The Lost Colony. Review: Sleepy Hollow – “John Doe”

Season 1, Episode 05

Air Date: Monday, October 14, 2013, 9PM ET/PT on Fox

Rating: ★★★★★

“Show me a sign…give me something.” — Abbie

“John Doe” delves a little more into the other horsemen of the apocalypse gunning for Sleepy Hollow but admittedly, this is a filler episode, and one I’m thankful for given the three-week hiatus Sleepy Hollow is taking. It wouldn’t have been fair to throw us a curve ball episode, leaving us to wait in agony until Ichabod (Tom Mison) and Abbie (Nicole Beharie) return to our screens November 4.

Abbie and Ichabod find the Lost Colony of Roanoke where they speak…Middle English? Where art thou dictionary?

“John Doe” tells the ill-fated tale of the legendary “lost colony of Roanoke,” an entire village that simply disappeared. That is, until a little boy named Thomas (Matthew Lintz) mysteriously arrives in the woods of Sleepy Hollow bringing with him a plague of some kind infecting Ichabod and many of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) workers. At first, I wasn’t sure what the lost colony of Roanoke has to do with any of the horsemen or an impending apocalypse but my doubts are soon quelled when Ichabod speaks (in Middle English no less) with one of the villagers of Roanoke who tells him of the “Horseman of Pestilence.” Sounds ominious, right? It is. I guess what throws me about this horseman is his appearance – he looks like an ancient Mongolian warrior straight out of Mulan. His strange horned helmet and armor look more like he’s wearing a mini pagoda; I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s as scary as the rest of them but he seems out of place in a village fit for pilgrims.

I want to commend the writers for continuing Ichabod’s learning curve as he discovers new and wondrous things about the modern world. Only Ichabod can make a tape dispenser seem so incredible; however, if someone doesn’t get this guy a change of clothes, I may cry. Come on—the man has had the same outfit on for five episodes now! I just hope he’s at least Zest®fully clean for Abbie’s sake. I wonder if the late Sheriff Corbin’s (Clancy Brown) cabin has a washer and dryer now that Ichabod will be living there.

Absent from the episode once again is our original Headless Horseman (Richard Cetrone) but in the previews for what’s ahead after the short hiatus, it seems he will rise from his watery depths to once again wreak havoc on Sleepy Hollow. Maybe that’s what I’m missing – just some good old fashioned good versus evil battling. That’s not to say “John Doe” doesn’t have said battle, it was just a bit boring. I thought finding the hidden colony was pretty cool, with the trees adorned with symbols showing a path to the colony making it seem as though Ichabod and Abbie are walking on water, but the whole ‘plague’ thing kind of comes and goes without much ado.

Captain Irving discusses the case of the mysterious little boy who’s come to Sleepy Hollow bearing unwanted gifts. Plague? Um, no thank you.

Also absent from “John Doe” is Abbie’s sister Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood). We know she had to return to the psychiatric facility after the epic battle in “Lesser Key of Solomon,” but I really hope we get to see more of her in future episodes. The dichotomy of Jenny and Abbie’s broken relationship provides a unique dynamic since Jenny is the believer while Abbie is still trying to make sense of it all.

Overall, “John Doe” focuses on one central theme – having faith in the absence of signs. Abbie happens to go into a chapel while evading her co-workers and asks for a sign whether taking Thomas and Ichabod back to Roanoke will save them from this plague. Of course, she doesn’t get the lightning bolt affirmation she’s hoping for, but even for a non-religious person like me, signs come in all forms.

The one aspect of the episode that leaves a weird taste in my mouth is why Luke (Nicholas Gonzalez) is hell bent on proving Ichabod isn’t necessary to anything going on in Sleepy Hollow. I want to say jealousy is rearing its ugly head but that doesn’t seem to fit. It doesn’t look like Abbie is hurting over their break-up. That happened when she thought she was leaving Sleepy Hollow for Quantico but now that she’s staying, she hasn’t made a move to reconnect. Either way, something doesn’t quite gel with Luke in this picture. But, the same could be said for the mysterious Captain Irving (Orlando Jones).

Sleepy Hollow will return in three weeks on Monday, November 4 at 9/8c 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.