COMPLICATIONS OF THE HEART
THE BETSY ROSS & ZOE FACTOR
Even before filming actually started, fans were up in arms learning that Twilight star Nikki Reed was tapped to play the buxom, sexy, George Washington spy, Betsy Ross. Some Sleepyheads touted her addition to the cast would culminate in a version of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, once again sidelining Abbie as the lead. Personally I never saw it was going to be like that at all and who cares if he had a little something, something on the side with her? They’re in 1774! While I admit the timeline of events is a little murky, I find it plausible given the fact that the real Betsy Ross had been married three times and every hubby died prematurely! (Hmmm….possible Twistory?)
If Besty Ross wasn’t enough to keep the chatter on social media at a fever pitch, the Caroline-esq goody-two-shoes Zoe Corinth (Maya Kazan) seemingly pursuing Ichabod, has been! Supposedly working for the Historical Society to list buildings of historic significance, she immediately bonds with Ichabod, using her love and knowledge of the past to firmly place her front and center. Yes I say #No2CranZoe, but I feel she serves a greater purpose.
The thing that has nagged me the most is what connection do Betsy Ross and Zoe Corinth have? Is there a connection or is it just a coincidence Zoe dressed up like a Disney version of Betsy Ross for Halloween? I say there are never coincidences! Also, John Adams has been dropped several times throughout these eight episodes. How does he fit into the mix? If you’ll indulge me, here are my rambling theories…
What if Zoe is a
actually a descendant of John Adams, assigned to keep her eyes on Crane? Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want that job? Get to the back of the line ladies, I’m first! LOL I also believe it’s no coincidence that Ichabod happened to don a painstakingly created embroidered vest like John Adams wore. My question is how did Zoe know immediately who he was and why is she trying to emulate Betsy? And here’s another morsel for you to chew on…what if Zoe is actually Pandora in disguise? I find it very interesting that whenever Pandora is predominantly in the episode, Zoe is absent and visa-versa.
Why have some of the entities reminded Ichabod of his escapades with Betsy Ross? What’s the correlation? Did you notice the flag Betsy sewed was used to wrap the Staff of the Eye? Does the first American flag have a supernaturally charged element sewn within capable of dousing the energy of the binding stone? If so, where is it?
And is it another coincidence that Zoe is trying to add the church in Dobbs Ferry to the list of Historical sites? Is it the same church Hessians attempted to use the Book of Black Magic King Solomon wrote, capable of summoning 72 demons in S1x04, The Lesser Key of Solomon?
Or (yes I’m going way out in left field), what if Zoe is Betsy Ross? We’ve heard her use several Betsy phrases, the one that immediately comes to mind is “just go with it”. It is Sleepy Hollow after all, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. Is your head spinning now? Welcome to my insane ‘World of Sleepy Hollow‘! So many questions, so few answers!
ABBIE, ICHABOD AND ZOE
If the fact that saccharine sweet Zoe all up in Ichabod’s face didn’t make you ponder her real purpose, than maybe the fact that Abbie has consistently pushed Ichabod towards her might! Can I just say WTH? I completely understand that Abbie might be guarded after Ichabod seemingly ditched her for nine months, but it’s like she never had feelings for him at all! In contrast, there have been moments thus far where you can see what he feels for “Leftenant”, happy to be “back in the saddle”, as Joe so aptly put it.
Discussions throughout social media have sparked about why there has been a bit of a pull back 
between Ichabod and Abbie? The scene that really got Sleepyheads in a frenzy was in “The Sisters Mills”, when Abbie is in the hospital and Ichabod kept his feelings in check. From my perspective, I feel like he’s a soldier, having to go back into battle. He’s learned how to distance his emotions having lost so many friends. I actually thought he looked like he was going to cry, then steadies himself. He gives another sorrowful glance before he leaves that tugs at the heartstrings.
DANNY, ABBIE AND ICHABOD
Not only was Abbie surprised to see Reynolds back in her life, but Ichabod was clearly dismayed by the development. He didn’t waste any time marking his territory so-to-speak, making it appear as though they were together, though Abbie quickly informs they’re roommates. The looks he gives Danny upon “heading home” is priceless. Like he was sizing up his prey!
Not only is R
eynolds now Abbie’s boss, he’s got his sights set on her again. Although he asks Abbie to dinner, after Ichabod nearly dies in “Blood and Fear”, she tells Reynolds the only reason their relationship worked at Quantico is because they were equals. This is not the case any longer. Is that the real issue though? Or could it be that Abbie does have feelings for Ichabod, no matter how complicated?
I find it interesting in the beginning of “This Red Lady from Caribee”, Ichabod asks Abbie specifically what would happen if she were to date Danny. Abbie tells him it would be complicated, they’d figure it out…but they’re not. Was Ichabod trying to get a feel for what Abbie thinks about dating and working with someone? The thing we’ve seen since day one, is that Abbie keeps her feelings very close to her chest, save for a few moments with Ichabod.
So who is Reynolds and why is he heading up the small FBI offices in Sleepy Hollow? As the season unfolds we learn he took it upon himself to take Abbie under his wing and push her throughout training in Quantico. But is there another reason he was there? Could he have been sent to mentor her?
Fast forward to “This Red Lady of Caribee”, when Danny is stung by a tainted bee who plagues its victims with paranoia, then death! Abbie is once again on a thrill-ride with a crazy driver and is horrified when he weaves in and out of traffic, almost causing an accident! Then he questions her integrity. “And who is that damn Crane guy? He’s no historical consultant!” In a kick ass take down, Abbie subdues an out of control Reynolds and locks him in the supernatural bunker. While there, he confesses he still has feelings for Abbie, as he reminisces about their time on a private island, a shack on the beach where things became very intimate.
We still have no idea what exactly occured, how things were left. Upon finishing training, she was assigned back to her hometown, while Reynolds was elsewhere. In her mind, things were done but not in Reynold’s heart! Fans are clamoring for a flashback of this scene! Will we see it in the last ten episodes of the season? I hope so! Would be nice to see our girl getting busy with a hottie like Reynolds!
What is the real reason Reynolds is in Sleepy Hollow? I don’t buy this supposed stepping stone running Sleepy Hollow FBI offices, “then go large .” Is he one of the participants involved in this “secret war” Benjiman Franklin eluded to in “Tempus Fugit”? And who did he call after she quit? What was all the talk of “losing the asset”? Asset in what way? Does he know she’s a Witness? Could Papa Mills be involved somehow? And when Reynolds makes a trip to D.C. to meet with the FBI Director , he says “there are eyes on this one” and “they’re watching her too.” Who? Could it mean that Reynolds has been assigned to Abbie? If that’s the case, why wouldn’t Reynolds tell Abbie he knows she a Witness? Who else is watching them? Watchers perhaps? The Freemasons? I’m anxious to see who knows what and why are they watching our Witnesses because I’ve never got the feeling anyone knew what they were doing.
Thus far the “Art of War”, penned by Joe Webb, is my favorite of the season.
After Joe confides in Ichabod he has feelings for Jenny and is worried about her, Ichabod tells him to “seize control whilst we can. Talk to her.” Then in a highly anticipated moment, Ichabod pretty much admits he’s afraid of losing Abbie, to which Joe tells Ichabod to take his own advice. Then, while taking some of Jenny’s mystically charged blood for the Berzerka takedown, Joe finally makes his move and it’s reciprocated! They are too cute for words!
After taking down the Berzerkas, as Ichabod and Abbie bask in the warmth of their victory, Ichabod finally verbalizes he’s afraid of losing her, pause 5 seconds, “to some FBI office in Dallas or Los Angeles”. I’m glad there was a pause and I feel that Abbie understood what he meant because as usual, not wanting to let anyone in too close, she looks at the ground. Ultimately she assures him she, Joe and Jenny are not going anywhere. Oh the foreshadowing of “Come what may.”
ICHABOD AND ABBIE
And finally, think I can safely say that I speak on behalf of every Sleepyhead, why hasn’t Abbie told Ichabod how much it hurt her when he stopped communicating with her? There was a small exchange at the jail where she does put him on the spot, but it’s quickly diffused by an apology and swept under the proverbial rug.
The fact is she completely trusted him, more than any man besides the late Sheriff Corbin, so a small discussion in general population at the jail doesn’t really depict how upset she was at him. Maybe we’ll see it upon her return? All I know is that if it was me and my best friend, the person I had grown so close to suddenly stopped all communication, I’d be pissed! We need a full on, hash out scene where it all comes out. I love how strong Abbie is, but she is always helping others deal with one crisis to another. She’s sort of the “go to” gal, who makes everyone else happy. But what about her? We need to see her taken care of for a change.
Due to the aforementioned, I feel this is why we’ve seen the biggest pull back from Abbie. Of course it’s been fun to see “domestic Ichabbie”, something fans hoped for and write about in Sleepy Fan Fiction. One of my favorite scenes is in “Whispers In the Dark”, when Ichabod sings a shanty while cleaning, then is caught looking at Leftenant’s “unmentionables”, before nearly setting the kitchen on fire! These are the moments that Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie shine. I keep wondering what other things have they learned about each other that they “cannot unknow”? I’m waiting for the shower moment when either he walks in on her or she walks in on him taking a bath! I can just hear the pandemonium that would ensue!
We’ve also spoken a lot about why Abbie seems so closed of emotionally. She even tells Ichabod as much in season two’s “Heartless”.
“Since when has opening our hearts to new possibilities been a complication”, asks Ichabod.
Then there’s Ichabod. I don’t care what anyone says, the look she gives to Ichabod as she leaves so he can have his date with his “witch wife” in “Pittura Infamante”, was heartbreaking. She even tells him he doesn’t have to go.
The thing about Ichabod and Abbie is that from the moment he awakens in the 21st century, both have this innate trust in each other. I found it incredible that we see the immediate connection between them in the pilot episode, when she tells the tale of what she and her sister saw as kids. For Abbie, now that we know her a little bit better, it’s huge step. And in “Tempus Fugit”, here is this woman who apparently knows him from the “year of our Lord, 2015”, claiming he’s in danger…from his wife! Thank God he was working under General Washington and was Benjamin Franklin’s protege or he’d definitely have her committed! Once again we see that no matter what century they’re in, their bond is strong, trust is ever so prevalent. It’s also interesting that when she confesses she’s been sort of stalking her father, although Ichabod encourages her to forge some type of relationship, she says it’s better to just move on. This is exactly what she did when Ichabod left. She went to Quantico to finish her dream of crafting a career in the FBI.
*Next: *NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM’ – Part 3 of 3
*Sleepy Hollow returns, February 5, 2016, Fridays 8 p.m. on FOX
If only Ichabbie would just “Say” what they want!
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