'Sleepy Hollow': Eat sin and die

Three weeks we were without our favorite new show featuring a headless antagonist, but Sleepy Hollow is BACK to play fast and loose with some Washington Irving and shit all over your preconceptions of what an hourlong drama is “supposed” to do. You know what rules are for? The Blacklist. NCIS. Sleepy Hollow sees your rigid formula and raises you a centaur cop firing an AK-47, because WHO CARES LET’S HAVE SOME FUN.

Last night’s entry, “Sin Eater," posed the question “what is a sin eater?” Which on SH, you won’t be shocked to learn, is someone who literally eats sin. A post-Fringe John Noble joined the show as Henry Parrish, a student of the mystical arts who for years has been “sanctifying” death row inmates and others bound for damnation by absolving them of their misdeeds. Why he does this would so far seem unclear, but the fact that this guy is played by John Noble suggests there’s some tragi-weird backstory to be doled out in the episodes to come.

His task last night was to finally sever the bond between Ichabod and the Headless Horseman, a bond that effectively prevented one from dying while the other lived. Katrina, of course, was a major Harry Potter fan who way back when devised her magical Ichabod-healing spell to mimic that which existed between Harry and Voldemort. But if the Sleepy Hollow Scooby Gang stands any chance at destroying the Headless demon once and for all — and thus, you know, preventing/delaying the Apocalypse — then they’ve got to get rid of his tie to Ichabod.

I’m focusing on all the PLOTTY elements of “Sin Eater” when really the only scene we should be focusing on is the first one, in which off-duty Abbie took Ichabod to catch a local little league game. Ichabod thought he was there to just learn a little about America’s Favorite Pastime (that was invented after he went into cryo-sleep), but really he was there to learn about teamwork, and maybe even the spirit of democracy. Diversity, legal boundaries, etiquette. Plus screaming at little league umpires, maybe the favorite pastime within America’s Favorite Pastime. “Hey basket face!” Ickie yelled, before the guy had even called a play. If I could watch an entire show JUST about Ichabod Crane adjusting to life in 2013 Sleepy Hollow, completely devoid of supernatural elements, I’d be a very happy guy. As is I’m just happy.

It will shock you little to learn that, oh hey, the sin eater DEFINITELY ATE ICHABOD’S SIN (which wasn’t so much a “sin” as it was “feeling bad his bro got shot” by a Redcoat pig-demon, w/e), thus freeing the guy of his connection to the Headless Horseman and rendering next week’s SHOWDOWN that much more potentially badass. The Horseman’s coming back for blood? Well the two Witnesses and all their mental patient friends are going to be F***ING READY. #TurnUp

—Written by Henning Fog

Image: http://blastr.com