Seventh Circle of Hell. Retrospective: Sleepy Hollow – “The Lesser Key of Solomon”

Season 1, Episode 04

Air Date: Monday, October 7, 2013, 9PM ET/PT on Fox

Rating: ★★★★★

“I will rain legal brimstone down on you so hard, it will make God jealous.” — Abbie

In the first ten minutes of “The Lesser Key of Solomon,” we get a love sonnet (of sorts), humor, drama, and torture. If that’s any indication of what’s in store, you don’t know the half of it. This week’s episode gives us a glimpse of the real darkness both Ichabod (Tom Mison) and Abbie (Nicole Beharie) are going to be battling.

Hessisans and The Boston Tea Party

Ichabod Crane recalls an incident during the Boston Tea Party involving a strange crate and a German Hessian guarding it.

Again, our Headless Horseman (Richard Cetrone) is absent but we are not spared any reprieve from malevolent thugs raining evil on our day. In a flashback to Boston during the Revolutionary War, Ichabod is led on a mission to find a crate containing a secret weapon. Before he and his men are able to retrieve the box, a German Hessian (Lance Tafelski), a loyalist to the Queen of England, decides to blow himself up, hoping to simultaneously destroy Ichabod and his men. What he says beforehand is quite disturbing, “O’ Might Lord Death, by whom all things are set free, I cast myself utterly into thine arms…and place myself unreservedly under thy all powerful protection.” Yeah, um, that’s not crazy, right? Needless to say, Ichabod survives along with the crate and its contents – a heavy metal box with intricate carvings. What is inside the box…well, fast forward to present day and you shall get your answer.

Ichabod recalls a story from Gen. Washington regarding the sextant Jenny pulled from the walls of Corbin's cabin.

Ichabod tells both Abbie and Jenny a story from Gen. Washington regarding the sextant Jenny pulled from a secret wall of Corbin’s cabin. And of course, how fortuitous is Ichabod’s photographic memory when the sextant is stolen along with the map?

Abbie’s sister Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) escaped from the psychiatric hospital so Ichabod and Abbie go in search of her. This lands them in a cabin that isn’t just any cabin – it belongs to the late Sheriff Corbin (Clancy Brown). Seems the good old Sheriff was keeping more than just secret files. He kept his relationship with Jenny a secret from Abbie all these years. Why? He was training Jenny to be a warrior against the evil that would come to Sleepy Hollow. And he has used her to help him “obtain rare objects,” one of which is a “sextant” that doubles as a projector. A projection of a map shows Ichabod and Abbie the location of the box Ichabod helped procure centuries ago, but this brilliant discovery is thwarted when another Hessian, Gunther (guest star Carsten Norgaard), and his henchmen steal it. When Gunther is captured, the conversation that transpires is quite ominous.

Ichabod: “What’s in the box?”

Gunther: “A doorway to the seventh circle of Hell where 72 condemned souls wade upon a shore of flaming sand.”

Jenny: “Seventy-two demons—the lesser key of Solomon; that’s what you’re talking about, right?”

The conversation leads to another discussion regarding a “book of black magic written by King Solomon,” and talk about the “Knights Templar” and “the crusades.” I’ve mentioned before that I’m fascinated with history and it seems our own U.S. history has spawned many wicked tales.

Committed to the Cause

One of Gunther’s henchmen uses Jenny as a hostage to negotiate with Abbie who’s take the Book of Black Magic

Seems our Hessian Gunther isn’t alone in his mad quest to retrieve whatever key he needs to open the gates of Hell, so to speak. He mentions he is “committed to the cause” and that there are many others. How scary is that? Knowing there are lunatics out there who actually believe these demons are worth resurrecting as if they will solve the world’s problems. Are they the cause of the world’s problems? I’m not religious at all but I believe in a higher power – a force in the universe that has some control over our fate. I know evil and I know if you give into it, it will corrupt you to your very soul. Despite his character, Norgaard gives a stellar performance. He makes you believe he is truly a Hessian, and when he says in German, “Moloch shall rise” before biting down on a cyanide capsule hidden in his mouth, I was left with my mouth agape, stunned into silence. If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is!

If there is one scene you shouldn’t miss, it’s what happens after Gunther’s henchman finds the box and opens it. While I pride myself on being able to describe a scene with vivid detail, what unfolds is something out of a horror movie (a good horror movie). The skeletal bodies trying to emerge from what looks like a pool of red, glistening, bloody Saran-wrap like substance is unsettling, especially when one of the henchmen holds Abbie so close to the edge of it. This is a must-see moment of the episode.

Favorite Lines/Moments

As I mentioned, there is a bit of humor in “Lesser Key of Solomon,” and it comes in the very initial scenes when we see Ichabod sitting inside a car talking to someone who we don’t see yet. What he says is beautiful, “Surviving death, separated by time tests the bonds of love. The moment I saw her, I knew. The bravest love is born again with each new day; the kind of love that makes the mundane a marvel, that bewilders with its magnificence until fate’s cruel hand intervened…and in a blink of an eye, Katrina was lost to me…” He goes on to say something about giving love a chance…blah blah blah.

Then a woman’s voice from inside the car sniffles; she from “North Star Assistance,” thanking Ichabod for such heartfelt advice. But no, he thanks her for remotely unlocking the door so he could get in. Maybe it doesn’t translate well written but I was laughing so hard I nearly wet myself! Another must-see scene.

When Ichabod and Abbie arrive at the cabin, of course the door is locked so Abbie, being learned in the art of B & E (breaking and entering), picks the lock.

Ichabod to Abbie: “How fortuitous; an officer of the law with a criminal past. Imagine the delinquency we could perpetrate if we really put our minds to it.”

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the way Ichabod speaks? Thank you writers for giving him the most delectable dialogue to say with that sexy British accent.

***

Sleepy Hollow continues to get darker while sprinkling in just the right amount of humor that’s realistic. I really liked the ending when the two sisters confront each other to hash things out. It’s not too sentimental nor overly girly. It’s real. One sister betrayed the other, leaving one to be a prisoner in a psych ward while the other was free. But Abbie was never truly free from what she did or saw. She just made the most of her situation, just as Jenny did with hers.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.