Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Episodes: 12
Duration: 43 minutes per episode (episode 12 is a double episode + extra features)
Sleepy Hollow: Season 1 (DVD) – Series Review
The legend of Sleepy Hollow is a fairly known one, be it thanks to the all known tale of the headless horseman or simply because of the 1999 movie in which Johnny Depp shined as the quirky detective Ichabod Crane. In 2013 this legend was brought back to life, in a modern day setting to shed a new light on the headless horseman and his counterpart Ichabod Crane. Keep your head screwed on for this one, you’re about to head into Sleepy Hollow once more.
Ichabod Crane, a soldier under the command of George Washington goes toe to toe with a Hessian soldier. Sadly, during this fight Ichabod gets mortally wounded but with the final attack of his sword he is able to cut off the Hessian’s head. Soon after Ichabod is rushed to what seemed to be a hospital, it’s clear that traditional medicine will not save his life. Thus Crane is saved through the means of a ritual and awakens a tad later than he would have expected himself. Our brave soldier seems to be facing a new battleground, namely one that is situated nearly two and a half centuries in the future, or for us the present day.
On the other side of town Sheriff August Corbin and Abbie Mills get called in to check out some startled horses on a nearby farm. Upon arrival, Abbie notices a shotgun lying around on the ground, whilst Corbin checks out the stables to calm down the horses. Soon after, it becomes clear that not only Ichabod has been resurrected but the Hessian soldier has been brought to life as well. Sadly, he seems to be missing his head. Mere minutes later, Corbin loses his head as well and Abbie sees the ghastly figure ride off in the distance.
When returning at the office, a suspect has been arrested and it seems to be none other than the good Ichabod Crane himself. He is the prime suspect in the murder case but soon it becomes clear that Ichabod could have had nothing to do with the murders (not directly that is). Seeing Abbie saw the headless figure vanishing in the distance she is more inclined to believe the ‘ramblings’ of Ichabod. Also it becomes clear that Abbie and her estranged sister Jenny had their fair share of paranormal events in the past that has driven them apart. It seems that an unlikely partnership is about to start under the supervision of captain Frank Irving, to get a-head of the headless horseman and all other kinds of evil that followed him to the peaceful town of Sleepy Hollow.
During the twelve episodes of the first season you’ll notice the same thread that runs through nearly all of the episodes. Ichabod, Abbie and their ‘compadres’ will often find themselves tackling the case of one specific ‘evil phenomenon’ hanging overhead, whilst still following the main story of the headless horseman. The series starts off a bit slow seeing you will have to get the right amount of information before the fun is able to start.
Acting performances are quite decent to be honest, even though one might compare the current Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) with the outstanding performance of Johnny Depp in the movie version of the legend, Tom is actually a very likeable and convincing actor. Orlando Jones, who plays Frank Irving, already has a decent amount of experience with the paranormal thanks to his appearances in ‘Once Upon a Time’. He plays a fairly stiff character and does so easily. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) and Jenny Mills (Lyndie Greenwood), the sisters present the viewer with great opposites that complete each other as sisters. Whilst Jenny may often seem like the more ‘amusing’ character, it’s clear that the role of Abbie might actually be harder at times. Kudos to both.
Other important roles such as Katrina Crane (Katia Winter) and Henry Parrish (John Noble) get a tad less screen time as the others, but they are certainly outstanding in supporting both the other actors as well as the story. You will also see roles by other decent actors such as Clancy Brown and John Cho, thus proving that this series has a decent amount of horsepower beneath the hood.
Character development proves to be quite important and for the most part it’s done quite decent throughout the first season. Sadly not everything seems to be as consistent all the time, especially with the behavior of the Mills sisters and some weird actions of Frank. Other than that, you’ll enjoy seeing the characters grow and slip more comfortably in their roles in the creepy town.
Sceneries set the mood in Sleepy Hollow and quite well actually. Seeing the old legend is moved to our time period it created the hard task of combining old and new and still make for an appealing series to look at. You will notice that a lot of the scenes are often situated around old caverns, buildings in a fairly dark and grim setting. This does not only make the series look more authentic, it actually sets the right atmosphere as well.
The DVD-box of the first series will also feature a decent amount of extras, such as the typical gag reels and deleted scenes but also interesting facts about the story behind the headless horseman and how they presented you with a modernized version. All in all, you will have some fun extras to watch when the credits of the last episodes start rolling on the screen.
Conclusion
Sleepy Hollow is one of those series that proves that you can turn an old tale into something new and interesting again. Overall you will be presented with qualitative actors and an interesting plot. Be sure to give the series a decent try, even though the first two episodes may move at a slower pace than the rest of the series. There’s not much more to say than keep your head inside the windows at all time when watching Sleepy Hollow.
Sleepy Hollow: Season 1 (DVD) - Series Review,
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