For those not in the know, Sleepy Hollow is a series which follows in the spirit of others such as Grimm and Warehouse 13, putting a supernatural spin on the police procedural drama. With a twist on the classic legend, Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) is a decorated hero of the American Revolution who, having been awoken after over 200 years, teams up with Abby Mills (Nicole Beharie) to take down the classic Headless Horseman amongst other supernatural baddies.
Season 2 begins with the resolution of Season 1’s cliffhanger in which Crane has been buried alive by his evil son, Henry Parish (John Noble) and Mills being trapped in purgatory; nothing that our two heroes couldn’t handle! However… the plot has only just begun to thicken in the chess-like game being played between father and son. Amidst the pawns are Crane’s wife, Katrina (Katia Winter), who is now at the mercy of the Headless Horseman, and Mills’ former boss Captain Irving (Orlando Jones) who is now in the care of a psychiatric ward. But as the game intensifies, does that allow the elusive demon Moloch closer to the real world?
Sleepy Hollow is at best a real treat or, at worst, a really guilty pleasure; there’s very little to not like about it! As a show, it benefits from excellent main casting: Tom Mison suits the archaic Crane adjusting to modern life with sometimes ticklish results; meanwhile, Nicole Beharie offers all of the humour, threat and tragedy that makes for an excellent protagonist. At the villainous end of the scale, Sleepy Hollow also has the wonderful John Noble as Henry Parish, wonderfully malevolent and sophisticated enough to be a real adversary for Crane and Mills. It’s the wonderful casting and performances such as these that (only sometimes) saves the episodes from being a tad predictable.
Away from the series, the special features of Sleepy Hollow are the standard fare: gag reels, episode commentaries by cast and crew, and deleted scenes as well as some interesting feature programmes about the second series itself and the monsters which feature throughout.
Overall, this second series Blu-ray is a real treat for established fans and its mostly excellent storytelling and always excellent cast is enough to draw in new fans!
SLEEPY HOLLOW: SEASON 2 / CERT: 15 / CREATOR, DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: TOM MISON, NICOLE BEHARIE, ORLANDO JONES, KATIA WINTER, LYNDIE GREENWOOD / RELEASE DATE: OT NOW
