, can we just mention the utterly convenient cardboard boxes that happened to be just the right shape, and in just the right spot to break Ichabod's fall? I'm having a really hard time believing that they would have been there in the first place (and not in a trash compactor of some sort), or that they would have been in just the right shape, in just the right spot, and they would have been arranged so neatly (and without any obvious breaks or tears before Ichabod fell through them ... as though they had never actually been used for anything before that point). Sometimes this show just asks too much when it comes to the details.

But I will try to land a good note ... so ... I really like the new haircut for Captain Skinnyjeans ... I'm glad that the band is getting back together (at least mostly, since the writers seem to have written off Irving) ... and hopefully this new Big Bad will not annoy the fuck out of me the way that Katrina did toward the end.

'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.