TV REVIEW: Sleepy Hollow’s “Root Of All Evil” Gets To The Root Of Issues

This week’s edition of Sleepy Hollow had many of its characters addressing the root of their issues. Or just setting them on fire (*cough Henry *cough). In the end, the “Root of All Evil” emerged as a continuation of season two’s dynamic start.

After an attempt at seeing Irving in Tarrytown is prevented, Abbie and Ichabod learn what Henry has been up to. They trace him to his last known whereabouts, but what he’s left behind becomes the bigger issue when a security guard is shot at the nearby bank Henry was seen leaving from. Abbie enters and discovers one of the tellers is robbing the bank, but there appears to be a black smoke behind her skin, alerting Abbie to some other worldly presence. Before Abbie can talk the woman down, Reyes steps in and faster than you can blink shoots the woman dead.

When they go back to the tunnels to confer, Ichabod pieces together his son’s plan: to put cursed coins in circulation that have the power to make manifest the grievances we hold over the things we love or regret. The two set out on a quest to locate each coin, but as they get closer to uncovering the truth we get more and more acquainted with the fact that the coming war is no longer child’s play. The stakes for the lives of those in Sleepy Hollow and on earth are bigger than they’ve ever been.

Before things get too heated, Jenny is released after Reyes lets her go from Tarrytown, with some community service to keep her busy). Once out the first thing the younger Mills does is dig into official police files to pull the new Sheriff’s. There she learns a starting and divisive truth: Reyes’ testimony help put Mama Mills in Tarrytown. It creates a rift between the sisers that comes to a head later in the episode.

Before that though, Abbie and Ichabod meet Nick Hawley, someone from Jenny’s past that she says can offer details about the coins. His persona leaves one feeling like he’s both a swindler of the wallet and the heart, but it’s Ichabod’s stiffness and distrust that makes his episodic introduction great. He eventually joins our witnesses on their quest to put an end to Henry’s plans, however, things get really complicated after one of the coins ends up in Jenny’s hands and the thing she’s coming after could separate the Mills sisters forever.

Meanwhile, Katrina wastes no time getting under both Abraham and Henry’s skin while Frank learns the truth about the Horseman of War.

Reyes offered us quite a few whammies this week, starting with her direct connection to the Mills’ mother. Outside of the rather eye-popping reveal it increased the growing tension between the sisters. Abbie sees the larger judicial picture, but Jenny knows a certain kind of betrayal all too well. It’s unclear where this is taking Abbie and Jenny in terms of the show’s larger plot. It does, however, provide an opportunity for the two to more realistically work out the past they didn’t have much time to discuss in season one. It also lends itself to generating one of Nicole Beharie’s best performances of the series.

Beharie does emotional vulnerability extremely well, particularly with a character who internalizes so much. In one of the episode’s final scenes, we see Jenny — after being possessed by one of the evil coins — ready to take out Reyes for what she did to Mama Mills. Abbie steps in and, despite what we hear earlier in the episode, reveals just how much she does understand where Jenny is coming from. It’s clear that part of this is the mental manipulation necessary for talking someone down, but there’s an authenticity to the performance that results in an added layer for the character. Abbie might put on that she has inhumane emotional, physical and witness-y strength, but she is entirely human in all those regards — a dichotomy that makes her the show’s most relatable hero.

Pictured: Sakina Jaffrey as Sheriff Lena Vasquez — Credit: Fred Norris/FOX

Back to Reyes, we also got to see how bad she can be after we see her kill a woman on site. Reyes isn’t just a threat to Abbie and Ichabod’s operations, she may be a threat to the town without realizing it. Her lack of knowledge about the apocalypse and her police background put her at serious odds with the health and safety of the town. Despite creating these tensions hough, she relieved some of ours after bumping into Ichabod in the precinct halls. She’s overbearing and painstakingly literal, but Ichabod can be too, making them a perfect toe-to-toe match. He is ultimately shot down by Reyes due to her uncovering he has no real traceable identity, but his quick pick up and move on is both endearing and hilarious. The questioning of his ID is something that happens later again at a bar after he’s denied a beer because he doesn’t technically exist. He is clearly perturbed about his lack of presence and independence.

Humorous as his annoyance is, it’s a clear signal about the potential direction of his personal development for season two. Ichabod is still grappling with his new identity, which was (literally and figuratively) forged for him. As a result, he is torn. Still loyal to the person he was, he now has new loyalties and a new life. Trying to balance that and your various roles — some of which are conflicting — is extremely difficult and will be his biggest challenge. Ichabod at some point may be forced to choose in moment, but how do you ask someone to be only a part of themselves? Identity was one of my favorite themes of last season, so I’m excited to see it re-emerge, hopefully with consistently better execution.

In a less humorous scene, Ichabod has the chance to confront what he formerly believed to be a familial loyalty in the form of Henry. Here we begin to see where that relationship has developed to. Outside of the intense staring and who has the sternest brow match, it is clear that the love Katrina still feels for Henry is quickly vanishing from her husband. While this doesn’t bode well for family relations, it’s a wonderful but subtle illustration of Ichabod overcoming his weaknesses and upping his witness game. Fearless and unimpeded Ichabod is a force to be reckoned with and we may have the chance to see it sooner than we thought.

Ichabod and Abbie continue to share tension of their own as witness one attempts to draw out Abbie’s true feelings regarding his wife. The attempt is rather successful and we see Abbie first address Katrina as a person (not a third arm of Ichabod), and then lay out all of her (and many of our) questions regarding the red-headed witch. In light of all the recent emotional manipulation, they are all relevant points. Whether they will come to fruition is up in the air, but Katrina’s development path is becoming clearer and more realized by the second. And like the Mills’ sisters relationship, Abbie and Ichabod are now being offered serious screen time to realistically hammer out their own.

After last night’s episode, I find it quite easy to say that Mison and Beharie are two of tv’s best actors right now. Yes, the chemistry between them is astounding, but as individuals they both provide levels of depth to their characters often not observed within their respective archetypes. Beharie’s emotional diversity and verisimilitude exponentially exceeds the performances of many leading ladies (and men), in a wonky genre show no less. Mison, meanwhile, can be subtle and bold in his physicality, which adds serious dimension to a character that could easily be a one trick emotion pony. These two aren’t just good at acting, their good at defying expectations and that has become one of the major backbones of Sleepy Hollow’s success.

“Root of All Evil” was a splendid and well written addition to season two. The writing and screen time balance between plot, character and relationship development was outstanding and I have found that my eagerness and adoration for this show has once again reached alarming levels.

Favorite Moments

• Explaining away Benedict Arnold’s treason with the coins and the biblical connections between Arnold and Judas.
• Abbie explaining same sex marriage to Ichabod, but him actually being perturbed at the fact that one half of the couple was wearing a hat indoors.
• Henry being a little sh*t to Ichabod at the precinct and Ichabod giving it right back without pause.
• Ichabod revealing that it’s Paul Revere on the Sam Addams label and not, well Sam Addams, after he and Abbie meet up with the new guy to discuss coinage. Ichabod puffing up his bloated American history chest only to have it popped again was the real highlight though. (Tom Mison really has some of the best comedic timing I’ve ever seen from a dramatic actor.)
• Abbie and Ichabod literally sharing in the big hero moment at the end of the episode. There’s nothing I love more when it comes to saving the world than these two caring for each other and working together.
• Abbie reading her mother’s file and revealing her true (and complicated) feelings about she and Jenny being abandonment.
• Frank looking like his loyalty was waning after Ichabod told him to stay in Tarrytown instead of getting out to see his family (by Henry’s hand, of course).
• Not a moment, but a character. Nick Hawley. I like him more than I thought I would. My distrust for him still remains at Ichabod levels though.