Demons and Skinny Jeans? Review: Sleepy Hollow – “Vessel”

Season 1, Episode 11

Air Date: Monday, January 13, 9/8c on Fox

Rating: ★★★★★

“Our plan is in motion. The witnesses can’t stop it. Darkness will reign!” — The demon Ancitif

After a seemingly long holiday break, Sleepy Hollow comes roaring back with a frightful and enthralling new episode, “Vessel.” Multiple demonic possessions and wardrobe changes are just the tip of this hellacious iceberg.

As many times as I’ve commented on this, and even with the whispers of it actually happening, I was still shocked to see Ichabod (Tom Mison) out of his Revolutionary War garments and into a sleek pair of skinny jeans. Really, Abbie (Nicole Beharie)? You say you want to help the man with his wardrobe and this is what you put his sexy English butt in? Although Mison does look hot, I have issues with men wearing tight pants. It’s just…wrong. Thankfully, the wardrobe change is short-lived.

Jenny returns but she’s not as willing to help…at least not right away

As we dive into “Vessel,” Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) returns but under dire circumstances. Things that happened in her past, while she and her sister Abbie weren’t speaking, come back to haunt her…and possibly possess her once again. We get an interesting glimpse into how Jenny and the late Sheriff August Corbin (Clancy Brown) bonded over a little exorcism. Get the salt, an ancient lantern, and some serious holy water because things are getting freakishly paranormal.

Sleepy Hollow really steps up its game with “Vessel.” The makeup in this episode is phenomenal. The way the makeup artists transform both Greenwood and young Amandla Stenberg, who plays Macey Irving, into almost unrecognizable demon-possessed people is astonishing and actually, quite frightening. What sends it all over the top is the voice enhancer. The way the actresses’ voices are synced, adding a deep baritone with a slight echo sends chills down my spine. The CGI effects are also fantastic and not overdone.

Frank has no idea that the demon is so close at hand…

“Vessel” takes us deeper into the mystery behind George Washington’s Bible. The demon Ancitif is desperate to have the Bible but both Abbie and Ichabod know they cannot give it him, even if it is to save someone’s life. “Vessel” is such an intense episode, especially when you consider all the body jumping the demon does, and Captain Frank Irving (Orlando Jones) being put between a rock and a hard place when his daughter’s life is at stake.

Jenny’s reluctance to help Ichabod and Abbie isn’t because she doesn’t care, it’s because she’s afraid of what may happen if she gets involved. After all, the demon has possessed her once before. “I know you feel it. The darkness within your soul, whispering in your ear, telling you, ‘You must kill your sister.’” When a demon speaks to you with such audacity, revealing one of your deep-rooted fears, it would terrify anyone into wanting to run as far away as possible. Thankfully, Abbie isn’t going to let a demon get in the way again. Both Abbie and Jenny have come too far and there is much more at stake than just their own lives. The fate of the world depends on Abbie and Ichabod defeating Moloch (DJ Mifflin) and the forces of evil and they need all the extra help they can get.

“Vessel” provides us with fantastic acting all around but more so by young Stenberg. She has to be innocent one minute, and deranged and demon-possessed the next. While she has facial prosthetics to help disguise her, it is her physical movements that help sell her possession.

Interesting Lines:

“I don’t understand your obsession with my finery. Demons threaten our very existence with a promise of apocalypse… (trying to sit down) God’s wounds. One sign of the impending apocalypse is surely skinny jeans.” – Ichabod

“If you’re gonna keep wearing that (jacket) damn thing, I have two words for you – dry cleaning.” – Abbie

“I touched her (Abbie) soul once; soon it will be mine forever.” – Moloch

Ichabod knows Washington’s Bible has much more hidden in its pages than the words written in black ink. After some investigating, he and Abbie discover a passage written by Washington, “December 18, 1799.” What could this mean? Is it a clue about the father of our nation and the truth behind his death? The message is written in his own hand, four days after his historic death. Could Washington still be alive, spared as Ichabod was and entombed somewhere?

Tell me what you think. Leave me a comment below and/or tweet me @judybopp.

Tune in for the Sleepy Hollow two-hour season finale airing Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, 8/7c, only on Fox.

For more on the show, go to http://www.fox.com/sleepy-hollow/.

Follow Sleepy Hollow on Twitter: @SleepyHollowFox #SleepyHollow.

LIKE Sleepy Hollow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SleepyHollow.

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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.