Sleepy Hollow Review - Episode 11 - The Vessel - "Katrina darns socks in Hell!"

Welcome back to Sleepy Hollow. We are almost to the end of the season! Yeah. They have a 12ish episode (Is the last one a two parter, or two hours?) season for Sleepy Hollow. And I approve. I would rather have each episode of a season more focused on their prophesied quest and the mystery of what threats are coming for them. We don't need a fat on this show.

It's lean cheesy horror fun.

So let's look at the penultimate episode of season 1.

And what we get this time around, it's time for an exorcism.

"The Vessel"

The episode opens with Abbie and Ichabod. Ichabod is still dealing with the declaration of their demonic foe, Molloch. It will take Abbie's soul. And Ichabod will give the soul to it.

Abbie is not interested in fretting about it. It could be a bluff. It could be a way to try and divide the two. ...But up to now, Molloch has been pretty arrogantly forward and open.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Oh just watch. He's about to walk around the room
like a dog that's had booties put on it.

What Abbie is far more interested in is the fact Ichabod has a new wardrobe. Out with the centuries old attire!!!

And it's been chosen by Abbie. She has good taste. So she chooses...skinny jeans? Really. You want to rush him into skinny jeans? I hate those. But I don't like skin tight close.

Oh, you heard me, Abbie!

Sbe also offers him a grey and pink striped shirt...I now question Abbie's taste in clothes.

Maybe she's trying to punish him.

"I make this look look good...Shut up!"

After a little modeling, Ichabod switches back to his normal attire. I have some similar comfort clothes...I just look slovenly in my clothes.

Over with Irving, he's at the sheriff's department, having the vendor from the last episode questioned. But he claims, and shows on tests, that he has no memory of threatening Irving's daughter. It's a puzzler.




But Irving, at this point, should know that this isn't going to work. A demon was in the guy, then left. But he is going to try and rely on the process. And he's going to protect his daughter.

Meanwhile, woman that had the demon transferred to her has arrived at the station. She stops an officer. And the demon passes to him, seeming to leave the woman befuddled.

The possessed officer then calls Irving. He goads him, and warns him of the danger coming for his daughter. It has a simple request of Irving.

History Channel has some weird
viral marketing now.

It wants The Bible. ...Can't it go to a hotel and snatch one? No, it wants the bible that Ichabod woke with. George Washington's bible.

Also, the demon body jumps again. This time it's to the detective that Irving was talking to earlier. (The white guy.)

So Irving gathers the team. He asks to see the bible, and then wonders why the big bad would want it.

But, so far, Abbie and Ichabod have found little useful information in the bible. It's a bible. There must be more to the book.

Irving doesn't ask for the book, but he needs answers.

So Abbie and Ichabod start going through old Sheriff Clancy Brown's notes for answers. They look for something that can takeover a person.

"I am getting paid for this appearance, right?"

"I'll swallow your soul!" -- I bet I am going to regret using
that joke this soon.

And this leads them to a video. On it...it's SHERIFF CLANCY BROWN!!! Welcome back, sir.

Also on the video, he's caught an intruder in his cabin. A person who's possessed by a demon.

Jenny Mills. Dun dun duuuun!!!

"Why are you guys looking at my IMDB profile?!"

So, they call in Jenny, to see what she can tell them. She's not eager to see the video. She also is troubled at seeing the creature at work within her. She wants nothing to do with this stuff.

Ichabod talks to her. She explains to him that the demon took her over, and she would black out. Then the sheriff (Is there a new sheriff yet? I still don't know.) would tell her about what she said. A lot of it was about wanting to murder her sister. It scared Jenny.

After the Sheriff drove out the demon, she still was haunted by her experience. It drove her to commit crimes, so she would be locked away. Then she couldn't hurt her sister.

But Ichabod draws her back, to save Irving's daughter.

And they watch more of the video. They see her curse and threaten. Also she tells the sheriff that he would die at the hands of the Horseman of Death.

But he works to drive out the demon. And she jumps around and flies. But she can't go anywhere, she is held at bay. The sheriff placed a salt ring around her.




Why do I get the feeling this episode of Sleepy Hollow is sponsored by the letters N and A.

So it's Ancitie the demonic prankster of the underworld?

They then look at some of the words that Jenny said backwards. And they find the answer they need. The demon has a name. Ancitie.

No one looks good in their high
school photo.

It possesses people. It leaps between people as it likes And it does have a lovely smile.

They also find information on how to battle it. A lantern is the answer.

Interestingly, both Ichabod and Jenny recognize it.

"Hmm. Not the phallic item I asked the king for."

Ichabod explains that he knows the lantern because it was in the hands of Benjamin Franklin (Hey! A Revolutionary War reference! It's been awhile.). I guess Franklin did have to take a break from the sex, drinking, and harpsichord. The French gave him a set of these lanterns for the fight against evil.

"Sorry, Abbie. I am having trouble wrapping my head
around the idea of the Patriot's Movement. Try explaining
the Tea Party again."

Then Jenny explains how she knows it. She acquired one of these lanterns a few years back. And then handed over to some gun totting folk who wanted it. Patriots! ...Well, how if this going to go?

Abbie and Ichabod will break in. Jenny just got out of trouble, and Abbie doesn't need her in trouble.

So, Abbie and Ichabod break into the encampment, and Jenny gives them intel on where and what the security is.

Please be city supplied Iron Man armor.

Meanwhile, Jenny breaks into the back of her sister's truck. She goes for Abbie's locked up firearms.

Ark, Alien Body, Magic Ring, Magic Lantern for Zombies...

In the area with the lantern, we can see that these Patriots are holding a lot of stuff. Either it's the National Treasure treasure, or it's a lot of magic relics. Why do I doubt that most Patriot types have vaults of magic relics? Probably because they mostly have vaults of dubious weapons.

"Oh, thank god. Abbie! It's gun totting patriots. We're safe."

After they find the lantern, they don't have an easy exit. Lights go on, and they are surrounded by gunmen.

Ichabod tries to explain the severity of the situation. He explains that a life is at stake. But they aren't interested. They want them out. (At least they aren't just shooting.)

Then Jenny "Don't Make Me Kick Your Ass" Mills appears. Automatic weapons in both hands. (Is that what sheriff's officers carry in their vehicles?)

"Hello. I'm Jenny Mills. Why aren't you running already?"

She explains to the patriots that they need the lantern, that they will return the lantern, and that she can kill them all before them can get her. So the patriots decide to be generous.


Ah, Patriots. Gun totting. Government fearing. And, apparently not racist...I guess I've seen more unbelievable things of the show. I guess.


Back with Irving, he's moving his family to a safer place. A cabin in the woods...At least you can control how many people know where you are. (But if one of the people you tell is the demon, it isn't that smart.)

He's trying to put on an optimistic air, but he's worried. He's also trying to avoid explaining the craziness they are dealing with to his wife. Would she believe it?

While his two detectives unpack, the possessed one pats the other on the back and transfers. Morales is now possessed.

Irving has also called on his priest from the last episode. The priest has gone around the cabin and blessed each door. And then he's placed a line of salt along the bottom each door.

The detectives are amused by it.

Possessed Morales can't enter. He's barred. So he convinces the other detective to brush away the salt.

And once the salt is gone, Possessed Morales attacks and kills the other detective.

Well, I think he kills him. The move looks like one of the attack moves that Batman uses in the Arkham games to "incapacitate" opponents.



Nope. I think he's dead. Bye other white guy on the show.

Man. I hate how they always kills one of the few white
guys first in every horror story.

Later, while out talking on the phone to Abbie, Irving gets a call from Possessed Morales. He tells Irving it's too late. Irving rushes back in, gun ready.

But he finds his wife locked away, Morales on the ground, and his daughter's wheelchair empty.

I am not sure if Morales is dead. The demon has no qualms about killing, but they don't clearly show if he's KO'd or dead. He isn't mentioned again. So we'll have to see what comes in the season finale.

It's be sad if his build up ended here. But, we'll have to see.

Turning around he sees his daughter. She's not lucid...and floating in the air.


Then night falls. (And there is still no sign of Morales.)


Irving calls in his priest again. The priest gets ready to face off with the demon...this isn't going to end well.

The priest waves the cross around, says some prayers, and throws some holy water. It mostly seems to piss off of the demon.

It's faces gets creepier.





Then it grabs the priest.

And then it snaps his head around. It really seems to hate necks.

Dropping the priest, it challenges Irving.



Give up the bible, or loose his daughter.

"Daddy? Am I pretty?"

 To emphasize the point, it grabs Irving's ex-wife. He will loose his whole family if he doesn't hand over the book.


So Irving takes them to the Archive, where the book is being held. But when he gets there, the bible is gone.

This enrages the demon. It throttles his ex-wife, and tosses Irving across the room.

"Ready to have your ass kicked in
stereo?"

Before it could do more, the Mills arrive. They challenge it. And it mocks them.

Pushed by them, it leaps forward...But it can't reach them. Salt line, baby!

Then Ichabod pops up behind it, and makes another salt line. The circle is complete.

Okay. It's not a salt circle. But the metaphysical world isn't judgey, like you.

Then Ichabod uses the lantern. It lights up and repulses the demon.


It contorted. It growled.

Then it's driven out of our world.

T

And in the wake of it, the Irvings hold each other. And then, the Mills take hold of each other.

It's been an intense day for both families.

Ichabod later figures out a possible source of the bible's secrets. The important text is invisible.

So Ichabod has make a mix to put on the pages, to reveal secrets.

And it works. Soon a date emerges from a page.

It's in Washington's handwriting. But the date entered in the book is days after Washington's death/ What a mystery!

NEXT TIME! The finale! Abbie and Ichabod go to Purgatory! Showdowns!

Is that date a big mystery? I guess it is. But it is an odd one. Is this going to be the revealing of a secret that went on after the Revolution? Will we see zombie Washington?

Also, writing a date doesn't really prove anything. I can write a date to. January 24, 2525! Woo!

Also...they way the glowing text lays on the page is odd. It looks off, the wrong angle. It's like they created the effect for one camera position on the book, but ended up using a different shot. (But maybe it's something to do with how hidden writing is actually done. Eh.)

Now all the Irvings know about the threats. What will it mean? Will Irving be motivated to pull back? Or will he and his family be all the more committed?

The possession effects were great. Really. They are fun and creepy. Jenny's looks was wonderfully off putting. The scenes are more appealing than most of the found footage horror we get these days. And with Irving's daughter, it starts creepy, and then the demon seems to partially emerge from her for most of her scenes. The make up team and both actresses do some great work.

And is Morales dead? I don't know!