Reaction to'The People v. Ichabod Crane' largely depends on the viewer's feelings towards Abbie. For someone who was always a bit indifferent to the former witness, I found this episode boring and felt it's time to move on from her death. Hearing from fans who liked Abbie, this episode was quite the emotional and necessary episode.
Putting it all into perspective, the season has yet to explore Crane's deepest feelings on Abbie's death, they've only touched the surface, and the courtroom scenes allowed that to happen while tying it nicely into the monster of the week. At one point, the returning Henry asks, “why haven’t you grieved Abigail Mills?,” which puts into light why Crane himself has seemed so indifferent.
Actor Tom Mison said in interviews, Crane is just not the type of guy who outright shows his emotions and I think that is another reason why the court scene was so boring. Crane maintained that stiff upper lip throughout most of the episode, which can sometimes work against him in terms of having any kind of emotional impact on viewers.
Crane did, however, have one moment - when he gave his speech to Henry about how he always loved him and never gave up hope, and how every battle he engaged in was for those he loved, especially Henry. In an episode that was supposed to be about Crane's feelings regarding Abbie's death, it turned out to be more about Crane and his relationship with his son, and it'll be interesting to see how that relationship is further explored when Henry makes his inevitable return (that face in the jar scene was so weird).
The highlight of the episode, however, was Jenny's passionate speech to Diana about Crane and Abbie's bond and how that is a gift and not something to run away from. Jenny has been always been the stronger of the two sisters in large part due to actress Lyndie Greenwood's range and in this scene we are reminded why she is such a crucial character to have in the show, narratively speaking. Crane could never make Diana realize the strength of his bond with Abbie and what it means to Molly and her mother, the only one that could was Jenny, and she does so in a scene that was very profound.
Another positive in 'The People v. Crane' was how there was a limited appearance of Malcolm Dreyfuss. We needed a break from the season's main antagonist. With him in only one scene there was noticeably less ham and more focus on the emotional and growing bonds between both Jenny and Diana, as well as on Crane and Henry.
Overall, despite 'The People v. Crane' being a monster of the week episode, we did get some very important character moments. Diana is now back in the fight and that is all accomplished through her wonderful interactions with Jenny. The two leading actresses had quickly developed a strong dynamic throughout the events of the episode. We also are treated to the return of John Noble as Henry, in what seems to be the first of many appearances this seasons. His relationship with Crane was explored well in the courtroom scenes. On top of it all, less ham from Dreyfuss always equals to a big positive.
7.5/10
Other Scenes of Note
* Jake had a great moment in this episode when he expressed to Alex about his awe of how everything he has read about in the vault actually coming to life at a time when all he was beginning to feel was despair. Brining these two side characters in was a great move, both have impressed, especially Jake.
*Jobe was downright menacing in the scene when he disintegrated the poor guard and stole the item
*Jenny breaking into the military base and acting all girly was too funny.
*Another humorous moment was Diana at the bar and Jenny's "marines..." quip.
*Putting Molly on the phone to give hope to Ichabod was a nice touch to resolve the final scene.
Sleepy Hollow Quote of the Week
Jenny: "...we are a part of each other's lives now. That means we can help each other. And I'll be honest, these connections we don't understand them that well, but I do know this: Abbie and Crane had a bond so strong they could literally tug eachother back from different worlds; they always knew how to reach other and how to pull each other out of the depth. It is not something to be afraid of, it is a gift."
What did you guys think of 'The People v. Ichabod Crane? Leave your thoughts in the comments and be sure to vote for your best moments in the poll below.
