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An old face returns to remind ‘Sleepy Hollow’ of its former glory
“Sleepy Hollow” finally gave us reason to cheer, and the celebration came in response to Friday’s (Jan. 27) big reveal: Henry Parrish (John Noble) is back!
For a series that, at one point, boasted a cast which included genre favorites like Orlando Jones, John Cho and Clancy Brown, the return of Noble to the series not only brought with it a deliciously sinister taste of evil the program has been missing, it put Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) face-to-face with personal demons he has yet to fully deal with.
While the real reason for Parrish’s return fell under the guise of a demon that preys on the despair of his victims — shoving resentment and guilt down their throats till depression drives the individual to suicide — we have to admit, Noble’s return is a very welcome gift and deserves some applause.
Putting his father on trial for the deaths of Abbie (Nicole Beharie), Katrina (Katia Winter) and himself, Parrish predicts the inevitable downfall that will come to Crane’s new team. And as any good lawyer, he convinces the yet-to-be-proven guilty party that this burden lies heavily upon his shoulders.
Sure, that’s a tough notion to digest for Ichabod — who nearly took his own life in this episode. But the moral quandary that found our hero teetering on the brink not only brought him back to reality, it made us care about Crane, as a character, again.
Henry’s return helped to remind us just why “Sleepy Hollow” was once praised with such a passionate following. Because, while a horseman without a head was terrorizing the town, a bevy of talent was coming together in front of, and behind, the cameras to bring this kooky little genre show to life — with equal amounts of passion and heart.
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A familiar sense of theatrical bravado peered its head out from the shadows in Friday’s episode, titled “The People vs. Ichabod Crane,” and with it came an emotional weight and remorseful intensity we thought was long gone. In other words, it looks like “Sleepy Hollow” still has some stakes in the game.
As Crane stepped back from the abyss, awakening from the demon-induced coma, fans were finally presented with a moment we’ve been waiting for since Season 4 began. The Witness (Oona Yaffe) has stepped forward, uttering Abbie’s words — thusly saving Ichabod. To say that Diana (Janina Gavankar) is now a believer, would be a big understatement.
No matter how ridiculous the supernatural angle was this time around, pitting Tom Mison against John Noble one last time was a brilliant, welcome move. We may no longer have Abbie Mills around to keep Crane in line. But maybe Henry’s return can give the show enough of a nudge to kick it back on track.
“Sleepy Hollow” airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.