Sleepy Hollow - The Wicked Wet Lady!

If you recall, my last blog post about Sleepy Hollow began with a bit of a rant about the "freak of the week" monster.  I complained how we'd just get some funky monster that was relatively easy to deal with and the next thing you know we'd be getting the teaser for the next episode.  Ta da, freak conquered!

So what do we get this week?  Another freak!

Ah, but this one was different.  This one was actually organic to the greater mythology of the series.  And therefore I welcome this monster.

How was it organic?

Henry.

Yes, Henry, in his never ending pursuit to lash out against his parents.  This time we find out he went a little overboard.  More on that later.  But first, just look at the picture above.  John Noble delivers the line with such verve.  It reminded me of his Walter Bishop days and his childlike propensity towards getting high.

So fun!

This week's freak also had depth in that it had an attachment towards  Ichabod Crane.  Mary Wells was once a would be paramour to Ichabod and she was spurned much like poor Caroline was in the beginning of the episode.  This must have been especially painful for Crane in that he had to keep these women at arms length while he waited for Katrina to return to him.  Their would-be affections towards him caught him off balance and when he was forced to rebuff them, the consequences for each turned quite deadly.

A heavy weight to bear indeed.

 I have to say the nature of this freak (sorry Mary) was quite delightful also.  (I'm starting to sound like John Noble now, aren't I?)  The gauzy laced blackness of her watery shroud was chilling.  Mary accentuated her dreary appearance with languorous sobs and wretched weeping.  As she approached her victims she had the sad countenance of something that had been lying face down in the muck for about, oh, 200 plus years.

I loved it.

Her particular evil "superpower" was to draw her prey beneath the icy surface of the local river and this could happen anywhere as seen in the library picture above.  If you were lucky enough to break the surface you would find yourself miles away from where you were drawn away.  Very nice.

Further gravity was added to Mary's plight when it was found that Katrina had a hand in her demise.  It was accidental but Katrina compounded the torment to Mary's lost soul when the true memory of her sad ending was hidden from Ichabod and this led to Mary's eternal suffering.

(Earlier in the season I also ranted that Sleepy Hollow had divested itself with the issues of trust between partners.  Forget that now, mistrust abounds!)

Further poignancy was added when the issues of trust were applied to Henry Parrish.  In his zeal to act out against his parents he managed to disaffect the being he now refers to as "Father." 

Moloch was not pleased when he found out Henry had acted on his own.

The Road to Redemption

 So how does this fit in with my theory that Henry will be redeemed by the end of this  season?

As I cited earlier in this post, Henry was particularly gratified in his efforts to offend his parents.  It was like he was some spoiled child eager to snub his nose and get their attention.

Yes, get their attention.

As much as Henry professes his disdain for Ichabod and Katrina he can't help himself for being obsessed with them.  Like any spoiled child he is eager to please even to the extant that he acts like a little brat.  He was roundly scolded by Moloch and in the end his parents had sussed out his plan and defeated it.

If you look at the immediate above image we find Henry dejected and alone.  Legs splayed like a infant and sent to his room to sob in his isolation.

Henry doesn't take failure well.  Nor does he accept the indignation of a disappointed parent.  (In this case, Moloch.)

If Henry stays true to form he will unleash his puerile wrath against Moloch much as he did to Ichabod and Katrina. He will invent abandonment and turn his ire towards his new father.

This will represent a turning point of sorts.  He will continue to seek the approval of Moloch but, painfully chastened, I feel his attention towards his birth parents will soften somewhat as he will seek new allies if Moloch's disaffection becomes too harsh.

I for one am eager to see where this goes.