No "Weeping" For SLEEPY HOLLOW

Article first published as SLEEPY HOLLOW Review Season 2 Episode 5 The Lady Weeping on Seat42F.

After last week’s disappointing go-round, it’s gratifying to witness SLEEPY HOLLOW’s return to form in tonight’s “The Weeping Lady.” A haunting figure from Ichabod’s (Tom Mison) past begins threatening the women he cares about. It’s not a creature-of-the-week story, though, as the plot ties into a number of threads for various characters, making the struggle matter to the much bigger picture.

“The Weeping Lady” opens with Ichabod hanging out with Caroline (Laura Spencer), who, as viewers may remember from last year’s season finale, is involved in historic re-enactments. The two have become friends, and this bond survives even after Caroline (justifiably) mistakes Ichabod for a single man with whom she could have a romantic entanglement. Sadly, this marks Caroline to be The Weeping Lady, Mary’s (Heather Lind, Turn: Washington’s Spies), first victim, and she’s soon dead.

It’s a shame Caroline bites it. I know Spencer is super busy these days, with roles on The Big Bang Theory and Bones, but she lets us see a side of Ichabod that no one else does. Their involvement in her hobby, which allows Ichabod to nostalgically revisit his own time, is sweet and moving. It’s also a break from the monsters and mayhem. I hope SLEEPY HOLLOW finds someone else to take Caroline’s place in the near future, even if the show risks repeating itself in developing characters.

After Caroline, Mary goes after Abbie (Nicole Beharie), of course, but Abbie survives. It doesn’t make a ton of sense that Abbie escapes what Caroline cannot, but that’s just one of those things viewers have to accept to enjoy a television show. Main characters usually survive; guest stars, not so much. Besides, we don’t really want to lose Abbie.

Finally, Mary learns of Katrina’s (Katia Winter) existence, and the spirit is no match for the witch, who manages to stop her once and for all. Katrina is a formidable foe for anyone, and no one else stands a chance at Ichabod’s heart while she is around.

Is that still true, though, after “The Weeping Lady?” Katrina reveals that she covered up Mary’s death in the past, and this is a final straw for Ichabod, who reams her out for all of the deceptions she has committed. Before the couple can work things out, Katrina goes home with Abraham (Neil Jackson) to protect her cover, further alienating Ichabod. Ichabod is too good a man to just end his marriage, but it’s something he should consider since Katrina is proving to be less than trustworthy and is certainly not around much. Her excuses make sense, but they are excuses, and there’s far too many of them.

While Ichabod’s relationship falls apart, Abbie’s is kicking off, her flirtation with Holly (Matt Barr) heating up. Or is it? Unfortunately, what Abbie doesn’t know is that Holly and her sister, Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood), have an existing physical relationship. Holly definitely prefers Abbie and rejects Jenny’s advances, but that won’t stop some major drama when the siblings learn that they have their eye on the same guy.

Henry (John Noble) slides into the episode because he brings Mary forth in an effort to thwart Katrina. He is subsequently chewed out royally by Moloch (D.J. Mifflin) for endangering Katrina because she’s an important part of his plan. This really starts to fill in some blanks in the overall mythology of SLEEPY HOLLOW and it’s very interesting to see where Henry fits in the villain hierarchy, perhaps a little lower than some might have thought.

The way all of these various character are interwoven, though, is by far the best part of “The Weeping Lady.” There’s a little bit for each of these players, complete with Revolution-era flashbacks, and they all seem to fit together like a well-made puzzle, interlocking, sometimes in unexpected ways, but all part of a singular vision. It really takes a team of brilliant minds to make a show this cohesive, and while not every episode of SLEEPY HOLLOW is perfect (last week’s stinker, for example), this is a fine example of the program at its best.

SLEEPY HOLLOW airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Turn Turn TURN

Article originally published as TURN Review on Seat42F.

I think most will agree that AMC makes more hits than misses. While there have been some shows that didn’t take off, like Low Winter Sun and Rubicon, the network has also given us Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. The latest original series, TURN, which premieres this weekend, is somewhere in the middle. It’s sort of like Hell on Wheels, a series that AMC keeps running without the high profile of the others, but in a different time period.

The protagonist of TURN is Abraham Woodhull (Jamie Bell, Billy Elliot, The Adventures of Tintin), a principled farmer who is trying to stay out of the Revolutionary War, circa 1778. Unfortunately, deeply in debt to his ex-fiancee, Anna’s (Heather Lind, Boardwalk Empire), current husband, Abe decides to smuggle some cabbages up to Connecticut. His contact, Caleb (Daniel Henshall, Out of the Blue), is a rebel solider, and it isn’t long before Abe’s misdeeds are used to force him into spying against the British.

It’s odd that the main character is supposed to be this wholly good man, and yet he breaks the law almost as soon as we meet him. He is also deeply against borrowing money, or so he insists, and yet he takes it from someone he doesn’t like or trust. These inconsistencies in the lead make the whole structure of the show feel shaky, and it’s hard to figure out how this person is supposed to be, nor really feel motivated to solve the puzzle.

That might be OK if there were other interesting characters to make up for, and distract from, Abe, but there really aren’t. Or, if there are, they have not been firmly established in the first episode. Like Hell on Wheels, I find TURN hard to get into because I’m not finding that person or persons to identify with or fall under the spell of. Without this window or hook, it makes getting into the new show quite difficult.

The most interesting pair on TURN, who come the closest to meeting this criteria, are Richard Woodhull (Kevin McNally, Pirates of the Caribbean), Abe’s father, the local magistrate, and Major Hewlett (Burn Gorman, Torchwood, The Hour), the commander of the British garrison in town. One is a loyal subject of the crown and the other kind of is, but is colonial-based. Both are cultured and toe the line as proper gentlemen do, but they also are willing to find the loopholes when it suits them and to keep the peace. They make an interesting pair, pragmatic if stodgy, but because they are at odds with Abe’s new activities, they are doomed to be cast as villains, which they should not be.

Richard Woodhull is the portrait of a man who likely didn’t come out of the revolution too well. He is American, but he doesn’t see himself that way. The ties with his younger relations will hurt, not help, his position. He’s technically right in his stances, at least from his justifiable perspective, but against the tide of history. It’s a shame he is highly unlikely to be developed the way he should be going forward, as a sympathetic individual in a tough position. What Richard says near the end of the first hour all but guarantees him taking on a different role.

The rest of the ensemble are all pretty forgettable, at least in the pilot. Meegan Warner (Portend) plays Mary, Abe’s wife and mother of his one-year old son, who isn’t nearly as in sync with Abe as Anna is, and so stuck on the outside of the plot. Seth Numrich (Gravity), Samuel Roukin (Bright Star), JJ Feild (Captain America), and Angus Macfadyen (Braveheart, Chuck) are Ben Tallmadge, John Graves Simcoe, John Andre, and Robert Rogers, respectively, all soldiers for the two sides, the pieces of the game that will play out, all looking pretty expendable at this point, though Roger is the least easily replaced, so probably the safest.

In all, TURN could be really good, it’s certainly not bad, but it doesn’t quite hit the sweet spot. It’s a middling effort for AMC, one that could get a few seasons, but not one likely to garner the awards and praise others on the network have earned. I wouldn’t say it comes highly recommended, but it’s not a waste of time, either.

TURN airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.