Last season many a Sleepyhead lost sleep (pun intended) due to the direction of the series Sleepy Hollow, that in its inaugural season garnered ratings that rivaled FOX’s hit 24. While some fans lost faith in the series and jumped ship, those who stayed have been rewarded with a third season that brings everything we loved about its freshman year, back to the forefront. It’s once again worthy of an audience and investment in our Witnesses, loving referred to as ‘Ichabbie’ aka Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) and Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie).
As with season one, showrunner Clifton Campbell and the writers have created a well-crafted, cohesive story/chapter in the Sleepy Hollow saga. Each episode this season has introduced characters that will play a big part as the season unfolds- things are not exactly how they seem (hint, hint)!
Thus far we’ve seen Ichabod’s lighter, playful side where Crane’s condemnation of the proverbial government red tape, outrage at the 
thought of tearing down the archives, journey to become a true American citizen and learning how to co-exist with his “Leiftenant”, take center stage. The “Crane Family Drama” is but a distant memory, though what was left in its wake is still clearly on Ichabod’s mind as he tries to move past it, with a new controversial hairdo to boot! (Let’s face it, we all love Tom Mison in Ichabod’s signature long locks!)
Not only has our swoon-worthy 18th century time traveler’s look changed, but Abbie Mills has too, now on the fast track at the FBI with an appropriate wardrobe a la The X-Files Dana Scully. But that’s not all that appears to have changed! Vocal as always, Sleepyheads on 
social media have let their concerns be known that Abbie’s moments are far and few between, though we’ve seen loads o’ Crane cheeky comicality. Don’t get me wrong, we all love those priceless “I’m adorable” Ichabod scenes but I have to admit as always, the fandom has this one right.
Of course the argument can be made that yes, our Abbie is a fiercely dedicated FBI Agent that is clearly feeling conflicted over Ichabod’s reappearance in her life, the monsters that seemingly followed him back to Sleepy Hollow and struggle to make this new job a somewhat ‘normal’ career. However, many factors from her past could be playing a major role in her recent lack of faith in her Witness duties and the return of Ichabod Crane.
Case in point- Abbie’s lack of anger that Ichabod left for 9 months without so much as a text! I have to say that if my best friend, the man I’d put so much trust in, helped at every turn to adapt to the 21st century and loved (yes I said it!), I would do more than just have a stern conversation in general population at the jail! I think she’s happy he’s back but where’s the break down? Why haven’t we seen how hurt she was that he pretty much ignored her after everything they went through together? Some have argued that he had a lot to work through after killing Katrina and the death of his son, however, I beg to differ. I’d expect him to take some time away, but to dump Abbie like she wouldn’t want to be there for him? I’m just saying that 9 months is a ver
y long “walk about” without any contact with the only person he knows on this earth! We have yet to see her really hit rock bottom.
At this point, fans hope to see it this season, that Ichabod is there for her, helps her pick up the pieces like she has done for him since the moment they met. It’s all been about her helping him- taking care of him after he almost died, taking him to his first visit at the dentist, saving him from the Yao Quai, the Wraith, the Ripper- it’s time for us to see her vulnerable and be taken care of like he did his witch wife, who he was so attentive with!
Abbie has also been a little cut off emotionally from Ichabod. What do I mean? There is a definite wall up, something that I’m sure she’s done in the past when someone she cares about ups and leaves- like her father abandoning them, her mother going mental and killing herself, Jenny dragged out of the interrogation room and missing for several years, then Corbin died. Everyone she’s ever cared about has left for one reason or the other. Thankfully Jenny returned and the Mills sister bond is stronger than ever, but so was her faith in Ichabod. I think when he left, it really hurt her and now she’s reluctant to let him completely in again, to believe in him, to believe in their mission. She’s trying to move past it by pushing him with another woman because she doesn’t want to be taken for granted again, which is understandable. I think they’ll need to get trapped in another vault so they can hash it all out!
So now that Moloch is defeated, what’s going on in Season 3?
This season is about the second of seven tribulations, foretold in the bible’s ‘Book of Revelations’ that the two Witnesses would have to fight. Apparently Moloch’s failed attempt at Armageddon was the first tribulation. Pandora is definitely the second.
Pandora, brilliantly played by Shannyn Sossaman, has become a fan favorite
e as she methodically crafts a web to seemingly ultimately divide our two Witnesses. There is a purpose to the siege of monsters thrust into our realm each week, as she conjures creatures to extract information on our two Witnesses- what secrets are they hiding and what scares them the most? So far our dynamic duo has defeated a demonic Yao-Quai, a Wraith, a Ripper which was an awesome “twistory” of the infamous Jack the Ripper that plagued White Chapel, England in 1888, and Abyzou aka a very freakishly bendy demonic Tooth Fairy. With each conquer our Witnesses defeat, a new rose blossoms on Pandora’s ‘Tree of Knowledge’.
Wait a minute, the ‘Tree of Knowledge’? Yes! For those who may not know, though Pandora originally derives from Greek Mythology with several different interpretations, Sleepy Hollow’s version is in line with the Sumarian’s myth of the woman Inanna. Hence the Sumarian ancient depiction of “The Destroyers” and mention of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Both the Greek and Sumarian stories are similar in that Gods send Pandora to man on earth aka the “inferior world”. Each God bestows upon her special gifts in a box, but warns never to open it. The Sumarian Gods gave her seven objects. In the Greek myth, a curios Pandora obsessed with what the Gods gave her, opens it which then unleashes evils onto humanity- disease, poverty, misery, sadness and death!
Interestingly, it appears that Pandora has her sights set on Abbie! Why you ask? There are a few theories fans have been talking about….
- Although the Wraith successfully sussed out Ichabod’s secret, his conflicted momentary thought of revealing General Washington’s spies to General Howe, it seems Pandora is preoccupied with Abbie. Thus far she has appeared to Abbie twice- once as Ichabod lay dying in her arms and again while in the hospital after a blow to the head thanks to Abyzou.
- Isn’t it interesting that Danny showed up in small town Sleepy Hollow FBI Offices after a fling with Abbie at Quantico? I feel that he is really trying to distract her from her destiny as a Witness because he’s brought up “we want the same things” for their careers to her twice. Abbie has told him on two different occasions that maybe they don’t have the same goals anymore. He’s dismissed the notion both times but hasn’t succeeded in thwarting her path…yet! (hint, hint!)
- While fighting the Abyzou, Jenny is knocked out by an unknown assailant in black, leaving the door open for the demonic fairy to knock out Abbie, which I believe was the goal in the first place. Especially after seeing Pandora creepily stalk Abbie at the
hospital, menacingly looming at her bedside with a lil’ bedtime story made up of a nightmare! According to Pandora, God told her father to beat her “until I forgot all language”, then was sold into slavery! But that’s not the end of this horrific tale…she then reveals that after “I learned how to speak again, I convinced my own to feed my father to his lion.” Not sure exactly who she asked to kill her father, but as I recall in the Book of Revelations it states that Satan has four faces, one is a lion. I’m sure this will play a large part in figuring out why she’s in ‘The Hollow’, what her plan is and how to defeat her. (Shout out to the writers who had our sinister villain say “Hello Sleepyhead” to Abbie, definitely acknowledging the fans!)
What I like about this season is that it’s not just about the ‘monster of the week’ as there is a purpose, a reason she’s pulling these leviathans from the bowels of her of box, straight from Hell!
I think the budding flowers represent a new knowledge of Abbie’s deepest, darkest emotions that bubble to the surface with every flick of the lid from Pandora’s little box o’ evil. Question is, why is she infatuated with Abbie and what does it mean for our Witness?
While it’s clear Pandora appears to only be focusing on Abbie, I think things are not as they seem where Ichabod’s love life is concerned. I find it amusing that all of a sudden we’re getting a slew of flashbacks to his time with the infamous Betsy Ross (Nikki Reed) and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is happening in the wake of Pandora’s arrival. Is Ichabod is under some type of spell? He’s extremely preoccupied with not only a paramour from the past, but also in the present, by Zoe Corinth. Anyone watching can see he’s like a schoolboy with a crush as he’s mastered the art of 21st century communication, gleeful trading “20 texts an hour” from Zoe. What makes matters worse for Ichabbie shippers, is the fact that Abbie keeps pushing him towards her!
Have no fear Ichabbie shippers! I believe there is a method to our evil geniuses madness! In reviewing all the episodes thus far numerous times (I won’t reveal how many, LOL), I see a pattern emerging. 
First, Zoe arrives on cue as Pandora makes it to town and what is her job? She works for the Historical Society. I find that very interesting as that’s something peeks Ichabod’s curiosity due to his affinity for important historical locations. Then, she somehow knows that she can find Ichabod in the Archives room, which not many people know about! There have been arguments she works at the Historical Society so obviously would know about it. But when did Ichabod tell her about it? And why didn’t Ichabod question her presence there? I don’t recall him mentioning it within their conversation upon meeting.
Could she be one of Pandora’s minions infiltrating the bond between the two Witnesses by severing any romantic notions by either of them? What if Zoe is actually Pandora in disguise? We’ve seen how easily she morphs into whatever she wants to be, including her true visage, a serpent.
This brings me to the third possible scenario, a fan on Tumblr that suggests what if Ichabod and Abbie are really Adam and Eve, the Destroyers of Eden! The tree would then make sense- is it the ‘Tree of Knowledge’? Is Pandora really the snake aka Satan in disguise who is tempting Abbie away from her destiny as a Witness?
Is it also possible Pandora has been messing with the entire Mills linage going back to Grace Dixon? Think about it. Abbie found one of her ancestors, Grace’s grandchild, turned to stone by the Gorgon! How did she end up there? Did Pandora lead her there? What about Ancetef, the demon that possessed Jenny? Did Pandora send him to torment her? What if Pandora was responsible for Lori’s mental break down? Did she conjure that Nurse knowing the Mills’ sisters would have to invoke that incantation to get rid of her, therefore 
unknowingly enabling Pandora passage into the this realm? Maybe once she realized Abbie was a Witness she manipulated Moloch from the get go, knowing her tribulation could only begin with his demise! Intriguing right? Did she learn that Ichabod was the other Witness and sent the Ripper to kill him at his school? Who knows what the writers have in store, but I really hope it’s something cool like these possible theories!
What’s next…
In speaking with one of our evil geniuses (aka) Sleepy Writers, M. Raven Metzner at the New York Comic Con, it’s clear that Team Sleepy have really been working hard to give fans a season three we’ve begged for. Some may not know there is a board in the writers room that have names and ideas of different monsters or twistories they want to tell. He explains that he originally had an idea for a Skinwalker, however, they elected to do a story about an angel (aka) Rebel Angel Orion, “Lost Paradise”. But who knows? We may see that Skinwalker yet! He further previewed during the panel that Abbie will be in some trouble and one of our trusted Team Witness heroes will be a turncoat! My bet is that it’ll be Abbie, because Pandora is slowly picking at her, playing on her doubts of being a Witness- sure would be an incredible twist!
Speaking of turncoats, the big Bones-Sleepy Hollow crossover is 
Thursday, October 29 beginning at 8 pm. The episode is filled with Halloween trickery and a fun trip for Ichabod and Abbie to the Jeffersonian to get a body Brennan and company are attempting to ID. They believe it’s Abraham Van Brundt!
I don’t want to give too much away, but fans have been asking me if they’ll be happy with regards to Ichabod and Abbie. To be honest, I was a little frustrated because she pushes him once again towards Zoe. But there are some really great observations by the Bones crew specifically about Ichabod and Abbie, which I was thrilled about. Like I said before, Abbie has a wall up and it’s going to take a major break down for Ichabod to tear it down, that’s for sure! It’s kind of like how Booth had to slowly chip away Brennan’s logical reasons for love and learn how to her to trust her feelings. There is a conversation between Crennan aka Crane and Brennan that I absolutely love! 
The is a hilarious prank that Bones plays on Booth which I think will go down as one of the best!
Ichabod’s wardrobe seems to be the gag of the episodes, as the Bones crew make comments about his threads. Then it’s carried over a little bit in Sleepy Hollow, when Abbie and Jenny question his “costume” as it looks like pretty much his daily wear! It’s too funny when Hodges asks if he’s cosplaying!
Ultimately, I think Boneheads and Sleepyheads will love the crossover, which I hope will happen again. Hopefully fans from each fandom unites and continues to support these incredible shows! FOX’s Thursday nights are definitely more action packed than Shondaland this season!
The fandoms are uniting for the crossover event, Thursday October 29, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. There will be a special edition of #SleepyBonesTrivia for prizes between 7-8pET, then between 8-10pET, there will be a live watch via Google Hangout and trending party with four superfans from Bones and Sleepy Hollow fandoms, including The Nerd Element’s co-founder Natasha Williams, Tallia Wells, Kiki Secrest and me, Chrissy Piccolo aka Sleepy Hollow Addicts.
Coordinating with the Social Media Directors of the Bones and Sleepy Hollow Twitter accounts, we hope to trend #HollowBones and #Abeyonce between 7-10p ET and 8-10p PT. Join us on Twitter, along with the Sleepy Hollow and Bones writers, watch with us live for special commentary on the episode during commercials and after the east coast airing.
It’s going to be a kick ass night and we hope to DOMINATE social media! Don’t miss a moment of the Hollow-Bones Crossover Event, Thursday Oct 29, between 7-10 p.m. on FOX!
Google Hangout Link: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/chbs5vfac0m9mh328snhaq1cndc
Follow and tweet: @BonesOnFOX; @SleepyHollowFOX; @sleepywriters; @SleepyAddicts; @TheNerdElement
Trend: #HollowBones and #Abeyonce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_8zihXqNb8
*SPOILER ALERT*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXqIyERZ8Hw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idK9JBk-Kss
1 comment
Very good points!
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