Sleepy Hollow does not do subtlety nor metaphor. When a character needs to escape being buried alive in a coffin, he does not simply crawl out, he blows it up. And when an episode is titled 'The Root Of All Evil', referring to the axiom, you can be damn sure that the creators will find a way to manifest that adage into something tactile.
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The mysterious, magical object of the week (MMOTW) is a coin that brings out the darkness in all who touch it. But what did I just say about subtlety? This is not just any demon-possessed coin, this is literally one of the 30 pieces of silver Judas Iscariot, yes THAT Judas Iscariot, received as blood-money for his betrayal of Jesus. It's so ridiculous you expect Nicolas Cage to star in the film adaptation.
It's a show about the eternal battle between good and evil; of course it was going to semi-confirm the existence of Christ at some point.
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The Root Of All Evil is a bit of a comedown from the previous two episodes. That manic sense of energy is lacking; which is not to say it was not there, merely that the episode took some time to truly revel in its scenes. One could watch Henry (John Noble) smile his way through a confrontation with his father Ichabod all day. "Your son's a lawyer. You must be very proud." Noble continues to be the best thing in a show that constantly introduces you to the next best thing.
The next best thing this week? Hawley (Matt Barr), the roguish, Indiana Jones-esque antiquities hunter with a heart of gold. He ends up with the Judas coin at the end, and promises to find the rest. And don't tell me you wouldn't watch that show, either. The writers have a very efficient and streamlined way of setting up their characters and giving them a little personality. Hawley's surfer dude quality, and his backtalk to Ichabod tells you everything: cocky, self-assured but also possessed of a capable personality. Crane wonders where the man's loyalties lie, even going so far as to call Hawley "a privateer"! Of course they were never in doubt. The only people who work for the other side are those who are somehow possessed by it. Even Benedict Arnold, the greatest turncoat in American history, only betrayed the Colonials because he picked up the coin.
I do hope Hawley makes an occasional guest appearance from time to time with an update on some non-Sleepy Hollow object that will prove of great importance. His friendship with Jenny allows the show to branch out from the tiny little village, which does seem a) filled with lots of plot points in the form of magical objects and b) not filled with many people. Seeing the two random folks get possessed was a keen reminder on what Ichabod and Abbie are fighting for. Several episodes have featured nothing but the main characters out alone on empty city streets.
Chief Reyes continues her Captain Buzzkill routine, though the cracks are beginning to show. We learned that she was not only in Sleepy Hollow when Abbie's mother was put away, but she was the officer whose testimony sealed the deal. It was a mercy, Abbie realizes. The sanitarium was preferable to prison because, again, Abbie's mother didn't just "have some demons she was working through." She literally had demons. She collected them like Pokemon.
It is hard to say which side of the line Reyes will fall on in the end. Everyone has to be brought into the truth of the matter eventually, but just showing her the supernatural doings is essentially recrafting her as Irving 2.0. I am confident the creative team will conjure up some way to force her to choose, I simply do not know what that might be.
We rarely mention the excellent work done by Tom Mison. Sure, he is superb at being flustered by modern things (this week's list includes wearing hats inside, ID and Sam Adams beer; he's totally cool with the gays, though) but we rarely mention the emotional depth he brings to the 'weekly recap' in which he reaffirms his friendship and good-guy status alongside Abbie. In it, he spoke of another encounter with Benedict Arnold and the pain he witnessed in the general's eyes and it was a touching, sublime moment that spoke to the truth of who Ichabod is: he believes in the goodness of people. They want to do the right thing and can be pained when that choice is taken away. Moloch, Henry and Abraham will not win because they disallow the choice; they force their will upon others, through threats, or magic coins or even using the old 'sign your name in blood' trick.
A lack of choice is unsustainable in the end, which is why Sleepy Hollow will finish with the forces of good triumphant. When touched by the coin, Jenny is talked down off of killing Reyes by Abbie in the episode's climax. She chooses not to fire just long enough to be rescued.
This is not simply a war for the domination of the Earth, it is a war for the independence of mankind. Money, power, oppression. Why do you think a man from 1776 was brought back to modern day America? The Revolution never ended. Money corrupts, it has always brought out the worst in us. Sleepy Hollow wants to remind us that the worst of us is not the sum of us, and when given the choice, we usually choose correctly.
Background Noise is GameNGuide's TV column.
