‘Sleepy Hollow’ Recap: Abbie Saves Ichabod From Death; James Frain & John Noble Guest Star

Sleepy Hollow, the bizarre twist on the oft-retold legend airing on Fox, returned on Monday after a two-week hiatus due to the World Series. It begins, appropriately enough, with the centuries-old Ichabod (Tom Mison) taking in a game of baseball with Abbie (Nicole Beharie), who’s a big fan of the sport. The two chat about the sport, and Ichabod muses that baseball and democracy go hand in hand.

For most of the episode, titled "Sin Eater," Ichabod and Abbie are forced apart, journeying in two different directions to solve the same problem. Ichabod has to answer to Free Mason leader Mr. Rutledge (James Frain), who captures him and demands to know why he switched over to the side of the colonies during the Revolutionary War. Abby, at Katrina’s (Katia Winter) behest, goes in search of a Sin Eater that will be able to break Ichabod’s ties to the Headless horseman.

Fortunately for Abbie, Sheriff Corbin (Clancy Brown) once had her sister Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) tail a suspected Sin Eater. And since, Capt. Irving (Orlando Jones) is sticking true to his word in letting Jenny have a furlough from the mental health institution, she’s able to pinpoint the man Abbie needs – Henry Parish (John Noble). Abbie goes to Hartford, Conn., to chat with him, and finds the man completely resistant to the idea of helping her out. When she bumps into Parish, he can sense Ichabod’s location at the Freemason lair due to the apocalypse fighting duo’s connectedness.

Sitting amongst his Freemason brethren, Ichabod is being asked to recount the first time he heard the Latin phase ordo ab chao or “order from chaos.” He tells them that when he was amongst the redcoats he was commanded to kill a freed slave named Arthur who’d be accused of treason. When Ichabod instead let Arthur go, he told Ichabod to say ordo ab chao to Katrina. A blue-headed redcoat then shoots Arthur and nearly kills Ichabod before he can repeat the phrase to Katrina.

Just as the Freemasons accept that he’s one of them, they also give Ichabod the bad news that in order for the Horseman to be stopped, he must kill himself. At that moment, Abbie and Jenny bust into the meeting. Abbie implores Ichabod to wait until she can arrange his meeting with the Sin Eater. Nobly, Ichabod refuses, stating that it’s a surer thing for him to end it now. He tells Abby how grateful he is for their relationship, as the two begin to tear, holding hands up until the moment that Ichabod downs the poison.

But before the poison can do its work, the Sin Eater Parish arrives and gets to work freeing Ichabod of his “sin.” He cuts into his palm in order to summon Arthur’s spirit. From Arthur, it’s learned that incidentally getting him killed is nothing he should feel sorry for. In fact, its Crane’s misplaced guilt that’s enabling the Horseman to feed off of him. Following Parish’s absolution, Ichabod acknowledges, “He’s gone.” A relieved Abby then wraps her arms around him.

Elsewhere in Sleepy Hollow, the Horseman has located Ichabod’s empty grave.

Sleepy Hollow airs Mondays on Fox at 9/8c.

– Chelsea Regan

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For More 'Sleepy Hollow' Recaps:

‘Sleepy Hollow’ Recap: Boy From Middle Ages Leads Abbie & Crane To The Horseman Of Pestilence

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